Cant sleep,.

[escortcosworth12]

So..

For around 1 or 2 months, i just havent been able to sleep. Even on the nights before my GCSE's, i just couldnt get to sleep until around 4am and then i had to wake up around 7am, and now im on study leave i still just cant get to sleep until about 4am, and then i wake up around 12pm/1pm as i struggle to get up any earlier but last night was very bad, got into bed around midnight and didnt actually get to sleep until around 6am, maybe 6:30am, and ive only just woken up. This is starting to get pretty bad as most days im struggling to actually do much now.

Short of going to the doctor, what else can i do? i used to drink quite a few energydrinks but dont now, unless im extremely tired and they never had any real effect on me anyway, i eat quite a lot of fruit, ever my 5 a day, but still quite a lot and i never really eat breakfast anymore as im usually awake far too late to eat it. I did used to struggle to get to sleep when i wasyonger but its never been like this.

Sorry if the spellings or punctuation is messed up, very tired at the moment so if it doesnt make sense, feel free to say that..

Thanks..

ETA - if it helps, im 16 y/o

[Defcon5]

Force yourself to get up at 7

Do some exercise

[TonyHetherington]

No matter what time you get to sleep.....even if it's 6am, force yourself to get up at 7. Your body will happily go to sleep at 11pm that night, and you'll quickly get back into the routine.

[Effect]

Sorry to hear that.

Try and exercise on a daily basis. As much as possible, try not to eat no later than 6pm. Have a shower and go to bed for 10am. When in bed, try not to let your mind wander but close your eyes. If it works for you, let soft music place in the background in low volume.

[F1sh]

You might also want to look at what time you finish any study related work. just like when you start work, you'll find it hard to go straight from work to home and bed. Your body needs time to unwind and relax, without this there's just zero point in going to bed. Trust me years of doing it.

Fish

[GBDG]

Go to sleep with your curtains open, daylight coming through your windows makes it much easier to get up in the morning. Force yourself up early for a few days and it will hopefully kick your sleep cycle back to normal. Avoid doing things like watching TV/Playing games/being on the computer in the hour or so before you go to bed. Don't go to bed and try to force yourself to sleep. Relax and listen to some music or read a book (not a page turner, try something slow paced). Don't get stressed about sleeping, get up early, go to bed early (about 11pm) and relax and enjoy the rest, rather than worrying about sleeping. Go to bed with the mentality that even if you don't sleep, at least the rest will be good for you.

Physical exertion will also help so try and be active during the day.

[BlackVanDyke]

At around your age it's really, really common for the sleep cycle (circadian rhythm?) to be pushed back a bit so you want to go to sleep later and wake up later. Unfortunately the world's pretty crap for doing this in when you have things like exams that start at 9am...

Most people go back to normal round about 19/20ish, mine hasn't for some reason - just my luck!

Things that might help (some already mentioned):
- Wake up in the mornings and MAKE yourself get up and out of bed, early.
- Have breakfast, and a cup of tea or coffee, before 9am if at all possible.
- get moving, to the greatest possible extent. Go for a swim or a run or walk the dog. Do SOMETHING that gets your heart rate up (no not THAT sort of something...)
- no caffeine, at all, after 5pm. Ever. No exceptions.
- pick a time for getting in bed that gives you at least 9 hours before your chosen waking-up time, maybe 10. At least half an hour before that, stop doing anything noisy/stimulating. If you're gaming, save games and turn off console/puter at this point.
- if anything hurts, this is where you take a painkiller. Glass of water too.
- turn the lights off, get changed for bed with just bedside light on, or lights dimmed.
- computer OFF. Phone out of sight and set not to buzz or beep, unless it's absolutely critical that someone be able to contact you, ideally anybody that matters can just ring the landline...
- stick some (very) quiet, peaceful music on. String quartets works for me, whatever.
- keep cool, this time of year unless you're in Inverness or somewhere you probably only want a sheet not a duvet. Likewise window open a bit.
- Chill out. It's all good, you're comfy and safe, your day is done. Listen to the music a bit, try and follow the themes in the tunes as they change through the pieces.

Hopefully, wake up at desired time... rinse and repeat.

Usually works reasonably well for me.

[Meoricin]

Mine went out of sync during college, and didn't come back into line until I was forced to do it for work, 6 years later. I'm comparatively normal now, but I'll still stay up late (2am-3am most nights) and sleep in late compared to most people (up at 9, in the car and at work at 9.15).

Then I catch up on the few days I have available to do so.

Woke up at 6am yesterday though, but I was having nightmares (for the first time in a very long time, not sure why), and I keep my curtains open.

Either way, don't worry too much about it, most people I know radically changed their sleeping patterns the moment they had the slightest option - it'll come back into sync when it has to.

[otolith]

I've suffered from insomnia off and on for years. Things that have helped at various times (not all suitable for a 16 year old):

Go for a drive
Read a book
Get some exercise
Don't sleep in
Avoid caffeine
Valerian/hop/wild lettuce type pills (Nytol herbal, etc)
Hot milk with spices, sugar and a big shot of brandy

Certain mental exercises work quite well for me - not counting sheep, but mentally tying fishing flies works, visualising the entire process, each turn of thread. Sort of self-hypnosis, I suspect.

Don't lie in bed awake, if you can't sleep, get up, read for a while and then go back to bed.

[BoRED S2upid]

Insomnia is a nightmare, I suffered for years with it.

Don't just lie there, if your not asleep within an hour don't just lie there for another hour, then a third your mind will be racing, why am I not asleep, then you will be worrying that you have to get up in 4 hours then 3 hours then 2 hours. Get up and do something, read a book, watch some TV and an hour later try again.

Dont excercise before sleep you need to let your body unwind and your mind relax and stop thinking about stuff. Likewise stay off the caffine, try not having any all afternoon and evening.

You will find you are worrying about something your life may seem fine, you may not feel stressed but there will be something thats causing the insomnia when you sort that one thing out the insomnia will stop.

[Zad]

I found that reading a novel got my brain working too much, and I would end up reading a huge chunk of the book. I found that doing Sudoku puzzles from the paper helped. It doesn't matter if you are crap, it is an abstract problem which occupies your brain, but as soon as you put it down, your brain stops thinking about it. I find that having the BBC world service (Radio 4 overnight) on low helped too, it somehow fills the silence without demanding attention like music does.

[escortcosworth12]

Thanks everybody. Listened to music and read a book last night, aswell as setting an alarm for 7, but the bd thing didnt even wake me up! so only just woke up, but ill try again tomorrow.

Thanks everybody

[chalky123]

If I can't sleep I have a w@nk, might help?