[LMR]

Since the Xmas holidays I have not been able to fall asleep naturally. I have taken all of the recommended cues and created the perfect sleeping environment, cognizant of the fact that I need to minimize evening stimulation, and only go to bed when I’m sleepy. Every night I take natural supplements (guided by my naturopath) including magnesium, gaba, melatonin, among others. I have adopted breathing techniques that make me drowsy and stop when I get to a place of sleepiness. Ready to sleep, I try to shut my mind off, and pray I nod off. However, 60-90 mins later I remain awake and make the decision to grab half a sleeping pill as it’s the only thing which brings on full, deep sleep. With young boys and an active consultancy, I can’t afford not to sleep.

[AnnOnimus]

What sleeping pill works for you? I’m new to this forum, but my insomnia has gotten so bad that i want to educate myself more on what is truly effective. Prefer natural solutions, but ones I’ve tried haven’t helped.

[Deb]

Chronic insomnia is a mental condition so natural remedies and prescriptions are not the permanent answer. There are two therapies that work. Both work to retrain the brain to stop associating going to bed with anxiety, which is what chronic insomnia is all about – anxiety related to sleeping. One therapy is called CBT-I (cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia) which Martin, the creator of this website, teaches. He’s got lots of great resources here. The other is called ACT and the best resource for this is “The Sleep Book” by Dr. Guy Meadows which is very readable and easy to understand. Its focus is on learning to give up the struggle to sleep (i.e., trying all different things like pills, natural remedies, soothing music, special curtains, etc.) and then relax, so that sleep comes naturally. It teaches you how to do this and how to let go of the struggle. I’ve tried both therapies but prefer ACT, which is gentler and felt more intuitive to me. But it’s also trickier, because you have to learn how to change your thinking about insomnia and then quiet your mind. CBT-I focuses more on specific behavioral techniques.

[Martin Reed]

How are you getting on since you posted, @LMR? Glad to hear you are only going to bed when you feel sleepy — is this around the same time each day? When do you normally get out of bed to start your day and roughly how many hours of sleep do you get, on average?

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[Author]

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