Insomnia Sufferers in here!

I fall asleep quickly but I often wake up after 4hrs and then struggle to get back to sleep. I cope with little sleep, but would love to sleep more. I have mild sleep apnea as well (thick neck :( ) so that also doesn't help.

There are different types of insomnia I learned, it's quite a fascinating actually.

I do blood tests every 6 months just for my own interest and health monitoring, and all my levels are good that need to be (hormones etc...) so the inference is that it's a psychological issue (anxiety, stress etc...). However it could also be physiological (i.e. the sleep apnea, weight, support of bed / pillows etc...).
 
kindai said:
The issue that I have with this is it usually goes until 4 or 5 am, by which time I get 2-3 hours sleep and then the world wakes me up.

And once disturbed the brain wont switch off again.
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You've got to re-train yourself, I'm afraid. I have the same problem - as soon as I'm awake, my brain goes intro overdrive.

I really strongly recommend everyone in here go to their GP and ask to be referred to the sleep clinic. Basically, they train you to sleep more.

Just to tell people what actually happens:
  • Keep a diary of how much you sleep, when you have caffeine, medication, drugs, alcohol. I found I was sleeping something like 4.5 hours per night
  • Don't go to bed until you're falling asleep. Only use the bed for sleep and intimacy
  • If you need to be up at 6 AM, don't go to bed until your average sleep length minus that time, i.e. 4.5 hours before 6 AM = 1:30 AM bedtime
  • Every week, try and bring that forward half an hour
That worked for me quite well. They then had me doing techniques to help clear my mind. To be honest, I don't use them.

The technique that I do use it to get out of bed if I can't sleep. I normally go and read on the sofa, then start nodding off, and then go back up to bed.

Feek said:
I made a point of not saying what medication I take so would appreciate it if people can be careful with any potential medical advice please.
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Cool. Personally, I haven't used medication. If I use anything, it's normally to take away pain that distracts me when I'm trying to sleep.
 
koolpc said:
Insomnia sufferer for 6 years. Lucky if i get 3 hrs sleep....always exhausted.
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This is me. Tend to get 3-4 hours a night. Every night. Mid 30s and I can already feel the effects on my heart.

I can function like this but I'm becoming an angry irritable person.

I have 0 problem falling asleep but actually staying asleep is the issue. I can fall asleep at 4am and be awake at 7.

Other problem is I can't ever make myself go to bed. Even if I do get to sleep by 1 I'm awake by 4.

I almost tend to sleep a lot better in a double shift eg 10-1 on sofa, get up and do a bit fot few hours and then 3 or 4 until 7 in bed.
 
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Freefaller said:
I fall asleep quickly but I often wake up after 4hrs and then struggle to get back to sleep. I cope with little sleep, but would love to sleep more. I have mild sleep apnea as well (thick neck :( ) so that also doesn't help.

There are different types of insomnia I learned, it's quite a fascinating actually.

I do blood tests every 6 months just for my own interest and health monitoring, and all my levels are good that need to be (hormones etc...) so the inference is that it's a psychological issue (anxiety, stress etc...). However it could also be physiological (i.e. the sleep apnea, weight, support of bed / pillows etc...).
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Sounds similar to myself. Getting back to sleep is impossible
 
soundb0y said:
This is me. Tend to get 3-4 hours a night. Every night. Mid 30s and I can already feel the effects on my heart.

I can function like this but I'm becoming an angry irritable person.

I have 0 problem falling asleep but actually staying asleep is the issue. I can fall asleep at 4am and be awake at 7.

Other problem is I can't ever make myself go to bed. Even if I do get to sleep by 1 I'm awake by 4.

I almost tend to sleep a lot better in a double shift eg 10-1 on sofa, get up and do a bit fot few hours and then 3 or 4 until 7 in bed.
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Same in that i am always moody, angry and very irritable....my anxiety and depression flares up too...
 
dirtychinchilla said:
I empathise with your frustration. Have you done anything to adjust your bed setup to accommodate it? I have a cushion thing between my knees and something sort of under my stomach which prevents me rolling over.
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No, I don't think that'll really make any difference as my shoulder always hurts, laying down doesn't make it worse, it's just that I'm more aware of it at night. I was on pain killers for it all the time but decided I didn't want to have to take them forever so worked myself off them and now just live with it.
 
dirtychinchilla said:
You've got to re-train yourself, I'm afraid. I have the same problem - as soon as I'm awake, my brain goes intro overdrive.

I really strongly recommend everyone in here go to their GP and ask to be referred to the sleep clinic. Basically, they train you to sleep more.

Just to tell people what actually happens:
  • Keep a diary of how much you sleep, when you have caffeine, medication, drugs, alcohol. I found I was sleeping something like 4.5 hours per night
  • Don't go to bed until you're falling asleep. Only use the bed for sleep and intimacy
  • If you need to be up at 6 AM, don't go to bed until your average sleep length minus that time, i.e. 4.5 hours before 6 AM = 1:30 AM bedtime
  • Every week, try and bring that forward half an hour
That worked for me quite well. They then had me doing techniques to help clear my mind. To be honest, I don't use them.

The technique that I do use it to get out of bed if I can't sleep. I normally go and read on the sofa, then start nodding off, and then go back up to bed.



Cool. Personally, I haven't used medication. If I use anything, it's normally to take away pain that distracts me when I'm trying to sleep.
Click to expand...

Can't agree more with this post. Sleep studies are vital. My insomnia/sleep issues are not constant so I cannot really justify it. However I have relatively good sleep hygiene.

No tv in the bedroom.
No phones (I leave mine downstairs).
I go to bed when I feel tired.
I will read for a bit before going to sleep / turning the light off - it's not a back lit kindle, or just a regular book.
When I wake up if it's close enough to wake time i.e. any time between 5-630am I just get up and crack on with my day.
If I wake at 2-3am, I'll get up stretch a little, do some breathing exercises, read a book etc... and then head back to bed when I feel relaxed/tired.

I eat healthily, exercise, don't smoke, don't drink - so I'm doing everything right. However, it's likely a brain/psychological thing according the the experts. Though like @Feek body pains can cause issues as well, hence why I go to the physio once a month and sports massage once a month as I'm really active and push myself probably a little too hard for my age.

Having the right mattress and pillows has helped me a lot. I need a firmer bed, and a couple pillows, I also wedge one between my legs if I sleep on my side.

Technically I should use a CPAP machine owing to my breathing, but for now nasal strips are good enough - you can tape your mouth as well to force you to breathe through your nose (there's quite a lot of research on that). I haven't quite gone that fare yet!

Sleep is the miracle drug that everyone doesn't get enough of. There's nothing manly/alpha about getting little to no sleep.
 
6 years i been struggling with insomnia. Plus i sometimes get achy in bed, restless leg etc.

I dont drink or smoke.

For me, i think its stress related. Lots going on, negative stuff. Trying to get to the end of the tunnel but it seems a long way off at the mo.
 
Audiobooks. Sorry if it's been mentioned before. Listening to an audiobook relieves the frustration of trying to force yourself asleep. We all know that doesn't work :). At least you'll relax. Before you know it you're in the land of nod and lost your place in the audiobook. If not, then at least you've been resting and hopefully entertained by a good book.
 
Massively reducing your calories and drinking less caffeine, plus intense exercise, definitely puts you to bed a lot quicker… to the point where your body sort of ‘collapses’ to sleep rather than your brain whirring away.

^Worth giving it a whirl maybe.

Once when my brains was really whirring away a few years I did have some medication for a lack of sleep, but I found just having the medication there (if I really needed it) was enough to calm my brain down. Funny how the mind works like that!
 
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