What do you think?

[margypops]

Heres the thing, I have suffered from insomnia for as long as I can remember, and when I do sleep it is the awake every couple of hours , yes I have tried every pill and potion known to man,or Woman!  Now I want to run this by my friends and Foes on Med Help social, a few years ago I was reading some information about EMfs  Electro Magnetic Fields, it had ocurred to me maybe that was the cause of my sleeplessness, then everyone pooh pooed" it , family said nuts and all the research didnt have much feedback...  I digress..now I have just been out of town to England , the Bedroom I used there had no TV ,no electric except the lights, I slept for several hours at a time,returned to my house in the US and back to waking up every 2 hours and difficulty going to sleep.,in my bedroom here I have a ,large screen TV the cable box and not too far in the next room are 2 PCs. Are you getting the long winded gist of this, am I back to square 1 is it the EMFs causing my sleeplessness, and if not how come I slept weell there but not here?? Any ideas.

[margypops]

Guess what I slept 5 hours through last night! was a little fitful, only differance was I allowed the Kitty to sleep on the Bed, Cherie I am going to get one of those clocks I have heard of that before and I have found visualisation a help so maybe the white water principle works the same, I like the idea of the ocean noise.Got to figure out what I am going to do about this kitty today do any of you need a really pretty and clever cat?and if you do can I send it by parcel post(I am jesting guys)

[Cherie762]

theres a machine about the size of an alarm clodk you can buy I used one for one of my babies...it has 4 or 5 choice of noise...white noise..rain...ocean breeze,,chirrping bids( that one aggravate me )  and something else..the rain one is very soothing..I think the machine is sold in most lg department stores like walmarts if you described it to pharmiscist he know what its called..

[Tuckamore]

I don't sleep well either but it is usually pain that keeps me from 6 or more hours. If I get 4 or 5 hours I can function. I do notice if I get 7 or more I just plain feel better.

On occasion I have drank coffee, sometimes two at supper, I know it's a real no no but when I do it doesn't affect my sleep at all. However I cannot drink cola after 2pm. Absolutely not, no exceptions. If I do drink cola I am lucky to sleep 2 hours!! Go figure.

[margypops]

Well I usually leap into the bathroom, but I know you are right and if I go straight back to bed and stay quiet I can go off again, I like the idea of the white water I have heard before that it helps, Actually I have often wondered if our childhood programmes us aswell, because my father stayed out late and came in yelling at my Mom,never me, no one ever laid a hand on me , I would lay there waiting for him to come in,afraid for her, so that could also be part of it, at the moment I am still figuring out if I have too much electric in the room,I was lazy again last night and left it plugged in,the laziness coming from the fact if I couldnt sleep I would have to get out of bed and plug it all in again,I have a very fiddly' Cable Box with wires.Glad to get all this input guys I am digesting all your ideas and if I get any nights sleep I am happy, so bring em on ,I do know my visualisation method works to get to sleep, at least most nights, I dont take any drugs for this having had so many side effects the only thing I am taking is Vit C and Adrenal support Caps,1 in the morning.

[Cherie762]

when you wake up do you remain in bed? according to my sleep therapist 15 min awake leave the bed do something mondane and boring no tv read a boring section of newspaper in the living room then return to bed try sleeping on oppisite side..keep repeating as often as needed  if you lay awake thinking about insomnia it compounds the problem/

[ILADVOCATE]

  I've posted this on various forums but if anyone has a continuous problem with insomnia the two best medications for that are Lunesta and Rozerem. Rozerem is a medication is derived from the way melatonin works and will actually adjust the sleep cycle in the same manner. Both of those can be taken every day but Rozerem out of the two is not habit forming and safe and doesn't make a person tired the day because it is out of your system by then. I've tried it and it works well. I tried melatonin in the past but I wouldn't bother now because it varies in quality and quantity because its a a natural remedy and Rozerem works in the exact same manner and is a completely known quantity. I'm not sure why its not prescribed more over other sleeping medications that may have more long term side effects. I know this was more small talk as regards insomnia but there are some practical ways to handle it.
  As for being in a different environment I know I sleep better when I visit places outside of the city in the suburbs or country or in wintertime when the windows are down because of the simple volume of noise in the city. I never really much cared for wearing ear plugs all night so I turn a fan on as a white noise machine. That generally works.

[teko]

I take melatonin. Tried it? It was doctor recommended and non habit forming.

[margypops]

Hey good point aggiesmom I wonder if I am afraid to unplug, I am so used to waking and popping the TV on for middle of the night company... food for thought .Actually I have researched EMFs for years and there is some truth that the magnetic fields can affect you, when I started this thread I was trying to get, and have done from you all with a lot of feedback, and I thank you, , I lived in Florida 5 years ago and was entirely sleepless, yes Guys you can go a longggg time without sleep ,trust me, , I even sent for one of those clocks to block the Magnetic fields , (didnt work) I will tell you my house had an electric pylon on the land , and I had a ton of electric stuff in my house.But I resreached and told everyone then gave up as being neurotic actually there is a lot of stuff up there about EMFs and I am not the only one , some folks are sensitive to electricity and Magnetic fields.I knew if I asked you all I would get some good response .

[Agiesmom]

Just wanted to add that some things you try that don't have any scientific basis for helping can actually hurt you (supplements and other non-FDA approved things, for example), but in this situation, I can't see how unplugging things can hurt.

Let us know how it goes.

[Agiesmom]

I don't understand what you mean by "chickened out".  Are you afraid to unplug everything?

I think anything is worth a try.  Even if scientifically something is not proven to have any effect of you, the mind is an amazing thing.  If you believe something is helping you and things improve, why not do it?  The only problem I would see with something like this (trying something that is found to have no scientific basis) is if someone is playing on your fears and ripping you off for lots of money to get you to use something they're selling.  Otherwise, I don't see any harm in trying it.

Good luck to you, Margy.

[margypops]

well I chickened out and didnt unplug will do that tonight,but same as usual got a couple of hours woke up got another 2 maybe , I kind of accept it now, I have always had some kind of a sleep problem, I do manage most times to get to sleep using the visualisation method ,it works for me.my biggest problem is staying asleep.I am glad you slept well though Cherie,

[Cherie762]

I fell asleep at 8 yesterday i was exhausted..so Im up early..let us know how your night went..and if it wasnt good..your insurance would likely cover a sleep disorder study..they have rooms set up nice and cosy like a regular bedroom its in a hospital they hook up eegs and ekgs moniter heart adn brain and see what happening..your watched all night on a monitor by one person assigned just to you..I did it and suprisingly did sleep part of night with all the electodes on they determined Im hyper sensitive to caffine..non after 12 noon plus more that I had to learn..at first it was a chore doing things their way now I sleep like a baby unless I have a big worry on my mnd.

[MJIthewriter]

I was thinking maybe the time zone in England fit your biorhythm better. I've sometimes wondered about that being a possibility.  If I go some place else I would think that my body would stay "programmed" the way it is... so with any luck I'd start feeling sleep at a more normal time somewhere else.  But I suspect then I'd probably get adjusted and then have to move back to fix it, lol.

Maybe it would help for me to turn off the computer. Sometimes it helps, other times I find myself wide awake doing something like watering all my plants or thinking about my characters.

I guess that's one thing I've found helpful for sleeping.  If I lay down and start to visualize something in my head. It seems the more detailed I get, the quicker I get tired and drift to sleep. Maybe you can try that.  But I wouldn't suggest dramatic story scenes or anything with humor.  When I imagine something funny or exciting, then I'm back up again, lol.

Of course I have to be typing this up at about 2:06 am my time...

[crabby70]

Is there a time difference between you and England?....I would think maybe you felt very safe and content there....I hope you are sleeping now...

[margypops]

mad key board again ,cant spell, at least thats my story !!

[margypops]

so maybe I will run off to China with Mjlth with her wondrous writing, sleep all the time. LOL and cherie tonight I will unplug everything and leap into a hot tub, come to think of it I have never had a tub for years, I shower but there is a big ole Tub in my house I will make sure i start to use it.My room sometimes does get chilly as I turn off the heating if I have needed it , at night. I just wondered at the differance and trust me my daughters house would keep you wake not send you to sleep, the only thying is no elctrics!!   coem on any more thoughts out there ,margypops needs a good nights sleep.

[Cherie762]

Margy I have heard that the red glow in the dark lights on our alarm clocks and the ligths from electricall appliances plugged in are percieved in our just before rem sleep  causing some not to get there,,why not place your alarm clock in  a nearby room ,,unplug everything and give it a try see what happens it cant hurt!!!

A very hot bath the hotest you can stand 1 hour before bedtime will raise your dore temp,,,as your body adjusts and self regulates back to normal this makes most people drowsie,,you must stay in tub about 1/2 hour then wait 1 hour and go to bed in the dark ,,,in a not too hot room best temp is mid 60s for sleeping with a warm blanket...no strong odors like dont use body sprays after bath..

I used to have insomnia went to a sleep disorder clinic I had to relearn how to sleep..nothing in bed ever excep sex or sleep no reading. tv or computer..

[MJIthewriter]

I don't know a thing either, but sounds interesting.  I can relate to your frustration. I don't wake up every two hours, but I can't get myself to wind down to fall asleep....

I feel almost like I can run a mile or something right at midnight.  Night time (after 6 pm) is when I feel the most talkative, active, and overall more creative, etc...  That seems to have always been a problem with me since I was a baby.

I think with me it's biological. My clock seems to be shifted... Perhaps I'd fair better in China or some other place where night time is closer to day and day is closer to night...

---------------------

One time I had a thought, what if day and night people are a natural variation in the human population?  Something that traces back to the ancient cave men or something.  I would expect in each community they needed to have some night people to alert the tribe if night predators started raiding the cave or something.  But now days it's more a bother than anything because society thrives in the daylight hours.

[margypops]

Thanks so far guys , my bed here is better , and yes I am going to see if I unplug the TV etc whether it helps at all, if anything life there was and is more stressful so if anything I should have been sleepless there, it was freezing cold during the day and they had the central heating going full blast all night ,so it wasnt the comfort I have no doubt about that, there was also turmoil going on between my daughter nad her husband which added to the scenario, wont enlarge... so I am going to unplug all appliances near the bed, and see what happens, one other thought, I was eating and drinking more than I usually do ..could I need more sustenance..(Oh law how do you spell that ole word) Will let you all know the next exciting adventure of my sleeplessness saga....Zzzzzz

[RockRose]

margy,  it seems like that would be easy enough to test - by removing everything that you believe is causing the problem for a week and see if that helps.   I believe what you're saying,  because I believe in energy fields - I can easily tell if I'm the only one in my house when I walk in through the door.  I can feel it,  even if the person is upstairs and asleep,  I can feel the energy of another family member.

So I think you can feel and respond to electrical energy.

Have you tried a good mattress?  Was the mattress in England a really different quality than yours?  I ask,  because my in laws have a bed in their guest room that is the best bed my husband and I have ever slept in - and it's been discontinued.  I go to sleep on that bed and don't move a muscle until morning,  and wake up feeling incredibly rested.  We've offered them substantial money for it,  but they kind of think we're joking . . . ;D

Good luck figuring it out.

[Jacqui805]

Well, I don't know a thing about EMF's, so I'd have to research them myself to give some idea about them....withOUT thinking about them, I'd like to offer a couple of ideas on what the difference was, between your experiences in England vs. U.S.

There are several possibilities here:

1)  You were in England, I'm assuming, on a vacation or something like that.  I'm assuming, it was a pleasant reason for the trip, or at least partly so.  That being said, could it be possible that your stress level went down in the U.K., and when you returned home your brain went right back into "normal" mode concerning your stressors?  Now, stress doesn't always come in a form that is easily identifiable.  Stress may not mean  something as serious as unemployment, and great difficulty paying bills.  It could simply be worrying about children, having some inane and tedious things to perform such as household chores, that sort of thing.  In the U.K., your brain KNEW it was on vacation and was able to totally relax?

2)  What about the mattress?  Was the bed in the U.K. more comfortable?

3)  The bedding and room temperature, how did those compare?

4)  Do you sleep alone in the U.S., or do you have a partner?  If you have a partner at home, but got to sleep alone in the U.K., that could be it?

5)  Household sounds, they compare how?  Is it noisy at home, or maybe you have a pet bird making noise at night, or a cat that wakes you?

6)  Activity, what was yours in the U.K.?  Did you sight-see and go all over and then tire yourself out?  Maybe at home, although you do household chores and perhaps even work outside the home, you're not as physically and mentally tired?

7)  You mentioned there was no t.v. and no electric in the room you were in in the U.K.  Could I assume that it was in a very rural area then and that perhaps not too much loud traffic?  Is your home inundated with noise from a road, such as normal traffic and then the sirens of police or fire/ambulance vehicles?

8)  Do you eat something fairly regulary anytime after 7 p.m. at home that you did not eat in the U.K.?  Perhaps if so, what you're eating at home is the cause of an unknown allergy or intolerance?

Well, you can see I put some thought into this one, and I think I'm about out of other possibilities for you to consider.  I'll have to check out the EMF theory...any good reports you can suggest?