Conference turris::womannotes-v2

    	Diana,
    
    	I thought chocolate contained a good deal of caffeine. If so,
    	that may be part of the problem.
    
    	I know I don't sleep as well if I consume soft drinks or 
    	chocolate during the day.
    
    	Who knows?
    
    	Scott

    Skip the hot chocolate -- there's caffeine in chocolate.  Warm
    milk will work.  Aspirin can help too, since it quells those
    tiny pains you're not really aware of.
    
    If you ever had a steady getting-ready-for-bed pattern, be sure
    to use it.  It can help lure you straight into the arms of Morpheus.
    Do *not* engage in vigorous exercise, because it raises your heartbeat
    and your breathing, making you even more awake.
    
    As you lay awake in bed, was there something nagging at you?  Try
    to do something about it, even if it is only getting up, finding
    the overdue library book, and putting it on your purse, so you'll
    remember to put it in the car, and eventually return it to the
    library.  Then find the warm spot in the bed, the cool spot on the
    pillow (or whatever) and go to sleep.
    
    							Ann B.

    Diana,
    
    Here are some things that help me.  
    
    Cutting back on caffeine, particularly late in the day.  I can't
    have any after noon or I don't sleep -- and I used to live on coffee!
    Herbal teas are a soothing substitute for the chocolate.  Particularly
    recommend chamomile or ginger.
    
    Also, if you're doing much drinking (this being the party season and
    all), think about cutting that back too.  The by-products of processing
    alcohol can interfere with sleep.
    
    Regular exercise helps immensely, but not within 2 hours of bedtime.
    It seems to take me at least 2 hours to wind down after exercise.
    
    Maybe you're going to bed too early?  10:30 - 8:00 is 9.5 hours in
    bed.  Try staying up until you feel sleepy for a couple of nights,
    just to see what happens.
    
    Sometimes just accepting the fact that I'm not sleeping will take the
    edge off.  Like "Fine, I'm not sleeping.  I'll just lie here and
    *rest*."   It helps me relax.  And if all else fails, consider getting
    up and reading a book.  Do something to take your mind off the
    insomnia, and don't go back to bed until you feel sleepy.  Sounds
    backwards, but it helps.
    
    Good luck, I know it can make you crazy.
    Beth

    The hot chocolate is usually a last-ditch attempt to sleep!
    Having brushed my teeth I don't really want to drink it after all
    do I?
    
    Yes I lie there thinking about work.  It is the old problem I
    suppose.
    
    I do like the idea of sleeping in the arms of Morpheus and am gonna
    brush up on my gods and myths over Christmas to see what I am missing.
    
    thanks for the help...
    
    diana

    Diana,
    
    One thing that helped me when I found myself staying awake nights
    worrying was to develop a technique to shut out the worries.
    
    I imagined a room in my mind, and when the worries wouldn't let
    me sleep I'd mentally push the worries into the room and bar and
    lock the door on them. They would escape a lot at first but as I
    consistantly used the technique I found I could confine them in
    the room and get my sleep.
    
    Two other things I do when I can't sleep are to turn on my little
    book light and read for a while, or make up a 'story' about something
    in my head. Both of these practices have lulled me off to sleep
    since I was a small child.
    
    Bonnie

    Diana:
    
    This happens to me all the time.  I don't have any other solution
    than to talk it out with someone, to get the burden off your mind.
    
    When things really bother me, I toss and turn all night, usually
    when I talk to Sean about what's bothering me, I find I can sleep
    a lot better.
    
    Good luck, I know what a pain it is!
    
    Tammi
    

    
    This happens to me, too. I'm a big puzzle fan, and when I can't go
    right to sleep, I work on puzzles until my brain screams Uncle.
    Usually, I can roll over at that point and sleep comes shortly
    thereafter. Also, good smut or short stories. MAKE SURE YOU CAN PUT IT
    DOWN! Don't read something that will keep your interest, unless its
    short.
    
    Another thing, sometimes it helps to be sure your bladder is empty.

	 Some suggestions:


	 �  *One* glass of white wine about 30 minutes before bedtime. 

         	 I used to commute to work and had to leave at 5am
		 and got home at 6pm.  (Which means bedtime at 8pm)
		 One glass of wine did the trick for me....but
		 remember, only ONE.

	 �  Try some herbal teas.

		there is one tea on the market called "Sleepytime"
		it's very relaxing and helps me every time if I
		drink one cup before bed...

	 �  Concentrate on relaxing

		When you climb in bed, get comfortable.....then start
		with your toes and center your mind on them and feel
		them relaxing...then work your way up your body,
		feeling each part relax and imagine the tension
		rushing out of them.

	 �  Play some soft music (New Age, Classical, etc)

		Put the volume on very low, so it's in the background.
		Make sure it's a CD player/Tape Player/whatever that
		can turn off automatically


	 I have a very hard time sleeping when I get close to
	 deadlines on projects.  I lay awake tossing and turning!

	 A nice hot bath works too, but you have to learn to relax in
	 the bath.  Try the concentrating stuff in the bath....and
	 take a bath by candle light.....


	 Good luck....You're not alone!

	 kath

    Well, for some people, sex is generally a good nightcap.  Not sure if
    you're one of them.
    
    I try to relax my body, from the feet up, one part at a time, all the
    while breathing in peace and relaxation and breathing out stress and
    anxiety.  Then I visualize myself in a very comfortable and peaceful
    place, with desired music and lighting (if any - sometimes I'm at the
    beach lying in the hot sun)....that generally works.
    
    Also, please see:
    
    HOLISTIC (currently at HYDRA::HOLISTIC)
    148 - coping with insomnia
    261 - sleeplessness
    
    -Jody
    

     Sometimes reading an engineering text will make me zonk right out. It
    was extremely effective in college. :-)
    
     Reading smut (Hi 'Ren) is worthless when I'm trying to go to sleep.
    It's a much better way for me to wake up. 
    
     Sex sometimes helps me go to sleep, eventually.
    
     Any visual exercise that makes my eyes tired will help, like reading
    small print in poor light.
    
     Certain passages of classical music help relax me.
    
    The Doctah

    You can purchase a "white noise" generator which may help you rest.
    
    Check out Radio Shack or such.
    
    Marge

    Marge,
    
    I don't think they have Radio Shacks in England. :-)
    
    Bonnie

    re .12 - you'd be amazed. (I'm pretty sure I've seen 'em. Along with
    McDonalds, Col. Sanders, and other expressions of the quality of
    American culture.)

    re .11
    
    I used to have a white noise machine which was great but I lost
    it, but found I can get almost the same effect using one of those
    little air purifiers. They cost around $16 - $18 in hardware stores
    around here (Boston area). Takes the edge off barking dogs and the
    like...

    We've used an air purifier for years and it is a great aide to 
    sleep. It is especially good if I go to bed before my children
    and they want to stay up and watch t.v.
    
    Bonnie

    
    	I've slept with a fan in my room for years and it's helped me a
    	lot during those times when I'm suffering from insomnia.  Also,
    	a small cup of warm milk right before bed really works wonders.
    	Don't concentrate on relaxing, that generally makes one tenser!
    	"OK, I've been laying here for three hours, I should be RELAXED
    	by now!  (*&#$(*#^&*$^*)!"
    
    	Soft instrumental music, a television show on nature or animals,
    	and a foot massage (if someone's around to give one) work best
    	for me.
    
    	Good luck, Diana.
    
    	Carla
    

FYI:  The active ingredients in sleepytime are chamomille and passion
flower.  They are good for relaxing although chamomille always get my
bladder going.

Passion flower and Jamican dogwood make a nice relaxing insomnia tea
which is fairly mild.

Valerian root and skullcap make a powerful relaxant but should be
used with caution because it's powerful.  Valerian also stinks to high
heaven but I've gotten used to the taste and smell.  

I usually fall asleep reading and that works for me.  Sometimes, none
of the above work and I need to take care of the problem or worry that
is causing the insomnia.

I like to meditate upon waking and before retiring.  This can have the
effect reducing the amount of holdover junk so that is does not
accumulate every day.

I wish you well and hope you get the stuff cleared up at work that is
causing you so much stress and worry.

peace,
john

        What works  for me is a long hot bath with clean sheets to look
        forward to.
        
        Andy
        
        PS.  There certainly are Radio Shacks in UK, along with BK, McD
        and all the rest  of  them.  Sandy and I still laugh about what
        we call "Shakespeare's Pizza Hut" in Stratford High Street. 
        Picture  a  beautiful  old  building  with  exposed  beams  and
        suggested  wattle  and  daub  construction containing  a  Pizza
        Hut...

    A word of caution. If you are a hay fever sufferer and especially
    if you are allergic to ragweed, avoid chamomille. Chamomille can
    trigger an allergy attack in such individuals.
    
    Bonnie

    I go through periods of insomnia every now and then.  Sometimes the
    "just can't fall asleep" type and sometimes the "wake up every hour and
    stay awake for 15-30 minutes" type.  And it doesn't usually seem to be
    caffeine/sugar related.  I've tried just about everything mentioned,
    seemingly to no avail.  Eventually the insomnia goes away but it's
    tough meanwhile and seems to lead to lower resistance to colds etc.
    I had a conversation with my doctor about this and he suggested that I 
    should call him the next time one of these sleepless periods lasts more 
    than a week or two.  He said there are very mild "sleep aids", that are
    non-addictive and only have to be used very short term that will help 
    your body to get back on a normal sleep cycle.
    
    Drugs for anything are generally a last resort for me and fortunately I 
    haven't had insomnia since I talked with him.  However, if I go through
    another prolonged period of not sleeping I will call him.  
    
    This may or may not be a choice that you want to consider. 
    
    Polly                    

       re .11:
       
       > ...white noise generator...
       
       Barry Manilow?
       
       --Mr Topaz

    The comment abut instrumental music triggered another thought...
    
    I've heard that the Largo movements of Baroque music (Bach, Handel, 
    etc) are helpful to alpha brain waves, hence relaxation.  It makes
    sense from a rhythm standpoint, both the music and the brain waves
    being about 60 beats/min.  It does relax me, and it puts my brother
    to sleep without fail ;).
    
    Might be worth a try.
    Beth

    
    Sominex is still on the market. I've never tried it, but they had
    convincing ads.

    When all else fails, ask your doc for Halcyon.

    Re Sominex and friends: When I tried them, the only result for me was
    itchy eyes and nervous twitches - didn't make me sleepy at all.
    However, most of the high-test sinus medicines will knock me right out.
    I wouldn't recommend them as a regular thing - for that matter, I
    wouldn't recommend any chemical sleep-inducer on a regular basis - but
    it might be worth a try if you're feeling desperate.
    
    Or try cat-watching; after seeing them yawn, stretch, curl and re-curl
    a few times, it's hard not to drift right off...
    
    -b

    Interesting sidenote
    
    Last time I looked, Nytol was comprised of one drug:  Diphenhydramine. 
    Yep, if it looks familiar, it is, because the drug masquerades also
    under the name "Benadryl", and is a component of "Benalyn"....
    
    no wonder they don't want you operating heavy machinery while under the
    influence of decongestants or cough syrups!
    
    -Jody
    

    Try the "5 - 4 - 3 - 2 - 1 " Method...
    
    Lay in bed , lights out, and relax then picture the number 5 in your
    head.  Really concentrate on 5.  Then picture writing it in the sand,
    with waves washing over it.  Do the number 5 bit twice, then go on to
    number 4.  I have not reached 1 yet!
    
    Hey, it's a lot better than loading your body with unknown chemicals
    that might be in "Sominex" or "Nytol".
    
    -Dotti.

    If you have a lot on your mind, keeping a notebook and pencil
    by the bed, and writing down your thoughts helps.  I've found
    that it helps me put to rest my tendency to think about the
    same thing over and over again.  
    
    Another thing that helped me years ago was something an
    acupuncturist did with some dried moss...sorry, can't remember
    the name of it...moxa or something like that.  She would place
    a burning piece of moss on a particular spot on the foot to
    treat "excessive thinking," no kidding, and it worked.  I've
    found that acupuncture, or massage, or regular exercise for
    that matter, have all helped tremendously.  
    
    Karen

    I used to do that, keeping writing materials at the bedside.  I
    haven't done it in a long time because I discovered a strange sort
    of mechanism somewhere inside me, where my consciousness and
    self-rooted personality modules seem to disengage before my verbal
    centers do...whether I'm speaking to someone or writing something
    down, if I'm on the edge of sleep, there is absolutely no way to
    predict what will come spinning out of my brain!  Often it is so
    far disconnected from referrents that whomever has asked the question
    can't possibly understand the answer (if I was speaking) or, if
    it was me, I can't possibly figure out what I've written *means*,
    the next morning.  While interesting, its also somewhat frustrating,
    so I don't keep writing materials at bedside any longer!
    
    DougO

    I have found that meditation really helps with getting rid of nagging
    problems.  If I find I'm thinking of something and can't sleep because
    of it, I will lie in bed and meditate (you don't always have to be in a
    lotus position to meditate :-) and the next thing I know, the alarm is
    going off.
    
    						Jan

    re .0

    I used to suffer from severe insomnia - I used to see 6 am for at least
    three weeks or so.  I tried milk, chocolate, writing, reading, clean
    sheets, etc.  The thing which worked for me was extremely mild
    psycho-therapy and a herbal drug. Looking back at it, the thought that
    I was in therapy was therapeutic - I felt that I was doing something
    positive to regain my health.  While you may not have to receive
    psycho-therapy, just doing something concrete (someone mentioned
    meditation) may be good enough. 

    The psychiatrist at the time advised me to use an amino acid -
    l-trpytophane (?).  That and the idea of visiting a therapist worked. 
    I heard on the radio a few weeks ago that all l-trpytophane was pulled
    from the market because of something or the other in its manufacturing.
    Perhaps you can go to your neighborhood herbalist and ask for something
    similar.

    _karen

    I mentally walk golf courses when I can't sleep. I rarely get past the
    3rd or 4th hole :-).
    
    There is another herbal stress relaxant called Formula 302(?) which
    I've gotten from my chiropractor, which is based on valerian root and
    other herbs.  It is useful as an occasional sleep aid, but also helps
    for muscle pulls and menstrual cramps.
    
    

    There's a food-based way to get tryptophan without using pills, which
    can help. Tryptophan occurs naturally in many foods (turkey comes to
    mind this time of year!--also milk), but must interact with
    carbohydrate to be released properly.  So a turkey sandwich... warm
    milk and toast... <tryptophan> and <carbohydrate> eaten about 20
    minutes before bedtime is really great.
    
    I've had bouts of insomnia like that and it is exhausting and
    frustrating!  Methods that have worked for me in the past have been
    mentioned in a couple of previous notes:  
    
    1. Writing down a summary of what's bothering me -- a list, if there's
       a lot of things to do; a few pages in a journal if it's a situation. 
       As I lie awake, and my mind turns to what's bothering me, I SLAM a
       mental door and say to myself "It's on the paper, you don't have to
       think about it now," and I visualize the page I wrote it on.  If I
       come up with a new thing to worry about, I get up and write it down,
       then do the SLAM thing if I start to think about it again.
    
    2. BEDTIME RITUAL.  Very important.  Work in the tryptophan and
       carbohydrate if you can.  Do everything in the same order; don't try
       to do things left undone during the rest of the day midway through
       your routine.
    
    3. Baths and candles!  If I start feeling really tense -- like life is
       too complicated! -- I DELIBERATELY set aside an hour or so to soak
       in the tub.  I keep the water really hot, put in scented oil or foam
       bath, gentle music, light a candle or two, and engage my mind with a
       book that is interesting...and just soak for about an hour.  If the
       water doesn't relax you, the scents will; if they don't relax you,
       the music will, if that doesn't relax you, the candle or the book
       will!  I usually leave the tub feeling relaxed as a cooked lasagne
       noodle!
    
    Good luck --
    Pam

    
    I've been having a difficult time falling alseep lately, too, and went 
    out and bought some of the "sleepytime" tea mentioned in one of the early
    notes.  I think it's helped me the few times I've used it.  Sleepytime is 
    a variety of herb tea put out by a company called Celestial Seasonings -- 
    don't know if it's available in the UK.  The ingredients are: chamomile 
    flowers, spearmint leaves, lemon grass, tilia flowers, passion flower 
    leaves, blackberry leaves, orange blossoms, hawthorn berries, and rosebuds. 
    
    CQ

    once again I'd like to mention that persons who suffer from
    hay fever, *especially* ragweed allergies, should not drink tea
    with chamomile.
    
    Bonnie

    Ummm... Just in case this is warranted... Chronic insomnia is
    frequently considered to be a sign of depression.  Many people who are
    depressed by the clinical definition don't realize it, since they
    usually don't feel sad or blue.  Other signs include: general loss of
    interest in things/people previously found interesting, general low
    energy or nagging fatigue, withdrawal, difficulty "getting moving",
    loss of sex drive, loss of sense of humor, inability to feel happy --
    in extreme cases, inability to feel much of anything.
    
    I hope this isn't the case with you, but thought I'd mention it just
    in case.  
    
    Beth

Like others, I've found that a bedtime ritual helps. I have a tape
that I listen to. I rarely hear more than the first few songs.
It's called Slumberland by Steven Bergman. I recorded both sides of
the cassette onto one side of a 90 minute tape. I can tell what kind
of night it's been by how much I remember hearing. If I hear the tape
player shut off, I know I'm really wound up so I rewind it and start over.
The cassette label says something like "music to calm children and
adults". It is wonderfully relaxing.

Hot, hot showers help too (taking a bath means cleaning out the
bathtub - definitely not relaxing to me). In the winter I keep an
electric blanket on my bed, before bedtime I set the blanket to
preheat my bed and press the rewind button on my beside tape player. I
also keep the heat low (55-ish) and the humidifier on at night. 

Sweet dreams,
Patti

    
    Re: .36  As far as I know, the insomnia that is associated with
    depression has a definite pattern: it's the sort where you have little
    difficulty falling asleep but wake up at an extremely early hour, like
    say 3 or 4 a.m., and then can't go back to sleep.  I have problems with
    depression and this was the symptom I found most troublesome because it
    seemed to become a habit for me to wake up in the middle of the night,
    and then I'd have a cookie or two :-)...  Being tired all the time just 
    fueled the depression and hindered my other efforts at overcoming it.  
    I found that a short course -- a week? at any rate, a shorter length of
    time than was prescribed -- of prescription sleeping medication broke 
    the habit.
    
    Speaking of relaxing music, my favorite is R. Carlos Nakai -- Navaho 
    flute music.  I also like ocean sounds.
    
    CQ 
    music