Seeking a cure

Every morning at precisely 3am, without fail and without respite, the restful sleep I so badly need abandons me with gleeful recklessness, leaving me tossing and turning and praying for morning.

I cannot sleep.  No matter how late or early I start.  Whether I spend the day wearing myself out, or lazing around doing nothing.  Even when I take a sleeping pill...3am intrudes on my well being with maddening regularity.

Cures?  Treatments?  Ideas?

I don't drink a lot of caffeine and I don't eat much after dinner.  I have a sleep number bed that adjusts to my comfort needs and a super-comfy sweetie to snuggle up to.

What am I doing wrong?

Comments

[Gerry Nicholls]

Try watching the Parliamentary channel.

[Proof]

Once your body "clock" sets on a routine, it can be hard to reset. Have you tried taking melatonin? It's available over the counter and helps with some sleep disorders. I take one tablet nightly before bed, and either that or the placebo effect seems to help me!

[Hershblogger]

A relatively benign solution, drug-wise, and for me anyway, is Benadryl.

[jean]

I assume you have tried the obvious like a glass of warm milk or the counting sheep thing ?

Since I'm retired and don't have a schedule I'm all over the map as far as hours of sleep and when I sleep: I seem to cycle between being a day person and a night howl every few weeks so I do often wake up at 3:00 a.m. , spend a few hours browsing on the computer, watch DVDs or play computer games and then go back to sleep late in the morning. Well, the point is that if I'm actually sleepy I have no problem falling asleep but trying to fall asleep when my body doesn't want to sleep doesn't work.

So it depends: Do you wake up at 3:00 a.m. and can't fall asleep even if tired and sleepy or are you wide awake ? If awake maybe an hour or two of doing something is better than trying to force yourself to fall asleep !? Unfortunately you don't have the option of sleeping in when sleepiness eventually catches up with you like me.

Well,the only other thing is to NOT worry about not sleeping but enjoying just lying there resting and daydreaming about something nice i.e. fantasizing will kill time and if you are not getting frustrated or angry about not falling asleep the odds are better that you will eventually.

Lastly, I would try meditation or self-hypnosis and avoid any medication except as a last resort ! A small glass of Porto wine maybe if you don't have a drinking problem is relaxing in moderation. ( Well, the intent is to help, and maybe if I'm " boring enough " I can actually bore you to sleep LOL. )

[pete in Midland]

I used to be a light sleeper, but now I have no problem falling asleep after the news (and yelling at the idiot box) or waking when the radio alarm goes off.
My mother, OTOH, is a worrier and has trouble sleeping. She needs to take half a sleeping pill or muscle relaxant to get a good nights rest. If she forgets, she tosses and turns and wakes far too early.
If your mind is not letting you get a good nights sleep, that's a pretty good indication it's working damned hard to resolve "stuff." While chemicals will help, the only long term solution is resolution or combatting the "attitude." I dumped the problems with stress a lot of years ago and just basically don't worry or stress out. It wasn't easy, but it was necessary with my job and sanity.

[james freund]

Hi, I work in customer service for Select Comfort, creator of the Sleep number bed. I can't promise I'll be able to solve your sleep problem, in fact your situation sounds like good material for a medical sleep study, but I can give some recommendations you may not have considered before. I hope these will help! You can find other sleep tips and sleep issue topics by visiting our site at http://www.selectcomfort.com/sleep_research/index.cfm.

1. Make Sleep a Priority.

Make sleep a priority the same way you would diet and
excercise. If you have trouble falling or staying
asleep, curtailing the time in bed seems to solidify
sleep; excessively long times in bed seem related to
fragmented and shallow sleep.

2. Sleep on a Schedule.

A regular wake-up time in the morning strengthens our
internal clock and helps establish
consistent, regular sleep onset times. Follow
nighttime routine: same times, same order! Such a routine
cues your body that it's bedtime.

3. Exercise Regularly.

Studies indicate that regular, daily exercise deepens
sleep. Occasional exercise does not
necessarily improve sleep the following night. Don't
exercise right before bedtime. Always seek a doctor's
recommendation before beginning a new exercise program.

4. Moderate the Temperature.

Excessively warm rooms [above 75 degrees] disturb sleep
[less REM Delta sleep, more awakenings]. However,
excessively cold rooms do not solidify sleep. 68-72
degrees is considered ideal.

5. Eat Right.

Hunger tends to disturb sleep. A light snack tends to
help sleep. Heavy meals right before
bedtime tend to interfere with sleep.

6. Avoid Excessive Use of Sleep Medication.

An occasional sleeping pill may be of some benefit, but
chronic use has little long-term effect. Tolerance builds
up and dependancy may result.

7. Limit Alcohol Intake.

While alcohol may help people fall asleep more easily, the
ensuing sleep is disrupted when it's effects wear off.

8. Unwind.

Anger, frustration, worry and sleep do not mix! A planned
worry session a couple hours before bed does wonders. If
you can't sleep because of emotions, get up and do
something else.

9. Homes near airports, trains or highways can experience loud
noises that disturb sleep even in people who are not
awakened by noises and cannot remember them in the
morning. Sound insulation, or even "noise
screening" with a fan or white noise machine helps.

10. Chronic use of tobacco disturbs sleep.

11. Sleep in Comfort.

Choose a bed that contours to your unique body type,
provides spinal support and reduces uncomfortable pressure
points. Sounds like you’ve already done this by sleeping
on your Sleep Number bed.

James Freund

Select Comfort Customer Service