[Fuzzybear]

I'm needing some help with sleep hygiene/management. My sleep particularly sucks at the moment.

I also hate showers (particularly lately) but that's another issue..

[MuddyBoots]

Some rules I (try to) follow:
-don't do anything involving a screen past 7pm
-no caffeinated beverages after noon
-have a bedtime routine: get into jammies, brush teeth, have a cup of herbal tea, take meds, etc
-exercise during the day, but not after 6pm
-if you can't sleep, read something for half an hour to an hour and then try again
-listen to a podcast or a relaxing CD (there's one I have called Beethoven for Bedtime that I absolutely love, but I like listening to Stuff You Should Know (a podcast) as I'm going to bed too).
That's really all I have so far. Hopefully this helps and you can get some shuteye soon.

[tentoedsloth]

Having the temperature, at least in the bedroom, a little cooler is supposed to help. I know that for me, if I've turned up the house heat during the day and forget to turn it down, I have restless sleep all night, waking up frequently, and having weird dreams. Then next time I look at the thermostat, I realize why.

[Soupe du jour]

To the great suggestions above, I'll add:

A dairy product soon before bed helps me sleep, particularly a yogurt. This is a semi-known thing.

Darkness in the room. I really need this for good sleep.

The most comfy bedding, pillow, and nightwear possible.

A sound machine is extremely helpful. I do best with the soundmachine sounds over music or definitely not TV.

Consistent bedtime. Bodies and minds like routine.

[FluffyDinosaur]

I've tried all the usual sleep hygiene rules in the past, but it never really worked for me. It just made me more obsessed and anxious about getting sleep. Instead what helped me more than anything was to let go of the fixation on sleep hygiene and just generally stop caring too much whether I sleep or not. Obviously I still avoid stuff like caffeine and screens in the evening and go to bed at more or less the same time every day, but other than that I just think, sleep or no sleep, whatever. I still have insomnia a lot, but it's better than it was, and at least I don't have as much anxiety about sleep anymore.

[*Beth*]

Fuzzy, I wish I had more suggestions for you than the excellent ones that have been offered on this thread. I practice the sleep hygiene suggestions, but have little success. I've been experiencing horrible sleep for quite a while. After basically zero sleep last night I am wondering if Zoloft (taken at night) is the culprit. So I will be switching it to mornings.

If I think of something, I will let you know

[tentoedsloth]

FluffyDinosaur said: "I've tried all the usual sleep hygiene rules in the past, but it never really worked for me. It just made me more obsessed and anxious about getting sleep. Instead what helped me more than anything was to let go of the fixation on sleep hygiene and just generally stop caring too much whether I sleep or not. Obviously I still avoid stuff like caffeine and screens in the evening and go to bed at more or less the same time every day, but other than that I just think, sleep or no sleep, whatever. I still have insomnia a lot, but it's better than it was, and at least I don't have as much anxiety about sleep anymore."

I've had some success in the past with this, too. Just saying, "Whatever, if I can't sleep now I suppose I'll sleep some time; I'll just lie down a few minutes and rest my body anyway." Sometimes that was the last I heard from my conscious mind for many hours.

Right now, I'm relying on medication; I got into a spell of very severe insomnia from quitting 100% of the pills.

[tentoedsloth]

Originally Posted by BethRags

Fuzzy, I wish I had more suggestions for you than the excellent ones that have been offered on this thread. I practice the sleep hygiene suggestions, but have little success. I've been experiencing horrible sleep for quite a while. After basically zero sleep last night I am wondering if Zoloft (taken at night) is the culprit. So I will be switching it to mornings.

If I think of something, I will let you know

When I switched lamotrigine to mornings it helped.