My friend,who is 19,suffers from insomnia.Every night he tries for hours to sleep,but fails.Any suggestions?
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I had a bad problem with insomnia for many years, and did some research on it. Here are the things I’ve found that help the most.\n\n1. Don't take the sleeping pills. Although they are not addictive in the way we tend to think (you won't jones for them if you miss taking them) they are addictive in the sense that once you have taken them for a while, you will have to take them to get to sleep, but they won't have the same effect they used too. This is because you tend to not get the necessary REM sleep you need to be rested. If you must take a sleeping pill, take it well before you go to sleep. For instance, I prefer to take sleeping pills 2 hours before I go to sleep, so that the pill can get into my system and make me drowsy before I get into bed, then get out of my system (hopefully) early enough that I get some normal sleep.\n\n2. Try to go to bed at about the same time every night. You have some wiggle room on this, but if you stay out on Saturday night till 3, it'll be harder to go to sleep at 10PM Sunday.\n\n(Which somewhat contradicts:)\n\n3. If possible, don't go to bed if you're not sleepy. Note - one thing I have read and found to be true is that you have to be awake for 12 hours before you can go back to sleep. So if you sleep till noon, again, you won't be sleepy at 10PM. \n\n4. Don't spend more than 15-30 minutes trying to get to sleep. If you notice that you've been in bed more than 15 minutes, get out of bed and do something for a while. Make sure what you do isn't going to make you more hyper; e.g. no exercising or energetic music or writing posts to online debates. \n\n5. When you go to bed, choose a chore or some other task that you do not want to do and tell yourself that if you are still awake in thirty minutes you will do that task. Then, if you are still awake, get up and do your chosen task. This is my favorite suggestion, as it has worked nearly every time I've used it. .\n\nThose are the most useful suggestions I have. Other things you can try:\n\nBefore you start getting ready for sleep, turn off high energy music and turn the lights down. I love R&R music, but I went through a period where I had to turn the radio off every night about an hour before I went to bed, or I would be too wired to sleep. And our bodies react to reduced light by producing melatonin which puts us to sleep. \n\nGet plenty of exercise, but not right before bed. (Unless you're weird like me - exercise right before bed just puts me to sleep)\n\nAnother suggestion that might work is to relax your body, consciously, one area at a time, starting from your feet. You think about the ball of your left foot and relax it, then the ball of your right foot, then the arch of your left foot, etc. You have to concentrate (pretty hard) on what you are doing
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Kite Girl, you are probably anxious or depressed. Insomnia of Anxiety Neurosis is characterized by difficulty with falling asleep. However, once asleep they sleep through. With Depression, the individual is able to fall asleep but wakes up in the middle of the night (2-3am) and is unable to fall back to sleep. In any case, I think your problem is a mental one. Consider seeing a neurologist or a psychiatrist to properly evaluate this problem.\n\nBut before you go see a doctor, have you tried using a soporific? (e.g. a cup of cocoa/chocolate drink with plenty of milk at bedtime.)
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Sleep Net Analysis\n\nIn today’s world, most people don’t get enough sleep, but then some people do. Then there are some people aren’t as lucky because they have a sleep disorder.  There are two sleep disorders that Americans suffer from on opposite ends of the spectrum.  These are insomnia, having difficulty falling asleep, and narcolepsy, having difficulty staying awake.\nInsomnia is a disorder where one has problems with either falling asleep, staying asleep, or waking up too early.  Since the average human being needs anywhere from seven to nine hours of sleep a night to function at full potential, this can be a dangerous disorder.  Insomnia comes in three different types: Transient insomnia, Short-term insomnia, and Chronic Insomnia.  The first two types, Transient and Short-term usually last a lot shorter than chronic insomnia, and they can be contributed to either excessive stress, noise around you, temperature changes, jet lag, or medical side effects.  On the other hand, Chronic Insomnia lasts for sever months and is usually caused because of more prominent issues such as physical or mental disorders, depression, or sleep apnea.  Also if one smokes or drinks just before bed time, it could help induce this type of insomnia.\nSo how do you treat insomnia?  For the first two types of insomnia, Transient and Short-term, one could be lucky and skip out on treatment since it only lasts for a brief period of time.  What ever you do, one important thing to remember is to never use over-the-counter sleep medicines to treat this.  If you have Chronic Insomnia, this is more serious. First you should check underlying medical or psychological problems; then identify the problem or behaviors that cause you to have insomnia; then consider possible use of sleeping.  If you want to go for a less expensive approach, simple relaxation therapy, sleep restriction, reconditioning, and bright light methods would work.  Relaxation therapy is self explanatory, one just needs to reduce the amount of anxiety and tension in the body so that one’s muscles can relax and one can sleep.  Sleep restriction is when one spends too much time just lying in bed but not getting to sleep.  To solve this one should just restrict the amount of time they sleep to a few hours a night.  Reconditioning is when one conditions his or her body to not use the bed for anything but sleeping, thus teaching the body to associate bed with sleep.  The last one, bright light, is when one wakes up early to get as much bright light in the morning as possible.  That way you can set your internal clock to sleep at night, and awake during the day.\nAnother sleep disorder on the opposite spectrum than insomnia is narcolepsy.  Narcolepsy is when one gets sleepy all the time and experiences an irresistible need to sleep.  Some of the symptoms are excessive sleepiness, brief periods of muscle control loss, vivid dream images, and sometimes, unable to walk or talk for short periods.  All narcolepsy is when there is a sudden REM cycle in the waking state.  Usually one will start noticing it between the ages of 15 and 30, and he or she is experiencing some of the symptoms listed above.  The most important symptom is excessive sleepiness which attacks an individual throughout the day.  They can last anywhere from a couple of seconds to 30 minutes and can happen at any time, whether it be eating, talking, or driving.   To treat this, one should seek behavioral or medical therapy.  There are stimulant drugs that could be used and sometimes antidepressants help if you have cataplexy (sudden muscle weakness).  Never the less, the important method of keeping this disorder out would be a healthy life style involving good diet, exercise, and a good sleep schedule.\nAround the world there are organizations that provide information about sleeping and sleep disorders.  One of these organizations is the Association of Polysomnographic Technologists.  The APT aims to help improve the qualit
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Dear Ron,\n     Please stop taking that stuff!!!  There are much better, healthier ways to get a good night's rest.  If you are unable to sleep, your body is trying to tell you something.  Taking a drug simply masks an underlying problem.  Here are a few well-known, proven points about getting a good night's rest.  It may take a while for your body's health and equilibrium to be restored, so please be persistent and patient.  A good night's sleep is a reward that should be cherished and persistently sought:\n      1.  Eliminate ALL caffeine from your diet (coffee, tea, chocolate, caffeinated sodas, etc).  Caffeine is a stimulant that will keep you wide awake for hours.  If you are addicted to coffee or other brown drinks, use plenty of prayer and will power to overcome the addiction.\n      2.  Eliminate ALL alcohol from your diet.  Alcohol is also proven to disrupt sleep patterns.\n      3.  Eat your last meal at least 4 hours before you go to bed.  No late-night snacks.  Digestion stimulates your body and can cause insomnia.  Eat your largest meal in the morning.\n      4.  Drink plenty of pure, clean water.  Water will help your body to regulate itself.\n      5.  Eat a low fat, healthy diet with plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables.  Rich foods can be disruptive and are unnatural.  Your body was not designed to accommodate them.  Do not overeat.\n      6.  Establish a regular time to go to bed and to awaken.  Your body will gradually adjust if you have a regular time to sleep and awaken.  Try to go to bed early and arise early, if possible (research has shown that sleep that occurs BEFORE midnight has a more restorative effect on the body than sleep that occurs after midnight).\n     7.  Get regular exercise, but not too soon before bed.  This is particularly important if your job is sedentary and/or requires great mental effort.  It is important to keep your body strong and healthy.\n     8.  Do not consume drugs, legal or illegal.\n     9.  Each night as you are resting in bed, think of all the things for which you are thankful.  Thank your Creator for these.  Your sleep will be blessed, and you will be at peace!\n    10.  Finally, if you have tried all the things listed above, and still have occassional sleeplessness, try taking a plant-based calcium/magnesium supplement.  These minerals help to relax the muscles, regulate breathing, and soothe over-stimulated nerves.\n        May God richly bless your efforts!!!
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If you haven't already, see a sleep specialist.  In my experience, many insomniacs have an underlying sleep disorder causing the problem.  \n\nAlso, practice good sleep hygiene-\n\nDon't try to sleep if you don't feel tired.  Start with loose goals, like trying to get to sleep before midnight.  Forcing yourself to sleep and watching the clock only increases anxiety.\n\nTry and avoid napping in the late afternoon and evening, and keep naps short.\n\nNo nicotine, caffeine, or alcohol within six hours of bedtime, no large meals prior to bedtime (but do have a light snack, an empty stomach can be just as disruptive).\n\nExcercise regularly, but complete your excercises at least four hours before bedtime.\n\nDon't stare at the clock- it is better to get up and do something boring until you feel sleepy than to lie in bed tossing and turning.\n\nDon't use your bed for things like watching TV and reading, you want your body and mind to equate lying in bed with sleeping.  With one obvious exception :) you should only use your bed for sleeping.\n\nYour ultimate aim should be to get a sleep schedule that works for you and stick with it!  One of the worst things we all do is having different sleep/wake times on weekends.  You have to make sleep a priority, and in today's world, that's remarkably hard to do.\n\nAnd lastly, much easier said than done- find a way to clear your mind before you get in bed.  If you need to, see someone about your anxiety issues as well.  On the bright side, if you're successful at getting regular sleep, that will be a huge help to your mood and general health.\n\nBest of luck!!!
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I received accupuncture from a qualified Traditional Chinese Medince doctor with very good results.  TCM is very effective and helps seek the reasons behind your insomnia.
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I think medication is the most successful method. You can also try decreasing the Caffeine intake. I heard anxiety is fully responsible for insomnia.
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Taylor, a lot of us have been in similar places, believe it or not.  I'll try to hit each of your points:\nWorried about failing next year?  then try extra help from someone you feel comfortable with- or you can even ask some homework questions on YAnswers.  Just don't ever give out you phone # or any personal information.  Keep it online.\nIf you are staying up too late because of insomnia, try some relaxing things before bed.  You can always try drinking some herbal teas like:  SleepyTime tea (it has chamomile) or try boiling some anise seeds in water and add milk & sugar.  These both will help calm your body and your nerves so you can rest.  Also try reading a comic book or something silly and light before bed so your mind doesn't have a chance to worry about all this stuff.\nI can't help on the problems in school because I don't know the specifics.\nAbout your brother- I know he doesn't hate you.  You, and even he, might think he does now, but time will make it change.  If he's really a jerk, then just stay out of his way.  And you know what?  Usually when you all but ignore someone, that's when they want to talk to you more, no matter who it is.  My sister and I didn't get along for years, but now she's 25 and I'm 30, and we're finally getting close because we realized we do love each other.  So, it might take time, a long time, but the love is there because you are blood.\nAbout your temper, I also have had a very bad temper.  I have broken many things out of anger, so I can understand how it feels to be SO MAD...   I know I like that smash and crash sound when I'm angry.  Try to find ways to get that relief without actually being destructive.  See if you can go to a batting range or something like that- or even pop some bubble wrap.  \nGood luck.
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You have insomnia & the only cure for insomnia is to sleep!  Seriously, as a fellow insomniac I can relate.  It's far better to actively do something rather than toss & turn in bed.  Try a bath/shower, quiet darkness, comfy room temp, & comfy pillow,bed/blankets.  Try reading or crossword puzzles.  Avoid afternoon naps & caffeine (at least after 11am).  Good luck.
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i am very insomnia prone. a few years ago during a very stressful time in my life, i stopped sleeping for a week at a time. it never happened before but it wouldn't stop. prescription medicine works but after a week's use, i couldn't go to sleep without it. SO DON'T TAKE IT UNLESS YOU ARE REALLY A INSOMNIAC! but i noticed that once my life got better and less stressed, i started on a normal sleep schedule. now 5 years later, i still have a hard time going to sleep but once i am asleep 12 hours is not enough! i find the best way to promote a healthy sleep schedule is to get enough to eat (eat healthy) don't drink or eat 2 hours before bed so you don't have your bladder telling you to go to the bathroom!, and this sounds silly but i find that crocheting which i learned from my mother-in-law recently puts me to sleep. i crochet and i guess i am bored and next things i know i feel sleepy. i guess you have to learn a good sleep routine and maybe find a relaxing activity that makes you want to sleep rather than do it.
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insomnia is a learned disorder. maybe from your parents or friends. it cant only be gotten rid of through relearning a sleep patter. your body gets used to a certian rythm and it begians to learn this trythm. like how you can wake op at the same time everyday. when under stress sometimes you can have insomniatic bouts, but usually its from constantly staying up late or what not so you body learns tht pattern then you try to go back to your old patter and its not so easy. just try going to bed earlier for awahile and you'll see what iu mean. some bodies take awhile to learn a pattern some are very fast it all depends on how you function.
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According to a recent study, one sleepless night sabotages creativity and coping skills. Without sleep, the "walking wounded" are less spontaneous, flexible and original. Unable to break out of intellectual ruts or come up with a fresh perspective, they become rigid, stick to tried-and-true approaches to problems and can't deal with unfamiliar situations. If they concentrate hard enough, they can perform routine tasks or well-known, well defined emergencies--unless they lose a second night of sleep. Then even performance of mundane or familiar chores suffers. \n\nChronic insomniacs have more problems getting started in the morning than normal sleepers and often feel so exhausted after work that they forego leisure activities and social engagements. The stress of trying to perform well despite their sleeplessness may lead to depression and other psychological problems. Individuals with chronic sleep problems that cause excessive daytime drowsiness, such as the breathing disorder called sleep apnea, may have so much difficulty with attention, concentration or memory that they perform as if their IQs were ten points lower than they actually are. \n\nDisrupted sleep and sleep disorder cost business as much as $70 billion annually in lost productivity, industrial accidents and higher medical bills, according to the Institute for Circadian Physiology in Boston. Sometimes the toll is even higher. Falling asleep at the wheel is second only to alcohol as a cause of car accidents. In all, 200,000 to 400,000 collisions involving drowsy drivers occur each year and claim as many as 6,500 lives. \n\nThe best solution may be the most obvious: more and better sleep. In a study at Detroit's Henry Ford Hospital, sleep researchers found that healthy people who slept just one additional hour felt better, became more alert and performed better on the job. Their conclusion: "Ideally, you should sleep until you're slept out. You should awaken spontaneously without an alarm clock and feel fresh and vital in the daytime." \n\nfor the sake of better sleep: \n\n1. Keep regular hours. The best way to ensure perfect nights is to stick to a regular schedule. If you sleep late one morning and rise before dawn the next, you can come down with a home-bound version of jet lag. To keep your biological clock in sync, get up at the same time, regardless of how much or how little you've slept. \nTry to stick close to your usual sleep schedule on weekends and holidays as well as workdays. If you stay up late on Friday and Saturday nights and sleep-in the following mornings you may give yourself a case of "Sunday-night insomnia": You get to bed early to be bright eyed on Monday morning and try to sleep, but you can't. The harder you try, the more wakeful you feel. When travel or work throws of your routine, try to maintain some semblance of regularity. Eat your meals at the same times you normally do. Try to get some sleep during your usual bedtime hours. And return to your normal schedule as soon as you can. \n\n2. Exercise regularly. Exercise enhances sleep by burning off the tensions that accumulate during the day, allowing both the body and mind to unwind. While the fit seem to sleep better and deeper than the flabby, you don't have to push to utter exhaustion. A 20 to 30 minute walk, jog, swim or bicycle ride at least three days a week--the minimum for cardiovascular benefits--should be your goal. \nBut don't wait too late in the day to exercise. In the evening, you should be concentrating on winding down rather than working up a sweat. And don't expect early-morning exercise to have any impact on the tensions that build up during the day. The ideal exercise time is late afternoon or early evening, when your workout can help you shift gears from daytime pressures to evening pleasures. \n3. Cut down on stimulants. North Americans drink 400 million cups of coffee a day and get extra doses in tea, cola
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For one I would highly recommend seeing your doctor about the medication. It is very damaging to your liver with prolonged use. Ask your doc to get you off them with any other means.\n\nIn Oriental Medicine, insomnia can be caused by a number of things. It could be that you either have too much going through your mind and you find it hard to shut off, or it could be a nutritional thing that is stimulating your stomach energy.\n\nEither way, your body is out of balance. If you can get yourself to an Acupuncturist or a good Shiatsu therapist they should not only be able to help physically with re-balancing things, but also be able to recommend lifestyle changes to help bring you back to balance.\n\nI wish I could help but without further information and seeing you personally I would not be able to make a diagnosis. I have successfully treated many people with Insomnia, not one person has had te same treatment plan however.\n\nSome good natural remedies that can help include:\n* Warm milk and nutmeg about 20 minutes before going to bed\n* A brisk walk and 10 minute cool down with stretches before going to bed\n*Keeping yourself more active throughout te day so your body actually 'craves' rest.\n* Brething and Yoga stretches for the lmphatic system\n* Avoid stimulants after 7pm (coffee, most tea, sugar)\n\nIn the end, insomnia is not just a condition that can be fixed with a drug or herb, it is a result of an un-balanced lifestyle, so the way to fix it is changing something with the cause, not the effect.\n\nHope this helps, please let me know how you go\njadelynx@yahoo.com
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He may suffer from sleep apnea.  First see if his health insurance would cover an overnight stay in the hospital to see if he suffers from that, if so get him in to get tested.  Alot of people middle aged to older aged individuals who are overweight and snore suffer from sleep apnea, which is the lack of air when sleeping.  So, he is actually not getting a restful nights sleep and may feel tired during the day.  If they do find out he has that, they will have him sleep with a breathing machine to help him get a GOOD RESTFUL night's sleep WITHOUT snoring!  ALOT of people suffer from this!
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I had a bad problem with insomnia for many years, and did some research on it.  Here are the things I’ve found that help the most.\n\n1.  Don't take the sleeping pills.  Although they are not addictive in the way we tend to think (you won't jones for them if you miss taking them) they are addictive in the sense that once you have taken them for a while, you will have to take them to get to sleep, but they won't have the same effect they used too.   This is because you tend to not get the necessary REM sleep you need to be rested.  If you must take a sleeping pill, take it well before you go to sleep.  For instance, I prefer to take sleeping pills 2 hours before I go to sleep, so that the pill can get into my system and make me drowsy before I get into bed, then get out of my system (hopefully) early enough that I get some normal sleep.\n\n2.  Try to go to bed at about the same time every night.  You have some wiggle room on this, but if you stay out on Saturday night till 3, it'll be harder to go to sleep at 10PM Sunday.\n\n(Which somewhat contradicts:)\n\n3.  If possible, don't go to bed if you're not sleepy.  Note  - one thing I have read and found to be true is that you have to be awake for 12 hours before you can go back to sleep.  So if you sleep till noon, again, you won't be sleepy at 10PM.  \n\n4.  Don't spend more than 15-30 minutes trying to get to sleep.  If you notice that you've been in bed more than 15 minutes, get out of bed and do something for a while.  Make sure what you do isn't going to make you more hyper; e.g. no exercising or energetic music or writing posts to online debates. \n\n5.  When you go to bed, choose a chore or some other task that you do not want to do and tell yourself that if you are still awake in thirty minutes you will do that task.  Then, if you are still awake, get up and do your chosen task.  This is my favorite suggestion, as it has worked nearly every time I've used it. .\n\nThose are the most useful suggestions I have.  Other things you can try:\n\nBefore you start getting ready for sleep, turn off high energy music and turn the lights down.  I love R&R music, but I went through a period where I had to turn the radio off every night about an hour before I went to bed, or I would be to wired to sleep. And our bodies react to reduced light by producing melatonin which puts us to sleep.  \n\nGet plenty of exercise, but not right before bed.  (Unless you're weird like me - exercise right before bed just puts me to sleep)\n\nAnother suggestion that might work is to relax your body, consciously, one area at a time, starting from your feet. You think about the ball of your left foot and relax it, then the ball of your right foot, then the arch of your left foot, etc. You have to concentrate (pretty hard) on what you are doing\n\nSex *grin*  by yourself or with an SO, it produces a nice soporific chemical, which does a nice job of putting you to sleep.
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This is a serious answer.   Stop trying to get sleep.  If you can't sleep for whatever reason, then don't try.  I used to have insomnia, and when I realized I really could not get any sleep, I stopped trying to get sleep.  I got up, watched tv, read a book, did light house work.  And then after a few days, BAM! I was like a zombie.  I couldn't wait to hit the bed!  Sleep is a natural process that the body needs to regenerate and rest.  It is usually something on the mind, or a chemical imbalance of some sort that keeps us awake. \n\n If restlessness lasts for more than a few days, then see a doctor. But first, try depriving yourself of sleep.  If your body doesn't "kick back" from loss of sleep, then something is seriously wrong.
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I did this and it worked like a charm.\nListen to the whirr of an electric fan in your bedroom.  That really helps alot.  It's VERY soothing.\n\nAlso try this.  I still do this some times and it works.\nGo through a grocery store IN YOUR MIND.  Start with the fresh produce section and recall all the fruits and vegetables that begin with the letter "A".\nNEXT...recall as many as you can that start with the letter "B", then "C" and so forth through the alphabet.\n\nYou will probably fall asleep in the middle of naming fruits and veggies that begin with the letter "C".\nThere are SO MANY!\n\nIt is EXTREMELY relaxing because it prevents your brain from thinking about stressful subjects.\n\nSometimes I try to think of things you would find in TARGET super Center, using the alphabet.\n\nTry it.  I promise this works.  I have suffered from insomnia all of my life until I discovered this mental excersize.\n\nGood luck and sweet dreams!