insomnia...what do you do?

[gunsmith]

I end up staying up till 4 or 5 am, fortunately I don't go to work untill 1630 or 1700 but my days are ruined.
I've had tons of bad news this month  (multiple family members terminally ill all at once) so I guess that I've good reason to be depressed.
Any one have any good ideas? I do not have insurance so I can not get (nor am I found of) ambien  and melatonin gives me creepy dreams.
I have little energy to boot

[esheato]

Exercise when you're up. Only go to the bedroom to sleep. It sets up your mind to recognize that when you're in the bedroom, it's time for sleep.

Other than that, I load ammo all night long. Hehe.

Good luck,

Ed

[TarpleyG]

Eating right will be a good start if you aren't already.  There are certain foods you can eat to help with your depression as well.  A google search should turn up something...as esheato stated exercising (even just a walk or riding your bike) will help a lot.  Get out of the house.  Is there anyone close to you that you can just talk to?  Doesn't have to be "therapy" so to speak, just letting it out sometimes helps.

Greg

[Guest]

I've discovered the past two days that Theraflu strips can prevent this. This knowledge concerns me, to be honest.

[280plus]

Don't ingest caffeine. Don't eat a lot of protein for dinner. Pasta works pretty good but gets boring after a while. One aspirin 1/2 hour before bed can help. Ibuprofen too but both can cause stomach problems with prolonged use. And when all else fails Try counting the "E"s in the "Pledge of Allegiance" in your head. A few times. This works until you can do it pretty good then you need to move on to something else that you have memorized. Try "The Star Spangled Banner" Sounds wierd but it works. Of course if you are not from the States you should pick the appropriate rendition of your national pledge and / or anthem.

[Declaration Day]

I have bouts of sleeplessness every three months or so.  It usually lasts a week.  For that short time, I'll use Tylenol PM or another over the counter sleep aid.

Avoiding caffeine a few hours before bedtime helps a lot.  

Give Chamomile tea a shot, it comes in many mixed flavors and works well to calm me down before bed.

Good luck.

[TarpleyG]

Avoiding caffeine a few hours before bedtime helps a lot.

You should really avoid caffeine after about noon as it takes a while to get out of your system.

Greg

[280plus]

Have I ever told you guys the story of how giving up caffeine totally added about 4 points to my bullseye average. From  ~ 277 to I'm shooting ~281 now. Even when I drank only one cup in the A.M. my scores would almost always be baaaaad in the evening compared to when I've had none. There, that's the story and I'm sticking to it.

[SpookyPistolero]

How dare you try and talk me out of my coffee.... dispicable. Coffee is great, we loves it... it's our...preciousss...

If I have a vice, I guess it's that. Though, I don't require it with regularity, I just really love it when I get the chance to have it.

Anyway, as someone else who frequently can't sleep, I second the suggestion to get lots and lots of exercise. I usually eat a little something before bed, too, if your diet can handle it.  I'll also play an old radio program on my computer to fall asleep to, I'm fond of old sherlock holmes recordings. They lack the screams and suspense of the horror classics.

The real question is can you control your brain enough to shut it down at will, to set aside all the things that are consuming your thoughts. The answer for me is usually 'no', but I'm working on it.

All of my 'tricks' usually fail me at some point and I know I'm in for a long night... like last night.... where's our precioussss....

[Iain]

I'm not a doctor. In my early days as a gymrat I went through the usual phase of buying expensive stuff hoping that I'd wake up 20 good lbs heavier the following day. One product that I used that actually did something was called ZMA, apparently an expensive formulation of zinc, magnesium and one of the B vitamins, B6 I think. What it did was help me sleep, and its use coincided with a period of deep, lucid dreaming. I also used separate, and cheaper, zinc and magnesium tablets an hour before bed with similar effects.

[El Tejon]

Yoga.

I killer workout helps too.  Jumping rope, the get up drill, running, biking, swimming all give me pleasant dreams--usually about women.

[Azrael256]

I have been told that laying in bed staring at the ceiling will actually keep you from sleeping.  Supposedly, occupying yourself with some mindless task when you can't sleep is the way to go.  This might be a good time to get some household chores done.  Try doing the dishes or scrubbing the toilet.

[Mabs2]

I suffer from insomnia quite frequently...
I can say with certain that laying in bed doing nothing will not help you, but getting up and doing something...even if it's just reading a website for an hour or so (I usually get bored and tired, heh) will help.
I've tried both ways many times...doing something is the way to go.
Edit:  Also found just sitting up listening to music helps...especially playing guitar.

[gunsmith]

thanks for all the replies. I will try to implement some of what
you kind folks told me.

[grampster]

Meditation and prayer.

[Moondoggie]

What is the matter with all of your people??

The answer is SEX!

If your SO isn't handy, figure something out on your own.

Simple problem, simple soultion.

Also try Valerian Root...just don't smell it!

[Kestrel]

I'll also play an old radio program on my computer to fall asleep to, I'm fond of old sherlock holmes recordings. They lack the screams and suspense of the horror classics.

Spooky,

Where do you get those recordings?

Thanks.

[Kestrel]

Also try Valerian Root...just don't smell it!

Valerian Root smells like vomit. It makes you sick enough swallowing it, that you can't sleep...

[SpookyPistolero]

Kestrel,

Stepping lightly around an ethical debate, eMule is pretty effective file sharing program for finding good examples of such programs. Not that I would know anything about that...

If that doesn't mesh well with you, there are free streaming old-time radio programs online like live365.com. Such programs would keep playing continuously through the night, though, so you'd have to keep it at a lower volume probably.  I believe there are other such websites, if you try Google.

Lastly, they are widely available in bookstores in small collections, with just 'Suspense' programs, mysteries, 'The Shadow', 'The Green Lantern', 'The Mysterious Traveler', etc.

Personal fav's are The Shadow, Mysterious Traveler and Sherlock Holmes.

Sweet dreams folks!

-Spooky, who can tell it's going to be another late night

[jefnvk]

I get it pretty bad once in a while.  It is usually every once in two or three months, for two or three days, I can go to bed at midnight and not actually fall asleep until 6 or 7 in the morning.  Only happens for two or three days, though, so I don't do anything about it.

Heavy exercise knocks me out pretty well.  Back in the winter when I was playing pond hockey for an hour or two every other night, and XC skiing two to three hours a few times a week, I'd be out the second my head hit the pillow.  Now that my winter activities are gone, and summer ones are still waiting for the remnants of snow, ice and mud to go away, I'm getting a bit more restless.

If you need a good time waster, the new Oblivion game makes time fly.  Managed to suck two full days worth of hours of my life away in the two weeks we have had it.

[mfree]

Avoid drinking coffee after 5pm, and if it's bad, wash an antihistamine down with a shot of vodka and wait ~30 minutes.

I won't have much of a liver the next morning, but I'm well-rested...

[Stickjockey]

Go to your local Municipal airport and find the flight school. Buy yourself a copy of the Federal Aviation Regulations/Airman's Information Manual. Take it home crack it open, and start reading. Just about guarantee you'll be asleep in ten minutes.

[DJJ]

Come over to my house and beat the barking dogs in my neighborhood with a piece of pipe until you're exhausted. Then we can both sleep.