I cannot get to sleep, why? I lay in bed for 1-3 hrs, trying to get to sleep, but I never do, Any tips?

Question

I'm 13 year old male. I wake up at 6:20 am and I 'head' to bead at 11pm. And as I said, I lie in there for about 1-3 hrs trying to get to sleep. Any tips on how to make me goto sleep? I dont like having 5-3 hrs of sleep a day. Going to be earlier doesn't work, I've tried.

I have been eating a Benadryl Chewable, my mom says It should make me tired within an hour. It doesn't Work.

Answer 1

My guess is that you need to cut back on your sugar intake... no sodas or candy 5 hours before bedtime... sugar can make you wired !

Answer 2

Taking pills for this problem is a mistake. Benadryl does not work the same in kids as it does in adults. It can make kids hyper (read the box labelling) benzos, as some others have suggested, like xanax, ativan, ambien - they can cause weird problems in kids, too. These pills are addictive, and your insomnia will come right back again when you stop them. If it is not something you are obviously worried about, like problems at home or school, **if you are not overdoing the sugar and caffeine**, you might be having depression or something interfering with your sleep.

Other things to try:

don't do stuff in your room anymore. Just use your room to sleep. (I know that's real hard for a kid- the idea here is to make you have mental discipline that when you are in your room, it's time to sleep).

don't use the TV or computer that last hour or two before bedtime. The light from the screen may be resetting your sleep-wake cycle, screwing you up. Avoid stimulating things. Probably don't do homework too late either.

Make sure your room is really dark. Close the shades, cover up your alarm clock display, turn off the nightlight.

Try listening to an environments CD like ocean waves. I used to live in the city, and I swear when I was falling asleep another helicopter would go overhead. Where I live now, the owls hoot at night. Can't win!! The boring background noise is really helpful.

Good luck!! you could google insomnia too. I really hope you don't go for the pills. They are never a long-term solution.
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Answer 3

First off, don't start on OTC sleep aids. It will just cause dependency and further problems. I have been a "bad sleeper" since I was young kid, so I know your situation. Try a few of these tips:

It is good you have a schedule for getting up and going to bed. Stick with it the best you can, even on days you don't have to get up early. Don't ingest any sugary snacks after 6pm, and no caffeine past 1pm. Try to get some exercise, any exercise for about 30 minutes or so per day. Ride your bike after school, or join a sports team, which is what I did. But don't exercise too late in the evening because it will get you jazzed up before bedtime.

Try to do something quiet, maybe even boring, about 45 minutes before you got to bed. Don't play your favorite video game until 10:30p. You mind will not have slowed down by 11p.

Most importantly, if you cant fall asleep, don't just lay in bed. This is the worst thing you can do for a lot of reasons. Get out of bed, read, or do something relaxing for 15-20 minutes or so and give it another shot. Don't stir in bed. Within time you get to thinking so much about how you're not falling asleep, the anxiety involved wakes up the brain.

Also, just use your bed for sleeping. Don't hang out watching TV in bed during the day or anything like that. You want to program your mind to know when you lay down, it is time to go into sleep mode. That also means, no napping during the day.

This is easier said than done, but it is the healthy way to sleep. Taking Melatonin, Benedryl or prescription sleep aids is not something a 13 year-old should be doing. It just isn't healthy.

Good luck.

Answer 4

There are as many answers to your problem as there are people who have it also. First, how long has this been going on? If it is a relatively short time, then look for any changes in your life that might be causing you tension, depression, or to be concerned or fearful. Sometimes unconscious thoughts even can keep us awake. If you have been having a hard time getting to sleep for quite awhile, such as months, you might benefit from specific help for the problem from a doctor. Don't let it go then as sleep is too important to keep losing like that. Sleep deprivation can lead to any number of problems with your health and mental welfare.

Benedryl, which I've used, works best when you are already able to relax; it just makes you sleepy sooner than you might get otherwise. There are no over-the-counter products for sleep that work better, as far as I know. Too many contain other ingredients for pain that you may not need and which could even be dangerous for you if taken often. Your best bet is to check with a doctor and try to find the underlying reason for your insomnia.

As far as immediate suggestions for helping you to sleep, I refer you to WebMd.com which has some excellent articles on insomia. A search can give you any number of other sources of things to do, like hot baths, getting up and doing something that is not stimuating until you get sleepy again, etc. There is a wealth of things like that you can do to promote sleep.

Answer 5

i had the same problem for a while... here's some of my suggestions.

1. you may want to use medications as a last resort, they can be habit-forming.
2. try progressive relaxation. Start at your ankles, tighten your muscles for 5 secs then relax, move on to your legs, then your thighs, etc. all the way up to your shoulders. As you relax each part imagine the tension leaving your body.
3. if you cannot fall asleep get up, go into another room and read until you feel tired.... try reading something reallly really boring.
4. don't listen to music (unless its relaxation music) or tv an hour before bed. it is stimulating and can cause restlessness.
5. don't eat or exercise 2 hours before bed. exercise causes you to feel more awake. try exercising in the early afternoon

i hope this helps!!

Answer 6

Are you worried about something? Write it down. Write down possible solutions, no matter how extreme. Of course, you will eventually cross off anything illegal or immoral.
Don't fight to get to sleep. Read in bed. Try a school book! Pick one in a subject you don't particulary like. At best you will be bored and fall to sleep. At worst you'll at least learn something!
Try warm milk and a warm bath before bed. Don't exercise prior to going to bed. Try white noise (static from a radio turned low off the station.) Try total darkness when you are ready to sleep.
You are kind of young to be having sleep problems. If it lasts more than a few days perhaps your parents need to schedule an appointment with your pediatrician.

Answer 7

First, Cut out any caffeine in your diet. If not all, stop drinking soda about 8 hours before bed.

Second, Have your mom make an appointment with your Dr. He can give you some suggestions to help.

Answer 8

Benzo

Xanax
Ativan
Klonpin
Valium


those are the best choices or tell you doc of ambiem Cr

Answer 9

you ought to sluggish your recommendations down. do no longer use the pc a hour till now mattress, or watch television. attempt meditation and a drowsing CD. Your recommendations is overactive, see in case you could decrease down on artwork greater and do relaxing issues. additionally attempt a clean weight-help plan, no sugars or hyper ingredients.

Answer 10

well i had the same problem. i saw a doctor and told me i suffer from anxiety. he gave me some anxiety pills which is called xanax. i do not know if u have anxiety but i would actually reccomend that u see ure doctor. hope this is some help to you.