Insomnia for life?
Health and Wellbeing
Insomnia for life?
18 Nov 2011
Post to forum:
Children and teenagers who don’t get enough good quality sleep may be setting themselves up for a lifetime of sleep trouble, says Joseph Soda, chairman of Sleep Disorders Australia.
‘Poor sleep patterns in kids growing up can establish persistent sleep problems throughout their lives,’ he says.
‘We get into a pattern of sleep: if we go to sleep at the same time each night (which isn’t always possible), or try to get the same number of hours of sleep a night regardless of whether we’ve had a late night or been to a party, it can go a long way to establishing a good sleep pattern.’
Discuss your findings with sleep and insomnia here
I tell my customers who can’t sleep to try and get up and do something like folding up clothes. But the biggest problem is that people who can’t sleep worry about not sleeping which makes it worse.
Atta A, Barton ACT
Insomnia is often because the mind is overactive and even though the body is ready for sleep the mind isn't. Writing down a list of things to do before bed is a great way to unload worries and then practising mindfulness while lying in bed will still the mind. I find the homeopathic Bioglan melatonin works well but it can't be used long term. Going to bed at the same time every night works wonders for getting into a good sleep routine.
having been a light sleeper for most of my life I have tried many a remedy, milk, alcohol,tryptophane( now restricted), polaramine, (knocks you out but can't function next day) house work at midnight,valarian, and the latest lactiumn craze.resently and for the first time ever,I have resorted to an alarm tone to arouse me. I now find that while falling into my sleep pattern I no longer worry about when I have to wake, I sleep a little deeper and no longer wake through my sleep pattern.Then again exaustion and age my be the cause. Happy new year.. J.
Happy new year too. I hope your method for sleepiing isn't just what you allege :) That's great advice and have never heard of it before. I am a very light sleeper and the waft of a butterflies' wing will wake me especially if I am anxious about stuff. Sleep, or lack thereof, seems to be a big problem.
I find that a good night's sleep is all in the preparation... whether it be a little ritual such as a small cup of chamomile or vervain herbal tea an hour before bed; burning essential oils of lavender or roman chamomile in the bedroom a half hour getting in to bed; and keeping the bedroom free from TVs, phones etc. No checking of emails in bed.
The key to a "Good Night's Sleep" is being able to turn off your mind from everything that is troubling you. This is such a difficult thing to do. My 17 year old has a curfew at midnight on Friday and Saturday nights. No matter what I do I always wake just after 12 to check that the car is in the driveway. I then lay awake waiting for him to arrive safely home. Falling back to sleep is a huge problem for me.
I agree Lin, being able to turn off the mind from everything that is troubling you is another big one, and challenging. I don't have children so I can't relate to your situation exactly, but there have been times that have been particularly stressful and I am left lying awake at night not knowing how or when I am going to finally fall asleep. The one thing that helps me in that situation is an acupressure pranamat. It's like the "bed of nails" concept, which helps you to relax and fall asleep. I don't know how it works, but it really does help. Maybe something like that might help?