What Are Effective Alternatives to Alcohol for Insomnia Relief?

[jimmy p]

Whats a good cure for insomnia? I have been having tons of trouble getting to sleep before 3AM and tried all these medicines and herbal teas and stuff, but they don't work. The only thing that works is drinking a lot of Jack Daniels, but i have been advised that it isn't a good idea...

what should i do?

 

[The_Professional]

I sleep between 3-5 am, which isn't good. Try drinking milk and stay away from the computer.

 

[Monique]

Try being physically extra active during the day - sporting.. your insomnia will disappear real soon..

 

[jimmy p]

i cycle to college every day and play football against myself or a friend at college...thats nowhere near as active as i used to be ... but that's a different story.

What should i do instead of being on the computer, watchin tv won't help will it? nor will reading.. any other suggestions?

 

[Andy]

Get a job you lazy Bum!

 

[jimmy p]

i have a job!

 

[Andy]

Get a proper job, and work longer hours, and come to town, Icon on wednesday nite.

 

[Monique]

Waking up at 5.30 in the morning and coming home 19:30 in the evening will do the trick, it has worked for me

 

[Evo]

Chopnik, are you under more stress than usual? How long have you had trouble sleeping?

 

[jimmy p]

i was in a little bit of a stress before, but i coped with that by not eating. now the stress is over I am eating normally but not sleeping. stupid brain!

 

[Julian Solos]

Can you hook up a TV set in your bedroom? Try watching TV in bed ready to fall asleep anytime.

If you can't set up a TV in your bedroom, get a radio. Listen to "Coast to Coast AM."

Check the nearest radio station which airs the show in your area at the following site:

http://www.coasttocoastam.com/info/wheretolisten.html

The show starts at 10 PM and lasts until 5 AM at many places.


The idea is the more stupid/meaningless the show, the better, TV or radio.

 

[Julian Solos]

If you don't have a problem, eat a lot of food high in carbohydrate about 1 hour before your intended bedtime.

 

[Ivan Seeking]

Originally posted by jimmy p
Whats a good cure for insomnia?

Just do like me and forget about sleep. Its a waste of time anyway.

 

[DarkAnt]

There isn't a cure. I've had insomnia since i can remeber (around 4 years old). I have yet to find a solution.

 

[jimmy p]

thats not a good thing, if there is no cure...oh me oh my, what's a poor boy to do. the problem is that i am dead tired but i just can't seem to get to sleep. i forced myself to go to bed at 3am, and it took until around 4am to get to sleep...then i was woken up at 7.30am

 

[Monique]

So what does your schedule look like? Do you have to get up early? I can never sleep during times of studying, exactly the times that I need the sleep

I was very groggy at my last exam, not having slept in weeks and couldn't even understand the simplest questions: "name three levels of diagnosis" I spent like half an hour staring at that question until finally it came to me they meant on DNA level (mutations) chemical level (kinetics) and cellular level (morphology)..

Basically you need to get rhythm in your day, get up at a fixed time (no matter how little you slept), eat breakfast lunch and diner at certain times, not too late, be physically active.

There definitely can be a cure, depending on the cause of the problem, but I sleep fine after a day of work (just came home and it's already 7.30 pm [zz)])..

 

[jimmy p]

I do have a regular schedule, i always wake up at 7.30am apart from at weekends where it is 8 on saturday and 10 on sunday (work). I suppose sometimes i have not been eating too well.

Hmm i am going out a lot more since last week so that has got to be a better thing. I usually go to bed at midnight, but obviously its about 4 hours later than that. Stupid sleep, maybe i oughta do what Ivan suggested and forget about sleeping.

 

[Monique]

Maybe you are going to sleep too late? Sometimes you can get past the point of sleepiness, where you have missed the timeframe at which your brain wanted to sleep, after that you can still be tired but the signal just won't come anymore :(

I find it can help to just go to sleep early one day (8.30 pm worked for me at the time :P)

 

[jimmy p]

i may take that advice about going to bed early once a week, woah Monique you think of everything! but any other advice people?

 

[twizted1]

ummm...my advice is just give it a while...you'll get used to it...and after however many years I'm finally able to sleep 6 hrs in a night...course like monique said...havin to get up early and work all day makes a difference...i just have a diff body schedule than eerone else...my body's not tired until early morning and wants to be active early/mid morning so that's when i get up (10 when i can sleep in...and that's just here recently)

But i had my spells of insomnia...just kinda muddled through it tried to sleep when my body was tired and let it just kinda run its course and fix itself sorta

-Ty

 

[Monique]

Also try to get enough of sunlight exposure during winters, since you produce melatonin which is a circadian hormone, which tells your brain what time rhythm it should be in (melatonin is also the stuff in those anti-jetlag medicines).

Don't confuse melatonin with melanin

 

[Monique]

Originally posted by jimmy p
woah Monique you think of everything!

Don't I?

 

[jimmy p]

you think of even more than u thought of before...wait...is that possible?

So basically i have to get sunlight, sleep early, get used to it until i sleep normally, be physically active and other such things.

OK, this is going to be hard, I am not one for effort!

 

[Monique]

Originally posted by jimmy p
So basically i have to get sunlight, sleep early, get used to it until i sleep normally, be physically active and other such things.

That, or find a job as a night-guard

 

[jimmy p]

dont think i could do that, its boring, and anyway, I've watched the films, night guards ALWAYS get killed!