Haize
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Sleep!Anybody have any suggestions on how to get to sleep? Every night recently my mind has just been racing with thoughts that I can't do anything about anyway, due to being in bed  
Hot drinks right before bed unfortunately make me just too warm to go to sleep, and I've been trying counting backwards, e.g. in 7s down from 700. I kind of felt closer to sleep when I finished that, but soon became completely awake when I had the next random thought! (Can't remember where I found the advice to do this, but it is apparently to do with the fact that number processing thoughts are from the other hemisphere to mind-whirring-with-random-problems thoughts, and they cannot both work at the same time, so you override the random thoughts by doing maths).
The biggest problem is that I grind my teeth when I can't sleep, so I'm getting a really painful jaw. Aside from being able to get to sleep, anyone have any thoughts of how to break this habit?
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Aqui
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Is there something specific on your mind that you need to resolve?
When I get that - usually happens between 2 and 5 am recently - I start thinking of lists of things - like the A-Z of my favourite films/songs/vegetables/flowers/whatever. I find that keeps me more occupied than numbers and I'm usually asleep by F. Mr Aqui taught me that - he used to get insomnia a lot.
Or I get up and sit on the sofa and read until I'm tired. Sometimes I think if you can't sleep and you can't get comfy, there is no point in trying to force yourself - it doesn't work.
Make sure you get exercise during the day and stick to a regular bedtime/getting up routine.
And use some lavendar oil - so relaxing.
warm soak before bed?
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Libby
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Before K went to Uni I had dreadful problems getting to sleep, I found that a notepad by the bed helped, I wrote down what ever it was that I kept thinking about at whatever time of the night I was awake, using a torch if necesary, and because I had made a note of it and didn't now need to worry about remembering or forgetting it, I was more relaxed!
Bananas and milk (doesn't have to be warm)are brilliant sleep inducers not necesarily together and also you don't have to eat/drink them just before bed, try an hour before and see!
Libby
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Aqui
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Or lettuce.
I remember that from Peter Rabbit - the soporific effect of lettuce on the bunnies.
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Cabbagepatch
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| Aqui wrote: | Or lettuce.
I remember that from Peter Rabbit - the soporific effect of lettuce on the bunnies. |
 now i know why i'm tired all the time.......too much lettuce!
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Haize
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Ok, will be having a glass of milk shortly before bedtime tonight, and will possibly pick up some bananas. I'll think about the lettuce... Not so keen on that as a snack though!
Writing down your thoughts, so you don't have to frett about forgetting them is a good idea normally, but at the moment, it would be more like writing an essay!
I've been mostly occupied with how to do the bathroom tiling, for the last few nights. I almost feel like I should just get up and *do* some of it! Hopefully when I've finished it, I should be back to normal, but I am very prone to problems with sleep anyway, so if I could find something that worked at the worst of times, I'd be theoretically sorted for life!
The teeth grinding is getting worse, I was doing it just a few moments ago  "Grinding" is rather overstating it, I'm just rubbing the middle four teeth together, but it still makes my jaw bad. And to think I complain to my OH about his nail biting!
Thanks for the suggestions.
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nanny-now and forever
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i'm not sleeping well at the moment - too much on my mind
hate to say it but a wee dram helps me and writing the next chapter of that book i plan to finish also helps but if i wake up during the night, then that's it, i've lost the chance
most nights i am awake part of the time
i believe a hop filled pillow is supposed to help, if youcan stand the noise of rustling hops
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Haize
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Boing! Boing-boing! Boing!!!
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Cabbagepatch
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lloyd has a suggestion. He may reveal all later.....
I'm afraid I have no comment..
men
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Kathy
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Send Lloyd to bed CP!
Pleased to hear you're still writing your book Nanny, and I'm sure you'll sleep better once all the moving is done with, lot to contend with at any time. 
Chamomile tea works for me, and I don't have a tele (watching tele before bed can be a stimulant), I'm usually out like a light and sleep till I'm ready to wake up around 6ish.
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Haize
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Excuse my previous post, it was a very bad joke, brought on by lack of sleep 
CP, no offence, but I'm really not so sure about the idea of Lloyd revealing all... 
Right, shall try Chamomile tea too, I've never had it before. That will have to wait until the next shopping trip. Picked up some bananas today too. Too full to eat one this evening though!
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Cabbagepatch
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| Haize wrote: | CP, no offence, but I'm really not so sure about the idea of Lloyd revealing all...
I think being nice and warm in bed helps....lovely cosy neck to toe fleecy brushed cotton pj's decorated with teddybears helps an undisturbed night's sleep
Right, shall try Chamomile tea too, I've never had it before. That will have to wait until the next shopping trip. Picked up some bananas today too. Too full to eat one this evening though! |
Chamomile tea is a bit of an acquired taste but you can buy chamomile and spearmint which goes down rather nicely.
time now to put my curlers in, cover my face with a thick coating of night cream, and put on the aformentioned very modest nightwear. that should ensure a sound nights sleep
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lottie
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So what happened to romance
I know, you fell asleep and missed it
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Cabbagepatch
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milk.......................banana...........................lettuce.....zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz
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lottie
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Right I am off to find some.
Night night
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mrutty
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Why sleep??
I get 3 maybe 4 hours if I'm lucky. Sleep is over rated. Try spending the extra time java coding or looking after which ever brat or puppy has woken up.
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lloyd
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Or cleaning the house (as I have been) until now.........half twelve. Hoovered, cleared kitchen, washed litchen, hall and living room and snug floors wih mop. hoovered staircase, emptied dishwasher................
Heyho, could be worse.
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Cabbagepatch
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Well, someone has to do it
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Cabbagepatch
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immensly long and tedious day here.  very tired. does anyone have an antidote to the lettuce please?
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Aqui
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Did any of it work?
I think the solution to my night of sleeplessness is a big axe to destroy the neighbour's tv and stereo. Failing that - I could use it on her!
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Cabbagepatch
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 Aqui, calm down. Deep breaths and think of your bloodpressure dear!!!
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nanny-now and forever
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well last night wasn't brilliant
went to bed and lights out at about 9.30 then couldn't get to sleep, mind going nine to the dozen, "what if..."
heard l;ucy get up and turn round, then go outside onto the landing, then come back and lay down
then she went downstairs and came back up
then she went downstairs and woofed so i get up and go downstairs followed by merlin who goes into the living room
let lucy out, go to loo, come back to kitchen door, wait for lucy, let lucy in, merlin thinks he might go out, then changes his mind, goes and lays down in front room so i go upstairs and go back to bed and try to sleep
husband gets up and goes to loo.a while later i hear rain and thunder so wide awake again
make effort to keep eyes closed and wooziness returns
i just drop off and merlin starts moaning downstairs so i go downstairs and knowing that if i just let him out i will have to go and find him, i put his lead round his neck and go outside with him
he stands absolutley still and won't perform till i remove lead at which point he ambles off and i stand there, one eye open in the rain and with wet shoes till he does his thing and then he forgets that i am standing there and i have to go in search.......we go in and he disappears, i stumble upstairs and close eyes again only to hear him moaning that he can't see to get up stairs so i open eyes again, go on to landing and turn on light and dog bounds upstairs full fo the joys of spring, i return to my bed to find it occupied with a snoring husband who is dead to the world and a greyhound with wet paws and a cold nose...........i make themistake of looking at the clock and it is 4.30 am
i jsut drop off once more and the alarm goes at 5.30...timeto get up
tonight i am taking soem natrasleep and have told mr nanny that he had better listen for the dogs because i haven't had a good nights's sleep in nearly a week now
i know it will end when i move but my goodness, it's hard going
mrutty i commend you if you don't need much sleep, i wish i didn't
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Kathy
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Did you get your sleep Nanny? Hows everyone else doing on the "getting to sleep" front.
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nanny-now and forever
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pretty much, i heard lucy bark once and sort of was aware of mr nanny getting up and dealing, then merlin woke me up at 6 so i just opened th door for him and let him out and went back to bed, the next thing i know it is just gone 7am
felt much better for it as well
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lloyd
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I have no trouble sleeping. My problem is I only go to bed when totally bushed so don't then wake up even if the world comes to an end!!
We had massive thunderstorms the other night..........apparently...........
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Cabbagepatch
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nanny, i have the same problem, go to bed absolutely whacked out, two hours later......"whats that noise?"....have to get up to investigate.....go back to bed......etc etc etc
6.20am alarm goes off....naturally wide eyed and bushy tailed ready for a full on day at work......
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nanny-now and forever
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our minds are just too active and we sleep too lightly, that's our problem
men seem more able to sleep heavily and ignore all those things (children, dogs, burglars, thunder storms, husbands going to the loo) that we just can't ignore.............
aren't they lucky?
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Lizzie
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Oh dear - we all seem to be in the same boat, so to speak.
Penny-the-bonkers-lurcher likes to wake me up to tell me it's getting light...she does this by sticking her cold wet snout under the duvet, which is guaranteed to wake me up wherever it lands One of the few good things about winter is that it gets light later
6.00 this morning saw me awake, thanks to the thunder. It took an hour or so to get back to sleep, but I have to admit to not waking up again until 10.00 when OH brought me a cup of tea and told me it was time for the Archers!
If I can't get to sleep, I find that designing and/or decorating an imaginary house helps...dunno why, but it does. Generally though, I can get to sleep OK, it's just staying asleep that's the problem.
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nanny-now and forever
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thw whole thing is difficult
normallyi can sleep for england
perhaps it is just all that is going on ............
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lloyd
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After the roast beef meal I just had, I'm ready for bed now!....Today was a maniacal day at work mind you. The rain came in through the roof and we had to close the store until we had removed the flood which was two inches deep in places. That was three hours of sweeping water. We were all like zombies all afternoon!
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Haize
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Hohum, the sleeping thing hasn't really been going much better: Even if I feel completely exhausted (due to the work we've been doing on the house), I still can't get off to sleep. On Sunday, I was so physically tired we went to bed around 9:30, OH read and I wrote out a mini calendar that goes to when we need the house done by, then we turned off the light around 10pm. I *still* saw 12:30, and definately hadn't even dozed lightly before that point. I know the nights when you drift in and out of sleep and see at least one point in every hour on the clock can be pretty annoying, but plain and simple being wide awake all the time is the worst!
It seems like every 3rd or 4th night my body finally decides it has had enough, and I sleep quite soundly, usually till stupidly late in the morning (not realising it would happen, I never set an alarm).
Mrutty, tell us your secret to not needing as much sleep. Technically, I may only be getting 4 or 5 hours a night anyway, but the difference is, I'm feeling dreadful because of it!
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mrutty
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Spend 8 years of your life working 8 hours on 8 hours off (in which you have to eat, eash and sleep), then have three kids that won't sleep through the night (to the point that I used to log on to work with them sitting on my lap and claim overtime  ). After that it doesn't impact me. I get to the point where I need to sleep for 8 to 10 hours and then I'm fine again.
I can also go to sleep when I want and used to sleep for an hour at lunchtime in the car. I still stop after 2-3 hours driving and grap 30 mins zzzs.
B on the other hand sleeps for days at a time, including one whole weekend when we visited Ali
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nanny-now and forever
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my husband can do that mark
into bed and out for the count and can go for long periods without
much longer than i can
he says it is for the same reason
he snores away, oblivious to me laying there wide awake, never hears the dogs if they want to go out in the night
it ain't fair i tell you, it just aint' fair
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Haize
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The funny thing is, if I do just think "can't get to sleep right now, will try later", and do stuff until my brain shuts down, I can then sleep untill I feel refreshed. The problem with that is if I have to wake up before I would naturally, I feel bad. Without worrying about hours of a job, or disturbing my OH, I used to get on fine, living my sometimes nocturnal student life.
I used to just have naps whenever I felt like it, and as a result, I think I averaged about 6 hours sleep per day, and it was fine. Just goes to show that if you just do what your body wants, it works out kind of better.
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nanny-now and forever
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one thing i never do is look at the time
never never..................
i just assume i have plenty of time and do my best to go back to sleep
sometimes i am successfull
sometimes not
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Cabbagepatch
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I am so sleep deprived I think it best I don't comment.
Difficult day at work coming up tomorrow and at this moment am wondering how I'm going to cope....need to put on full fronted professional "I know what I'm talking about and you lot just have to listen and get on with it"
Will have large blast of Rescue Remedy at 6.30, quick meditation and just go for it. Flippin eck
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Kathy
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My head hits the pillow and I'm out for the count. If anything happens in the night Mr Kathy has to wake me up, it might help that I'm a bit deaf. I can sleep anywhere really, consider myself lucky.
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mrutty
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| nanny wrote: | my husband can do that mark
into bed and out for the count and can go for long periods without
much longer than i can
he says it is for the same reason
he snores away, oblivious to me laying there wide awake, never hears the dogs if they want to go out in the night
it ain't fair i tell you, it just aint' fair |
Ask him about short watches, they were the real killers, 4 on, 4 off not really meant to do them but sometime you have to. Really tough as I forgot to say about hand over which is 30 mins either end so you now only have 3 hours to wash (sod that I wash a week ago), eat (I have no idea what it is but don't care as long as I don't have to chew much) toilet functions (yelling hurry up at your willy coz you want some kip), finally down for 2 hours of snooze).
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lloyd
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[quote="mrutty"] I get to the point where I need to sleep for 8 to 10 hours and then I'm fine again.
I can also go to sleep when I want and used to sleep for an hour at lunchtime in the car. I still stop after 2-3 hours driving and grap 30 mins zzzs.quote]
I'm the same.
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mrutty
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Can you remember those caffine pills that used to let you function for about 48 hours. Oh and the exercise where you had to stay working for 24 hours. You slowly learn to grap sleep where you can.
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Haize
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A guy from my home town died after trying to stay awake for 3 days by taking caffeine pills. Which rather confused me given that I have, in my infinitely silly studenty days, stayed up for most of that without the need for any stimulant.
Mind you, I think beer might have been involved.
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mrutty
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You have to drink a lot of extra water when you take them (and you feel like crud afterwards)
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Becki
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| mrutty wrote: |
B on the other hand sleeps for days at a time, including one whole weekend when we visited Ali |
In my defense, I couldn't help it, I just find the place terribly relaxing. I'm sure Ali dosn't when she has 200 campers at her door though
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alison
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could be the sloe gin too
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lloyd
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[quote="mrutty"]. Oh and the exercise where you had to stay working for 24 hours. quote]
With us we were on excercise for a week with between two and four half hour naps before getting rumbled.
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nanny-now and forever
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mr nanny reckons the worst watch was 6 on, 2 off.he used the term walking dead........
i have come to the conclusion that i will never allow mark, lloyd and my husband alone together particularly if there is alcohol within a 1 mile radius
there would be much swinging of lanterns and arguing about whose stories are the best..............i can see it now
"oh yeah? well how about this then..................."
very dangerous...............
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Becki
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Yes but while they were doing that, it would leave me, you and C.P to have some real fun! Get your dairies out girls!!!!!
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nanny-now and forever
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lloyd
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Reckon me, Smutty and Grandpa would stay up for days seeing who was best..........
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nanny-now and forever
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grandpa!!!
don't forget there may be snow on the roof but there can still be a fire in the hearth........................
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Becki
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NANNY!!!!!!!!!! [/b]
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nanny-now and forever
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what?
it's a comon saying surely
what have i said?
i've been framed !!!
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Kathy
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Never heard that one before Nanny........................
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nanny-now and forever
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have you not kathy?
must have just thought it up
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Kathy
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I think you did!
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nanny-now and forever
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forgot to report by the way that lucy slept all night and so, therefore, did i....
felt much better for it
mr nanny had managed to give them some good hard exercise for half an hour and that knocked them both out
this afternoon though it was raining and in true intrepid greyhound fashion they decided that apart from a quick tinkle, descretion was the better part of valour and they hid in the living room when he called them out to play
so
what sleep will i get tonight?
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Kathy
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Nanny, you've no time to sleep, get some more packing done!
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Cabbagepatch
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| nanny wrote: | grandpa!!!
don't forget there may be snow on the roof but there can still be a fire in the hearth........................ |
Oh I say, come on girls, lets get our diaries out!!!
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