Recent insomnia

[Deb 27]

 So, I retired about a month ago and I have come down with the worst insomnia of my life. Nothing much is helping. I can fall asleep during the evening on the couch and fall alsspe in the bed but I wake up and can't go back to sleep.  Even klonipin isn't working well for me. I am not sure what this is. Sometimes I feel real restless. Magnesium helps a little but I  still wake up feeling like death warmed over from such a restless night. I am going to the doc on Monday but I don't want pharmaceuticals. I even tried a natural supplement for sleep that didn't help. If I sleep too late, it makes it worse the next n night.   I wonder if it is a circadian rhythm disorder. I could go to sleep right now and it's 9:30 am. Anybody have a solution I might try?

[Navigator]

Hi

I used to have the same problem of waking up at 3am and not being able to get to sleep.  I do not like to take drugs if I can help it so I tried sleep hygene
.   
Make sure your sleep space is dark and cool. (I keep mine at 72). 
Set a bed time and stick to it not matter what. No naps.
No caffeine at all or no caffeine (or decaf coffee/tea) after noon. No alcohol at night. (Alcohol may seem to help you get asleep but it makes sleep less deep and you tend to wake up.). 
Get 30 min or more of exercise every day.  Walking at a moderate pace for 4 miles every day will get you tired by nightfall...but exercise earlier in the day...like before dinner.  (I try to get in 45 min of moderate pace walking up and down hills and it helps with sleep a lot.)  No computers/tvs/smart phones in the evening (this may be the hardest but I would start off with this to see if  you can get yourself on a better schedule).  The blue light runs havoc with our circadian rhythms.
Over time you may be able to add some of this back once you are sleeping regularly.   
A warm shower a couple of hours before bed also helps.

That all seems exhausting but if you give it all a try you may get yourself on a better schedule.

While I don?t take it often ...the only supplement I have used occasionally is melatonin. One tablet.

[Carolina]

Dear Deb27

Nothing like a sleep problem to make me frantic.  I rarely had insomnia, but when I did, it was usually the night before the academic year began, when I was teaching (eons ago).

Since you just retired, one 'would think' that insomnia would be the last thing that would happen. 

And yet....I wonder if it isn't this major life change that has triggered your insomnia in some way?

You can try all the suggestions you are sure to get here, all of them tried and true. 

I would suggest perhaps seeing a counselor, to discuss the entire 'retirement' phase of your life, and your insomnia.

Running on the spinning wheel in the squirrel cage at 3 am is a horrible experience.  I have found that having another person to discuss things with to be very important to me.

This person doesn't give answers, of course, but rather allows me to find the answers that are already there, waiting for me to discover them.

The two most useful things for me:  exercise and counseling.

Hugs, and hope you get some restful sleep.

Elaine.

[Deb 27]

Thank you for the great advice. I think counseling would help with my transition. It's been different for me not to have a schedule. I feel like I can't relax-:(((  Now if I sit down for any amount of time in the day or evening, I am out like a light.

PS. I found out the Singular I was taking before bed was making things worse. I knew it had to be something causing this.

[irish]

There is nothing like working all day and having a schedule to help a person sleep at night. Fall into bed resy to sleep usually. Hang in there and you will get everything figured out to lead a safe and sane life!!!!!Irish