Sleep…

I also have an anxiety disorder (and have been medicated for the past two weeks but twice in the past so not new to it). Personally I have no issues with sleep, infact while weaning onto medication I am finding I will have a nap during the day as I just can’t deal with all the extra serotonin lol. My partner has insomnia and I do feel he struggles with it nightly. One thing I have found to work well for him is to take some valerian before bed. Having said that, people on anti-depressants can’t take valerian or a lot of other things so before trying any remedies I would definitely check with your doctor. Luna19 definitely has some great ideas! Personally I would try using your energy as much as you can so that you are physically exhausted at night. Best of luck and know you’re not alone!

I have also been diagnosed with anxiety and I am currently medicated, I still have issues with sleep but I these are some tips I have picked up. Somethings don’t work for me but they might work for you.

• Have a routine and do not perform any “active” brain activities like reading, TV etc. before bed. (This is important, I try to turn off everything at 8.30, shower/prepare for bed and go to sleep between 9pm-9.30pm during weeknights)
• For your sleep pattern to alter/reset it takes roughly 10 days of setting up the routine
• Blackmores Tranquil Night tablets help aid me to sleep some nights
• Spray lavender oil around your room before bed as a calming technique
• Shut off electronics 30-40 minutes before bed
• Don’t have any caffeine past 12, warm drinks (herbal tea or non-caffeinated tea before bed is good), warm showers can also help. With anxiety its best to avoid caffeine all together (Coffee is my worst nightmare)
• Going to sleep try counting backwards from 20, if you forget what your place is start again
• Practice mind-fullness techniques as you go to bed (there are some free apps you can get that have great short courses, these are great in day to day activities as well. There is one called “Smiling Mind” )
• If you lay in bed and can’t sleep get up after roughly 20 minutes and perform a boring activity. I generally clean, or tidy up my desk. Don’t look at your phone. (I usually get up after 40 mins as I think 20 have passed)
• Download a twilight app that changes the colour on your phone to a red, it helps with your melatonin rhythm.
• If your sleep pattern still isn’t adjusting, go see your doctor. I have had my sister take melatonin and it has helped her a lot. Otherwise you can be referred onto a specialist.

I hope you get better soon!

When I have a hard time falling asleep, I try at least a couple of things. First, I drink hot milk with honey to calm me down. I also take melatonin tablets. They are safe, natural and help me fall asleep a lot quicker (as it normally takes me a long time to fall asleep). Magnesium and calcium tablets also help me a lot with keeping me calm, relaxing my muscles and overall feeling relaxed as I suffer from anxiety as well. Ive also read that the worst thing to do is to stay in bed if you can’t fall asleep. Sometimes I will just walk around the house for awhile and I start to get a bit tired.

I’m a poor sleeper too and what works for me does go against usual advice…the only way I can stop thinking too much is to watch reruns on DVDs ….it has to be DVDs so no ads, it needs to be light comedy of short shows and they need to be ones I’ve seen so many times I know the lines lol….that way I tune out and am soon asleep…

I wish I had an amazing definitive answer, but I’m just dropping in to say that you’re not alone with the inability to sleep.

Having said that, I think personally one of the best ways is for me to read a calm book and drink some green tea. Even though tea has caffeine in it, in green tea its negligible compared to coffee or even an apple.

Something about the warmth and the cleansing of toxins in the body really soothes me!

Don’t choose something too long to read however – you might not be able to put it down, haha!