Has anyone got any good getting to sleep techniques?

[Revel]

I cant sleep and got addicted to Co Drydramol pain killers to help me sleep. I stopped taking them when I realised I was getting dependent,,so now take 2 Piriton a night,a bit less "strong".I dont want to go to the drs and get tranquillisers because I know they are addictive,but any thing that doesnt involve pills (or hot milk-eww!).I saw an article once about looking at the ceiling in a certain way for a period of time,but dont remember it.HELP!

[LoftyLottie]

That would just make me sick. I hate bananas! However, I have heard that what you say is true.

[Cheryl_Tweedy]

Reverse phycology works wonders for me.
If I wake up in the night I tell myself that I must stay awake as the longer I stay awake the longer it will seem before I have to get up for work.

Next thing I know is the alarms going off.

Works every time.

[madmaggot]

I had major sleep problems following multiple deaths of relatives, divorce and 3 house moves within a few years!
I was getting less and less sleep; finding it more difficult to get off to sleep and then waking after just a couple of hours and unable to get off to sleep again. Just lay awake for hours.
I tried a few measures all at the same time and am now sleeping much better (although not perfectly). The things that I do are:
1. I don't use the computer after 7 o'clock at night,
2. I now draw the curtains as well as closing the venetian blinds to ensure the room is kept dark as possible.
3. I don't drink or eat after 8 pm.
4 I don't watch tv in the bedroom.
5. I always get up at 9am or earlier regardless of how much sleep I have had.
I think the main things that worked were points 1, 2 and 3.
Hope this helps you.

[ethandron]

don't go to bed until you're tired, sounds daft but lots of people go to bed just because it's bed time even if they're not tired. lie in bed and regulate your breathing, in, out, in, out, and slow it right down. with each out breath start counting to ten. when you reach ten, start again at one. just keep doing this till you get so bored you fall asleep. it's one of the tricks recommended in paul mckenna's book about how to hypnotise yourself to go to sleep and i find it quite effective.
if you really can't fall asleep after lying in bed for say 20 minutes, then get up, have a little walk around or a read for 10 minutes then go back to bed. and keep your bedroom really cool with plenty of ventilation.

[poodicat]

Yep bananas Lottie,also lettuce apparentely,i dont struggle to get to sleep most times just maintaining sleep is difficult i wake up after a hour or so

[madmaggot]

Ethandron: I tried this for a while but in the end I was spending half the night reading or wandering round the house and still couldn't get to sleep when I snuggled down again. The 'key' is to retrain the brain to switch off at bedtime, so avoid sources of bright light such as computer monitor or tv or stimulating activity like reading a good book.

[ethandron]

i have to have a read in bed before i put the light out otherwise i would never sleep :)
with sleep problems, i believe there is no one size fits all and it's a matter of finding something that works for you. i've had sleep problems for so long that i've given up worrying about it. i know that if i go a few nights without sleeping much then i'll get a good nights sleep the next night. i also have a few sleeping tablets which sit in the drawer in my bedside table, just knowing they're there is almost as much help as taking them and i reckon i take one every 3 months or so. i wish there was a switch in my brain to switch all the mental activity off and can totally empathise with revel.

[poodicat]

ethan so right will have to go to the docs and get some as i am struggling even more since mums death and as you say you dont really want to take until you have no choice

[Revel]

Mrs O,I'm on PD