Insomnia/ Becoming Nocturnal

[Chrissy]

Okay, so lately I have been having more trouble sleeping than is normal for me. When I do sleep its not a peaceful restful sleep, and it usually happens during the day. I may sleep for 10 hours and wake up just as exhausted as when I collapsed. It also has wrecked havoc on my eating habits because of the strange schedule. Essentially I'm a wreck and need to do something about this fast if I want to be able to keep functioning. Any advice?

[Stormy54]

I'm the same way, as both of you, so I'm sorry that I'm not going to be much help. The one thing that really helps me is reading before bed. It gives my mind a distraction from all the empathic stuff, and therefore, makes it easier to block out. This in turn, helps me to fall asleep. Its kind of my own way of meditating.

I would suggest you try to find your own form of meditating that works for you. Whether that is the traditional method, or find a distraction of sorts, such as reading (like I do), maybe going to take a walk around the block, or put on some music and just close your eyes and only concentrate on the music.

I hope that helps.

-much love
Stormy

[Carolynn]

Hey Chrissy,

Right now it's 7:15am, I think I'll try to get to bed around 8:00am. I have always had a difficult time w/sleep, even as an infant, and naps...NO WAY! They have always been out of the question, again even as a young child. First off, it takes me forever to fall asleep, then I wake up feeling like crap and I am such a "super-crap", everyone is better off if I don't nap.

Over the past few months I have been going to bed when everyone else gets up. My husband HATES it, but its either go to bed in the am or I get so stressed out laying in bed at night that my anxiety sky rockets and I start to get really intense panic attacks, to the point where I get them while I am sleeping and they wake me up in a state of terror and well...panic.

The sleeping during the day works out well for me, I feel like I can relax, for once, and the best part is that I have the bed all to myself.

I try to take a hot sea salt bath before I head off to bed and I try to read something very peaceful in the tub. My favorite thing to read right before bed is anything by Doreen Virtue, her writing and subject matter quiets my mind and reduces a great deal of my nervous energy and unease.

[Holly Cheyanne Mulryan]

I have had the same problem for years now. I'll go to sleep and wake up feeling like I've been awake the whole night. Other nights I can't sleep at all. For me the problem is that along with being an empath, I also have premonitions and visions, mostly when I sleep because that is when I let my guard down. Some nights I have such a fear of what I will dream that I don't go to sleep at all. Other nights I fight sleep as long as I can, but then inevitably I fall asleep eventually. Unfortunately, I don't have a whole lot of advice for you. I'm a lot like you though, so if you need someone to talk to, just shoot me a message. I wish you luck with restoring your sleeping habits to normal.

Holly

[BlueFlame]

I have the same problem, and always have. So, my mom came up with a way to quiet the mind and make it easier to fall asleep. For me at least. Simply make up a story in your mind, picture every detail imaginable, think of every variable possible, and make it interesting to yourself. Soon enough you should be dreaming about the story you made. It usually works, if not try to resolve every problem that came up in the day in your mind. That will either overload it and cause a shut off, or it will calm it long enough for you to fall asleep. Hopefully one of those works, if not I'm sorry for wasting your time.


~Blue

[KarenB]

Hi Chrissy,
After experiencing some extremely stressful life events, death in the family, divorce...., I started having enough trouble sleeping that NOTHING worked to get my mind peaceful enough to fall asleep at night. I finally turned to a prescription and I hope to wean off that eventually but anyway.
Could you be experiencing stress that you're not aware of? Several years ago I developed severe anxiety and had no idea what was going on. Went to the doc and they kept telling me I was a looney toon cuz my body was fine. Anyway, turns out the anxiety was bc of the incredible amount of stress I had going on.
Maybe some meditation or self-hypnosis will bring any problems (if they exist) to the forefront where you can examine and deal with them.

[MoonFlower]

I have an idea about this (although I'm probably not right). It has occured to me that most Empaths have trouble sleeping. I am one of these sleep-deprived individuals myself. And I've noticed that I have the most trouble sleeping when I'm worried or when I can't get something off my mind.

Some things that I've done to try to improve my sleep is listen to some quiet and calming classical (yes, I know it can be boring music lol but it does calm your subconcious) music. If you are the kind of person that can't sleep with music on, I would recoment trying some simple relaxing exercises before you go to sleep. Make sure that you give yourself plenty of time during the day to worry about things that are bothering you.

Then when you go to bed, if you still feel some kind of anxiety or restlessness, lay down and close your eyes. Make yourself relax by imagining an arrow going down your body, relaxing the mustles that it passes. If you still can't sleep, get up and do something active (nothing major, even walking around the house a little might help) and then try to sleep again. The activeness should help exhaust your mind and body so that you can sleep.

My last suggestion is maybe lighting a lavender candle. The scent of lavender is supposed to be relaxing. This is an iffy idea because most people don't like to leave lit candle's unattended (aka. while sleeping lol)

Now, I have an idea about the daytime thing, and this is what I will probably get wrong. Your mind may struggle more to sleep during the day because there are more active people around you. Your subconcious may be absorbing their uneasiness, anxiety, ect. while you sleep, therefor making it harder for you to sleep. Try using some sinmple calming techniques here as well, and try to make sure that nothing is bothering you about your own life as well.

Let me know what you think of my ideas, and I will try to help more if necissary. C=

[isabelle]

It got so bad for me. I went to a a "sleep" specialist who told me to keep very regular hours, every night/ day into bed at say, 10.00 p.m and up at 8:00 (even if I had had a bad night).I wasn't to sleep even if I was tired during the day, stopped tv and 'puter one hour before going to bed, small walks, no stimulants(coffee, cigarettes etc..) finally it worked for me.Maybe this could help you? I also had a sleep journal. I had tried everything.good luck with this.

[Temperance]

I am having the same problem

[Carol E. Ashworth]

This is my take on the situation.....my opinion only my dear......First if you have not already, see a good general practitioner/doctor. Tell him/her about your anxiety and sleep problems and make sure you're in otherwise good health. Any medications that work for you can be discussed w/your doctor as temporary (maybe short term) or long term as you decide. I have a psychiatrist, a psycologist and and MD. I don't see them anymore than I absolutely have to. I take a minimum # of prescriptions, except for my physical health. For me nite time is the only time and best time to be alive, however that doesn't work when you have to have a regular schedule....like when I was raising kids I was always exhausted and anxious and sleepless. I could stay awake for most of three days at a time to keep up w/my kids, job, husband, various other family members who depended on me and assorted friends. I used to use food to fight the pain, anxiety, panic, sadness and ended up a somewhat crazy, eccentric fat girl lol. I tried exercise and sex for awhile....coffee and cigarettes....church and prayer...well listen to the others but make sure you do something about getting real sleep and rest. I am bi-polar and it's all interlaced w/this empath thing. It can take a long time to separate yourself from what's you and what's others. Enormous honesty w/yourself is necessary. Self-hypnosis and meditation have helped over the years. Music is an all time, temporary cure and mood changer for me....as well as contact w/friends I love that love me and I trust. Most have no idea about the empath thing it's just not necessary for everyone to know for many reasons..........I send you love and energy......Carol (one of the old ones lol)

[Christy]

I am right there with you all..I haven't slept in four nights now....:(

[LunarFlame]

I too am having somewhat the same problem except i deal with lack of sleep very well during the day. I don't take any naps but have the hardest time reaching a deep sleep. Lately i've been having alot of vivid dreams whenever i do finally get to a deep sleep stage then i will wake up. I really need to start writing them down when i wake up i think. It's always been a problem to me, i'm a light sleeper. You too, could just not be getting into a deep sleep. Are you having some stress in your life? I'm not really sure what it is that makes it so that i don't sleep deeply but it has been that way my whole life. Dunno why, now, it's getting a bit worse.

[Layla]

I'm an insomniac so I understand letting it get too far will make you a wreck. There's nothing worse than going for days and weeks without a hint of REM (Rapid eye movement) sleep. Thats where the restoritive sleep is.
If meditation or any other thing you try doesn't work, then do the trick I always do. Its difficult but it can maybe work for you. If you tend to sleep during the day, then when you wake up, stay awake as long as it takes until its the normal bedtime that you want. Which means you might have to go a solid 24 hours without sleep, but by the time you get there, you should sleep like a baby. then you'll wake up at a normal time, hopefully.
Its unhealthy advice, I know. Like I said, try it if nothing else works. Thats the way it is for me, and thats my only alternative.