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sleep

Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
I need some help tips ideas anything to sleep. I always have disrupted sleep with nightmares but its getting less and less sleep, I didn't sleep at all last night, was awake all night! really need help now, cant cope with it much longer.

Comments

  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Hey Katie, I didn't see this thread.

    Usually, the best thing to do is to use your bedroom exactly what it is for. Sleep. So turn off all bright lights, no noise, no gadgets, nothing. Just dark and quiet.

    It depends though. I have nightmares, and I get really scared at night. I leave my light on, I have the telly on low volume so that there's a little bit of noise. I've always done this. When I was with my ex, I even had the tv on low then and a night light on, even though I had him there right next to me. I think this is because of what happened when I was younger.

    Do you want to explain a little more about why you struggle to sleep? Do the nightmares wake you up? Or do you have a fear of actually going to sleep because of them?
  • AuroraAurora Posts: 11,722 An Original Mixlorian
    Hey KatieJayne,

    It's always difficult when we can't sleep, and can often have a massive effect on our mood the next morning. However, we all use different ways to sleep, often relaxation before trying to sleep can have more positive effects on your mood the next morning, I know when I get up after a rough nights sleep, it leaves me feeling rather miserable.

    Do you know what things could be keeping you awake during the night? It might be worth checking out the Live Chat TheSite.org had on Trouble Sleeping, which offers a variety of support when it comes to sleep! Have you thought about talking to your GP about how your sleep is at the moment? Maybe they could help explore with you ways you could get a healthier sleep?

    Have you ever tried Kalms, I took them for a bit when I was going through a patch of rough sleep, these can be bought over the counter and it might be worth looking in to them.

    Do keep us updated on how you're doing, KatieJayne,

    Best wishes,
    Angel
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    one thing mental health professionals told me to do was a calming distraction, as the longer i lay there trying the more annoyed and agitated i got, but there not really anything you can do in the dark with out at least a small light. also some nights i have to sleep with the light on.

    another thing they told me to do was to get into a routine, but i couldn't always follow the routine depending on the circumstances, like how i felt, what i had to do in the day ect.

    theres a few struggles with sleeping; fear of having nightmares preventing me from sleeping, nightmares waking me up and also making me
    scared to go back to sleep sometimes, voices keeping me awake, flashbacks at night making anxiety high, high anxiety keeping me awake, also if people in the house go to bed before me and i know then i cant go to sleep until they are awake, cause i have developed a huge fear of someone coming at night, whether it is for me or for family, and feel like if everyone is sleeping no one will here someone come if they did, so i have to stay awake to make sure i can hear them when everyone else is asleep, i guess its my way of coping with that fear, i dunno. aslo recently i have started bed wetting, which wakes me up and makes me really really embarrassed and self conscious so that i don't want to sleep to prevent it from happening.

    sorry to hear you struggle with nightmares too.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    my gp does know I have trouble sleep, and does know that I have had for nearly 3 years now. I am on medication to help with anxiety which I take in a morning and evening to try relax me before I go to bed. I also started seeing a new mental health worker, and she said she thinks it will be good to review my medication and possibly change it as one im on is right but too low of a dose she thinks, my gp just wanted to try keep me on same meds and did increase them just until I was reffered, so that a specialist mental health worker could decided what they thought was best.

    I will look into kalms, thanks angel. and I will also look into that link.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    I downloaded a nightlight app last night :blush:
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    katiejayne wrote: »
    I downloaded a nightlight app last night :blush:

    That's good, how does it work? Did it help at all?
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    well I wasn't quite so anxious cause I could see around, and wasn't having to keep turning on my little torch to look around my room, but when I my mum came to wake me up I noticed her looking at it :/
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Needing a night light isn't a bad thing and I'm sure your mum won't mind. I'm glad you weren't so anxious.
  • *BananaMonkey**BananaMonkey* Posts: 5,462 Part of The Furniture
    Hey Katie.

    I agree with everything that has been said here.

    I dont like sleeping in the dark and also have issues with sleep. I have some cute lights now and I have my tv on so that makes me feel more comfortable.

    Hope your okay. Sending you hugs x

    Sent from my GT-I8190 using Tapatalk
    " And everywhere I am, there you'll be, your love made me make it through, oh I owe so much to you "
    " So I say thank you for the music, the songs I'm singing, thanks for all the joy they're bringing, who can live without it, I ask in all honestly what would life be? Without a song or a dance, what are we? So I say thank you for the music, for giving it to me "
    '' It's a beautiful day and I can't stop myself from smiling "
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Hello Lovely,

    Have you tried sleep/relaxation Hypnosis's?! I find them really helpful when I can't sleep.
    It may be worth a try.

    Also having a warm bath and warm drink before bed can help you feel warmer, and more sleepy.

    Much love :heart:
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    thanks guys, but I still feel embarrassed about having to sleep with a night light on.

    sophie, I have never heard of sleep hypnosis. and I cant do to hot drink thing, cause I have to try not to drink before bed, to ttry prevent the wetting, but it doesn't work anyway.

    my meds are being changed and should get them end of this week of beginning of next. ones staying the same, one is being increase for a month then increased again, and getting an extra one on top which is a non addictive sleeping one, so hopefully this all works, even though im really not happy with being on medication.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    Have you got a smart phone, Katie? Or an iPod you can download apps on?

    If so, search Andrew Johnson, and he has some great apps for hypnosis, he's a clinical hypnotherapist also so is amazing!

    He has free apps and ones you can buy. I use the "relax" one, which is free, and I'm asleep by the time it finishes which is roughly an hour. You can change the settings as well, so there's one where uo can relax and there's the other where you can change it to "sleep".



    Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
  • AuroraAurora Posts: 11,722 An Original Mixlorian
    Hello KatieJayne,

    Having a night-light is nothing to be embarrassed about, even though it's not spoken about a lot amongst adults, some do still keep one for keep safe, for example my friends father has a fear of the dark, so the night light tends to heaps of help to him! I think he was told to take little steps to gradually overcome his fear though!

    Have you considered trying a glass of milk, whether cool or warm? It's great for your teeth and nails, but also helpful when it comes to sleeping. You've mentioned you're worried about wetting, would you be able to put a towel under you, or something? Just to see if drinking milk will help at all.

    You mentioned your mental health professional had recommended calming relaxing activities before going to bed, have you given any of those a go yet? :) How did you find them, I know I tried Mindfulness when going to sleep, and first time round, I was rather agitated, but made myself a routine, and allowed myself to relax more. I'm glad you're still getting support offline though, Katie :) - Sounds like you're taking amazing steps, keep going!!

    Do keep us updated on how you're doing Katie :) Best of luck with the medication to!

    Best wishes,
    Angel
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    yeah I do, but I wouldn't want my mum or anyone to hear it, and cant use headphones especially at nights incase I don't hear someone coming or something
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    You can put it on a low volume? Also if you do use headphones you can keep one out and the other in so you can still hear people?


    Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    um, im not sure. I will look into it and think about it though thanks
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    I have a pillow with an inbuilt speaker, which I can hear clearly but doesn't even bother her indoors sleeping right next to me.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    really piccolo? that sounds pretty cool.
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    yeah you can get them from gadget shops it probably Amazon
  • Former MemberFormer Member Posts: 1,876,323 The Mix Honorary Guru
    yeah you can get them from gadget shops or probably Amazon
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