Another one

[beenee]

I've been having trouble sleeping - it's almost 5am as I write this - can anyone suggest a natural way to induce sleep such as a drink or an essential oil? I know the common sense methods of not doing anything active too late etc. so please none of those. Thank you.

[iwbus]

Horlicks

[Hippy]

I think you have to find why you stay awake. Is it a physical thing like flatulence, indigestion, ambient light levels, or room temperature? Maybe your mind is in a turmoil over life choices or lingering regrets? In any event, you will have to identify the cause before you can effect a solution. You ask for a "natural" method, implying that you prefer a no-drug method. However, your search for a "drink or an essntial oil" is really the same thing. You are seeking a substance to mask the effects of the underlying problem rather than a more effective holistic approach.

[beenee]

Yes it's because I have too many things swimming in my mind. I've tried calming and self-hypnosis techniques which used to work all the time before but these days I just feel super-alert around this time. I wake up relatively late (10am) because I dont have classes till much later and I've never been very productive in the mornings anyway. At something like 3am I get urges to put on my gym gear and go for a run (I never do of course, London isn't at its safest around then), or read some for school etc.

I would prefer someone suggesting a substance to calm me down around this time though.

I find milky drinks too heavy to have late at night.

[comloulou]

You could try any of the following - Exercise during day to make you knackered Lavendar oil/camomile drink sleep products from Boots etc specially for the job - not drugs just herbal smells, drinks and oils. warm bath before bed followed by a chapter of Great expectations 'loving' oneself before sleep can help also try writing down in short concise statements all the things that are on your mind and one positive action you can take in the morning to ease the situation. p.s try not to beat yourself up mentally at 2.30am because you cant sleep, it'll ecome a vicious circle. Get up, take a break and do something dull until you feel sleepy again then give it another go!

[comloulou]

apologies for lack of punctuation, I have no excuse, just lazy

[glenis]

an old fashioned belief is lettuce,if you buy a herbal sleep inducing tablet like seven seas slumber tablets or natrasleep it is listed as an ingredient, i prefer a cup of hot milk with a spoonful of honey which always works for me

[Janetex]

Valerian tablets or tea could help. A friend's doctor has her on a Sleep Hygiene programme. This could be a symptom of some other illness, so discussing it with your doctor is a good idea.

[beenee]

Thank you all for your varied suggestions. I think I will get one of the herbal sleep tablets mentioned + lavender oil. Any experience of these tablets - can one get hooked to them?

Comloulou, is what you meant by 'loving' yourself, what I think you meant? (the absence of punctuation confused me as to whether this has anything to do with the write-your-thoughts down technique) Doesn't that increase your heartrate?

[Chinajan]

Gin is made from natural ingredients isn't it?

[sft42]

Comloulou may well have been refering to masturbation which is a great method of getting rid of stress....which can interrupt sleep patterns...though I think it's just men who roll over and go to sleep afterwards isn't it?...I have had long term insomnia which I have now come to terms with and my body has adapted to a single sleep cycle...most people don't realise that humans sleep in 3 to 5 hour cycles (this is why some people wake up in the middle of the night, get a drink then fall back off to sleep right away no problem) the obvious average being four hours and this is where eight hours sleep each night comes from ie. 2 cycles.....you might find that your body is only needing one cycle at the minute for whatever reason.....Things to avoid...Tea or coffee...caffine is a stimulant...getting up to late (this can force sleeping time back further exacerbating the problem) so set that alarm clock....napping during the day also knocks off the sleep cycles.....Things to do...take more active exercise.... and don't watch any TV or use a computer for an hour before bedtime.

[mynx]

There are loads of things to do to help insomnia. If you are stressed you could do with finding out why and trying to solve it as people mentioned above. If it's unwanted thoughts keeping you awake you could try the bach flower remedy white chestnut. Anything with the herbs Valerian, passiflora or hops is good in aiding sleep (But I don't think beer counts! :) These can come in tablet form if you don't like herbal teas.) As for essentil oils you'll need to look for valerian, hops and rose oil. Lavender is a good all rounder too. Rose oil is very expensive. Don't bother buying a bottle that's cheap as it probably isn't the right stuff and won't work. There is one other thing you can try but you might want to look into it more before you try it. It's widely used in the US (where you'll probably find it to buy in online health stores) Melatonin or 5-HTP. It's a hormone that you take when suffering with things like jet lag. It knocks you out cold and apparently can give you bizarre dreams but it will send you to sleep. People use it to regulate sleep patterns when crossing time zones. But it's not widely available here in the uk health stores for various reasons. Have a look online if you're interested. Things to avoid are caffiene and taking medications before bed (if you take any) And don't stay in bed for more than 20 minutes if you can't sleep. Get up and go into a different room even if it's just for 5 minutes. Make sure the room is not too hot or too bright. You can drink chamomile tea to help calm you before bed too. All the stuff I mentioned you can get from places like GNC or Holland and Barrett except the melatonin. (GNC usually has the stronger more quality goods, there are loads in London) Well I hope that helps some and that you'll soon be getting a good nights sleep.

[Ember]

I used to have a terrible time trying to get to sleep - " my solution is" talking books" and a cassette player. I pick a book that is not too hard to follow and really easy listening, i e a biograpy or comedy and I find the drone of the reader's voice does the trick, if I wake up in the middle of the night I just turn the tape over and off I go again. If I want to really hear the story I wait until the day time when I am awake. Failing that try listening to the World Service or any programme on the radio that involves talking only.

[beenee]

Thank you all so much. Ive learnt some really interesting things here. I'll have to pick and chose a couple and go with that, but thank you all the same. Will keep you posted on my sleep patterns!