Trouble sleeping - brain won't shut even for a minute

Hey dude! Lately I have been experiencing the same thing, and quickly realized that it's because I spent too much time with electronics. First, I spend about 10 hours at work in front of the computer screen, then when I get home, I have the TV on along with the computer browsing the internet, or the tablet reading digital comics. Then, when I turn everything off and try to go to sleep, it is practically impossible because my eyes and brain are overloaded with stimuli, so I can't stop thinking, and can't relax or rest.

I don't think your workouts are to blame; you do it early enough that your body is not in hypermode when you go to bed. Continue doing exercise, at least you will feel tired (i ride my bike to and from work; about 8 miles a day).

Try this, and I will also try to follow my own advice: turn off ALL electronics at least one hour before you go to bed. No phone, TV, computer, tablet, music. NOTHING. Read a book or a magazine in bed and in absolute silence. I will try this tomorrow and tell you how it went.

Hope this helps!

 

you might want to try a sleeping pill for a night or two. Ambien works for many people. Just don't do it every night.

 

I fall asleep with the TV on because I need something to keep my brain occupied, otherwise I find my thoughts starting to wander. I blame my ADHD for that.

 

I have been experiencing the same thing as well. It is hard for me to get to sleep, and then I wake up a few times during the night. My thing is I have night terrors, and it can get pretty scary, so therefore it that is why it is hard for me to get back to sleep. I do have ADD, but I have had ADD since I was seven, and I do not think it has anything to do with that.

I will say this. I have been trying to meditate before I go to bed. Just relax, and try to clear my head, and I have noticed that it helps me. Hope this helps!

 

I meditate with music. I do not just sit there in silence because I would just go crazy haha. Music helps me clear my mind, and I tend to drift off with the music.

 

Well I second the suggestion about avoiding electronics, at least computer usage, in the hour before bed. I noticed I sleep better when I turn the computer off and do something else in the hour before bed. But then I usually spend that hour laying in bed watching TV, so I don't think TV is necessarily something you have to avoid.

I've had a lot of problems with insomnia over the years. Have you tried any natural supplements to help you sleep, like melatonin, l-theanine, and Valerian root? I would suggest trying those first, only if they fail should you seek a sleeping pill. Over-the-counter you can get doxylamine and diphenhydramine, both antihistamines (brand names like Unisom and Tylenol PM).

If it's really a chronic serious problem, then, as an earlier poster suggested, you can see a doctor about prescription treatments for insomnia. But Ambien (Zolpidem) is kinda a serious drug that can be kind of dangerous with the potential for addiction and tolerance. I'm prescribed Remeron (Mirtazapine), which is an anti-depressant that is also prescribed for insomnia, it also has an anti-histamine effect. I always take it right before bed because it really does knock you out. Though it also gives me very vivid dreams and nightmares, I guess since I'm sleeping so heavily.

Also you can try binaural beats/brainwaves. You can download apps on either an iPhone/iPod or Android device, and with earphones in your ears it plays a frequency that trains your brain into a certain state. Lower frequencies will make you sleep, higher frequencies will wake you up. There's no real downsides, so it can be worth a try. (And you can listen to music with the binaural beats just playing in the background).

 

Oh yes, no music for you to get to sleep. I used to be that way just because I do love music, but you will find something that works for you. Just know that you will find a way, and you will get through this!

 

Alright, well I definitely would suggest trying the binaural beats to entrain your brainwaves. There are plenty of Brain Wave apps available to do that. Some let you just set a frequency, you can set it to sleep and it will play at like 4 hz, other apps have specific programs you can choose, like "Deep Sleep", "Power Nap", "Lucid Dreaming", "Reduce Anxiety", etc., that will play a variety of different frequencies (theta and delta waves for sleep) designed to get your brain into the right relaxed state for sleep. And it doesn't involve putting any chemicals into your body whatsoever, so it's definitely worth a try! (And again, you can just play the binaural beats in the background while you listen to music that can also help you sleep)

If you do decide to take something, I would try natural supplements first. Look for something like a Melatonin supplement (even better, some Melatonin supplements include L-Theanine in them). Experiment with different doses- some people react well to small doses (1-3mg), others react better to larger doses (5mg).

Valerian Root works pretty well too. Passion Flower can help calm your nerves. And a cup of chamomile tea also can help sleep, like Sleepy Time tea from Celestial Seasonings. (You can actually find sleep supplements that contain all of these herbs and melatonin together). Try all of these things before even considering sleeping pills.

 

I used to be that way,

I had stress in my life and I just needed to solve it, along with meditation and melotonin.

I have almost no trouble sleeping now.

 

I had the same problem, beginning in May 2008. There was a specific event. I went to bed at 11 pm and didn't fall asleep until 5 am, and then needed to be awake at 7 am. It made it difficult for work and it made me depressed. The next month I went to the doctor. I was prescribed Ambien. It worked like a charm.

If I as much as try to sleep without it, I will, again, fall asleep 5 hours later. That doesn't work.

Hence, I now take both Ambien (because it still works, but not as effectively over time) and Clonazepam every night before going to bed. I fall asleep within half an hour and am able to sleep 6 to 7 hours. I function better. If that's the price ...

What is the reason, in your mind, that keeps you up? Is something on a grander scale keeping you anxious? I'd start with your doctor. Are you amenable to some type of therapy, if it was necessary? I personally don't think therapy makes you sleep, but it has its value in other aspects of life.

 

Hey thatlonelyguy! Did you try the quiet time before tucking in? I am giving it a try tonight. I am sure it will be hard to resist the temptation to reach out to any piece of electronics LOL!

 

If I didn't have to take pills, I wouldn't either. Before 2008, I only took an antidepressant. As for these two, I have had no side effects ... except being able to sleep. Ambien has been fairly reliable; however, you hear stories of people waking up and doing chores or whatever, like driving ( ! ), when under it. Not here. I'm gone. As for the clonazepam, it does have some side effects. For me, the only one I can see is the feeling of a dryer than usual mouth when waking up, which goes away during the day. They are different classes of drugs and the doctor, who is experienced though I don't like his lack of empathy because he is provincial and only sees things from the way his linear life played out, has no problem giving me these meds.

 

Clonazepam is a benzodiazepine for the treatment of anxiety and panic disorder, not a sleeping pill. I know because I'm prescribed clonazepam for those purposes, and I would never take it right before going to sleep because I would view that as a complete waste of a pill. For the first week taking them, they made me very sleepy, but that was a side effect that wore off after getting used to the medication. If it helps you sleep, it's because of the anxiolytic effects reliving you of the anxiety that was keeping you awake. (Not uncommon, one woman I spoke to while waiting in the doctor's office takes Xanax every night to get to sleep.)

However combining clonazepam with the supplement phenibut (a notorious sleep-inducing combo), on the other hand, literally made me incapable of staying awake once it all hit me. I literally passed out on a NYC subway, completely missed my stop, I only woke up when I embarrassingly found myself laying upon a woman's shoulder sitting two seats down from me with a look of shock and panic on her face. Never in my life have I ever felt literally incapable of forcing myself to stay awake, except when I first took clonazepam and phenibut together.

But oh yeah if anxiety is keeping you up, phenibut is another supplement that can really help you sleep. It is shockingly powerful for something you can just easily obtain without a prescription (it acts on the GABA beta receptor while prescription benzodiazepines [like clonazepam] act on the GABA alpha receptor, there is some debate over whether phenibut actually acts on the alpha receptor too).

Phenibut just totally relaxes you, mentally and physically (it's also a muscle relaxant). There have been plenty of times where I woke up in the night, sometimes in a panic, took just a gram or two of phenibut, then fell back into a very deep sleep that lasted all night. It has a very slow onset time though, it can take 2-3 hours to feel the full effects. And even though it's classified as a supplement you can just order online or buy in a supplement store, it carries potential for addiction and tolerance just like the prescription drugs mentioned.

 

I'm not going to recommend any prescription medications, but over-the-counter Melatonin has worked wonders for me. I fall asleep with 15 minutes of taking it and don't wake up groggy. And you can take it every day without adverse effects. I highly recommend it.