Insomnia - HELP

[Emma1979]

I was wondering if anyone had any tips for trouble sleeping? It is starting to get beyond a joke... my mind is racing and it is taking forever to fall asleep. After getting up to feed bubs it can sometimes take me hours to fall back asleep, and then she wakes again.

I don't want to resort to medication, but there must be something else I can do? I can't even make up for lost sleep during the day, as it is even more impossible. I am averaging four hours max a night of broken sleep. I used to be an 8 hours girl, so this is killing me.

I have started drinking a glass or two of white wine at night which seems to help me relax, but at this rate I'll be soon drinking a bottle a night just to sleep! Am thinking of starting yoga to help with slow breathing etc, I live in the country so there isn't a huge range of things I might otherwise try, like meditation etc.

My mum is a chronic insomniac and cannot sleep as she is a worrier, and I am really thinking I am headed down that path of needing to take a sleeping tablet each night.

I lay in bed thinking of the most stupid irelevant things and worrying about when baby will wake etc.

Anyone else had this with a new baby, and did it pass?

[SSmiles]

Hi Emma! I have had a lot of trouble sleeping at night since I was about 4 months pregnant... It got worse once bubs was born but is getting better now. My best way to get to sleep is something I made up myself...

I lay in bed with my eyes closed and concentrate on one point somewhere in the room (ie the fire alarm) while counting from 101 upwards... If I just count from 1 upwards it doesn't seem to work...maybe because I can do that without concentrating as much but I find if I keep concentrating on the numbers and that one point then I rarely get past 150 because I'm asleep. If I loose track or loose concentration then I just pick a number and keep going...

It has worked wonders for me. Maybe it might work for you too... Let me know how you go if you do try it.

[Emma1979]

oooh that sounds interesting!! i am certainly going to try it.

i am associating my bad sleep with hollie's bad sleeping, she went from sleeping thru to waking up 3 to 4 hourly, and I think that just put me out of whack and made me stress about when she was going to wake up and whether she would go back to sleep etc.... the past two nights she has slept thru again only waking once for her dummy, and I have slept quite well and gotten a few solid unbroken hours in, amazing the difference it makes!!

thank you I will let you know how i go with it.

[Heaven]

People with indomnia can get into a cycle where they go to bed, worry about when they will get to sleep and if they will get enough sleep, then get so worried that they're unable to sleep. So then their body starts to associate bed with worry and it's a kind of vicious cycle. Sounds what you're talking about with the racing thoughts. Here's all the tips that I give ppl (I'm a psychologist):

Caffeine
· Coffee, tea, soft-drinks, chocolate.
· Should be discontinued 4-6 hours before bed-time.

Nicotine
· CNS stimulant, therefore it may produce difficulties initiating and sustaining sleep.
· Important to reduce the rate of smoking before bed-time.
· Avoid smoking in the middle of the night.
· Smoking cessation may initially disrupt sleep before sleep improves. Nicotine patches during the night may help.

Alcohol
· CNS depressant, but still likely to cause sleep disruption.
· Should not be consumed later than approx. 3-4 hrs before bedtime.

Diet
· Timing and amount of caloric intake are important.
· Avoid going to bed hungry; a light snack before bedtime may be sleep promoting.
· A heavy meal before bedtime is not advised (activates digestive system, interfering with sleep).
· Snack is the middle of the night not advised.

Exercise
· Timing is critical - 4-8 hrs prior to bedtime is optimal; exercise later that 4 hrs prior to bedtime is associated with increased sleep latency.

Environmental (noise, temp, light, mattress)
· Disruption in these environmental conditions is likely to interfere with normal sleep.
· Noise - particular problem for late-life Insomnia: progressive reduction in deeper sleep, and reciprocal increase in lighter sleep with age; thus lower awakening threshold.
· Hot room - increased night wakings. Cold room - unpleasant, emotional dreams.
· Warm shower less than 20 minutes before bed at the same time every night.
· Make sure any computers, phones, TV’s, in bedroom are turned off.

What else?

1. Go to bed only when sleepy. When you go to bed too early, it only gives you more time to worry, plan etc (which are incompatible with sleep).
2. Do not use bed for anything but sleep, and sex. Do not read, eat, watch TV, or work in bed at any time.
3. If you do not fall asleep within ~10-15 mins, leave bed & do something in another room. Go back only when sleepy.
4. If you do not fall asleep upon returning, repeat 3.
5. Use your alarm to leave bed at the same time every morning.
6. Avoid daytime napping. Napping often results in a reduction in sleep at night, longer sleep onset latency, and shorter total sleep time.
Instances where napping may be permissible:
· Hazardous occupations,
· Late-life Insomnia (interferes less with the night sleep of older adults).
NB. Should be at regular times, in bed <1hr, before 3pm, & terminated if no sleep after 15 mins.

Hope this helps and good luck!!

[Emma1979]

wow you know your stuff!
what you described is spot on regarding the cycle of worrying about not sleeping, which in turn was causing lack of sleep. It was particularly bad during the first six weeks with bubs, it used to really occupy my thoughts non stop. Now I realise that its not the end of the world if I get a bad night here and there with her wakening, but it took me a while to realise this. And after 2 weeks of night wakenings, it seemed I fell back into my old trap of being a worry wart etc.

My partner snoring is another hinderance to me getting a good nights sleep. Particularly if I get up for the baby, then come back to bed to try to sleep and I can hear him snoring, its so hard to sleep then. I used to use ear plugs but unfortunately can't now as I don't think I would hear bubs.

Hmmm so a warm shower before bed helps? And an alarm to get up at same time - in what way does this help? (sorry for all questions!) you have been a great source of information.

[Heaven]

Trying to get up at the same time every day would hopefully help your body get into a rhythm. So you can get to sleep earlier, hopefully.
Yep a warm shower, same time each night, trying to get into a pattern. Maybe hubby will have to help with this for a while and take care of bubs while u get ready for bed until ur body lets u get some more sleep!!
Good luck! I hope it gets better soon.
Not sure what to do about the snoring, that's a bummer!

[karen_b]

Alcohol may initially act as sedative but it interrupts normal sleep patterns in the long run.

Here are several tips for insomnia, some of them are really effective and here is a list of natural remedies for insomnia.

[Bathsheba]

As well as all the good info here i often get up and grab a banana or a bit of toast with peanut butter... those two foods specifically help me... maybe because they are kinda fatty and slow to digest? Nothing else works as good.

I generally have insomnia around the full moon too... but I knoiw what you mean about waiting for a baby to wake in the middle of the night... i got that a bit until fairly recently (baby has just turned 1 year old) so hoepfully it will pass for you soon

[Impatient]

I repeat positive affirmations in my mind over and over again. My brain must get bored, because it's usually very active and it just shuts off!

It seems to work because many of my goals have been achieved after a series of nights where I have to resort to this strategy!