Insomnia. It’s day #4 of a lovely insomnia spell for myself. Help!
Dealing with a persistent rodent problem at Mom’s house has finally pushed situation over the cliff for me. Terminex is on it now. Next day was shocked to hear there’s no waiting list at the AL I had already figured would work best for her. Made appointment for 2 days later. Lunch there w Mom, husband and I then look at room. Now all I can think of is getting getting her there as quickly as possible. Tour is today. We will eat lunch then all 3 look at room. I leave deposit to hold it. Slept not a wink last nite including anxiety around 4 am over not being able to call AL to cancel tour until they open. Day #4 of insomnia. Will be giving my cell to husband as soon as he gets up w instructions to not let me have it unless I get decent sleep. Then he takes it back at 7:30p. Going to crawl in extra bed to see what happens. Help!
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Third, try some Ashwagandha it is an adaptogenic herb that fights stress and relaxes your whole body.
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Remember you can’t help anyone unless you take good care of your first, trust me I learned the hard way.
Best of luck to you!
I hope that you feel less stirred up very soon, and that all the problems resolve successfully.
For sleep I have a number of choices and vary them a bit.
--One melatonin tab (2 mgm) and/or a magnesium tab.
--Same bedtime routine every night.
--No tv for an hour before retiring.
--Read a pleasant book for 1/2 hour before turning out the light.
--In cooler weather, I might drink a warm cup of tea made with catnip, valerian, or lemon balm. Don't use the catnip too frequently.
--Wrap feet in a soft blanky to keep them warm.
--When sleep won't come anyway, I visualize the word SLEEP (in script) and mentally trace the word letter by letter over and over. OR if the letters are in print, I keep repeating the word over and over.
Concentrate on mentally tracing or repeating whatever word or image you choose--bringing your mind back to the job every time it strays. In a week or less, if you do this every night, you should be able to do it without your mind wandering.
It's all about not letting your mind stray from one thing to another and keeping the brain stirred up with problems you likely would focus on. And it's about settling down, making the mind peaceful and drowsy.And sleep naturally follows.
Good idea look up online any herbs/ supplements I mention, and, if you have questions, ask your doctor if they are okay for you. Many of us are magnesium deficient, but, for one example, ppl with AFib should not take it w/o doctor's okay.
My experience was that some nights the person i cared for would be up all night himself. Which meant i didn't dare go to sleep myself. Which makes me wonder why i never thought to run my sleep aid supplements past my dementia person's doctor for approval. They might have helped both of us!
I hope these suggestions work as well for you, Bellerose, as they do for me.
PS You canceled the AL tour?
I'm not familiar with those meds, but I do know that clonopin is a good standard anti-anxiety med. I would not think that a GP would be as well trained in those meds as a psychiatrist is. My wife was on clonopin for years for her anxiety.
I did the same thing when I had to move my Mom to Memory Care. I was a nervous wreck the whole week and felt like I never slept. I have had trouble getting to sleep and staying asleep for a couple of years. I've done all the stuff they tell you to do but I finally had to have a bit of medicinal help. Ativan 1/2 mg. works well without a hangover. I only take it occasionally on the nights before I go to work.
It really is maddening to lie there and watch my husband's head hit the pillow and he's snoring. I ask him to roll over and he does. I lay there and, since it's quiet, the mind goes into hyperdrive. I start praying but then more problems come to mind.
Lately I've typed in Meditation Music on the IPad. It's very relaxing and I think it's better than white noise for me. The room should be slightly cool (ha, not in THIS weather!) and completely dark. You should not eat or exercise near the time you go to bed. No alcohol or caffeine many hours before bed. Maybe try a new pillow for your bed-it helped in my case. Oh, and no TV or Internet 1 hour before bedtime. That's the hard part.
I bet you will have more success sleeping AFTER all is said and done. Good luck.
Mom’s 1st night in new home at AL will be in a few weeks. Still in shock at how well she received news. Sad at how long we had to keep her at home refusing hired help
but with her age 91 and solid health ( bld pressure and thyroid Rx’s only) it was only way to protect her financially.
Looking into Ativan.
I don’t believe what you’re suffering from is exactly insomnia. I don’t sleep either—maybe an hour a night. I doze off but am up an hour later. This goes in all night. I call it “the mouse on the wheel”. Financial worries, hubby’s health, the messy house, the thoughts all line up outside my head and wait for me to doze off. I’ve tried everything from Ambien to Zzzzquil (nasty stuff, btw)
I’m sure that when all this is over, you will be able to sleep. Give yourself a week and if you’re still tossing and turning, call your doctor. But understand that doctor’s don’t like to hand out sleep aids any longer. You may need to invest in a white noise machine.