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Insomnia...

Sass

Sass

Well-Known Member
Well, I say insomnia, but I think it's actually anxiety. When I stop at the end of the day, all my jobs are done, dinner is finished, the kids are in bed etc etc, my brain starts to think in ways that aren't conducive to sleep. I can honestly find myself still awake at 2am worrying about something that happened 1, 2 or 10 years ago. I've tried meditation, banned my phone/iPad from the bedroom, drinking a couple of glasses of red wine, and some other methods to try and calm my brain, but nothing seems to be working. I know that a certain kind of medication will work (it has in the past), but I'm not convinced that my GP will give me a prescription (she wasn't exactly supportive of my request for an ASD assessment).

Any tips for sleep issues?
 
I'd say get distraction. What I do most of the time is get in bed, get my phone and reply/read to some topics here, after that I listen to some music or watch YouTube videos till I'm tired, my head is than full of the music/video and than I fall asleep, I have to admit I will be awake to about 11:30 depending on my tiredness, but it's better than staying awake until 2am as I often was.
 
Don't drink alcohol after 5-6pm, and don't drink caffeine after noon! Those are the worst things for sleep. Exercising early in the morning really helps me, but this isn't an option for a lot of really busy people obviously. Maybe you could create an indoor aerobics routine for yourself, or try yoga.
 
I guess I'm somewhat the same with sleep issues, though my way of working around it, isn't really something that's workable if you have a family and/or a job. My days usually go on until I'm exhausted... which may or may not be after 36 hours of indulging in obsessions and such. My daytime schedule is totally out of the window, but hey.. at least I don't struggle to sleep, lol.

Doubt my take on it is really something that works for anyone, except for a fair few with little to no obligations.
 
Since this doesn't sound like a physiological thing, I think you should continue to pursue ways in which to train your brain into slowing itself down, rather than resort to medication. I'm sure there are excellent books on the issue, but damned if I can remember the titles right now.
 
I suffer from this too. I have no cure, but something I have found helpful is if I am fretting about something in particular I get up and write down notes and thoughts on the subject. Once that is done I can let it go to a degree and pick it up again upon my waking.

Hope this helps x
 
I only recently heard that one, but apparently everyone is wrong about alcohol! I guess I notice it myself though. I would recommend benadryl, but it doesn't sound like you'd want to do both... unless that is something you're used to getting away with.
 
As a mom who "folded" and listened to the doctors for my son's entire childhood. My opinion is find a doctor that will work with you, one that is on your side and will help you through some of your issues, like your insomnia. I wish I had been more proactive earlier.:(
 
On days I work, getting to sleep isn't usually a problem. I'm on my feet all day, it can be physically demanding, not to mention cooking ,cleaning and caring for my two girls. But on my days off I struggle with insomnia.....and I pay the price
on the work week. Don't take naps, this will help. Try Melatonin, it works quite well, is natural and has little side effects. My daughter, who is also ASD,takes it like every other night, and it works great for her. I watch Netflix, usually comedies on sleepless nights, and that gets me tired. Or you can try warm milk, bananas, or my favorite, lots of sex ;) Works for me! Sometimes it's just great to just burn that midnight oil.
 
I have the same problem and I also suffer form sleep apnea. I went for a sleep study and it helped me a lot. The doctor recommended that I try something called restricted sleep, I was doubtful at first and thought she was just trying to get rid of me but I decided to try it. The idea is to stay up as long as you can (not in bed) stay in your livingroom or go for a walk, that is what I do, and when you can hardly stand go to bed, you will fall asleep right away and you will sleep like a baby. Keep track of what time you go to bed lets say it's 1am... Force yourself to stay up until 1am for 2-3 weeks and then back it up by 15 min unites for 2 weeks and then 15 minutes for the next 2 weeks and keep doing this until you get to a reasonable hour.
It worked for me.

Good luck!
 
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