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Started university and insomnia has hit me very badly, and it is killing me !!!!!!!!!

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Listen to calming music?

I would not recommend this as it is very distracting to get to sleep like the sound of raindrops, birds etc., it is however good for people who have nightmares often as it takes their mind off it.

OP:
- Avoid 'placebo effect'(think that is what it is called) so before going to bed do not THINK your not going to sleep till 4am because you would continue to think about which will stress you out whilst trying to go to sleep, the same applies for: thinking about workload, school in general, heavy-thinking just take your mind to fantasy land and deal with everything in the morning.
-Adjust brightness levels on digital technology to reduce eye strain.
- Sleeping pills should be a last resort.

Reply 21

Jenx301

Try and set a "sleep routine". Even if you don't get to sleep until say 4am still set your alarm for whatever time you want to regularly get up. It will suck for a few days but it will help you regulate your body clock. Make sure you dont sit on your bed and work or watch TV, only use your bed for sleeping. Turn off TV/phones/electronics about an hour or so before bed. Have a routine to settle down so have a shower or bath, put on some cosy PJs, have a warm milky drink, read a book then go to bed. If you can't sleep after an hour or so get up and wander around and do something then try and go back to sleep after that. Don't eat a heavy meal too close to your "bed time". Practice mindfullness before bedtime, there are some good guided relaxation exercises you can do. Do your excercise in the evening rather than morning to tire yourself out - it makes you feel more awake at first then tires you out. You are best doing it so that you finish your run or work out about 2/3 hours before you want to sleep then afterwards do your wind down like i said above. Keep going with all this don't just give up after a few days.

Reply 22

nucdev

Original post by K78R

I would not recommend this as it is very distracting to get to sleep like the sound of raindrops, birds etc., it is however good for people who have nightmares often as it takes their mind off it.

No, I didn't mean that kind of music. Just sort of quiet instrumental music. Helps me which is why I recommended it.

Reply 23

eoe

Original post by a noble chance

How much exercise do you do? Do you eat properly? Do you suffer from persistent anxiety, loneliness or other unpleasant feelings? Is your living environment healthy and comfortable for you? Do you consume much caffeine? How much time do you spend looking at a screen?

I go for a jog every 3 days for 20 minutes. I eat properly
Yes I do have social anxiety
I have suffered from severe depression, but do not anymore.

I have just moved away to another country (Holland), and it is my first time when it comes indepedence.

And the stress level is pretty high, uni is quite hard, but i am enjoying the hardness.

Reply 24

a noble chance

Original post by eoe

Assuming that this sleeping problem has only reared its head in your change of circumstances, then I suppose it would be reasonable to attribute it to the stress of moving to another country and having to live independently for the first time on top of the usual high stress of university life and a heightening of your social anxiety as a result of all of these things.

Having some experience of these issues myself I do know that it is important to simply be aware of their influence on you. The fact that you have come here for advice on how to sleep better rather than advice on how to lower your anxiety and stress levels suggests you are not doing this, since these appear to be the very likely causes of your sleeping problems.

I am not sure what to suggest for you. In the short-term there are sleeping tablets like Nytol (read the instructions provided), as well as ASMR videos (YouTube). Perhaps you should also try exercising more frequently and rigorously to tire yourself out (very effective with improving mental health in general). Anxiety and stress are notoriously disruptive to our sleep and so I would also suggest seeing a doctor at your student health so that they can help you resolve these issues.

Reply 25

HAnwar

Original post by eoe

I really do not know what to do!
I feel hopeless. Uni is very stressful and I can not afford insomnia to ruin my university life. I cant sleep till 4am, despite the fact I am tired. My brain simply does not allow me to fall asleep. I fall asleep at 4am and have to wake up at 8am or 9am. So I am getting about maximum 5 hours of sleep. Sometimes, I even miss my lecture so I can sleep a bit more. Its just so fustrating. I feel like crying. It had a huge impact on my productivity and efficiency when it comes to revision.

I did not have this issue before, but since university has started I developed insomnia, I have so many other problems in my life.
I dont know what to do !
PLEASE SOMEONE HELP! I BEG U

I don't know what advice to give you but I'm in the exact same position as you.
I go to sleep at 4 too and the only thing I can do is consume multiple cups of caffeine throughout the day.

Reply 26

eoe

Original post by HAnwar

I don't know what advice to give you but I'm in the exact same position as you.
I go to sleep at 4 too and the only thing I can do is consume multiple cups of caffeine throughout the day.

That is very unhealthy. I dont consume coffee.
You have a high risk of getting a heart attack if you continue drinking coffee

Reply 27

HAnwar

Original post by eoe

That is very unhealthy. I dont consume coffee.
You have a high risk of getting a heart attack if you continue drinking coffee

Not true. I'm studying science and my own textbook said 2-3 cups is a healthy amount.
Even the NHS website said drinking a few cups could prevent heart failure (don't know how accurate this is).

It's just the energy drinks I need to lay off.

Reply 28

eoe

Original post by HAnwar

The funny thing is that coffee has no impact on me.
:frown:

Reply 29

HAnwar

Original post by eoe

The funny thing is that coffee has no impact on me.
:frown:

Try black coffee. It's much stronger. Or mint tea.

Reply 30

eoe

Original post by HAnwar

Try black coffee. It's much stronger. Or mint tea.

Yes, I have strong black coffee. it does not help.

have u heard of this Dua
http://www.searchtruth.com/dua/index.php?dua=2

Reply 31

HAnwar

Original post by eoe

Yes, I have strong black coffee. it does not help.

have u heard of this Dua
http://www.searchtruth.com/dua/index.php?dua=2

No I haven't, and I have not heard of Hisnul Hasin before, but thank you for sharing.

Posted from TSR Mobile

Reply 32

Malcolm79game

When my mother got dementia and passed away later this year I fell into a deep depression I always self medicated with alcohol but this was too much I’ve always been anxious and a workaholic and kept my drinking to a functioning alcoholic but with her loss and other losses and my family was very hard. I hope you are doing well I am still trying to deal with the insomnia I’m in California and it’s 240 in the morning still can’t seem to get to sleep

Reply 33

Ameba

Try and not look at screens at least one hour before bedtime. And if you want to you could either use at a kindle, because I believe it is better in terms of blue light, reduce the brightness or use night mode on your phone/laptop.

You can download apps which have a setting for a blue light filter if your phone doesn't have one or use glasses whose purpose is to filter blue light.

(edited 6 years ago)

Reply 34

dwarfie

I can totally ralete this this. After doing night shift work for about 1/2 year my circadian clock turned uspide down. No matter how hard I try I still end up staying up at night..No nytol tablet or lavender/chamomile tea or even work out (which does completely opposite,especially if it's done in the evening, makes you bounce off the walls) helps...The only thing that worked for a while were sleeping tablets from h&b wihch were £8.00.Seems like such a waste for an ordinary things like sleep..After ages fighting with insomnia I came to conclusion "there's no sleep for the wicked" and no point even trying to fight it.