Strategies for deep sleep when you have insomnia

Sleep difficulty due to a lot life changes

I started experiencing sleep problems around the age of 20. I would start to notice that falling asleep wasn’t as quick or easy as before. To this day, I still have sleep problems. On average, it takes me about 45 minutes to an hour to fall asleep, and I am often up at least 3-4 times a night.

Around my 20th birthday I experienced a lot of changes in my life. My parents divorced after 33 years of marriage, my family home I loved so much was sold, my family moved to different parts of the state, and I wasn’t used to being so far from them.

At 21 I married my husband, we moved into our own home, and at 23, we had our first baby, a beautiful girl. So within those couple of years, I have gone through quite a bit of craziness. I remain happily married, and my daughter is a toddler now, and although things are starting to feel quiet and normal again, I still don’t notice a change in my sleep behavior.

I really do attribute my sleeping difficult to the stressors of my life. I also attribute it to the fact that I suffer from high anxiety and panic attacks. I do take medication, but there are times that I am on edge, and unable to relax, and it really is difficult for me to get into a “sleeping” state of mind.

I have talked to my doctor about my sleeping troubles, but have refused medication. I would rather approach the problem on my own, and use sleeping medication as a last resort. There are some things that DO help me get to sleep, I use white noise (a blowing fan, sound spa machine) in the background and leave it on all night.

This helps me to relax. Before bed, I like to take a warm shower, and I use bath products with chamomile and lavender, which are said to aid in relaxation. Sometimes my husband will give me a back massage to wind me down, and I often like my bedroom temperature to be on the cooler side when I sleep.

If I notice, while lying in bed, that my mind is racing with thoughts about my busy schedule, family life, stressors, etc, I rechannel my thoughts and try to focus on soothing things, such as cascading ocean waves, or the breeze whispering through the trees.

I hate not being able to fall asleep, especially because I know that I won’t feel physically good in the morning. Without sleep I will have baggy eyes, feel groggy and less motivated than I would on a full night’s rest.

There are nights that I am lucky and get enough sleep to get me through a day, and there are nights that I am unable to sleep at all. Perhaps someday I will need to use medication, but for now, I am content in continually trying my own methods to get myself some zzzzz’s.

Student sleep pattern

A.I. from Boston

I like to sleep as much as possible. I go to bed late and I sleep late. When I don’t get to sleep late, I am very tired, and am susceptible to falling asleep randomly whenever I am bored. This can happen when I am in class, on the train, talking on the phone, or reading.

When I fall asleep, it is detrimental to my studies because I not only miss out on the lessons I need to be paying attention to, but the professors and my classmates think I am lazy and don’t care. The situation is quite the opposite.

I generally stay up late because I am preparing my work for school and I take the time I need for the end result to be as close to perfect as possible. I need to sleep for at least 7 hours to feel well rested. If I get less or more sleep than 7 hours, I feel very sleepy.

It isn’t ever hard for me to go to sleep because I am always tired. I do have a hard time staying awake when I am tired. Tricks like coffee, chewing gum, doodling, and daydreaming work to help me try to stay awake, but they generally loose their effectiveness over time.

Sometimes I like to play the radio or TV in the background when I am feeling restless. It is also very hard for me to wake up in the morning. One time, my dad put a live lobster in my bed to try to wake me up. He had received a gift of 4 live lobsters that were shipped to my house in a pot ready to be cooked. He put the lobster in my bed and started shouting until I gained some consciousness. Soon after I realized the lobster in my bed wasn’t a toy, I hopped out of bed. That was the quickest I have ever waked up.

Better sleep when is cold

A.R. from Houston

I usually get about seven to nine hours of sleep a night. I am typically a night person so I do not usually go to sleep until around two or three in the morning. I will get up anywhere from 9am to 11am. I stay up reading or working on the computer. Sometimes if I’m reading a really good book I won’t go to sleep until five a. m. In that case I’ll sleep until 11am or noon.

There are several things that cause me to need more sleep. If we have been watching our grand children for several days in a row (even if they don’t spend the night), when I get a few days without them I will sleep more. Chasing them around is exhausting. When they do spend the night, I really will need more sleep when they go home because my grandson does not sleep through the night yet. I have to get up with him several times a night.

The other thing that requires me to get more sleep at times is a reoccurring virus that I get. It flares up once every few months. When that happens I usually will sleep for 12 to 14 hours for three or four days in a row. After the virus goes away, I usually only sleep for about 5 or 6 hours a night for several days.

I don’t usually have difficulty falling asleep but I do have a hard time staying asleep. I get night sweats. I have to have the room at least 70 degrees and have a fan blowing on me or else I will have a very restless sleep. I sleep better during the winter when I can have my window open and I’m covered with a nice thick blanket. My bed is right under the window. That is when I sleep the deepest and feel the most rested.

Difficulty falling asleep and sleeping habits

M.K. from New York

My sleep habits: I usually get between 6-7 hours of sleep per night. I usually need less sleep when I’m happy and energetic, or when I’ve just come back from vacation.

I have insomnia, so I have great difficulty falling asleep. I have to take a prescription sleep aid to help. Stress keeps me awake, as well.

I hate those nights when your mind just won’t turn off. It would be best if I could get 8 hours per night. I feel much rested after 8 hours. However, I have two small children, and they like to climb in bed with me early each morning. I love this, but it interrupts me sleep, and affects how I feel for the rest of the day.

I can’t seem to get to sleep any earlier than midnight. Some things that keep me awake are lights, noise, or the awareness of some activity going on. Again, stress keeps me up as well.

Along with my sleeping pill, I fall asleep faster if the TV is off, the lights are off, and if my room isn’t cluttered. Keeping a neat and peaceful environment is very calming for me. Cuddling with my husband certainly helps, too!

Although this isn’t the safest approach, having a candle burning is very calming and conducive to sleep. Just-laundered sheets are great, too.

My bed is very comfortable, and comforting. I love to snuggle into clean sheets under my down comforter. I have a great mattress, too.

I have a bizarre sleepwalking story: When I was a teenager, I had my best friend over to spend the night. It was extremely hot out, and I remember complaining about it. We each wore a T-shirt and underwear - as little as we could to stay cool. The next morning, I woke up in a heavy winter bathrobe. My friend and I were crackin up over it: I must have gotten up in the middle of the night, put on the robe, and gone back to bed, despite the heat. It was bizarre…and hilarious!