Why can't I sleep?!?!?!?

Question

I can't sleep...and when I do its only for like 6 hours. i guess i have a lot going on. so last night i was rreeally tired and i fell asleep at 10(first time in a lloonngg time) and i got 8ish hours of sleep but when i woke up i was dead tired and didnt want to get up. but when i go to bed at like 12 or a bit later(give or take an hour) and i get 6ish hours of sleep i feel totally refreshed. why is this? i dont get it. it doesnt make sense to me...not very logical...at all.

Answer 1

I would try to stay clear of using meds to help you sleep if you can help it. I'm a diagnosed insomniac so this problem is all too familiar. Often I can't sleep because my mind races at night and all medications to try to help me didn't work anyway.

I will relay to you all I have learned from my problem. (I know some of this info can be found on Sonata's website as well as Wikipedia, WebMD, etc).

Caffeine is your enemy. Do not eat anything (chocolate) or drink anything (soda, coffee, tea, etc) that contains it after about 5 pm. (depending on your schedule) I have to cut it off about 3 or 4 pm and I go to bed late.

Exercise DOES help, but don't do it right before bed. If you can get 30 minutes in the morning you will find sleep comes more easily later. It helps me somewhat.

Do not take naps. This is the hardest one for me because when I only get a few hours of sleep I want a nap REALLY bad but if I do I can't sleep that night at all. It's different for everyone but in my experience naps are bad (although they feel so nice when you get them!)

Oversleeping can make you feel tired and groggy all day. But also consider that your body does tally all the hours of sleep you're short for the last 2 weeks or so. If you're really short your body may just be trying to recapture some of that lost time. This is called a sleep debt.

Keeping your routine regular is very helpful. Go to bed approximately the same time and get up about the same time EVERY DAY. If you are all over the board your body has to keep guessing and it is more difficult to get to sleep.

Don't eat right before bed. Sugar highs, among other things, make it hard to sleep :) I know this, too, from experience.

Alcohol makes me really tired, but you will find that it's actually not recommended to help you sleep. It has a tendency to help us fall asleep but not stay asleep. I know this to be true, too. I'm usually up after 1-2 hours of sleep and it's hard to go back to sleep for me.

If none of that works try something you take in pill form. There are remedies that you buy in a whole foods store like melatonin or certain herbal teas to help you sleep. You can also try over the counter sleep aids like Unisom, or even Tylenol PM (that is basically using diphenhydramine or benadryl to make you drowsy). Most of those things never helped me sleep better but made me feel lousy in the morning.

I've also tried Rx meds like Lunesta, Sonata, Ambien, Trazadone, etc without much luck. But depending on your problem, those may work great. Consider that they are habit forming and are merely covering the problem, not fixing it.

Maybe try to pin point the reason you're not sleeping well. Is it your eating habits? Your sleep habits (ie naps or sleeping/waking times, etc)? Is your mind racing? Is it stress or anxiety? If you can pinpoint it to one of those problems you might be able to determine what is the best angle to attack this problem from.

As always, if it's a big concern for you talk to your doc. Bad sleep negatively effects us and so it is important to try to fix it.

Best of luck and Sleep well!

Answer 2

Try not to drink or eat any caffeine after noon. Don't eat after 7:00PM. Sometimes if you play quiet classical music it helps.
Don't Watch television in your bedroom, because it is supposed to be just for sleeping. If all this does not work, go to the
doctor and get a sleeping pill. Or try over the counter i.e. Tylenol PM.

Answer 3

A glass of warm milk an hour before bedtime often helps. Other natural remedies can be found in a web search for "natural sleep remedies".

Answer 4

Don't drink caffeinated products after 2pm.