Sick of sleeping poorly

I've always had trouble with sleep for as long as I can remember. I simply cannot maintain a "normal" schedule (read: not being awake for two days straight and then crashing for two hours only to repeat the cycle) without the use of pharmaceuticals. Over the years I've had some work better than others. Currently I am on a high dose of Zyprexa and I also take Vistaril, which has a sedative affect. Once I'm asleep I am good for like ten hours but it takes me AGES to fall asleep. Like at least two hours, often longer. It's gotten to where I go to bed early to account for the fact I'll be tossing and turning for hours so I need the extra time to ensure I get a full night's sleep.

I don't know what to do. My schedule/sleep hygiene hasn't changed and I didn't used to have problems. I just want to be able to fall asleep quickly. Any suggestions?

[Mallika]

Hi Eli,

Thanks for sharing and I'm sorry that you haven't received a reply yet.

I'm not a medical professional, but I believe there are many factors which affect our sleep cycle, including our hormone levels, stress, etc. Have you asked your doctor behind the underlying reasons that might be affecting your sleep cycle, and if there are any ways you might be able to directly address those?

I can give you a few tips that might be useful.

- Staying away from electronics before and while in bed. Not only does the light hurt our eyes when we're staring at our phones in the dark, but they take up our precious sleep time. Personally, I have the tendency to scroll through my phone while in bed, thinking I'll just do so for 10 mins, but it easily goes on up to 1 hour, eating away sleep time. One thing that has helped is keeping my phone at the other end of my room, out of arm's reach. Some experts suggest not using electronic devices 1 hour prior to bed time. There's more info here: https://www.sclhealth.org/blog/2019/...ne-before-bed/

- This is a traditional thing, but in my culture we drink a glass of warm milk mixed with turmeric powder before bedtime. Many people skip the turmeric and just have warm milk. It induces deep sleep, and it has worked for me at least. More info here: https://www.verka.coop/blog/post/hea...-milk-everyday

- I've been recently hearing about this sleeping technique called the 4-7-8 method. I haven't personally tried it myself, but it seems easy enough and looks like there's no harm in trying: https://www.healthline.com/health/4-7-8-breathing#1

These are a few I have in mind, but I would suggest talking to a physician more about the reasons why your sleep cycle is not as optimal as it should be.

Take care, and hope you overcome this soon!

[Arabesque- golfing girl.]

Hello,

I am so sorry that you are having trouble sleeping and hope that you will be okay soon. Sometimes taking a warm bath can help relax you, so you can fall asleep faster. Also drinking chamomile and sleep time tea can help you too. Have this about 30 minutes before you go to sleep. Some people like to have meditation music or sound waves to help you sleep. You hear the ocean or birds and it can help calm and relax you so that you can go to sleep fast. You can try working out some or yoga. I hope that you will be okay soon and able to sleep. Hugs to help.

[Panda Solo]

Hello Eli,

I am sorry that you are having trouble falling asleep quickly. As you mentioned, you take Vistaril and Zyprexa, and both have sedative effect. I highly suggest you take them before you go to bed, so they can help you fall asleep faster. But if it still takes a while for you to fall asleep after you take those medicines, you could read books, strech your body a little, listen to calm music (not looking at any electronics tho), and do things that relax your body and mood. Sometimes, stress of not being able to fall asleep makes us more anxious and frustrated thus more difficult to fall asleep. It is hard for me to fall asleep too, but usually I tell myself it's okay and get up and do less intense activities. Best wishes and sleep well.

[Ariel008]

Hi Eli! I hope you feel better now, but anyway wanted to share with you my experience. I recently had trouble sleeping and decided to try meditation. I downloaded an app from the AppleStore where you can turn on 15 minutes of meditation before going to bed with a very calming female voice. Personally, it helped me a lot, try it.)