Im fed up with this not sleeping thing..had it cracked til recently...Im suffering from ptsd...and had just started sleeping again...now I cant and its driving me mad...anyone got any suggestions for getting some sleep?                                                                                                                                                                              

Its an over active adrenaline gland Its been dormant for a while, now you've woken it up by riding  'mini V'                                                                                                                                                                                                                            

Hmmm... my usual initial advice would be to take a long, luxuriating, girlie pampering soak in the tub, taking advantage of the fact that the kids are in bed... but I guess that's not possible at the moment - d'oh!

That's usually a help... then as your body slowly cools from the heat of the bath, it's a great way to relax into much needed sleep...

Otherwise, try relaxation techniques... play some soft music in the background... I can't tell you what sort of music helps me cos then I'd out myself as a complete hippy & I'm supposed to be being a rufty tufty biker bird type

Ah sodditt... OK then... check out an outfit called "Bliss" - try A Hundred Thousand Angels for starters... it's just gorgeous and SOoooo relaxing. (Disclaimer: I'm not a hippy! This isn't even my nose! *ahem*)

Lie quietly and still... on your back, everything relaxed... arms by your side, palms down... once you think everything's relaxed, start *really* relaxing... start from your toes/feet and work up to your body, then your fingers/hands... you really will feel the difference once you start thinking about really relaxing all your muscles... take slow, deep breaths (2 in, 4 out works for me - some prefer 3 in, 3 out) and with each exhalation think "relax". You'll actually "feel" your hands sinking down into your mattress and when you get as far up as your shoulders/neck, it feels like a massive weight's been lifted

Doing it this way is FAR easier than telling yourself to empty your mind... the minute you start thinking "Right, I've got to empty my mind of all thought" it goes into overdrive and every little niggle of the day sets in at once... giving your mind stuff to do will automatically clear it

All this from the woman who managed to sleep from 3am to 6am - woohoo! Check me out! It doesn't always work - I can't promise results, but it's well worth a try. After all, I'm an expert in insomnia
                                                                                                                                                                             

  B C I started using my MP4 player when I first started with my IBS pains, to help me relax enough to get to sleep, now I use it just to relax me and it also keeps a bit of outside noise out. Now all I've gotta do is find a way of having the ear plugs in without irritating my ears lol    I know it's not easy but try not to get stressed about not sleeping cos that's counter-productive, as you probably already know.   I could send you a tape of me talking, that used to work for me dad. Zzzz                                                                                                                                                                                  

join the club BC ive been havin the same problem for over a year...bed wots thats?????????                                                                                                                                                                             

A bed? It's somewhere to put bike bits under !                                                                                                                                                                             

At the risk of stating the bleedin' obvious, you're not going to get any sleep if you fail to switch off the computer and walk away from it to go lie horizontal someplace - bed or otherwise 

I go through phases every now & then of not being able to relax and sleep in my bed (harks back to times of living rough over 20 years ago and also following a burglary over 10 years ago)... not a problem, I just lie on the floor in front of the telly and stick it on the timer to switch off after an hour in case I *do* manage to fall asleep. A few hours is better than no hours...

& I don't know what anyone's drinking habits are but seriously, if you drink alcohol regularly, try cutting it out, no matter how little you drink... it'll help. Folk tell you to take a quick nip at night to help you sleep and it appears to help, but it really doesn't... it might get you off to sleep, but you don't STAY sleeping and it dehydrates you so you feel like poop. (Saying that, it was the only hope of any relaxation when I lived rough - I was too bloody scared to fall asleep otherwise!)

& if you're a heavy drinker then all the more reason to quit... My Dad told me I was talking out of my backside, til he was "forced" to have a dry fortnight when he had to stay with teetotal relatives for a fortnight... for the first time in over 40 years, he wasn't up at 5am and was regularly sleeping in til 8 or 9am by the end of the holiday.

Shame he never stayed dry when we used to holiday together - my sister wanted to go clubbing all night and he wanted me to go running every morning... ye gads... it was always a relief to get back to work for a rest!

                                                                                                                                                                             

Tiredness is such a dangerous thing... how many times have you heard about folk falling asleep behind the wheel and causing horrific accidents?

Seriously - address the problem... Particularly if you have children and you drive them places having had no sleep yourself.

Basically you're putting them at as much risk as if you were sitting them on the back seat and downing a few pints before setting off and you wouldn't dream of doing that in a million years.

If you simply can't sleep at night, grab sleep whenever you can. If it takes an afternoon nap on the sofa, so be it, just get some! And for the long term sufferers, get along to the quack for help.

/exits Aunty Lou mode

                                                                                                                                                                             

I have an excellent CD that I put on when sleepy time evades me,..............it is the sound of waves on the beach, which I find very relaxing. Then if all else fails 3 paracetamol and a couple of herbal Nightol are good...................but the best thing to help you get to sleep............is an orgasm! (And as all us girls know, a man is not necessarily needed!)   (This is genuine good advice.........not gratuitous smuttiness before all you guys jump in here!)                                                                                                                                                                              

Oh I say! Adult content before the watershed! 

Valid point though

I have a storm/rain cd I put on - you can't boogie to it but it definitely rocks, as in "rocks you to sleep".

 
                                                                                                                                                                             

Oooops maybe I should have put a warning for my post not to be read before 9pm!                                                                                                                                                                               

Any lady out there requiring help getting to sleep?......         (references on request)                                                                                                                                                                             

  (references on request)   who from? the psychiatrist aint speaking to you anymore                                                                                                                                                                               

That's cos I put her to sleep!    (bogof offer this week only)                                                                                                                                                                             

   put her to sleep? Are you a vet?   don't mention sleep in here, unless you've got a cure for BC and R C   (for it to be bogoff it has to be Buy One Get One For Free otherwise it's bogov as in buy one get one free)                                                                                                                                                                               

Get in there Dragon and XK,thats the best laugh i've had in ages                                                                                                                                                                             

has anyone got a cure????????????? lol                                                                                                                                                                             

i need one too lol                                                                                                                                                                             

(references on request) ??   I thought it was a restraining order that you were given XK not a reference !!    But good advice Dragon                                                                                                                                                                              

Still not sleeping...awwwwwwwww....get my cd out! and count bikes!!!