Sleeping skills; what helps?

[Hopefulphoenix]

Argh I feel at my wits end with this. Just come out of a long extremely depression (hooray) and bounced into a fortnight of sleeping really badly. Grrr.
I have alot of experience with sleeping probs as unfortunately any little change I make in my "getting back out there schedule" seems to make a part of me go on strike.
Recently I tried to shortcut my recovery by almost begging my ex to move back into the family home. He said we could try but something in me knew it was too soon and bang! I stopped being able to sleep till as late as 5am.
I talked with him and agreed it might be making me more unstable. So the rumination stopped, I felt calmer.
But its like something gets stuck, I get so uneasy when the night approaches; if you've had it you know the score.
I am trying all the suggestions, but I seem stuck.
Yesterday I was a superchamp I thought right, damn it if im letting this affect me. I ate right, I did my little couch to 5k run, I helped my husband, I watched tv, I wrote on here. I wrote grats list before bed and read a bit..
And..still cant settle. Really crappy broken night awake loads.
This is so frustrating. Trying not to let it bring me down but its hard. Im more anxious and triggery and have circles under my eyes. I want to yell this isnt fair Im so less effective in this state!!!
(Btw sleeping drugs do Not work on me).
Today maybe ill try take a less frontline approach. Just let myself lie down and write and read. In the past it does seem to be random when it goes over, not really related to strong sleep rules.

Im interested to know; what helps others get over these low sleep periods, besides meds?

 

[IceQueencop]

@Hopefulphoenix -sorry you’re going through this.
I have had good luck with meditation before bed. I have a Yogafit subscription ($15/mo), and there are a number of different meditations you can use. Some are specifically for PTSD. I have also used various hypnosis apps. My T swears by sleep hygiene, using the same routine every night, but I’m not sure it’s all that helpful, and I get terribly bored with routine.
Best, IQC

 

[Hopefulphoenix]

Thank you @IceQueencop . You have reminded me I want to start meditating again. I have meditation for trauma book which has tiny meditations in it!
With the sleep hygiene I agree. Its ironic last night there was insane fireworks from 6 till 1 outside, I watched 2 episodes of Walking Dead, one action movie, ate a bunch of cheese..Then! managed to sleep better than in a long while. lol to that!
Its not something I want to repeat every night though!!

 

[TTC18]

go-to-sleep guided meditation can help.. Also - they say that if you can't get to sleep within 20 min or so to get up, do something relaxing, then try again. My issues are with sleep maintenance but I've had the regular kind of insomnia too. I hope you get good sleep soon.

 

[blackemerald1]

Oh I know this horrible cycle @Hopefulphoenix - I'm maybe just entering a period of insomnia or it could just be a blip on the sleep radar... not sure. Will wait and see. Sigh...

I am a big believer in sleep hygiene too but I get how boring it all is lol @IceQueencop - it's sooo boring and it begs to be broken or challenged constantly... maybe that's my silly personality at work there.

If I can stick to my routine and not have any nano naps in the late afternoon, get up early, get my fix of exercise done and dusted, get off screens well before bed, stay calm, avoid fats and carbs late at night and control my temperature....breathe here and there.... lol... :hilarious: :giggle: :p to myself ... sometimes I will stay in a blissful, beautiful pattern of sleep for weeks or even months...

I even start dreaming strange dreams again (REM) and I can go to sleep without worrying about whether or not I am going to go to sleep. There is nothing so beautiful as that feeling of waking up in the morning and knowing that somehow, miracle or miracles... you fell to sleep without a thought or worry of doing so... so lovely. If it could be bottled it would be addictive and very expensive.

Drugs don't work for me either...

But, then for no apparent reason :wtf: I cannot sleep!! And it is totally unacceptable bc I try so hard. :cry:

I hope you get some Z's soon...

 

[Hopefulphoenix]

@blackemerald1 you made me laugh!!
Still struggling. Its like if I get triggered badly, or have something "scary" to do the following day, then I struggle one night.
If the pattern repeats enough then *that thought* comes in which is the beginning of the end;
"what if i cant sleep tonight??"
and the real killer..
"tomorrow will be so hard now..just imagine ..." ?
Then one night seemingly at random I sleep through and wake up in shock.
Most people take sleep for granted. Sigh.

 

[blackemerald1]

@Hopefulphoenix - occasionally I find going and having a tepid bath or a shower and washing my hair works. I know it's odd... I am sure it's got something to do with temperature regulation.... I read about that somewhere on my quest for sleep.

So...no blow drying the hair - just a really quick towel wrap and deal with it tomorrow lol...

Straight into bed after that...

Oddly - it will work for me.....sometimes... it's definitely worth a go - if you can get over the looks of amazement from people you live with - try it on a desperate night! Nocturnal bathing might work for you...

Oh and another thing I find helps me settle is making sure I have regularly changed the bed linen... probably a little more often than most other people do it and making my bed properly every day... I have no idea why that helps but it really does...

I'm sounding really OCD about all of this and yeah... I think I could be but it's mostly caused by the anxiety of not sleeping and getting all of my ducks in a row to give myself the best possible chance of going to sleep...

It was only about oh four months ago that I was crying with frustration that I could not sleep or not get refreshing sleep... I live in fear of returning to that phase...

 

[Tornadic Thoughts]

The following method in the video below helps me a great deal, even though I thought it was just BS when I first heard of it. I learned it in person at a 3 day festival I attended several years ago. I left there a much more relaxed human than when I arrived, that's for sure. I still use it, along with the other breathing techniques he teaches frequently.

Changing my consumption habits helped a great deal, too. I used to be a heavy all day consumer of, and frequent late night eater of much sugar/salt/starch/meat/dairy/caffeine/alcohol. Now I eat mostly whole food plant-based vegan fare and stop eating solid food no later than 8ish each night and only drink water and/or herbal infusions (valerian root is a favorite night time selection) after that. Just that change alone created helpful ripples in all areas I was suffering in, more than I ever realized was possible.

I also turn the wifi off on my laptop before going to bed and use the dimmer program that reduces the light effects at sundown. It's called f.lux, I believe.

I used to be a shift worker and had insomnia like a mofo for years, but the pill combinations the doc gave me just made things worse as the effects lingered well into the next day, making me feel like a zombie on top of all the other feels.

The rhythmic breath work, especially, has been nothing short of amazing, (although some of the other breathing methods were a bit intimidating at first due to the different traumas I experienced that involved my air supply being compromised) and it's free and available to me 24/7 (knock on wood). May we all find our healthiest grooves that allow a peaceful restorative slumber more often than not.

 

[TruthSeeker]

I take 1000mg magnesium 1 hr before bed, hot choc or tea b4 bed, and a really hot bath thennIuse lotionnor avacado oil. TV and all screens off and journal 30 min-1 hr before bed to get rid of junk my mind which my mind will want to deal w sleeping. If I don’t write- my dreams or self wakes me up- so dumping stuff on paper helps. Getting my mind off technology helps a lot too. This combo gets me 7 hrs sleep with no more than 2 potty breaks. I’m good the next day if I have 7 hrs. Sleep hasn’t always been this good. Wish you luck!

 

[Abstract]

"what if i cant sleep tonight??"
and the real killer..
"tomorrow will be so hard now..just imagine ..

I think its worth dealing with these if you can. There is CBT therapy that specifically addresses these and general sleep hygiene if you need some support. You definitely don't want to put pressure on the event, I find.
When I was and and presently occasionally still am significantly symptomatic in a PTSD sense thenI personally find it helpful to get sleep any way I can and that has meant ignoring conventional sleep hygiene. Beds were and can be an issue and being away from an outside easy exit makes me nervy. Silence made my inner cacophony seem louder. I eventually let myself sleep on the sofa in the living room next to the door with the tele and light on. For me that is what managed to get me to a better place, initially. It only got me so far though and now am trying to do the rest.
Sleep is still an issue for me so sympathise. Keep trying!

Ps. interesting Tornadic thoughts.