Snowy560

Hi just wondering if anyone finds sleep consistently difficult and if so what have you found helpful. My sleeplessness is linked to anxiety.
I'm not that keen on melatonin supplements although thankfully you can buy them in Canada.
.Has anyone undergone CBT-I? There is a Vancouver based therapist.
Thank you for any suggestions or strategies.

scrubbedexpat091

I have trouble falling asleep and staying asleep. The falling asleep is racing thoughts and anxiety based, the not staying asleep I have no idea why I can't stay asleep, I wake up anywhere from 3-7 times per night.

For me I have found if I haven't fallen asleep within 30-40 minutes, I get back up, watch youtube, or read, go for a walk, I used to toss and turn for hours and got so frustrated, but I find getting back up doing something until I am yawning and barely awake works better.

Walking in the evening before bed helps.

No caffeine after 1pm.

Reading helps sometimes as well.

bats

It's 2am and i am wide awake. I do sleep way better since i had a sleep study done and was prescribed a CPAP machine but sometimes I just can't get comfortable and then my brain starts digging up ancient history for me to worry over. Ridiculous. I'm going to go back to bed soon and I'll take a T1 first which shoukd help with the aching joints.

MillieF

Since this C19 Chaos has started I do have big problems- I should mention that I do take a prescribed sleeping tablet every night, it’s probably useless and is just a comfort blanket, but if I didn’t take it I’d have no chance of sleep, I have for the past 20 years and couldn’t stop now.

I have downloaded MindShift and Calm onto my phone and have also started meditating prior to sleeping, it mostly seems to help. I am particularly anxious at the moment as I’ve just taken over a job, from someone who’s been doing it well for 15 years and so it’s challenging.

l do find that having a good daily walk or run built into my day helps, and I don’t drink liquids after seven, so that I won’t need to get up in the night to pee.

I’ve done a few hypnotherapy CDs from the library which can be effective...they don’t seem to work for me so much, but they fell my husband like an elephant gun!

I have spent a lifetime of bad sleeping and know how very enervating it can be. I hate three o’clock in the morning! We aren’t in a small group though, and there are lots of different approaches to help out there, which can assist lots of people.

Very best of luck

Teaandtoday5

I often can’t get to sleep due to racing thoughts, and restless legs. Podcasts are my only salvation, to try and break the thought cycle. I am trying magnesium and yoga for the restless legs. I am also a very light sleeper, but cetrizine (non drowsy variety) has helped me stay asleep for the last couple of nights. 🤞it keeps helping. Hope you find something That helps, not sleeping is a nightmare.

Rete

I can fall asleep within minutes of going to bed but staying asleep is my problem. It started when I had children and has now become a release of water at night. Getting rid of the retained water and the urge for nicotine are the culprits for me. Do you retain water or smoke?

Jerseygirl

One Benedryl tablet and I am asleep within 15 mins...for 6-8 hrs.

Danny B

Try a few bites of some pot brownie a few hrs before bed, it will be the best nights sleep you ever had.

caretaker

Of course, personal experiences may vary. Sometimes an edible will help me go to sleep, but I could be up a few hours later anyway. Depending on why I'm up (either just unrest or pain) I might just try to stay down, or I'll get up and fetch a glass of ice and the Drambuie, and get my vape and dope out and watch some bad basic cable. I've been awake since 1:30 this morning, so will probably sleep better tonight! Upside is being awake when ECK is pontificating in Europe, and getting the straight info first!

scrubbedexpat133

I find this fascinating. I am at the opposite end of the spectrum. I am asleep a minute after my head hits the pillow. I will sleep until 10 minutes before my alarm goes off unless I am woken. Every night without fail. I am an HGV driver so I am used to grabbing naps whenever I get chance.

The Mrs on the other hand has similar experiences to what has been described above. I remember early in our relationship that I woke up because I heard her moving around the room. I asked her if she was OK? I can't sleep so I am doing yoga. It's 3am... I know it's normal... No it isn't but whatever you need to do as I roll over and immediately start snoring 🤣
We went on to a plant based diet in January. Her quality and quantity of sleep has improved hugely. There are still some nights once in a while where she will wake up and get up. I have always thought from everything that she describes it is the inability to switch her thoughts off that is the root of the problem.

BristolUK

DandNHill

I usually fall asleep very easily. But staying asleep all night can be a challenge. If I have a business deal that is worrying me then I'll wake up around 3am and spend the next 3 hours or so worrying about it - even when there really isn't anything to worry about! lol

I've had tinnitus for the last year or so too. I think at times that wakes me up and there's nothing I can do about it!!

BristolUK

I wonder about those. I used to download Radio 5 football chats and play them on my laptop to fall asleep to but often they'd keep me awake.

Now I just rely on CBC - if it's interesting I enjoy listening, if not then it probably sends me to sleep, job done.
But sometimes I wake up and I just missed something like BBC's The Inquiry or Monocle's The Briefing. Of course I'd rather be asleep but if I'm going to wake up I'd rather it coincide with something interesting. The irritation of having missed it sometimes makes it hard to go back to sleep.

But I figure searching for something to listen too might make me feel even more awake.

My bedside radio takes a thumbdrive so the obvious thing to do would be to download something daily and have it on standby for when I wake up at the wrong time. So why don't I do it?

Zoe Bell

My sleep has been pretty horrendous since covid
not to go into to many outing details but I can’t get into a routine that works for me for reasons beyond my control

Danny B

I worked a 4 on 4 off schedule for 6 years. The shifts were 2x 12hr days and 2x 12hr nights.
Sleeping during the day was very hard for me, I came home from work at 7am completely exhausted, sleep like a log until 11am and then I was wide awake.

To help tire me out again, I got up and did some stuff around the house (yard work in Summer, or shoveling snow in the winter) for a few hours and went back to bed at 1pm. I slept for another 2-3 hrs and was then ready to go back to work for my last night shift.

I do not miss working shifts, it is hard on your body constantly flipping between days and nights. We used to call it "two play dates and two sleepovers".