Help with sleep routine / shutting brain down at night.
I am a 28 year old male that has had on and off sleep troubles for most of my adult life. This includes having a maybe 50 / 50 mix of going to sleep fine and maybe lying awake for 2/4 hours before being able to go to sleep and maybe once a month its a bad night where its 6/7 hours (around 4 to 5 am) before I can sleep. The last month the "bad" nights have been getting more common maybe 2/3 nights a week. I have tried natural remedies such as pillow sprays ect and they dot not seem to be working. I have been trying to read up on things to do such as breathing, getting out of bed, relaxing activity's before bed, relaxation and meditation techniques and I cant seem to make anything work. From what I have seen online a lot of people have sleep problems because of high stress lives, mental health issues ect. I think I am lucky because I do not believe that I have any deeper issues like that. What happens when I cant sleep is my brain just seems to become more active and I cant stop it from doing things like repeating a few catchy lines from a song I heard that day for hours, thinking about maybe a tv show I have seen for hours or sometimes just made up conversations with people I know. When I try to stop these thoughts and try a technique such as deep breathing before I even know it im back on some random thought, song, ect. I think I need to get myself some sort of routine that I do every night to train myself to sleep when I go to bed but would love I ideas or suggestions from anyone that has been through something like this. I have not seen a doctor but if I cant get this under control myself that is my next step but I also really do not want to be dependent on meds to sleep. Also im not athlete but I would say I have a decent diet and exercise most days.
Thank you in advance for any help
Hi, my name is Kathy and I used to have serious issues with insomnia. I tried medication but that did not work. After doing some research I've learned that the best bet for overcoming insomnia in the long-term is through CBT. I've some different books on it and I was most impressed by a book called "The Drug-Free Sleep Solution" by David Durocher. He covers every facet of insomnia: causes and solutions. He includes two sections on meditation that have both helped me get restful sleep. One section includes reading Scripture which I found both effective and inspirational. He explains that the fact is that only by discovering the cause of insomnia will you overcome it. As such, he explains how are negative and unrealistic thoughts about sleep and insomnia needs to be changed to positive and realistic ones. Anyway, by using Christian meditation, behavioral techniques, and cognitive restructuring I now enjoy going to bed knowing each night that sooner or later I'm going to fall asleep and get at least 7 hours of uninterrupted restful sleep! I highly recommend buying and using his book! I wish you all the best!
Kathy
...I am so glad you have found something that works so well for you. That is awesome news! Thank you so much for sharing with the community! April, Insomnia.Sleep-Disorders.net, Moderator
I’m sorry to hear you’re experiencing chronic insomnia. It can feel debilitating at times. I understand full well the intrusion if constant thoughts. It is something I have struggled with for a long time.
I wrote an article here that you might find interesting. https://insomnia.sleep-disorders.net/living/retrain-brain
It is the only technique that has ever helped me - focusing my thoughts onto something happy. Trying to clear my head of thoughts has never worked for me.
You sound like you’re doing a lot of good research. I hope you’re able to find a solution that works for you.
Cheers.
Simone (Team Member)
