I need some decent sleep!!

I'm not a good sleeper, I never float off to sleep when my head hits the pillow, generally i toss and turn for a while before falling asleep, no matter how tired I am.
During the night i dream SO SO much, crazy full on silly dreams, and its not unusual to remember 3 or 4 different dreams, even more sometimes!
I wake up feeling like I haven't slept at all.
I don't drink coffee or caffiene late in the day and have no idea why I never get a decent night sleep. The dreams aren't about things on my mind or anything, they're more theatrical and silly.

I tried taking a natural sleep aide I got from the chemist and although I slept well for a few hours I woke up having a panic attack in the middle of the night which was horrible, as I'd never had anything like it before.

When I was on panadiene forte a few weeks ago it knocked me out but made the dreaming crazier, so i don't think anything the doc could give me to help me sleep would work, plus i don't like having to take tablets that may not have fully worn off the next day.

I work a very physical job and need energy to get through the day and after constantly not sleeping well it really starts to affect my work

Is anyone else like this or am I just crazy??? Any suggestions how to get a decent night sleep???????

Have you tried drinking camomile tea or valerian tea in the evening?

Also if you go to bed earlier you'll get a longer time in which to sleep.

Do you get up early? Keeping farmer style hours can help me sleep better. Even though I hate mornings if I can get up early I often sleep better at night.

This is kind of "out there", but have you tried to put a routine of sorts in place for yourself? Do some of the things which prepare you for sleep.... maybe warm shower, read a book in bed for 15 mins, lights off, muscle relaxing etc?

ETA: kind of ironic that Chloe and I are replying to a "hard to sleep" thread after 11pm at night LOL What does that say about us?

I'm like this too. I'm always feeling like i've never slept. I usually remember all the dreams i have and that are pretty crazy, so crazy that they are hard to explain into words.

I have no advice but i do empathise! You're not alone.

I'm a shocking sleeper - always have been. It was a blessing being like this when I had a baby. The sleep deprivation didn't get to me so bad. Must admit, I don't have dreams. But I can easily stay awake an entire evening.... particularly if I've got things going on in my life causing stress.

But there are times when I really need to sleep. Especially after continuous nights of light/little sleep.

I guess it's obvious to avoid any caffeine drinks (cola or coffee - and normal tea) after 5pm - which you already do.

But to really help relax - I have a couple of CD's that go through a hypnotic type thing. you listen to some person droning on about relaxing each part of your body, and focussing on your breathing. I sometimes play my CDs and wake up with my headphones still on!

Actually, breathing is a big relaxant. Long deep breathes - in through your nose - hold it, out through your mouth. As you breath out... try to let go of your stresses. let them escape your mind.

Burning some lavender oil can be really helpful too. You can put a few drops on your pillow or on a tissue inside your pillowcase too.

Having the warm bath and some hot chocolate before bed helps. But it's hard to have a hot bath every night ;)

Hey there
I agree with what the other girls have said - especially with the deep breathing and relaxation before bed - both DH and I recently trained in calmbirthing (meditation/hypnotherapy) and found ourselves nodding off to great quality sleep before finishing our meditation exercises each night.
There are some great guided meditation cds out there for inducing sleep and relaxation including clearing your mind of your worries/stresses.
I have one thing to add - do you eat alot of red meat?
DH and I both notice we sleep much more poorly and have very weird dreams after having steak or other red meat for dinner - must be something to do with our bodies working much harder to digest the red meat!
Way out I know!
Good luck and take care
Cheerio Belinda.

Some great suggestions here :) Another idea that is kind of linked to the hypnotherapy is to repeat some positive affirmations to yourself as you drift off (or toss and turn) something like: "I am going to have a deep, restful, dreamfree sleep" over and over again. Sometimes i do this if i have to get up early (to meet someone at the airport etc: "I will wake up at 5am feeling rested") It generally works. Combined with Jodie's breathing suggestion could work well too.

Hi Dee,

I've been the same as you for years, just not a good sleeper and now i've learned that i just need to take whatever sleep i can get, no matter when it is, day or night..

But saying all that, the only thing that makes me have a decent nights sleep WITHOUT a "sleeping pill hangover" is phenergan which is an anti-histamine that u can buy over the counter, anything else i take will still knock me out no problems but it makes me want to sleep for the whole day afterwards...

Obviously being pregnant i am having a shocking time because i can't take anything!!! :doh:

HTH and good luck :)

I was able to take Polaramine (anti-histamine) when i was pregnant... I wonder if that would work?