Insomnia! I can't stand it. Well, who likes it, right?! So I'm typing this at 3:43 am. My little guy woke up for a little bit around an hour ago and here I am, wide awake as my husband and baby sleep. I have to work tomorrow so that makes it all worse. I've tried the deep breathing stuff but that never seems to work. My mind gets the best of me and starts darting from topic to topic and before I know it, another hour has gone by. Has anyone found something that actually works?? I've thought of trying melatonin. My 72 year old mom started using it (she suffers from insomnia too) and she said it has worked great for her. I don't believe it would make me so groggy that I couldn't wake up for my baby if needed. Well, just thought I'd reach out there to see if someone had something to new to try or if nothing else, just to hear I'm not the only one up! Sweet dreams everyone...I wish. :)
I would try the Melatonin but try the liquid version. I get the NOW brand and use it for myself and my 4 year old daughter sometimes. It works great. You can usually get it at the local health food store or order it online. Just Google "NOW Melatonin" and it should come up with some buying options. Liquid seems to work better for us than pills.
Good Luck!
Hi Busybee---There is a product called Bach's Flower Remedy. You can find it in any good health store. They have several formulas. I use the Stress Relief and their Sleep remedy. I love it. It was recommended by a friend who is a cancer counselor---www.beatcancer.org---and I trust her implicitly.
When I picked some up at Whole Foods, I was told that the sleep remedy contains flower essence that quiets 'brain chatter'. Man, if that doesn't describe the problem perfectly, I don't know what would. Give it a try, then with some of the deep breathing and visualization of your very relaxed body, I'm sure you will learn to let your body get back to sleep with no problem at all. Good luck...let me know how it works for you. D.
Melatonin wont make you too drowsy, give it a try seriously, I used it years ago when I was working a graveyard shift, it seemed to help back then..
I have insomnia too, I was up at 2:22 and watched the clock till 3:15 then woke up at 4 and 5 and finally got up at 5:30. It's exhausting. I guess I'll get me a bottle of melatonin too.
I love Lorianna's response, but in a world where moms truly have lots to do and limited time to do it, I turn to Hyland's Calms Forte. It's all natural and helps turn your mind off. My husband was skeptical, but it worked for him, too :)
You certainly are not the only one! I second the Calms Forte and Bach's Rescue Remedy. I used those both together to get me to sleep when my Postpardem anxiety first started. Unfortunately, my anxiety got really severe and I couldn't fall asleep or stay asleep. I went to meds and I was able to get to sleep. I hated using the meds but I needed to sleep. Then I tried 5-HTP and a time release Melatonin. Put me asleep and kept me asleep! Got me off the Ambien. So happy to be using something natural instead.
I have never had to take anything for my insomnia, but I have had to deal with it before.
I would say first, if you mind is darting from topic to topic, try writing everything down. Use a small nightlight and lay in bed writing. Write about anything and everything. Make lists or write like its a journal. That will get it off your mind hopefully- this has helped me trumendously.
If it is something more clinical than just a racing mind, I would say try other things, other than drugs, first. Drink a glass of wine, eat something that makes you sleepy, etc. just to get you out of the pattern. once you have slept well for two nights straight, you may be off the hook. If that doesn't work, I would say try the melatonin.
Good luck! I'm sure you're exhausted!
Melatonin works great for me - I like the sublingual orange flavor by Source Naturals. It does not make me groggy at all, and I can wake up if I need to (please research the dosage and ask a health care professional). The only thing I notice is that I will still sometimes wake up at 4 am - when I get in one of those phases I use the time-release melatonin.
I would consider seeking out an integrative physician to do some hormone testing. Sometimes my hormones make me unable to sleep too. Weird night waking can also mean my adrenals are burning out.
Good luck and I can really empathize.
Hi Busybee,
You are not alone! :) I definitely find that Melatonin works. I'd say use it on an as-needed basis so you don't build up any resistence or rely on a sleep aid too much. It's a very helpful, non-groggy sleep aid. Also try milk or calcium supplement before bed. I like the other response about keeping lights low and keeping stimulation at a minimum when you're up in the night. Also in general, sleep comes easier when you get enough excercise and are not stressed - be sure you're getting enough excercise to both wear yourself out and relieve any stress. I find I'm always suffering from insomnia more when I'm not excercising enough. Best of luck to you!
Listen (in a low volume) to talk radio . Avoid music. My mother-in-law swears by this!
Your body may be in a pattern. I go thru this from time to time and when it happens, it's days and days in a row of the broken sleep. Once I fall back into solid sleep for one night, I am usually good for a while.
I have tried having something like a small bolw of cereal (LOW sugar) or a banana while I am up to help me get back to sleep.
I use to take melatonin years and years ago when I worked an off shift. It was hit and miss for working. Never knocked me out (like a nite quil or something).
Best of luck to you...it's awful not getting sleep and working all day!! Been there too many times!
Melatonin works for some people...not for others...but it sure wouldnt hurt to give it a try. I have taken it before...with mixed results....but I can assure you that it will not make you groggy or make it difficult for you to wake up when you need to get up with your little one. Melatonin is something that occurs naturally in your body...it is not an artificial substance so it is not going to cause that problem.
What is your routine when you get up with your son in the middle of the night? Try not to turn on any bright lights...work with as little artificial light as possible...my daughters keep a small light on their night stand and have a cloth diaper thrown over the top of it ( for the night and when the light is on for a short time only!!!) to keep the light in the room very soft. If you turn on bright lights, turn the tv on while you are feeding the baby, or get on the computer it is going to signal to your brain that it is time to wake up and not go back to sleep.
Do you nurse or bottle feed? If you are nursing...bring the little guy right into bed with you after you have changed his diaper....and both of you can just go back off to sleep as he nurses!! If you are bottle feeding...share the "joy" with hubby....that way you can drift off to dream land as he gets the baby ready to settle back down for the rest of the night.
I too have trouble with shutting my brain down...and stopping the thoughts that are racing from subject to subject....I have not found anything that really works for me except one thing.... I pray!! If you are spiritual...start praying for things that are on your heart...pray for your family...for the things going on in our world that could certainly use God's direction. I truly think that as I focus my mind on those things...and bring them to God, one by one, He calms my mind and settles me down so that sleep can just naturally come.
And no...you are NOT the only one up at these ridiculous hours....I battles it and refused to get out of bed tonight...instead I tossed and turned and looked at the clock a dozen times. You and I will BOTH be very tired at work today...misery loves company I guess!!!
Dear Busybee,
I used to think I had insomnia. One day I happened to run into the worldwide authority on sleep disorders, Dr. William Dement, at Stanford and asked him what I should do. He took one look at me and said "You don't have insomnia." Startled, I said, "But Dr. Dement, I have trouble falling asleep at night." He said, "Do you ever feel sleepy?" "Of course," I replied. He said, "Do you go to bed when you feel sleepy?"
Well, there he had me. Usually I would get sleepy around 10 pm, but I still had lots of stuff to take care of, or maybe just wanted to watch a TV show. Anyway, I would then lie down at 11 pm and not be able to fall asleep and would toss and turn for an hour or more. Here's what Dr. Dement told me:
If you don't go to bed when you feel sleepy, (and I mean go to bed without the TV on, or other distractions) then your body decides that it's going to be forced to stay awake and pumps you full of adrenaline and other chemicals to help you stay awake. Your body's natural chemicals take at least 2 hours to go through your system. Some medications might be able to counteract the body's chemicals, but the principle is still the same. If you go past your "sleep window" when you are feeling sleepy, then you might as well stay up and get things done for another 2 hours, because you won't be getting any good rest.
Dr. Dement told me, "Go to bed as soon as you feel sleepy, and you will cure your problem." He was absolutely, 100% correct. I haven't suffered from insomnia ever since. There is a lot more great information in his book, "The Promise of Sleep", which I recommend for anyone who is interested in this topic. It is a fairly long book, but hey, you can use it for bedtime reading to help you get drowsy!
I suggest that you try the "sleep when you feel sleepy" method first. It's free, and it could solve your problem. If it doesn't, then you can always try medication. Good luck and sweet dreams.
Sincerely,
L.
