Tips from a non recovered insomniac

I have been suffering from insomnia for 5 years now.
Here is some tricks that I have learned help me. (This is a ongoing list).

Updated 9/14/12

- Try to keep a normal sleep schedule.
- Try to get 9 hours of sleep every night.
- I know that if I miss one night of sleep, it sets off slipper slope of no sleep and severe anxiety.
- I don't lay in bed for longer then 20 mins trying to fall asleep. I get up and read, take a bubble bath, etc.
- I don't try to do it on my own anymore. When I know I can't sleep, I don't try to do it alone. I take ambien.
- I got a scentsy burner in my bedroom. I keep it filled with the French Lavender Wax. The scent puts me to sleep, and the light from it keeps me calm when I have a night tare. I don't wake up to a completely dark room when I am in the middle of a full blown panic attack.
- I have Lenny the lamb that I keep filled with french lavender as well. Yes I sleep with a stuffed animal. But I snuggle out to him, and his lovely lavender smell, puts me to sleep.
- I don't do anything that takes a lot of brain power within a hour of bed time. I don't write a blog (yes, that takes too much work), I try to not think about problems.I try to not think about the past. Otherwise my brain will start over thinking, and I will lay awake thinking about it.
- I use a white noise app on my phone. The new casa is TOO quite! So quite that when I'm trying to fall asleep, my ears start ringing. I have my app set to be on for 45 mins, then it fades out. I like the dishwasher setting with a splash of rain. I love it.
- I keep my room cold and my bed warm.
- Alcohol makes me not sleep well.
- Exercise puts my ass to sleep. AM work outs are not my friend, but night works lovely.
- I removed all clocks out of my bedroom. Otherwise the alarm clock stares at me, taunting me, of how much sleep I'm not getting.

This is some small tips that help me a lot. This is a ongoing list which I may or may not add to.

Anonymous Blog - Sleeping Pills

Sleeping pills have always scared me. My family has a history of addiction and of using sleeping pills. So needless to say I was concerned when I started having some insomnia and my Dr gave me some sleeping pills. Well I knew the insomnia was causing a number of other problems in my life so I just sucked up my fear and took the pills for a few days. Well BINGO! they worked. I slept through the night, felt rested in the morning, my anxiety slowly went away and I started sleeping normally again. So I didn't take the pills. I have taken them from time to time when I have needed to insure that I got a good nights sleep but never more than a day or two a week as I did not want to become dependent on them. 

Well here is my problem, I have some really high stress things going on work wise in my life and they are beginning to cause me to loose sleep again. I don't have trouble falling asleep but I have a real hard staying asleep. This is starting to let my anxiety slowly to begin creeping up which also does not make me happy. So it has been advised to me that while this high stress situation continues, which will be for about 4 to 5 weeks, I should just take a pill every night before bed to ensure a good night sleep. Being groggy, sleep deprived and anxious really just makes things worse, so I understand the logic behind taking a pill every night to ensure that doesn't happen. I still have that same old fear of addiction or dependence though so not entirely sure what to do. Everything I have read for the most part indicates the pills I have are not addicting but then some do report withdrawl symptoms. SO I just don't know. I do know one thing though for SURE. I am taking one tonight. I guess we will see what tomorrow brings tomorrow.