Insomnia tips @H32Ben @Sober_Robin this is going to be a long thread, sorry.

I have personal experience as a recovering alcoholic with insomnia that started about 9 years ago when I was in conflict with my kids' dad. It's a lot better today bc of these tips.

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Please check with your provider if you can about how to approach your insomnia. Most of these suggestions are relatively harmless, but be careful about supplements etc. especially if you have underlying medical conditions. Hope this helps.

INSOMNIA
A serious problem,

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increases anxiety, depression & risk of suicide. Makes driving dangerous.Treatable. Often a series of small changes pays off. Need to be persistent and patient.
CAFFEINE - some evidence it stays in our system up to 12 hours. Cut off 8 to 12 hours before you want to sleep.
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Switch to half caf or decaf to cut down. Cutting down suddenly will cause withdrawal symptoms, most often headache. Can treat with OTC pain relievers like tylenol unless counterindicated. Check with your provider if not sure.
EXERCISE - especially under sun early in morning

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WARM AND COOL YOUR BODY. There is evidence that warming your body a little while before bedtime (ex. With a hot bath or shower), then cooling it by sleeping in a cooler room or with one less blanket, promotes deeper sleep.

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ROUTINE - steady bedtime, steady waking up time, even if you don’t “have to be anywhere.” Think through this schedule and plan to be in bed for the amount of time you are typically sleeping right now. If you are only sleeping 6 hours, don’t schedule 9 hours in bed.

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Make a goal of increasing the quality and continuity of those 6 hours, and then in a week or two try to extend the 6 hours by 15 minutes. After that is established, try to add 15 more minutes. This is a gradual process. I personally started with four hours of intermittent

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sleep through the night. I managed to make that four hours of continual sleep, then added 15 minutes at a time.

SLEEP ENVIRONMENT
Dark - complete darkness is important. Cover up or turn off devices with lights. Hang room darkening curtains if light comes through window

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(a heavy blanket works fine).

Quiet - turn off TV - ask family members to be quiet - use earplugs if it is safe to do so.

SLEEP HYGIENE
Don’t do anything in bed but sleep and have sex.

This means, don’t lie in bed if you’re not sleeping. If you can’t fall asleep after

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20 minutes, or if you wake up and can’t fall back asleep in 20 minutes, get up and go somewhere else. Set up a quiet armchair with things you like that are calming - a lamp, a book, photos to look at, relaxing music. This is not the time to watch scary movies, read the news,

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or scrub the kitchen floor. This is not a punishment. This is relaxing “me time” where insomnia gives us an extra hour or two to do things we enjoy, until our body calms down and tells us it’s time to try to sleep again. Thanks, insomnia.

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Staying in bed not sleeping, trying to sleep and/or worrying makes our body quickly associate bed with negative feelings. Even though it’s hard to get out of bed, it’s worth it. Over time you will have to do this less and less.

Try listening to a free sleep meditation.

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Some good ones (free on youtube) are by Lina Grace, Michael Sealey and Jason Stephenson. Calm and Headspace apps also have sleep recordings, although there’s a paywall for parts of their apps.

Sleep medications generally don’t help establish restful sleep long-term though

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they can be helpful for short term use (ex. travel). Some meds traditionally used for sleep (particularly benzos) are addictive and have been shown to have negative side effects with long-term use (ex. Increase the risk of dementia). Alcohol may give the illusion it is

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helping you sleep, but actually doesn’t permit restful sleep. If you have been using benzos or alcohol “for sleep” please note that detox from these two substances can be dangerous if you are physically dependent. Please consult a health care provider if possible and

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be careful.

There are some natural supplements that some people find help - some evidence base for melatonin and valerian. Chamomile and hot milk are helpful for some and most of us can use them safely. Some people have a magnesium deficit and find taking magnesium helps.

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It would be good to ask your medical provider about this if possible. Foods that have carbohydrates in them (rice, oatmeal, bread, pasta, other grains, potatoes, popcorn, sweet potatoes for example) can be sedating. I limit carbs but eat the carbs I do eat in the evening,

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it seems to help me sleep better.

BLUE LIGHT BLOCKER
Devices like phones, computers and older TVs emit “blue” spectrum light, which is similar to early morning sunlight. Like a rooster, our brain responds by this light by saying oh good, time to get up, let’s go.

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Not good if you’re looking at screens in the evening as most of us do. Many cell phones have a blue light blocker option in the settings. You can also download external apps, such as Twilight, for free. The Twilight reviews are impressive, some people say they’ve gotten

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an hour or more of additional sleep a night just by doing this. The color of your screens will gradually change starting at the time of your local sunset. It makes things look yellow.

IF YOU TEND TO WORRY AT NIGHT
Try writing down your worries.

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If consistent with your spiritual beliefs, you might try putting them in a “god box” or visualizing turning them over to the universe or a higher power, or praying.
Try sleep meditation recordings, per above.
Try journaling.
Increase intensity of exercise during the day.

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Mindful meditation is a hugely helpful practice in learning to calm the mind.
NAPPING
Most insomnia treatments suggest avoiding daytime napping, because it can interfere with night time sleep.

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I find that taking a 10 -20 minute power nap in the afternoon when I’m most tired gives me greatly improved quality of life in the evening. I have an old sock full of rice (lentils works too) and tied with a rubber band that I warm in the microwave and put over my eyes.

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I listen to meditations or music sometimes or even the radio to calm my mind. I set a timer. Too long of a nap can make us groggy or grumpy.

DEPRESSION

Insomnia can be caused by depression. I’ve often seen people who start treatment for depression get good relief from

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insomnia pretty quickly. The evidence-based treatment for clinical depression is a combination of talk therapy, antidepressant medication and “natural mood supports” such as exercise, sunlight, positive social support,

***maxed out thread, look for part 2**

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