Searching for sleep: what helps you beat insomnia?

13

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  • Tori_Scope
    Tori_Scope Scope Posts: 12,445 Championing
    Is it Working on Wellbeing you're in contact with @lisathomas50? I'm glad they're being helpful! Getting back into a regular routine through working could definitely help you to improve your sleeping pattern, I know that it helped me a lot. 
  • Lisatho11987777
    Lisatho11987777 Scope Member Posts: 5,874 Championing
    Yes it is working on well  being i will get support for six months unless I get a job and if I need longer I csn have an extension I was reffered  by job support as it was more beneficial  and I live in Wales  the corona virus isn't helping I got things popping up on my phone about looks like London are in trouble and wsles has just been mentioned there are so many out of a job  now aswel 
  • Tori_Scope
    Tori_Scope Scope Posts: 12,445 Championing
    Great, it sounds as though you're getting lots of support from them @lisathomas50. It is definitely a difficult time to be looking for a job, but I think you've just got to continue looking out and applying for the right opportunities. 

    Could you do some volunteering in the meantime to give you some more structure? 
  • Lisatho11987777
    Lisatho11987777 Scope Member Posts: 5,874 Championing
    All our volunteering things have stopped here  I can do phone befriending  but there is a 12 month waiting list  or I can do liter picking I cant even pick myself up lol 

    Tom said he will have things for me to do in between calls  my dr came earlier to check on me the nurse came with her to weigh me  I have gone down to six stone again the nurse has given me exercises to do to help get my legs going and hoping to try and walk up to the little hare  when I feel a bit stronger ? 
  • Tori_Scope
    Tori_Scope Scope Posts: 12,445 Championing
    Oh wow @lisathomas50. I suppose it's a good thing they've got so many volunteers though. 

    It's good to hear that Tom will be giving you stuff to do in between calls. That sounds really helpful. 

    Hopefully the exercises will help :) 
  • Lisatho11987777
    Lisatho11987777 Scope Member Posts: 5,874 Championing
    @Tori_Scope I think thry were over whelmed none of our shops are open  so the charity shops aren't open some of ours have shut down completely in my area so there isn't alot of voluntary work going at the moment sll the office volunteering has stopped because of corona virus I was meant to start at the fire station last year but the volunteering has stopped becsuse of corona virus

    I have only just got up so again I have lost most of my day I didnt even know what day it was lol ha ha I am glad I have tom helping me  he is doing a face time meeting on Wednesday  so I have to be up and dressed and everything so that might help aswel haveing to make an effort 
  • Lisatho11987777
    Lisatho11987777 Scope Member Posts: 5,874 Championing
    Has anyone got any ideas to help me sleep at night instead of the day time ?  thank you 
  • Cher_Alumni
    Cher_Alumni Scope alumni Posts: 5,714 Championing
    Hi @lisathomas50 oh heck, look at the time of your post.  Has it been another wonky sleep day?  :(

    The Sleep Council have a 30 day free sleep plan that might be able to help.  You answer some questions about your current sleep routine and lifestyle, and then you are able to download a personalised action plan.  Maybe give that a go?
  • Lisatho11987777
    Lisatho11987777 Scope Member Posts: 5,874 Championing
    @Cher_Scope thank you I am going to try thst I havent long been awake  the dr has been to see me she said its becsuse I am only in the house doing nothing apart cleaning and normal stuff in the house I am used to working 12 hour shifts plus the corona virus I had at the beginning of the year as I was poorly for 8 weeks my dr said its a combination of a few things  I will get there hopefuly 

    I try to stay awake one I am awake and hold out until night ? time before I sleep I know it sounds stupid but the corona virus is from a bat and that's what its like sleeping in the day and awake at night my dr has said that other people have said the same and at night my hearing is realy loud  I cant explain it and slot of people who comment on the corona virus group have said they cant function do well in the day time 
  • Tori_Scope
    Tori_Scope Scope Posts: 12,445 Championing
    It is definitely really hard at the moment @lisathomas50. I've pretty much always felt as though my body clock is different to most people's. I find it really hard to go to bed and wake up at a reasonable time. Working has helped, but things got totally switched 12 hours out for me during the first lockdown when I was at university.

    This is what I did to get myself back on track. It was awful at first, but was the only thing that really worked.
    1. Set a bedtime. I tried not to be unrealistic, I wasn't going to get to sleep at 10pm, so I think I went for 1am
    2. Set a wake-up time. You should try and sleep for around 6-8 hours a night, so calculate it from there. I think I went for 10am in the end
    3. Don't spend any time outside of these hours in bed if possible. Not to lie-in, eat, watch TV, or do anything else
    4. Don't nap, or go to bed earlier or sleep in later, regardless of how tired you are. I felt very tired, but tried to keep myself busy so I could stay awake
    5. Once you're in bed at the set time, give yourself 30 minutes to fall asleep. If you're not asleep, get up and do a relaxing activity for 10 minutes away from your bed. This shouldn't involve using a screen, so something like reading or listening to music would work
    6. After 10 minutes, go back to bed and try to sleep again for 10 minutes.
    7. Rinse and repeat until you fall asleep, and make sure you wake-up and get out of bed at your allocated wake-up time
    I know this might not work for everyone, and it's a reasonably extreme measure as you could, in theory, get very little to no sleep at all, but it was the only thing that helped me not sleep all day and stay awake all night at the time!

    I'd also recommend reading about sleep hygiene if you haven't already. 

    Let us know how you get on with the resource Cher sent too :) 
  • Lisatho11987777
    Lisatho11987777 Scope Member Posts: 5,874 Championing
    @Tori_Scope my dr spoke to me yesterday she thought I would be sleeping but I had been up from 10pm the previous night and stayed awake  so she suggested  I stayed up untill 6pm last night which I did then go to bed so by 6pm I realy needed to sleep so I went to bed 

    I slept from 6pm to 4am I have been doing jobs and things but today I have alot of stress and upset  and when this happens my body and mind want to sleep ? 

    I am staying  awake but its hard fighting stress at the same time  the dr wants me to stay awake untill 10pm  but start winding down from 9pm so I will have my bath with my bath bomb light my candles  hot choclate and then go to bed I would of been awake 18 hrs by then 

    At 4am when I got up yo day I had my shower got dressed had my coffee and something to eat drove to morrisins with my roof down got my shopping no one in there first thing so it was great  its 15miles to morrisons from ny house  then I went home sorted som stuff out had all the stress which I hope will sort it self out  and I am still awake 

    Going to have some dinner now and then go through all my messages and things on my phone 

    Thank you to you and Cher for your help and support so glad I joined scope 
  • Tori_Scope
    Tori_Scope Scope Posts: 12,445 Championing
    6pm to 4am is a big improvement already @lisathomas50! Hopefully, with the help of your doctor, you'll be able to get back into that 10pm routine :) Winding down an hour before bed is definitely really important too. 

    No problem. Enjoy the rest of your day! 
  • Lisatho11987777
    Lisatho11987777 Scope Member Posts: 5,874 Championing
    @Tori_Scope I think I only slept that long becsuse I had been awake for 24 hrs   I am struggling to stay awake now and its ages to 10pm lol ?  ha ha 
  • Tori_Scope
    Tori_Scope Scope Posts: 12,445 Championing
    You can do it @lisathomas50! I know we're all limited in what we can do at the moment, but are you able to keep yourself occupied for a few more hours? Have you had your tea? 
  • Lisatho11987777
    Lisatho11987777 Scope Member Posts: 5,874 Championing
    I have had my tea gad coffee and two Cadbury cream eggs  i am watching grace point the box set on my stv app on my telly I have been cleaning  and doing my washing  its only half past five  I got four and a half hours left lol 
  • Tori_Scope
    Tori_Scope Scope Posts: 12,445 Championing
    Not too long to go now @lisathomas50! It's good that you discovered the STV app. Is Gracepoint good? Is it the one based on Broadchurch? 
  • Lisatho11987777
    Lisatho11987777 Scope Member Posts: 5,874 Championing
    @Tori_Scope yes gracepoint is good  yes its weird because I have seen broad church  the problem I got i am trying to eat normal times and my body doesn't like I am fighting to keep it dow I tired aswel this is worse than comeing off my painkillers I was addicted to lol ? 
  • Lisatho11987777
    Lisatho11987777 Scope Member Posts: 5,874 Championing
    @Tori_Scope I am flagging now an hour and a half ? 
  • Tori_Scope
    Tori_Scope Scope Posts: 12,445 Championing
    Hopefully eating at normal times will become easier as your body gets more used to it @lisathomas50.

    Did you manage to stay awake until 10pm? 
  • Lisatho11987777
    Lisatho11987777 Scope Member Posts: 5,874 Championing
    @Tori_Scope no went about nine I felt ill but now I know why I tested positive for corona virus I did my test yesterday they cone to the house at the request of my doctor once a week  I knew broke they phoned I woke up at 7am my head was banging  I was coughing and I was hot  this is the 2nd time 

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