Help!! Can someone please let me know what I can do about insomnia?

[vickyk]

Just turned 50 years old woman, I am exercising pretty regularly to help my insomnia.   Took benedryl to sleep at home plus 5 mg of melatonin, but I still wake up in the morning wired!!! I am averaging 5 to 6 hours sleep at night.    What can I do to improve my sleep, I know I am going through perimenopaus symptoms.  

Sometimes the lack of sleep does not make me want to exercise the next day, since I am very tired. 

Any women out there could help me with this issue?   Very much appreciated for your suggestions and feedback to improve quality of sleep.  

[life-spiral]

Have you tried reducing your exposure to light, especially blue light, in the late evening? Things to try include putting up light-blocking curtains in your bedroom (blocking as much light as humanly possible), turning off any electronics in your bedroom that have a display or LED (or covering things like LEDs on chargers with duct tape), dimming the lights in your home in the evening and/or using lights that have amber-colored bulbs, not watching TV or looking at smart phones, computers or tablets without two hours before bed, or wearing amber/orange-colored glasses (which you can get cheaply on Amazon) to block the blue light from lights/screens. I've been doing these things, and they make a huge difference.

[Daltek]

I take ambien.  

[brneydash]

There can be so many things under our sun for us all to try and diagnose your issue. I believe if you are concerned with sleep, a doctor is the best person to talk to. They would know your habbits, medications, and health history. I am having sleep issues, I have tried everything except medicated sleep. I dont feel like I am doing myself a healthy favor by putting toxic drugs in my body. So I will be visiting my doctor soon. I am only in my 20s too. But good luck and bless you!

[ehd1217]

You should probably discuss this with your doctor, but in the meantime I really like drinking "Natural Calm" which is a magnesium drink. It helps me sleep and I love the cherry flavor - I drink it warm at night and it's like a dessert without sugar. Good Luck!

[Raquel2014]

I'm 56 and getting back into running to lose weight, but I've struggled with getting a solid night's sleep for years. I'm about 15 pounds overweight. I've had a sleep study done but nothing significant was diagnosed.  I wake up multiple times during the night and no OTC drugs help.   I've tried Lunesta; melatonin; herbal teas; etc. etc. and nothing gives me a solid night's sleep.  Even sleeping on the most luxurious mattresses won't help.   However, I wake up on time and don't doze off at work. 

I wish I had the right answer, but if you've had a good physical; eat well and exercise well, it may be one of those things you have to cope with.

[badminton]

I have found that if I have exercised for a reasonable amount of time (for me that is at least 2.5 miles) sometime over the day, been pretty active for at least 25% of the day, I sleep better. On the days when I go to work, sit at my desk, skip my walks, skip a healthy lunch or eat junk, (or drink iced tea/coffee/caffeinated drink after 12 noon!) then I don't sleep. at all. If I'm lucky I'll get 4 hours those nights. I also try not to worry about tomorrow. Worry is like a rocking chair. It occupies your time, but gets you no-where. Avoid a big meal at night. Don't have chocolate at night. 

Monitor things for a few weeks. Figure out if there are things that help you get a good nights sleep, and things that hinder it.

Develop a bedtime routine and stick to it. Turn off computer/phone an hour or two before bed. Remove TV from bedroom. Drink some chamomile tea with a little honey after supper. Watch the sunset, do a little calming yoga (episode 76 yogadownload.com), read a bit, meditate, avoid dozing in front of TV on the couch or chair.  Take a leisurely walk after dinner, with someone you love. Avoid stress, arguments, and your to-do list after 8PM. Make sure your bedroom feels cozy and unclutter it if needed. Listen to your favorite relaxing music - think about what made you sleepy when you were a little younger and try it now.

If you have tried everything, have kept a journal of sleep patterns, mood, food, etc. (fit bit dashboard is good for that!) and nothing seems to be working after a few weeks or a month, talk to your doctor.

Also, how oftean are you  waking up? Is it the sleep, or the number of times you wake up that is the problem? You can monitor that in fitbit too. I found that to be an eye-opener so to speak, no pun intended. On a good night I wake up less than 8 times. On a bad night I might wake up 15-30 times. All that information can help you, and if needed, your doctor to determine how to help you.

[BelieveInMe]

I have been told by my doctor that you should make sure you turn off your electronic devices 1 hour before bed so your mind can slow down.  I also drink camomile tea, which seems to help.  Another suggestion is to do deep breathing exercises to slow down your body to prepare for sleep.