Can't sleep

Beloved recommends Protea Wellness Enlightened from Amazon.

They are even suitable for vegans.

Go on YouTube and search Paul McKenna sleep hypnosis, works

I also found counting backwards from 100 in 2s or 3s helped until I got too good at it.
I will eventually get up and have a glass of milk and some bread and butter, this usually works but not good for the expanding waistline.
I've finally found that Bee rested by Unbeelievable (available from Holland and Barrett does the trick, though it takes a couple of weeks to kick in. I now have it delivered every 3 weeks, works out much cheaper that way. When I ran out after lockdown I soon found that I couldn't get to sleep again.

Lexisgranny, like me you know and understand you can choose what you think about. Some of the replies here seem to mean many people are unaware they can choose what to think about, that their thoughts are under their control.

The dark of the night when vitality is low is a period when we do react to troubling thoughts that arise unbidden. The antidote is to do what you and I do , not 'empty the mind' (whatever that means) , but deliberately concentrate our thinking on something that will not make us unhappy.

Someone told me that if your brain won't switch off then relax and just think of one word and say it over and over again, bit like the 'om' when meditating, it takes a bit of practice but it does work. I usually say THE and off i go, Zzzzzz

I "cheat" by putting on my "sleep bracelet" if I cannot get to sleep.

It has a crystal inside which is meant to stimulate melatonin.
It seems to work well but is very expensive to buy.

I got mine with free vouchers on a long haul flight. The duty free catalogue showed items that the vouchers could be used for. The sleep bracelet was the only item in the catalogue that I liked.

Almost always I fall straight asleep after reading for a while. Then when I wake up I think it must be time to get up - and find I've been asleep for only one hour! Sometimes I go back to sleep again, other times it takes ages. I regularly wake at either 3am or 4am, then at 5.30 after which I doze until about 6am when I make a cup of tea. I reckon I rarely get more than 4 hours continuous sleep. I moved into my own bedroom some time ago because DH sleeps heavily and used to wake me up snoring or tossing around. So there's nothing to disturb me. Some nights I hardly sleep at all. It's very wearing.

I have curtains with blackout lining and a blackout blind behind that. In the summer I still wake with the dawn, but usually putting on a sleep mask works. Also have a noise machine which pumps out white noise, otherwise I wake up at any external sound and cant get back to sleep. I have a layer system of bedding, a sheet, a honeycomb cotton blanket and the lightest weight of quilt (2.5 I think). I can then throw off layers when I am too hot and put them back on when I get cold again. If things are starting to look hopeless I take Kalms Night which is fairly high strength Valerian and then try to concentrate on breathing slow and deep and emptying my mind of anything except keeping up slow and even breathing. After a run of bad nights I take melatonin, which I think is only on prescription in the UK, but can be bought at any health food store in the US where my son lives. I only take the melatonin for a couple of nights but it breaks the poor sleep pattern.

I think of my home town and imagine walking through the centre as it is today, and then take the same imaginary walk through the town in the late 50s.

Its a full moon right now and there is a lot of energy, many people don`t sleep well during the full moon. Personally I like alexa all night, I have lbc on but very low so that I have to strain my ears to hear and that stops my mind whizzing, it is so low that it does not impinge. If I wake at 3am, I eat a small oatcake and that also does the trick

A couple of drops of Lavender oil just inside the nostrils does it every time for me.!!

Most long term insomniacs have been down the usual routes, I think.

If only it was that simple.

Quite a problem.

Avoid screens of any sort - the blue wavelengths trigger the circadian rhythm centre in the brain. It suggests it is still daylight so the alerting hormones continue to be circulated. An hour of no blue before bedtime is enough to tell the brain to turn off the 'keep awake' signals.

When the lockdown began , I was having trouble getting off to sleep, so DD recommended a pod cast called Sleep Cove , I don’t like the stories very much, others might , but the sleep hypnosis/ meditations are excellent. Other things that help are , valerian, magnesium, and eating a kiwi fruit ( it’s rich in seratonin ) before going to bed all can help , there is also a spray called This Works , that helps .

Things that work for me:

Some fresh air during the day
No screens of any kind for the last hour before going to bed
A mug of camomile tea
Lavender oil or spray
Not worrying about it when I do wake up, then reading an undemanding book or magazine. Better able after that to go back to sleep, if only for a short time.

I too sympathise with all fellow non-sleepers.
A couple of nights ago in the middle of the night I felt cold, do put on some socks and that helped.
Pennykins I'm going to try your idea - thankyou.

Doubt if I've had 12 hours sleep all week. I don't worry about it always been this way some nights I'm lucky to get 3 hours in.
My husband is the complete opposite he gets 9 hours a night, Its a family joke that he sleeps for both of us. I just get up and do something if I cannot sleep waste of time tossing and turning in bed

I listen to the BBC World Service (go to spare room so as not to disturb dh) or lose myself in a good book, usually on the Kindle at night. And/or make myself a cup of lovely old fashioned cocoa.
I’m not saying any of these will necessarily get me back to sleep quickly, but they’re all much better than just tossing and turning, with too many things going round in my head.

This is the guided meditation I use most often as it works well for me www.doyogawithme.com/content/yoga-nidra-sleep
I think you need to try out a few to find a voice you like.
Hope this helps!

I wish I could stay awake!
I fall asleep watching TV. Have to record anything I particularly want to watch. Because I get stiff and in pain if I stay in bed too long I don’t go until 1.30 am. Fall asleep as soon as my head touches the pillow. Wake four hours later wanting to wee and the light is still on. Get back and wake up at 7.30.

Valerian is very good, as someone posted, but my best remedy is CBD oil. Two drops under the tongue and away I go, you don’t even realise you are dropping off. No hangover next day.

I have always had difficulty going to sleep, and now it is worse, thinking of everything happening in the world.I try to think of some of my favourite places and that calms me down.I often use my excercise bike in the middle of the night if sleep fails me, that helps.Reading a book until the early hours, helps my eyes get tired.
Kalms are very good with Valeriana, which helps calm and isnt addictive.
Next time I cant sleep I will think of all the other GN,s in the same boat. Pleasant dreams everyone!

Sorry about your bad night OP. There’s lots of good ideas to try on here so you may find one that works for you. I doze off reading or listening to books on my Kindle. Those new Bluetooth headbands so you don’t have to wear ear buds are great. Strangely enough a cup of tea is a great sleep helper at 3.05am.
Sometimes I just decide it’s a white night and stop expecting to go to sleep-so I read or do ironing or catch up on paperwork.

I have three layers of blinds to keep the room completely dark and I use earplugs. My mum uses bach rescue remedy night formula to stop all the silly rubbish going around in her head. Napping during the day is no help as it can lead to problems sleeping at night. A glass of sherry might help.

Despite what they say about not using tablet/phone in bed I find it the surest way to get to sleep. I add a few drops of lavender oil to an unfragranced moisuriser and rub it around my chest, shoulders and lower arms, I then snuggle down and start watching something like Jonathan Creek or Midsomer Murders and am usually asleep befor the end of one episode. If I do wake up during the night, usually due to outside noise, I just rewind to the last bit I remember. I'm usually asleep by 11 and wake up about 7sh when I need the loo and as it's downstairs I get up then.