Are there any ways to get me to sleep the whole night that don't involve sleep medications?

Question

For New Years I went to Colorado for a few weeks vacation and had no trouble sleeping there. Ever since I've been back in Florida I haven't been able to sleep the whole night without waking up at least once.

Every night I go to sleep betwen 12:00 and 12:30 and read a magazine or book before going to sleep. I don't have any trouble getting to sleep, but for some reason I wake up between 3:15 and 3:45 every single night.

When I wake up I always remember my dream extremely vividly and think about it for a second. Then I listen to see if there is any sound that might have woken me up, but I never hear anything. Then I look at the clock and go right back to bed without any trouble.

About half the time I wake up around 6:00 to 6:30 and repeat the same pattern as before.

I've had trouble getting to sleep before, but never staying asleep.

Aside from taking medication, what else can I do?

Thanks for the tips. I am pretty physically active in the morning (I lift weights and run on the elliptical for 30 minutes) and I play tennis almost every night between 8:00 and 10:00pm. I am physically fit and don't drink anything with alcohol or caffeine.

Maybe its the fact that I am eating heavy meals late (sometimes past 11:00pm). I also usually drink a bottle of water a little before going to bed, but when I wake up at night I don't feel like I have to go to the bathroom.

I'm going to try eating dinner earlier and the warm glass of milk before going to bed.

Answer 1

you said that you had no problems sleeping when you were on vacation in Colorado for a few weeks, but started having the problems again when you got back to Florida. is it possible you are under a lot of stress in Florida? Maybe it is the humidity but sounds like a lot of stress there hunny. maybe stress that you aren't really aware of..

Answer 2

whenever i can't sleep i have a hot glass of milk, but if u don't like it u could also try taking a hot bath before going to bed... It soothes the nerves and a good head bath relieves tension throughout our body and makes it calmer. Also if u are into books reading something may put u to sleep, try some calm music on the background on a very low volume.. Music only not the one with words but just the instruments, and then the best thing again is to tire yourself enough physically to have a fitful sleep. Maybe yr work doesn't involve w\much moving around, bcos of which yr mind is working 24/7 and body doesn't feel the tiredness. Try doing yoga..

Answer 3

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Answer 4

All that I gather from your description /statement is that you are not able to sleep all the 8 hours continuously. This what you should do .Do a bit of exercise / work out till you feel tired and a lot of sweat is pouring from your skin / body and eat less/spicey food in the night before going to bed and drink a warm glass of milk if it's O.K with you.. you should stop worrying about any other office work or the jobs physical stress will help in reducing mental stress and hence let you sleep well throughout the night.and above all thank God for all that has happened that day good or bad.and ask him to give you good night sleep ,It should help you in overcoming this sleepless nights.Wishing you all the best and good sleep in the night.

Answer 5

Try to work out why you can't sleep, or why you keep waking up. Are you sleeping during the day? Do you get enough exercise? Do you have a good diet? Do you have any other health problems or symptoms? I don't recommend that you take any sleeping medication, but if your worried about it perhaps see a doctor for a check up.

Answer 6

well aside from medicines, are vitamins out the question? i've read many people sleep better once they supplement with magnesium, which a good majority of the population are deficient in. a great source is supplementing with ZMA, a compound made of Zinc, magnesium, and vitamin b6. Not only has this supplement been reported by many people to help them sleep deeper, they also report having very vivid dreams in some cases, and waking up feeling better rested. i've been taking it for a few months and can verify this, at least for me. it takes a good six to eight weeks to really kick in on a regular basis though, since its slowly building up from a deficiency.

other tips. make sure you arent eating too heavy too late. if you want a late snack, a turkey sandwich can usually help one sleep better, and perhaps some milk, but not too much so you wake up to use the restroom. make sure the room you sleep in is as dark as possible, or perhaps invest in one of those lil eyemasks to wear. it could even be the quality of your bed, if its not comfy and you toss and turn alot, you might wake up. thats just a few tips, but theres plenty plenty more if you run a search on yahoo, good luck, hope i helped a bit.

Answer 7

If none of theses answeres help you should consult your doctor. However, avoid alcohol, nicotine, caffeine, and heavy meals six hours before you go to sleep. Not regularly exercising can cause insomnia. Milk and herbal teas have been shown to have calming effects. Often insomnia is all in a person's head. If you think you are going to wake up during the night then you will. Acupuncture can help with insomnia too.

Answer 8

just wanted to let you know of a miracle pill that puts you to sleep, available over the counter, is actually very very beneficial for your health, and is only 3 bucks!! I had trouble falling asleep for years. I would lay in bed, and think and think and think for hours before I could fall asleep. It was literally driving me crazy!! I had tried every over the counter sleeping pill on the market and nothing helped. I turned to Nyquil and that did the trick. I had been drinking Nyquil almost every night to go to sleep until I stumbled upon this miracle sanity saving nutritional supplement named MELATONIN. And you can buy it at any GNC health food store. I advocate GNC because the melatonin they use goes through 85 different quality checks before its bottled. Buy the sublingual melatonin. The kind that dissolves underneath your tongue tastes like cherries and it’s good for you!! I was shocked at the effectiveness in putting me to sleep. If you have any questions before you buy it the sales associate at GNC should be able to answer any questions you have. It comes in 1 mg, I take 2 right before bed. The only side effects are weird dreams for the first two nights if any at all. You must take the sublingual kind from GNC otherwise it might not work because of quality and potency, should be taken at regular bedtimes in the evening.
God Bless
P.S. after you try it and it works don’t forget to tell others about it. You could be saving someone else’s Sanity

Answer 9

cut caffine, sugar, alchol from your diet.
try not to be physically active any closer than two hours before bed.

if you are drinking alcohol before bed, that is probably why. people think it helps you sleep but it actually will wake you up eventually.

caffine and sugar can have lasting effects much longer than youd think.

if you try all of this and it isnt working... try thinking about what else is in your room that may be waking you up, a pet, a bright light, noise outside your window?

it may just be a case of extended jet lag. try getting up early and taking a long walk to wear yourself out, and by bedtime you should be nice and tired and sleep soundly.

Answer 10

This experience of mine sounds redicules, but it works for me, when i cant sleep at night I just focus my mind and think of my eye balls to fall into sleep, then my eyeballs falls into sleep without taking any medication for sleeping. Try if it works for you!