The Student Room Group

Help me beat my insomnia! :(

Hi there.

I've posted before baot this issue but it's still bugging me even month or so later.

I just can't seem to get to sleep at night. I'm trying to aim to get between 7-10 hours sleep but I can't sleep.

I've had to wake up early as I need to go que up to buy some tickets for the football match on Saturday and maybe I'm a little high after watching united get knocked out. But football aside, this has been the case for more than month. I was given some pills by my GP but I haven't used them regularly and the side-effects aren't very nice on the tastebuds.

I wa shoping you my fellow users, could offer me some advice and tips on how to get into a regular sleeping patter bearing in mind I want to break this habit sooner rather than later and maybe start doing so tonight (as in Thursday/Friday night).

I won't go back to sleep now as at around 5am I'll get ready to go out and then go que up for the tickets.

Thanks for all your help. Please help me. :frown:
Reply 1
To help regain a normal sleep pattern it might be useful to undergo melatonin therapy. Melatonin is a naturally produced hormone that regulates the body clock. However you may be lacking it - taking a regular medicinal grade supplement over a number of weeks will get your body clock readjusted and get you sleeping better. Melatonin isn't available over the counter in the UK (it is in the US and here in Argentina) - but ask for a prescription from your GP. I've found it to be very effective..

Best of luck!
Reply 2
Hmm. not really keen on something over the counter. I was wondering if there's anything I could do/use without prescription.
Reply 3
British Bulldog
Hmm. not really keen on something over the counter. I was wondering if there's anything I could do/use without prescription.


Well melatonin can be bought without prescription if it's not medicinal grade - it might help - although it probably isn't as potent. Remember this is a naturally produced hormone - it wont do you any harm! I've found this British site - it seems you don't in fact need a prescription: http://www.vitasunn.co.uk/index.cfm?Action=ViewCategory&Category=6&gclid=CIrAi_6B8YsCFQ4hgQoduAlQPQ

I'd go for the 3mg tablets or the liquid form by Natrol.
Reply 4
There is a drug called diphenhydramine HCI...it is an antihistamine that goes by the name Benadryl as an allergy medicine. It is also in Tylonol PM as a sleep aid, and sold as a sleep aid by various other companies.

If you can find it in your local drugstore, you should definitely try it. Several people I know swear by it and when I finally tried it the other day (I try not to take meds if I can help it), I slept better than I have in ages.

Melatonin doesn't work for some of the insomniacs I know, but this does. Before ordering shady drugs from the internet, go to your local drugstore and look for this.
Reply 5
You've probably tried all these but the general tips on how to get to sleep easier are:
-Not to stimulate the brain too much before going to bed e.g. TV, computer etc
-Exercise in the evening so you are too tired to do anything but sleep
-Have a bath- u can get bath drops which are specifically designed to help you sleep (not sure how keen you'll be on this one)
-Avoid caffine, alcohol, nicotine in the evening

have a look here: http://www.well.com/~mick/insomnia/
Reply 6
xxpinkaxx
You've probably tried all these but the general tips on how to get to sleep easier are:
-Not to stimulate the brain too much before going to bed e.g. TV, computer etc
-Exercise in the evening so you are too tired to do anything but sleep
-Have a bath- u can get bath drops which are specifically designed to help you sleep (not sure how keen you'll be on this one)
-Avoid caffine, alcohol, nicotine in the evening

have a look here: http://www.well.com/~mick/insomnia/


Add one more- Do not try to sleep. Do not think about sleep. The more you think, more it runs away.
Reply 7
I've been for acupuncture twice so far and have noticed significant changes in my sleeping patterns. Alongside Zopiclone, I also take Bach's Rescue Remedy and spray lavender oil in my room.
Get up at 7:30am every day and your insomnia will go like that!!!

Guarantee it.
Reply 9
45mg of Kentazolam per nite and you will sleep like a baby, that´s what my doctor receipt me for the exams time
By the sound of it you're just "disorganised" around bed time, and don't need drugs. Follow common sleep-hygeine advice.

I don't advise antihistamines like diphenhydramine, its a dirty whore of a drug. Melatonin - try it if you want, its cheap as ****. Start with about 0.2mg, though. More doesn't mean it will help more - indeed it can have the opposite effect.
Reply 11
lucho22
To help regain a normal sleep pattern it might be useful to undergo melatonin therapy. Melatonin is a naturally produced hormone that regulates the body clock. However you may be lacking it - taking a regular medicinal grade supplement over a number of weeks will get your body clock readjusted and get you sleeping better. Melatonin isn't available over the counter in the UK (it is in the US and here in Argentina) - but ask for a prescription from your GP. I've found it to be very effective..

Best of luck!


They use melatonin injections to treat SAD, apparently it's much more effective than SSRI's and or Light box alone, well at least they do in medical studies, I suspect it'll soon be available over here, as soon as they've finished testing the treatment.

There's a thread in FAQ about this, I still recommend learning relaxation techniques such as meditation or breathing exercises, works for me. And I used to be a chronic insomniac.
Reply 12
I don't know if this will help (and I'm not trying to sound like one of those people who tells people with depression to 'be happier'), but not worrying about the fact that I couldn't sleep really helped me (although I was quite low at the time so I think that was definitely a factor). Lavender oil on your pillow can help, as can music (keep one CD for playing before you go to bed to be your 'sleepy' music). Hope you manage to get on top of it soon, it's really horrible when you can't sleep :hugs:.
Reply 13
rock_eleven
I don't advise antihistamines like diphenhydramine, its a dirty whore of a drug.

What's wrong with it?
My mom's friend was told to take it for sleeping by her doctor, and it's incredibly useful as a fast-working anti-allergy medication. It's frequently used in hospitals to treat patients with bad inflammatory outbreaks, over the tons of other drugs hospitals have available at their disposal.

The only problem I know of - and I was warned about this when I used to have bad allergies - is that because they hit your body so hard in getting rid of the outbreak, it's possible that taking the drug could cause them to get worse after the medication wears off. Something like that. It's been years since I had to worry about it...
I don't know about its use in anti-allergy situations, I understand that is, as you say, fast acting and "strong". Its interesting, and conceivable, that perhaps it results eventually in a greater histamine response.

With sleep - it rapes your sleep architecture quite a bit. Fine if you can't sleep at all without it, but really you want to be off it after ~3 nights if you can be.

Dependence is certainly a concern, although I don't think addiction as such.
:sheep: :sheep: :sheep: :sheep: :sheep: :sheep:

1, 2, Yawn.
I haven't always found antihistamines that effective to be honest. That's why I was given Zopiclone, because it's a proper sleep medication.

I never found counting sheep worked either.

I guess it just varies from person to person. Just try loads of methods until you find one that suits you. Bare it mind it could take ages.