Sleep??? - Anchorage,AK

I hope this comprehensive link helps you:

http://itsnotmental.blogspot.com/2009/01/sleep-timing-of-...

Have a notepad by your bed. Do a 'brain dump'. Write all those things down that are making your mind race and in about 10 mins you can go back to sleep. It helps you clear your mind and eliminate the worry that you are going to forget them, which is one reason you think of them over and over again. It works much of the time.

Also, white noise, I have to have a little oscillating fan on, even if it's very cold I just put on my cozy down comforter.

I'm currently pregnant, and one thing I've been battling with since the beginning is insomnia. The best things I have found to help, are 1) get some exercise during the day, 2) take a hot shower right before bed, and 3) use some white noise. I have always had a fan near the bed, and I can't sleep without it. The nights I wake up, I listen to the tone of the fan..somehow it's relaxing. Hope you get some sleep!

Drink a soothing tea half hour before bedtime. Chamomile, vervain, are a couple that put you to sleep. Vervain is hard to get but every store has chamomile. Make it strong. Let the teabag steep 10 minutes.

i take one Tylenol PM every night. it helps take off the edge and helps me relax. i also have arthritis so that helps my body not hurt so much at night!!

Maybe trying a book on CD would help. That way your mind is focusing on the book and you can drift off. Obviously, a thriller may not be the best choice of book, but maybe a Jane Austen novel or something else that is not action driven.

My mind works the same way. There are two things that work really well for me. The first is to get a good night light and some easy reading - fiction usually works best and read until you are sleepy. If you turn out the light and find your mind thinking again, turn the light back on and start reading. The other thing that helps is to download free podcast sermons to my ipod - my favorite is from http://churchoftheking.com/media . This helps focus my mind and creates a positive calm before peacefully drifting off to sleep (make sure you turn it off before you actually fall asleep - else the voices can make their way into your dreams and keep you from sleeping deeply). Good luck.

Sounds like anxiety, Angelina.

I found myself in the same predicament. On those sorts of nights, I use a tincture of valerian. It was suggested to me by an ND, years ago, for stress and anxiety relief. Start with the lowest dose on the bottle and remember, like many herbs, more is not better. In the case of this herb, too much will have the opposite affect and you'll be more awake.

Also, skullcap (scutelaria) capsules can help with *staying* asleep. Take as directed. I would not mix these herbs unless directed by a naturopathic doctor. And an ND visit is not a bad idea either. Herbs are generally not habit-forming, and NDs will help you find what works best for what you need.

If you're looking for a natural method, try melatonin. You can find it any drugstore. Also, I see you're from Alaska - have you had your vitamin d levels checked? Low levels can really mess with your sleep. There's also meditation, which has been proven as one of the best ways to cure insomnia - you can probably find a book or CD on it that will get you started. Yoga is good, too. Personally, though, I pop a Benadryl some nights just to help me relax enough to get to sleep. It's a good quick fix! :-)
Sweet dreams!

I have the same problem. My doctor says some people have "anxious brains" that won't shut off at night. Benadryl works wonders because some people have excess histamine in their brains that prevents the "shutting off" happening. The Benadryl - or Unisom - does that. I've been taking 1 1/2 pills nightly for awhile now and sleep soundly. It does take awhile to fall asleep, but once I do I am out!

wow-I am interested to see the responses as I do exactly the same thing all the time.

Sometimes it helps me to write down what I'm thinking and the possible solutions, usually not great ideas from my sleepy mind. Also I will get up to walk the house check ALL doors and windows are locked and alarmed then I can sleep, even though I wasn't worrying about security it still helps.

Ask your doctor to check your thyroid levels and your cortisol levels. After a lifetime of low-grade stress, add having children to that and it can really do crazy things to your endocrine system. Sometimes those adrenal glands start to ramp up cortisol production in the evening before bed (instead of in the morning when cortisol should be it's highest) making it impossible to sleep. There are medications you can take to depress cortisol production, but keep in mind that to keep it down for good, you'll have to make lifestyle changes like exercising more, cutting out coffee, stuff like that to maintain a lower-stress existence.