i cannot sleep! i need major help here!?

Question

i am up til midnight or one EVERY SINGLE NIGHT. and then i have a lot of trouble getting to sleep. i toss and turn. this has been going on for a long long time i dont know what to do! please help me!

1. ok, papi &JustJules...ur crazy! smoking ajoint wont make me sleep!
2. i have been under a ton of stress and i've had dreppsion for a while and i have...ya kno...thoughts

i spelled depression wrong *sigh*

i cannot swallow pills...seriously, my gag reflex is like, incredibly sensitive! plus asprin and stuff that that doesn't work for me...i just get bigger headaches and i cann't sleep if i have a headache.
i am a complicated person...sigh...*-*

i read before bed but then i'm up later trying to fiish my book...

Answer 1

Try not to drink caffeine 6 hours before bedtime.

Answer 2

There are many reasons that people have trouble going to sleep on a regular baslis. I would suggest that you first see your physician and have a complete exam. There are may chemical imbalances that can keep you up. A simple blood test can find a lot of these types of problems. If you have done this and you don't have any physical problems that are keeping you up then I have a few suggestions.

1. If you do not exercise then start a regular exercise program. This not only burns excess calories and energy but helps the body chemistry stay in balance. One important note is not to exercise right before bedtime. The adrinaline will probably keep you up for a bit. I like the early morning exercise the best. Gives me a jumpstart on the day.

2. Eat a well balanced diet. This will also help your body chemistry stay balanced.

3. No TV in bed. If you have been watching television in bed you may have, without meaning to, trained your body to stay awake for a while in bed. This may seem silly but it is true.

4. Clear your head and mind before laying down and resolve any issues from the day that can be resolved. The mind has a funny way of not letting us rest if we have unresolved issues that can be fixed. It's llike those little thoughts that won't go away.

5. When you get into bed and have cleared the thoughts, then think of a happy place from childhood or present.

I hope that one, some or perhaps all of these helps you with your problem. I know how it feels to lay in bed needing to sleep and can't. Good luck in your effort.

Answer 3

Get a new bed. I've been sleeping a lot better since I got a new mattress. It's memory foam, maybe you should look into that a little bit more. That and apparently pets will keep you up during the night if you sleep with them. I think I have insomnia, so I never really sleep, but when I get tired enough and go to bed it's usually a good solid 10 hours of sleep without interuption, unless I have a lot on my mind, in which case I'll just roll back over and watch TV until I can't think of anything else other then how Jackie Chan just climbed a 15 foot wall. Anyway, good luck.

Answer 4

Might I suggest a sleep routine? We are all creatures of routines...they reassure us in uncertain times. This might sound overly preachy, but I think it has some validity.

First, see a Doctor and describe your symptoms ---spend a week writing down your activities and what you eat throughout each day. A doctor might be able to spot something that you don't and can help you eliminate possible problems from a potential list.

If you have too much stress, think about a relaxing routine before bed. Keep the lights low, listen to some nice music, take a long, hot bath and try some hot milk and honey with a little cinnamon. Don't answer the phone, don't check your computer one last time, don't make a list for tomorrow (do that earlier!).

If you have trouble relaxing, mention that to the doctor as well. Our son did, and was given tapes to listen to when he went to bed. These relaxation tapes were very helpful, and once he got the routine down, he could do it all by himself without the prompting.

Finally, may seem weird, but one thing I found contributed to a lot of sleeplessness was the state of my apt./house. Once I took more responsibility and pride in my space, kept it clean and inviting, I seemed to be less anxious. I clean my countertops and put away laundry and dishes before that hot bath!

If push comes to shove, a doctor can prescribe a sleep aid. Or you can try something like excederin p.m. these help, but a lot of the time what you really need to do is change your behaviour.

Good luck.

Answer 5

Doing some exercise at some point during the day, even if it is just a 20 mnute walk will help to release some energy.

If you are under stress or have a lot on your mind, that will contribute to not being able to sleep. Before you go to bed, I suggest meditation or some other kind of mind relaxation (not weed--it will make your mind spin around for awhile) to get those thoughts processed.

Reading does work for me. I wouldn't read an exciting novel, something more mundane. Are you a spiritual or religious person? Prayer can be very relaxing and soothing as well. Last, but certainly not least, is good sex.

Answer 6

When you do get to sleep do you stay asleep? Do you sleep in after a rough night? I once had big issues with insomnia, but found that if I forced myself to get up early every morning (as in no later than 5am) even if I had just fallen asleep. By doing this I changed my internal clock so my body knew when to sleep and when to be awake. You might also want to cut out caffeine after 5pm so that none will be in your system when you try to go to bed. Also stop reading before bed unless it is short articles from a magazine or news paper. Don't bring the whole paper ether, that way you are not tempted to keep reading. And lastly have you tried warm milk, or hot Turkey? I know that it may not be the yummiest way, but as you cannot swallow pills it may just help. If nothing else it will take the edge off and allow you to sleep. Worse comes to worse maybe you could crush an Ambien or the like on take the powder with a shot of OJ or Kool-aid. I wish you the best luck, I know how bad life can suck when you cannot sleep, and being tired makes it even harder to keep life in prospective.

Answer 7

As someone who has had chronic insomnia my entire life until a year ago, I think I can help!

I tried everything since I was a little to try and sleep and nothing worked. None of the over-the-counter meds will help you. I was also on several prescription meds which did not help either.

Finally, there were two solutions. The first was called Seroquel. It is a prescription , and used as an anti-psychotic ~ but it works! My doctor was more than happy to put me on it for long term when we realised that it had no side-effects, no weight gain, nothing! Just pure sleep.

I'm off that now and am on Glucophage, which is a diabetic medication (so if you have problems with your sugar levels being too high, it helps with that as well) Again, no side effects, but does help you lose a few pounds as well. Sleep like a baby every night!

Answer 8

First I would check with a Dr. There could be any number of physical reasons you can't sleep. Also, if you are feeling depressed that is very dangerous. I don't know how you feel about medications, but if you don't have to use that route, have you tried Yoga or some type of meditative relaxation techniques. I know that sometimes the brain just won't be quiet - I have gone through depression and refused to take medications, instead I sought professional counseling and spiritual guidance. That was years ago. Then I went t through menopause - which can cause insomnia - I used Organic teas to work on this issue. There are some great organic teas that can help you sleep. Hope you get through this - my prayers are with you. Consider yourself hugged.

Answer 9

If you don't want to take any drugs the key is to get rid of your depression. If you fear professionals then just get some regular exercise. This will relieve the stress and make your body tired. Don't watch TV or read a book before you sleep. You need to turn your mind off not turn it on before you sleep. Take a warm bath or shower and just relax. Changing your body temp up 1 degree can cause your body to go into sleep mode. Don't eat anything at least 3 hours before you sleep.

If you can take a pill if prescribed to you, take ambien cr. It totally got me through the night when I couldn't do the things above. The pilll is so small if you cant swallow it then you should be dead of starvation. Or do what I did when I was a kid, hide it in a spoon of coolwhip, or yogurt and swallow.

Answer 10

Ambien.

I have the same problem, and I tried the two types of over the counter medicines.

One makes my nasal passages dry and gives me a headache, and the other makes my brain turned off for about 4 hours after I wake up.

A good sleep medicine from the doctor is Ambien. It is good because it does not cloud up your brain.

It is also good because it is not an opiate, so not addictive. (However, when you run out you will have just as much problem sleeping as now, and it will seem more annoying.)

As with all medicine it may have side effects, one of which could be memory changes. I have not seen any evidence on this, but I myself do not remember what I was doing just before I take it, e.g. reading, writing, etc.

Best of luck, I know how annoying it is when people say..."Oh just don't drink caffeine. Drink herbal tea."

They obviously have never been tossing all night, then had to rev up for work with coffee and then fallen asleep on lunch break.

If you are worried about the drug part of it, like myself, you can use it to force yourself into a normal sleep schedule and then try reducing. However don't think of it as a failure to have to get back on medicine again after your sleep cycle goes off kilter again. It is just a tool to keep yourself functioning more consistantly.

Best of luck.

Answer 11

I have Bipolar disorder and anxiety and can relate to sleep problems as a result. Several things have helped me settle in for a good nights sleep:
Visit your doctor and find out if there is a physiological reason for the lack of sleep.
Find a therapist to try and deal with your sleep and depression in therapy
MEDICATION: I know you said you have trouble taking pills but ambien and others out there are small and do work well for many
Routine: Stick to a specific routine-it sounds silly but this works wonders for me. I go to bed at the same time every night and allow for 30-45 minutes of reading time. I play relaxation music softly while I read and I also burn incense for aroma therapy to relax. After the allotted time, my lights go out, the music plays and I relax my muscles group by group until I can drift into sleep. I don't hang out in my bed unless I am getting ready to actually sleep. If I can't get to sleep after 30 minutes i leave bed until I am ready to try again but I typically make it to sleep the first time now.
Herbal teas such as Sleepy TIme (I don't know the brand, just the name) or others containing chamomile help me settle before bed as well.
Get off any caffeine, not just the second half of the day, I simply eliminated it for the most part and it also has helped.
Best of luck, I hope something here helps you get some ZZZZ's