Can't sleep with my mental health

System

This discussion was created from comments split from: EHCP Tribunal appeal.

JJackson1

Hi I need help with my mental health

poppy123456

JJackson1 said:

Hi I need help with my mental health

HI,

What help would you like? Can you give us some more information and then someone maybe able to advise you.

JJackson1

I have not been able to sleep with my mental health ???????????????????

Adrian_Scope

Hi @JJackson1. Lack of sleep can be really difficult to cope with. Have you spoken to your GP about it? How long has it been going on for? 

Mind says on their website about the link between sleep and mental health:
There's a close relationship between sleep and mental health. Living with a mental health problem can affect how well you sleep, and poor sleep can have a negative impact on your mental health.

This page also has a range of tips to try and help improve your sleep which you may find helpful.

I've always had difficulty sleeping and have recently tried meditation and mindfulness which has helped somewhat. There are lots of free resources for these available online.

RAwarrior

@JJackson1
There are videos on YouTube which can help with sleep and also calming music such as rainfall, forest sounds, bird sounds etc on YouTube which might help.

JJackson1

Adrian_Scope thank you

JJackson1

RAwarrior I will look at that 

RAwarrior

Hi @JJackson1,
a tip I got from @leeCal was that if you want to let the person know you have replied to them you need to put an @ before their username. I am new to this only community and I didn’t know about this. I hope the sleep videos help and there are lots of them to chose from.

JJackson1

@leeCal hi

JJackson1

@RAwarrior yes

Chloe_Scope

Welcome to the community @JJackson1! How are you doing today?

JJackson1

Not to good

janer1967

Hi @JJackson1 Welcome to the community glad you have joined us.

I sometimes have trouble sleeping but find rather than lying there trying to force myself to sleep I get up have a cup of tea and watch bit of TV then go back to bed when I am starting to drift off

Hope your doing ok 

Chloe_Scope

Sorry to hear that @JJackson1, is there anything further we can do to help?

kaiasparrow

I recently got the Calm app and the nature soundscapes, especially the City Rain and Thunderstorms ones, help me fall asleep. I have PTSD that causes bad nightmares and ADHD that makes falling asleep hard. I still struggle to stay asleep but the sounds that relax me help me fall asleep so overall I'm getting more. If there is a particular sound that makes you feel calm and relaxed it could be worth a try. I hope you find something that helps x

RAwarrior

@kaiasparrow

I also have PTSD after suffering from workplace bullying and I also get very bad nightmares. As well as videos on YouTube which I have already mentioned there are nots of apps with calming sounds from nature like forest sounds, birds singing etc which I find really help me.

Cher_Inactive

Hi everyone, another bad sleeper here! I have been working on what helps me get to sleep for a while.  I agree calming sounds and podcasts help.  Also, its an oldie but a goodie, try a warm cup of ovaltine before you go up to bed and some time off screens like your phone.

I saw this advice the other day too which had some tips! https://sleepcouncil.org.uk/advice-support/sleep-advice/sleep-hygiene/ 

Keep me updated with how you get on and we can swap advice.  Wishing you all lots of Zzzzzz's.

RAwarrior

@Cher_Scope
Thank you very much for the information, it’s very useful. I have trouble in getting to sleep and the apps I have mentioned help me to relax. (I meant lots of apps not not as there was a typo in my previous post). I find it so difficult to switch off and it’s really annoying that I think about the very things that cause me anxiety when I need to sleep. Has anyone else experienced this?

Tori_Scope

Hi @RAwarrior

Yet another bad sleeper here (it's a hiring requirement at Scope apparently...). I second all of the information about sleep hygiene and mindfulness, they're really important!

RAwarrior said:

I think about the very things that cause me anxiety when I need to sleep

Brains are annoying like that! 

If you still find that your thoughts are racing, or you feel anxious in your body, using a distraction technique can help. It feels counter-intuitive to get up and do an activity to help you get to sleep, but I find it really helpful. You can also pair this with better sleep hygiene, by training your body and mind to know that being in bed = time to sleep. I'm not a professional, but I've written a little step-by-step guide below:

1. Allow yourself an amount of time, such as 20 minutes, to try and get to sleep. Set a bed time, and go to bed at that time, regardless of whether or not you feel ready for bed

2. If you don't fall asleep within this time, get up and do an activity outside of the room in which you sleep. Make sure that the activity doesn't involve looking at a screen, and that it's something you find relaxing. For example, I like to do Sudoku or read a good book. Do this for 30 minutes (or less time if you start feeling sleepy)

3. Get back into bed, and try to fall asleep. Give yourself 20 minutes, and keep repeating steps 1 and 2 until you fall asleep

4. Set a waking-up time, and try your best to get up at that time every day, regardless of how much sleep you got

It might not work for you, and I was certainly very tired when I first tried it due to always having to wake up at the same time, but it did help me to get into a better sleep routine in the end.

There are some useful resources on the Psychology Tools website that you could take a look at.

I hope this might be helpful to you! You're definitely not alone.

RAwarrior

@Tori_Scope
Thank you very much your suggestions and the link to the website. I will try the things you have suggested. I had Cognitive Behaviour Therapy because I suffer from PTSD as a result of being bullied at work for many years by one person who is still employed  and part of the therapy involved getting the brain to distract itself by focusing on other things. Many thanks?