Trouble sleeping

I can't get to sleep and when I eventually do I always wake up a couple of times a night.  I've tried everything, chamomile tea, warm milk, no telly, soft music, relaxing in the bath before bed- and nothing is helping, does anyone have any suggestions that I haven't thought of?  Please help it's driving me insane

Bedtime snack? Perhaps you are waking up because you're hungry.

I take it you've cut out caffeine after, say, five o'clock?

I quite often wake up in the night but I just read my book and I'm gone again within a few minutes. If you can't turn the light on, keep a torch handy.

I don't think I'm hungry when I wake up because I can't get to sleep easily to start with and I'm not hungry then :/

Perhaps something is bothering you subconciously.

Perhaps your getting too much sleep.

I generally need 5 hours during the week and a catchup session on Sunday.... I'm out like a light.

There's no chance I'm sleeping too much as I'm struggling to sleep at all haha

I have really long bouts of insomnia ... and I find if I try to go to bed early to catch up I end up getting less sleep as I stress over the fact I am just laying there!!

Do try opening your bedroom window wide so the room is cold then sleep with socks on ( sounds odd but it often works for me)

I feel your pain though!

Suffered with insomnia myself in the past, especially when I was working a 3 shift rota. The single best piece of advice I had then, from my doctor as it happens, was this:

Don't worry about it. Try to stick to a routine, set your alarm for the same time every morning (only worked once I was off those shifts) and go to bed the same time every night. If you wake up in the night, you are awake, don't lie there trying to get back to sleep and stressing about it because you can't, instead, get up, make yourself a drink, read a book or go for a nice stroll in the dark, just do something, embrace the fact you are awake and enjoy it, and when you're ready, take yourself back to bed. Don't worry about the sleep lost that night, your body will settle back into a pattern of regular sleeping in the end.

It did work. It worked a treat actually. I was also suffering with depression at the time and this was one of the things which helped to lift me out of it. I wish you well, hope things settle for you soon .

Hi Helen,

I've suffered with insomnia too and it's not nice. Rob gives some good advice - don't try and force yourself to sleep if you just can't because it makes it worse and you'll probably just work yourself up and get frustrated that you can't get to sleep, making it even harder.

You could try reading because that makes my eyes really sleepy, but some people find it makes them more alert. Also go to bed earlier than you actually want to go to sleep - i used to go to bed at 11, hoping to get to sleep at that time and I'd be really frustrated if I didn't go to sleep straight away. Once I started going to bed at 10 I noticed I was more relaxed and had more time to just watch some tv or read a book etc to wind down instead of going to bed with a stressy head.

Make sure you get plenty of fresh air in the day and wear yourself out - I went through a period where I stayed in a lot and it just made me restless.

I hope some of this helps, even if it's just a tiny bit.

x x

That's great thanks everyone, I have tried not to worry when I wake up but I sometimes can't help but worry - which obviously makes it worse.  I'll try reading a bit more but it does tend to keep me more alert and i'll try and open the window too to keep the temperature of my room cooler :)