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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 7 of 7. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by skeptic on May 12, 2004, at 10:33:19
Has anyone here learned a good technique to help get to sleep at night when stressed? I find the use of antipsychotics very unpleasant.
Posted by finelinebob on May 12, 2004, at 11:50:23
In reply to Improving sleep w/o medication, posted by skeptic on May 12, 2004, at 10:33:19
Well, somewhat without "medication" -- valerian (an herbal supplement) is something I've used in the past to help me sleep. It worked well enough that I started using it daily, but after about two weeks of that it started giving me headaches instead ... so continual use might not be advisable.
Meditation might be useful for you as well. If you're stressed when trying to get to sleep, there are going to be all sorts of things going on in your body that are meant to keep you awake. If you can get yourself to breathe ... calm, slow, deep breaths ... that is going to help counteract the rapid, short breathing and elevated heart rate stress can induce.
making sure your room is DARK ... loose bedclothes, loose bedding, not being "strapped in" ... turning on a fan or something for "white noise" instead of silence, which can allow those stray thoughts to keep sneaking in ... those are all things that help me.
just a few ideas,
flb
Posted by utopizen on May 12, 2004, at 12:02:30
In reply to Re: Improving sleep w/o medication, posted by finelinebob on May 12, 2004, at 11:50:23
After not sleeping for like a week during last finals week, and having to deal with stims and my erratic dosing of it during such times, and having insomnia outside of med issues, and having insomnia basically mess my entire last semester up during finals week, I realized relying on Ambien scripts from docs who may or may not feel like giving you monthly supplies of the stuff, which may or may not always work even if you take it, and after "wasting" my day's supply of Klonopin many nights simply to get to sleep, please listen to me as I say I tried resorting to almost everything med-wise, and found THIS DOESN'T always work, and even if it does, you don't want to feel like your sleep is dependent upon pills, docs to give you scripts for them, etc., etc.
So to feel actual control in your life, it's simple:
1) Get a self-hypnosis tape. Any tape. They all do the "8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1" countdown, so it doesn't need to say "for insomnia" on it.
2) Use it everynight. Even when it doesn't work. Don't give up. Your body gets better and better the more you use it. For me, after a semester of sticking with it, it's like guaranteed sleep inducement. Use it for months even if you don't notice any benefit.
3) Use it along with some Ambien or something if it's not working immediately.
4) It includes, at least mine does, breathing exercise instructions in it, so it doubles as a hypnosis/breathing exercises tape.
5) Ambien wouldn't work on me, and this does. I had to use Ambien for a couple of months while getting use to it, but trust me, after awhile, it trains your brain to relax out of even the most stressful situtations, even stimulant-induced onces!
6) Make sure you don't have any nasal congestion, deviated septum, nasal allergy, or anything like that, since these are only possibly to detect through a doctor looking up your nose with a device. If so, try Flonase or something along with a Nasal Irrigator. I use both. (My irrigator is called "Hydro Pulse")
Posted by starlight on May 12, 2004, at 13:22:57
In reply to Re: Improving sleep w/o medication, posted by utopizen on May 12, 2004, at 12:02:30
Get a good workout in the afternoon. Around 4:ish or so, and workout hard. See if there's a bikram yoga place around you for a hard workout or go for a run or bike ride or whatever you can do to get your heart pounding hard - climb stairs, whatever it takes. And do it for about 40 minutes. It needs to wear you out.
When you're laying in bed and have turned off the light, start trying to remember your day. Start at the beginning and recall as many details as you can, it should go like this:
I woke up at 6:30, ate a bagel on the couch with my coffee, watched cnn, took a shower, washed my hair, got dressed, wore the blue dress I like and put my hair up, got in the car, at the light I noticed the brown car with the bumper sticker that said, (blah blah) and keep going trying to recall as much as you can - this will do two things: make you fall asleep and help you recall your dreams. I guarantee you'll fall asleep probably before you even get to remembering to noon.
starlight
Posted by NikkiT2 on May 12, 2004, at 13:47:18
In reply to Improving sleep w/o medication, posted by skeptic on May 12, 2004, at 10:33:19
I'm going to be giving Hypnotherapy a try I think for my insomnia..
I have an appointment booked with one for giving up smoking, so will see how that goes, and if it works will try it for sleeping!
Nikki x
Posted by Penny on May 12, 2004, at 14:10:39
In reply to Improving sleep w/o medication, posted by skeptic on May 12, 2004, at 10:33:19
I listen to books on CD. Nothing heavy, just something fun - children's books are especially wonderful. They don't have to be turned up loud, just enough that I can follow the story, and before I know it, I'm off to sleep. I can't take sleep meds (even benedryl!) b/c they ALL cause a hang-over effect for me the next day, which I hate. I've been to a sleep clinic where, after determining that I don't have sleep apnea, the doc recommended warm milk. I've taken herbal/natural remedies (valerian root, melatonin, etc.) and they didn't work. In all seriousness, the ONLY method I've tried that really really worked for me was to listen to books on CD. I particularly enjoy "Harry Potter".
Good luck.
P
Posted by finelinebob on May 12, 2004, at 15:59:12
In reply to Re: Improving sleep w/o medication » skeptic, posted by NikkiT2 on May 12, 2004, at 13:47:18
> I'm going to be giving Hypnotherapy a try I think for my insomnia..
I've actually worked with a licensed hypnotherapist in the past (only three sessions was enough). If it is something you take to, it can work wonders. It is something that improves with practice ... unfortunately for me, also something that drops off with lack of practice! But when I was doing it regularly, I would use self-hypnosis to get to sleep and to sleep more deeply. I also managed to wake myself up a few minutes before my alarm every day.
flb
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