Insomnia - Those Who Can't Sleep + Remedies to Sleep Better Discussion (Compiled)

[Guest guest]

 

Maybe one way to avoid thinking too much and avoid sleepless nights is to accept the fact many things are not within your control.

Say easy but to do it not easy. Sometimes we cannot even control our thoughts. We want to avoid thinking too much but in reality, we still think too much.

[AskMeNot]

 

Say easy but to do it not easy. Sometimes we cannot even control our thoughts. We want to avoid thinking too much but in reality, we still think too much.

 

Indeed. It takes practice. Of course, you can continue to choose insomnia as your best friend. 🙂

[Guest guest]

 

 

Indeed. It takes practice. Of course, you can continue to choose insomnia as your best friend. 🙂

No one wants to have insomnia, it is suffering.

[Guest Gucini]

Can't sleep. Still thinking about my bf who made me sad

[123ZZZ]

 

Can't sleep. Still thinking about my bf who made me sad

You can’t stop what he did to you

but you can choose how to response to what he did to you

if you can, choose to be happy and not let him affect you

[singalion]

There are unexpected insomnia causes it does not always relate to stress or being unable to close the day with your thoughts and ideas.

 

For me the worst culprit is simply coffee. Nowadays I avoid drinking coffee after 3pm (especially those freshly brewed coffees at one of the small coffee connoisseur outlets that you find around Singapore nowadays that brew the coffee in those paper filters).

 

Another culprit might be certain wines (and it must not be just heavy red wines can be white wines also). Austrian Zweigelt wine or certain tannin containing wines from the Loire or Bordeaux region usually causes me to wake up at night with difficulties to fall asleep again. (Same goes for liquor). While a sip of alcohol may make you feel sleepy, excessive consumption causes the opposite.

 

Also, if you usually don't eat heavy after 8pm but then have a heavy dinner (Laksa/ Indian food) late at night this might cause for not being able to fall asleep.

 

There is advice not to do heavy sports after 8pm.

 

Most advice leads to leaving your gadgets off, don't read on the computer after a certain time (9pm) and switch to conventional reading things, newspapers/magazines etc.

 

Many factors refer to  building around a certain night routine. Brush teeth, drink a hot tea (not black or green tea), slip to bed, read a book, switch off the lights...

 

Unfortunately, there is no general rule...

 

 

Edited August 30, 2023 by singalion

[Guest guest]

 

There are unexpected insomnia causes it does not always relate to stress or being unable to close the day with your thoughts and ideas.

 

For me the worst culprit is simply coffee. Nowadays I avoid drinking coffee after 3pm (especially those freshly brewed coffees at one of the small coffee connoisseur outlets that you find around Singapore nowadays that brew the coffee in those paper filters).

 

Another culprit might be certain wines (and it must not be just heavy red wines can be white wines also). Austrian Zweigelt wine or certain tannin containing wines from the Loire or Bordeaux region usually causes me to wake up at night with difficulties to fall asleep again. (Same goes for liquor). While a sip of alcohol may make you feel sleepy, excessive consumption causes the opposite.

 

Also, if you usually don't eat heavy after 8pm but then have a heavy dinner (Laksa/ Indian food) late at night this might cause for not being able to fall asleep.

 

There is advice not to do heavy sports after 8pm.

 

Most advice leads to leaving your gadgets off, don't read on the computer after a certain time (9pm) and switch to conventional reading things, newspapers/magazines etc.

 

Many factors refer to  building around a certain night routine. Brush teeth, drink a hot tea (not black or green tea), slip to bed, read a book, switch off the lights...

 

Unfortunately, there is no general rule...

 

 

For me when i have insomnia, definitely is due to stress and anxiety. Never due to foods. So if i cannot sleep on some days, it means something must be stressing me out.

[Guest Tammy]

H. The past couple of months I’ve been struggling with my sleep. I was taking 25mg diphenhydramine a night for 32 nights and I stopped cold turkey.  About a month later I had terrible time sleeping. I don’t have trouble falling asleep but when I do, I’m Sleeping 4 hours a night for two weeks and now maybe sleeping 3-4 hours and then waking up and sleeping 1-1.5 hours at a time after that two times waking up about 4 times a night over 8 hours.  

 

I was going through a stressful time and had lots of anxiety but the past three weeks my stress and anxiety has greatly improved and most days I’m not really very anxious or stressed but I’m not seeing the same kind of improvement in my sleep.  

I’m wondering if I have sleep apnea and hope my doctor will refer me to sleep clinic. I got a smart watch to read my 02 saturation overnight and there are times it dips to 93-91 at night.

 

Anyone can relate or offer advice?

[Swimfun]

14 minutes ago, Guest Tammy said:

H. The past couple of months I’ve been struggling with my sleep. I was taking 25mg diphenhydramine a night for 32 nights and I stopped cold turkey.  About a month later I had terrible time sleeping. I don’t have trouble falling asleep but when I do, I’m Sleeping 4 hours a night for two weeks and now maybe sleeping 3-4 hours and then waking up and sleeping 1-1.5 hours at a time after that two times waking up about 4 times a night over 8 hours.  

 

I was going through a stressful time and had lots of anxiety but the past three weeks my stress and anxiety has greatly improved and most days I’m not really very anxious or stressed but I’m not seeing the same kind of improvement in my sleep.  

I’m wondering if I have sleep apnea and hope my doctor will refer me to sleep clinic. I got a smart watch to read my 02 saturation overnight and there are times it dips to 93-91 at night.

 

Anyone can relate or offer advice?

I'm not a medical professional, but I can offer some suggestions that might help. It's good that you've recognized your sleep issues and are considering seeking help from a sleep clinic. Sleep apnea could indeed be a possibility, and it's essential to discuss this with a medical professional.

 

In the meantime, you might want to try some good sleep practices like maintaining a consistent sleep schedule, creating a relaxing bedtime routine, and avoiding caffeine and electronic devices close to bedtime. These habits can sometimes improve sleep quality. But always consult with a healthcare expert for personalized advice.

[Guest Guest]

I wonder for those who have serious insomnia and sleep issue, if you go to healthcare expert, can they really cure your sleep problem once and for all?

[Maxxi]

3 hours ago, Guest Guest said:

I wonder for those who have serious insomnia and sleep issue, if you go to healthcare expert, can they really cure your sleep problem once and for all?

Depends. Most of the time it takes time to overcome. I've yet to see instantaneous instances. Aside from sleeping pill prescription. For instances, me, I tend to have difficulty sleeping due to overthinking. How i tackle this? Exercise, distracts my mind. ✌️

[Salt&Pepper]

The Savasana (corpse pose) has been my go-to when I cannot sleep. It very seldom fail me, sometimes it just takes a bit longer depending how hyper my mind is. The key is transferring the mind onto the body in the present to will it to relax and let go. It's a step by step process often starting from the toes all the way to the muscles in your face (the way I was taught). There are plenty of guided Savasana tutorial videos on Youtube, search for them and find one you click with.

 

 

Hope this will help those who cannot sleep. 🙏

[Guest Guest]

12 hours ago, Maxxi said:

Depends. Most of the time it takes time to overcome. I've yet to see instantaneous instances. Aside from sleeping pill prescription. For instances, me, I tend to have difficulty sleeping due to overthinking. How i tackle this? Exercise, distracts my mind. ✌️

Difficulty sleeping could be due to stress and anxiety also. 

[Sweetie Pie]

Sleeplessness could be due to many factors:

 

1) Anxiety

2) Noisy environment, barking dogs, racing car, neighbour dragging furnitures, phone kept ringing..etc

3) Too busy to sleep

4)  Place too bright

5)  Too HAPPY. (Waiting to receive your 10 million windfall next day or moving to your new house next day.

6)  Excitement  (foul play for hours, with your love ones or watching TV drama series continously. 

7)  Place too smelly or perfume too strong

😎 Scared to close your eyes  (due to constant nightmares)

9)  Not feeling well, runny nose, backache, stomach ache, headache, pain...etc

10)  Haunted, hallucination...etc

11)  Too much caffeine, drugs...etc

12)  Ate or drank much, indigestion.

13)  Your love ones in trouble

14)  Weather too hot or stuffy

15)  Bed bugs

16)  Uncomfortable bed or sleeping area

17)   Sudden shock (falling heavy objects, rooftop collapse. crazy drive drove into your front gate...etc)  

18)   Vertigo

19)   You belongs to nocturnal class of people and mostly slept during day time

20)   You are very very angry over something, 

 

You don't need to see doctor for every issue above.   Which one are you?

 

[Guest Guest]

2 hours ago, Sweetie Pie said:

Sleeplessness could be due to many factors:

 

1) Anxiety

2) Noisy environment, barking dogs, racing car, neighbour dragging furnitures, phone kept ringing..etc

3) Too busy to sleep

4)  Place too bright

5)  Too HAPPY. (Waiting to receive your 10 million windfall next day or moving to your new house next day.

6)  Excitement  (foul play for hours, with your love ones or watching TV drama series continously. 

7)  Place too smelly or perfume too strong

😎 Scared to close your eyes  (due to constant nightmares)

9)  Not feeling well, runny nose, backache, stomach ache, headache, pain...etc

10)  Haunted, hallucination...etc

11)  Too much caffeine, drugs...etc

12)  Ate or drank much, indigestion.

13)  Your love ones in trouble

14)  Weather too hot or stuffy

15)  Bed bugs

16)  Uncomfortable bed or sleeping area

17)   Sudden shock (falling heavy objects, rooftop collapse. crazy drive drove into your front gate...etc)  

18)   Vertigo

19)   You belongs to nocturnal class of people and mostly slept during day time

20)   You are very very angry over something, 

 

You don't need to see doctor for every issue above.   Which one are you?

 

Looks like i have been thru few of these factors that resulted that i could not sleep. 😅

[Ignatius93]

Take insomnia pills 😎

[Guest Guest]

7 hours ago, Ignatius93 said:

Take insomnia pills 😎

Taking  insomnia pills should be the last resort. I find  insomnia pills too strong, and you would feel very tired the next day.

[Ignatius93]

1 hour ago, Guest Guest said:

Taking  insomnia pills should be the last resort. I find  insomnia pills too strong, and you would feel very tired the next day.

That very true 

[robin]

On 10/17/2023 at 11:18 PM, Guest Tammy said:

H. The past couple of months I’ve been struggling with my sleep. I was taking 25mg diphenhydramine a night for 32 nights and I stopped cold turkey.  About a month later I had terrible time sleeping. I don’t have trouble falling asleep but when I do, I’m Sleeping 4 hours a night for two weeks and now maybe sleeping 3-4 hours and then waking up and sleeping 1-1.5 hours at a time after that two times waking up about 4 times a night over 8 hours.  

 

I was going through a stressful time and had lots of anxiety but the past three weeks my stress and anxiety has greatly improved and most days I’m not really very anxious or stressed but I’m not seeing the same kind of improvement in my sleep.  

I’m wondering if I have sleep apnea and hope my doctor will refer me to sleep clinic. I got a smart watch to read my 02 saturation overnight and there are times it dips to 93-91 at night.

 

Anyone can relate or offer advice?

 
Years back, I went to sleep center, done a nasal scope, wear the sleep device to measure the level of sleep intervals, tried sleeping with CPAP device & eventually, also had a day procedure. None really helps.
 

Nowadays, what helps for me is the breathing technique; on bed, slow deep breathing using the stomach & ensuring that your chest does not move up/down. The breathing helps me to be more relax.  Of course, if has to be accompanied by other healthy lifestyle as what the others have shared (stress management, avoid caffeine, avoid mobile & laptop devices before sleep (1-2 hours), filter blue light if need to use devices etc)

 

Note that if you decide to go for the nasel procedure, the assumption is you do not gain any weight after that.  Also, some hospitalization insurance can cover that. 

Edited October 22, 2023 by robin

[Guest Dreamer]

I constantly dream while I sleep; not a night has gone by that I haven't dreamed. I could write an encyclopedia of my dreams.

[Guest guest]

2 hours ago, Guest Dreamer said:

I constantly dream while I sleep; not a night has gone by that I haven't dreamed. I could write an encyclopedia of my dreams.

Hearsay it is normal and healthy to dream while sleeping. But it is somehow not a healthy sleep if you remember what you have dream.

[robin]

16 hours ago, Guest Dreamer said:

I constantly dream while I sleep; not a night has gone by that I haven't dreamed. I could write an encyclopedia of my dreams.

You should start a new thread & share with us your daily dreams. Should be interesting 😊

[doncoin]

I program a list of podcasts and music that will lull me to sleep. I usually start with news podcasts, i.e. BBC, CNA before transitioning into a sleep music playlist. Most of the time, I usually fall asleep around the middle of the CNA news. 

[Kaki74]

A combination of swim, massage and milk always help me have a good night sleep. 

[Guest Guest]

16 hours ago, doncoin said:

I program a list of podcasts and music that will lull me to sleep. I usually start with news podcasts, i.e. BBC, CNA before transitioning into a sleep music playlist. Most of the time, I usually fall asleep around the middle of the CNA news. 

For me, if cannot sleep means cannot sleep, no matter what i do. I still remember i listen to those music that say can make you fall asleep, but no use at all.

[Guest Guest]

6 minutes ago, Guest Guest said:

For me, if cannot sleep means cannot sleep, no matter what i do. I still remember i listen to those music that say can make you fall asleep, but no use at all.

To add on, if you can sleep, even the surrounding is super noisy, you can also fall asleep without any problem.

[Guest guest]

I have this problem that i can maintain my sleep without waking up after falling asleep but seems like i tend to automatic woke up quite early before my actual wake up timing, no matter what time i sleep. Example no matter i sleep at 10pm, 11pm or 11.30pm and my wake-up timing is at 6am, but i will automatically woke up at least 30 mins to 1 hour plus before 6am. And then i just lay in bed until my alarm clock goes off. But sometimes if lucky, i tend to fall back for a brief sleep again. Really wonder what causes this problem?

[Guest Guest]

I can't sleep well due to when i lay down, my nose would get blocked and my throat feels dry. Many times feel like i cannot breathe properly. Ended up feel anxiety and resulted i could not fall asleep.

[fbttop]

Am going to share some remedies that's by sleep expert and personal experience that takes 6 to 12 months of rectification,  because sleep is really the most important factor in your overall health.

 

Currently am helping 2 person to redirect their issues by respecting sleep now.

 

1. You need a sleep tracker 1st. You need a base line of where you are. Understand what's deep and rem sleep

U need 25% of each , spanning 2H min

My friend didn't go to deep sleep much. Its less than 1 H for 8H sleep!

 

2. Set Environment for sleep. Pilot lights,  curtain, temperature, humidity matters , to avoid awakeness that you are not aware of. Buy sleep eye mask, ear plugs, smooth bedsheets

 

3. Supplements. Personally these are my science backed routine. Lavender for olfactory, magnesium, ashwanga, binaural (audio). This are the basic herbal aids. Before going further.

 

4. Blue light from device. Set to warm tone auto at night and wear computer lens to lessen blue light if u have habit of using phone before sleep.

 

5. Cicadian rhythm. Try to set lights off if u have a smart home, or alarm. Slowly bring forward 15min earlier, monthly if you are an night owl. The ideal time to sleep is 11pm. 

 

6. Remember sleep tracking? How fast u fall asleep also reveals how much sleep deprivation. If you fall asleep instantly, u been suffering this. But if it's 15 to 20mins, you are normal. 

 

After months of discipline,  your sleep tracker should improve and wake up fresh, clear minded and energetic. And never yawn during mid noon

 

 

 

 

 

[Guest Guest]

Can’t fall asleep as i am not feeling well. Very sian. Esp if sick, by right need to sleep at this hour. 🤕

[ERFAbangBear]

Read somewhere that banana helps, something to do with relaxing your muscles. And salmon too!

[Guest Guest]

7 hours ago, ERFAbangBear said:

Read somewhere that banana helps, something to do with relaxing your muscles. And salmon too!

Maybe it helps for some people only. For some people no effect at all.

[Guest Guest]

Relaxing your muscles? I take anarex tablet to relax myself and help me to sleep a bit better.

[Guest Guest]

Did anyone got covid recently? Does it affect your sleep and how long you take to fully recover?