How do you handle NOT sleeping?
Find a Conversation
How do you handle NOT sleeping?
| Sun, 02-08-2004 - 12:25pm |
Is sleeping pills the only answer?
Do people with Depression generally have trouble sleeping?
How do you go about getting into a regular routine?

Hi hun!
I think like most aspects of depression, sleep problems vary from person to person too... I know I could always get to sleep but had a hard time sleeping thru the night and feeling rested
*hugs
Insomnia can be part of depression, it can go the other way too and have you sleeping all the time to avoid the day and your thoughts.
Try:
~No caffeine after 4 PM.
~Listen to relaxing music/read a book before sleeping. No strenuous activity before bed.
~Don't fall asleep in front of the TV. You won't be relaxed in your sleep.
~Don't watch TV before bed. It will keep you up.
~Meditate, do yoga, stretch your muscles if they are tense. Meditation can clear your mind of worries and anxiety if done correctly.
~Herbal teas*
*You can get a good night's sleep with 'bedtime teas' which contain no caffeine. You drink them before bed, and they help you to relax and get a full night's rest. Most of these teas contain chamomille.
Sleeping pills can help you if none of the above helps you. If you can think of a different way to get to sleep, then maybe that would be better then using a pill to get to sleep because natural sleep is generally better. Getting to sleep in a regular routine means that you plan a specific bedtime for each night and try to be in bed at around that time. It doesn't mean that you have to be asleep...just in bed, and relaxing. I wouldn't suggest eating before bed, because that may cause you to stay up. Eat dinner at around 6:00 PM, and avoid late dinners around 8:00 because that won't help you to get to bed earlier...
One more suggestion is the old classic: Warm milk. It works to get infants to fall asleep. Who says it can't work for adults? I got this from a website:
"Warm milk acts to help you sleep in two ways. First, something that has food value and is also slightly warmed in your stomach activates the parasympathetic division of your autonomic nervous system. In brief, this means that warm milk acts as a natural tranquilizer. Second, there is evidence suggesting that one of the amino acids in milk, tryptophan, regulates the firing of neurons in the cerebral cortex and, in consequence, tends to induce sleepiness."
Hope this information helps you!