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Can't Sleep At Night
I am have been having trouble falling asleep at night for the past couple of months. When I do actually fall asleep at night, it takes me between 2-3 hours to fall asleep. I have had atleast 5 sleepless nights this school year. For most of them I didn't go to school because my mom let me. But on Thursday and Friday I didnt get any sleep, so I had to fake sick so my mom would let me stay home because she said I couldnt stay home for that reason anymore. I didnt get any sleep last night, so I told my mom this morning that I didnt get any sleep and that this is a serious issue. I told her that I need to see a doctor about it and she didnt seem to care. This is a very serious issue. I need help with this.
I have had trouble falling asleep my whole life, as far back as I can remember. As a little kid, I used to get in trouble for reading in bed with a flashlight, but I already had the right idea. I'll pass on what I've learned, and you can tweak it to fit you.
You can't MAKE yourself fall asleep. The more you think about how late it is and how tired you are going to be, the more stressed you are, and the less likely it is that you will fall asleep. In school and college, I found that the best thing to do was study textbooks or do homework. It was usually too boring to keep me awake. The bonus was that if you don't get to sleep, you get something done that you would otherwise have had to do in the daytime when you're tired from not sleeping.
At other times in life, I have experimented with other tricks, but they all have a couple of things in common:
1. Don't lie in bed, trying to fall asleep. You'll just get more wide awake, and more tense, as you think about how late it is and how early you have to get up.
2. Spend the time doing something useful or boring, or preferably both. Avoid things that hold your attention, like watching tv, as your brain will want to stay awake to see what happens next.
3. Don't think! Work at concentrating on your task, working so fast or so hard that it blocks other thoughts. I used to set a certain number of text pages to read each 10 minutes, or something like that, so I had to focus.
4. ALWAYS keep your morning schedule, regardless of whether you have slept. Some days you may be groggy at school or have trouble concentrating, but remember, you aren't working on feeling rested TODAY. You have a much bigger goal, and it is served by slogging numbly around school and taking a 5-minute power nap at noon with your face in your lunch, if necessary. You won't die, and eventually, some blessed night, you'll just lie down and go to sleep.
5. Make plans on the weekend that require getting up, maybe not as early as weekdays but within an hour or so of your usual time. If you feel like a nap in the afternoon, go for a walk. (A dog is useful here.)
6. Accept that sometimes you are not going to sleep, and you'll be tired the next day, and that's just the way it is. Worrying about sleeping perpetuates the cycle.
I hope you reach a time in your life when your work is interesting or demanding, and you are busy during the day. Being tired is the best sleep medicine.
And one day after that, you'll be old and retired, like me, and you can sleep or not sleep all day and all night long. Then, you'll likely want to get up in the morning, if only to make sure you still can. At the moment, having recently had open heart surgery and--I don't know why it does this, and I'm not taking the meds they usually blame for sleeplessness--I seem to sleep very little. Fortunately, I have to get up by 7:30, latest, to get my last kid to middle school--or it would be harder to follow my own advice. So two or three days a week, I fall asleep--or sometimes don't--when dawn has broken, and get up an hour or two later. No naps allowed. If I can do it, you can do it.
Try to be patient with your mother, will you? She's not very sympathetic because she hasn't caught up on her sleep since you or your oldest sibling was born. Some day she may be sitting on the sofa at 2:00 a.m., writing to someone else's kid, while you are in your own home changing diapers, giving bottles, and for the first time in your life having NO TROUBLE SLEEPING. Trust me, for us chronic insomniacs, it's a good feeling.
If you happen back to this forum some sleepless night, will you drop me a note and let me know if these tricks work for you, and what else you've thought of to make it better?
You can't MAKE yourself fall asleep. The more you think about how late it is and how tired you are going to be, the more stressed you are, and the less likely it is that you will fall asleep. In school and college, I found that the best thing to do was study textbooks or do homework. It was usually too boring to keep me awake. The bonus was that if you don't get to sleep, you get something done that you would otherwise have had to do in the daytime when you're tired from not sleeping.
At other times in life, I have experimented with other tricks, but they all have a couple of things in common:
1. Don't lie in bed, trying to fall asleep. You'll just get more wide awake, and more tense, as you think about how late it is and how early you have to get up.
2. Spend the time doing something useful or boring, or preferably both. Avoid things that hold your attention, like watching tv, as your brain will want to stay awake to see what happens next.
3. Don't think! Work at concentrating on your task, working so fast or so hard that it blocks other thoughts. I used to set a certain number of text pages to read each 10 minutes, or something like that, so I had to focus.
4. ALWAYS keep your morning schedule, regardless of whether you have slept. Some days you may be groggy at school or have trouble concentrating, but remember, you aren't working on feeling rested TODAY. You have a much bigger goal, and it is served by slogging numbly around school and taking a 5-minute power nap at noon with your face in your lunch, if necessary. You won't die, and eventually, some blessed night, you'll just lie down and go to sleep.
5. Make plans on the weekend that require getting up, maybe not as early as weekdays but within an hour or so of your usual time. If you feel like a nap in the afternoon, go for a walk. (A dog is useful here.)
6. Accept that sometimes you are not going to sleep, and you'll be tired the next day, and that's just the way it is. Worrying about sleeping perpetuates the cycle.
I hope you reach a time in your life when your work is interesting or demanding, and you are busy during the day. Being tired is the best sleep medicine.
And one day after that, you'll be old and retired, like me, and you can sleep or not sleep all day and all night long. Then, you'll likely want to get up in the morning, if only to make sure you still can. At the moment, having recently had open heart surgery and--I don't know why it does this, and I'm not taking the meds they usually blame for sleeplessness--I seem to sleep very little. Fortunately, I have to get up by 7:30, latest, to get my last kid to middle school--or it would be harder to follow my own advice. So two or three days a week, I fall asleep--or sometimes don't--when dawn has broken, and get up an hour or two later. No naps allowed. If I can do it, you can do it.
Try to be patient with your mother, will you? She's not very sympathetic because she hasn't caught up on her sleep since you or your oldest sibling was born. Some day she may be sitting on the sofa at 2:00 a.m., writing to someone else's kid, while you are in your own home changing diapers, giving bottles, and for the first time in your life having NO TROUBLE SLEEPING. Trust me, for us chronic insomniacs, it's a good feeling.
If you happen back to this forum some sleepless night, will you drop me a note and let me know if these tricks work for you, and what else you've thought of to make it better?
MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL
Hi,
How is everything?
How old are you by the way?
Sleep problems usually occur when a person worries or is overly anxious over something.Are there any challenging tasks awaiting you in school? How is school?How are relationships at home? Are there any recent changes in your life lately?
Insomnia is usually diagnosed following a certain criteria.
When you say 5 sleepless nights do you mean you haven't really slept or are you awakened easily during sleep?
You may want to try discussing this with your mom . A psychiatrist or clinical psychologist may be able to help.Try taking warm milk before sleeping.Some soothing music and aromatherapy may help. Set a regular sleep schedule for you every night.Relax and keep a positive attitude.
Keep us posted for any progress.
How is everything?
How old are you by the way?
Sleep problems usually occur when a person worries or is overly anxious over something.Are there any challenging tasks awaiting you in school? How is school?How are relationships at home? Are there any recent changes in your life lately?
Insomnia is usually diagnosed following a certain criteria.
When you say 5 sleepless nights do you mean you haven't really slept or are you awakened easily during sleep?
You may want to try discussing this with your mom . A psychiatrist or clinical psychologist may be able to help.Try taking warm milk before sleeping.Some soothing music and aromatherapy may help. Set a regular sleep schedule for you every night.Relax and keep a positive attitude.
Keep us posted for any progress.
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