Question
I have two questions.
I am a 23 year old male.
1. For as long as I can remember I have always had trouble falling asleep. But it has gotten worst this past year.
I work a job where I go in at 4 and get home at Midnight. When I get home I relax for a bit and often try to go to bed about 2:30 a.m. But I have the hardest time falling asleep. If the TV is on sometimes I fall asleep right away and others I stay up all night. If the TV is off then I again sometimes fall asleep right away and others I can?t. I've tried some of the PM sleeping pills. Those work for about a week and then they do nothing. I talked to my Doctor and he prescribed me some sleeping pills that are used to relax the body. Those worked for about a week and Nothing. There has been numerous times where I have lied in bed on the pills and have gotten 0 hours of sleep. On the days that I have had no sleep when I try to go to bed at night it is still impossible for me to go to sleep.
These past 2 weeks it has been easier for me to fall asleep around 3 a.m., but my other problem still happens.
2. The Issue that I am concerned the most about is the fact that no matter what time I go to bed. I can?t seem to get myself out of bed until I have had 12 - 13 hours of sleep. I have 2 alarms one right next to me and one across the room. I don't remember shutting either of them off. I just get up and walk across the room flip the button on the alarm and go back to bed without thinking about it. I have things to do in the morning before I go to work that I never get done, due to the fact I can?t get up until it?s too late to do anything.
Answer
The reason you are having so much trouble is because your sleep cycle is very topsy turvy. Try the steps below religioously for 4-6 weeks, if it does not work, then seek a sleep center for an evaluation of your sleep. However some have seen results after these tips in as little as 2 weeks.
You must go to bed and awaken the same time each day regardless of little or much
sleep you got the night before. This starts to reset your sleep clock
3 hours before bedtime stay away from
tea, coffee, caffeine, caramel colored soda like, coke,pepsi, ginger ale,
or root beer, chocolate and exercise .All these make for restless sleep.Do the following religiously for 4-6 weeks although some have seen changes in as little as 2 weeks.
Make sure room is quiet and dark. When you go to bed if you start to
twist and turn or if you wake up in the middle of the night and cant
go back to sleep, twist and turn for only 20 minutes, then get up, go
into a different room and read a book or magazine only! No computer!
When you start to doze immediately go back into the bedroom.This retrains
the brain into thinking that the bedroom is for restful sleep only. Do
this as many times as you awaken thru the night, it will lesson.
30 minutes before bedtime take a hot bath and immerse hands under the
water.Latest research states that the palms of the hand when immersed
in hot water send signals to the brain to relax. 15 minutes before bedtime\
drink a glass of warm milk. Milk when heated contains tryptophan, a
natural amino acid sleep inducer. Go to sleepnet.com click on disorders
insomnia for more tips. Feel free to email again , Karel
