Insomnia - what really works?

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Ouinon, when you posted this it made me think really hard over the last couple of weeks. I had to admit to myself that I am probably not getting enough of certain things in my diet and the gluten that I do eat (and tolerate) could very well be a "hidden" culprit here for me.

Thanks for posting this. It helped me to not only think, but really start to change my diet. (which is very hard from the cravings!)

Garlic eh? I love garlic. I might have to try this. If I do, I will post here how it effects me.

Thanks for posting this Starr. I had no idea until you mentioned this. For the last few weeks, I have had your post in the back of my head and wondering if there is a connection between my depression and my diet.

I have noticed that when I eat certain foods that have been mentioned to help natural fight against depression, I seem to sleep a little bit better. Connection here? Might be, but even if not, I am still going to eat my blueberries.

Again, thanks for posting this. It really gave me something to think about and motivate me to take better care of myself.

Thanks Wendyl, yes, Benadryl is available here, I tried it and it works!

I'd like to be able to get into a natural routine of sleeping but it helps to have something to keep me going (i.e. getting some sleep at least)

I had two nights 'unassisted' sleep, 8 hours, oh joy! I would love to know what caused that to happen, it was pure bliss, lol, but back to 4 for the past few nights so might use Benadryl tonight. I'm trying not to think about sleep too much as it seems to make it worse, just to try to relax and see what happens, although do I try not to drink too much tea during the evening (an inveterate tea addict!)



I feel a lot better mood-wise since about a year ago I stopped eating wheat or anything with yeast in it. I wasn't sure about it until I ate bread when I had lunch at a friend's house (she had no alternative) and a few hours later I felt terrible, so I don't go near the stuff now.
I have heard that chocolate is a natural mood-lifter. Even if it isn't, I'm sure it's good for the soul, hehe, so I eat it anyway and suffer the odd migraine. It's worth it

I'm pleased this thread is useful to others. Please keep posting everyone, if you discover something helpful, I've read that people with AS don't respond to brain hormones the same as NTs, so perhaps we can work out what actually works for us.

If you are like me and get tired from wine then red wine mixed with some sparkling water, one glass (or two) before you go to bed should knock you out.

enjoy.

Melatonin works for me, but ONLY if I take it a minimum of 2 hours before sleeping. Otherwise, if you get in bed and feel like you can't fall asleep, get up and play some mindless game on your computer/memorize some equations that don't require brainwork/listen to a podcast/etc. (speaking from my experiences here, you might find something other to do that doesn't excite your brain but suits your interests). Do that for maybe half an hour and then try going to sleep again - if you're tired enough, it should work. Otherwise if nothing works you might wanna take a short walk outside - very helpful, and a reason for not going to sleep too late.

how much melatonin do you take as i use 2mg circadin and that seems to be enough to get me sleeping, but i usually wake during the night and then have problems getting back to sleep..

What really works?
EXERCISE.
The reason so many people (NT too) have insomnia is because they don't use up enough energy. The human body, right, is designed to hold exactly enough energy to stay up for one day and do all the things required for survival in that day. People USED to use up that energy store by hunting or running or building things or farming, etc.

Get an outdoor hobby of some sort and you won't need the drugs.

I go hill-walking and swim regularly but that doesn't seem to make much difference, unfortunately. I think exercise would help though if someone couldn't sleep because of stress, exercise is relaxing. I find that my body can be exhausted but still can't sleep.

I tried the melatonin again, double the dose, (2x 2mg Circadin) as the doctor told me 'this works!'...hmmm...anyway, my arms and legs had tingling sensations, and I had those 'jumps/twitches' you sometimes get just when you're dropping off to sleep, but all the jumping/tingling kept me awake for ages, and I kicked my husband and woke him up. I slept for a few hours longer once I stopped jumping about, but it wasn't a relaxing experience, twitching like a jumping bean I think 4 mg might be too high a dose, for me anyway.

http://uk.encarta.msn.com/encnet/Featur ... icle=Sleep

No.2 on this list cheered me up a bit

This is not always true. I walk to work and back 5 times a week(2 miles each way) and then when I get to work, I push carts around all day. Doesn't sound like very grueling work, but trust me... after 8 hours straight of doing almost nothing but pushing around carts, it gets tiring and I'm sure I use up more energy then most people do. Also, think about how many lazy people there are that sit around and do nothing but eat and watch tv. Plenty of them have no problems getting to sleep.

What's sleep? Never heard of that term before!

thats the spirit!