What do you do when you can't sleep?

[Nancy60]

Here it is almost 1230 and I am wide awake!  I have to get up for an early appointment tomorrow, but I can't sleep.  so I am surfing the net, wasting time until I get sleepy.  What does everyone else do when they can't sleep?

Nancy

[Joe S.]

Rest, meditate, watch TV.

[Sooki]

Lately, I can't sleep between 3am and about 6am.  If I open my eyes and read, my eyes are sore for the rest of the day.  So I lie in bed.  If I lie in bed for 8 hours total, somehow, I'm rested enough to function even if I didn't sleep that much.

So I try to think good thoughts.  How comfortable the bed is (and get comfortable if not).  How fortunate I am to have clean sheets and a warm bedroom (or get a blanket). Etc.  And a warm dog sleeping soundly (she's not a morning dog; she likes her sleep) beside me. Sometimes the self-deprecating thoughts creep in.  I'm working on banning them at that time of night.

I figure insomnia at that time of the night is probably hormonal.  Someday I'll get the levels checked and see how I'm doing.

I can usually get to sleep in the evening.  Insomnia then is the worst.  I feel for you Nancy. 

Things I've figured out:  If I work on the computer past 8pm, my mind won't shut off ever all night.  So that's the witching hour.  I can't take my supplements after 10am; they keep me awake.  I never do caffeine or chocolate; they keep me awake and wake me up too early the next day.  I warm up my feet before I go to bed.  I do shoulder rolls and try to relax the muscles in my shoulders and neck before I go to bed.

[Bucky]

Some times when I can't sleep after tossing and turning, tossing and turning - I get up. 

I either: 

  -  turn the computer on and play some online games

  -  read a magazine

  -  make a "to do" list for the day

  -  look out the living room window and star gaze

  -  update my calendars

  -  "try" and go back to sleep

I am one of those people who have a have a dark bedroom.  I cover up the numbers on the alarm clock or I will lay awake all night watching the time go by.  Sigh!

If I have an early appointment or am traveling the next day and think of something I need to make sure and do in the morning, I usually get up and write myself a note, otherwise, I will toss and turn, toss and turn hoping I'll remember to do it in the morning.

It is frustrating.

Perhaps doing some deep breathing exercises to help relax you?

Bucky

[Reanne]

I try to go back to sleep.

Turn the tv to some old sitcom like "Golden Girls".

Take xanax if it isn't too late.

I sometimes get online, but that seems to keep me awake longer.

Pray.

If I get up to go to the bathroom, I try to get right back into bed instead of drinking water, looking at the clock, etc.

Sometimes these things work, sometimes they don't.

[Sadie963]

I usually read a book or magazine or if my eyes are bothering me I may turn on the tv or computer for a bit.

I have also heard that lights from computer/iPad screens and/or tablets can disrupt sleep for some people.

Here's a quote from an article in the NY Times:

"They found that two hours of exposure to a bright tablet screen at night reduced melatonin levels by about 22 percent.

Studies of college students using computers at night have suggested similar effects on melatonin. And researchers say melatonin suppression may not only cause sleep disturbances, but also raise the risk of obesity, diabetes and other disorders.

To be on the safe side, the authors of the latest study suggest limiting computer use before bed, or at the very least dimming your screen as much as possible."

Here is the actual article link:
http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9E0CE5DB153EF932A2575AC0A9649D8B63

[Joe S.]

Tonight I am watching Anime. When my kids were small I would sit and watch TV with them. When MTV got too racy for preteen girls I had to find some thing else for them to watch. We ended up with Robotech and other anime that they liked. They even asked for the action figures and got them one Christmas. It was unsuspected from the usual dolls and electronics.