A sleeping and insomnia update

I had a huge reaction on the Facebook page when I spoke about my issues with insomnia, it seems so many people suffer from this. I’ve decided to do a post of things that I’ve tried in case it’s of help to others.

Dormeasan – Valerian drops. This helped me get to sleep but I still woke in the middle of the night and found it tough to get back to sleep again. It also tastes absolutely disgusting even when mixed with juice.

I tried ‘sleepy’ herbal teas. No improvement with these but they did make me relaxed.

Writing down worries before I go to bed. This is meant to clear your mind but it started me worrying about the worries and made it harder to fall asleep.

Reading. If I’m reading something dull I’ll fall asleep but it’s the staying asleep that’s the issue. If I’m reading something interesting I get sucked in and read for too long.

Warm milk and cinnamon. No difference.

Headspace the app. This is a meditation app but I fall asleep through it, then yer man talks and I’m awake again!

White noise apps including rain, waves, you name it I’ve tried it. No difference.

Zopitan sleeping tablets. This was a drastic one but I was going out of my mind with exhaustion so the GP gave me a few. It sounds weird but my body fell asleep and my mind was still racing! Also they give you a really awful taste in your mouth and they made me shake my head uncontrollably.  I’m not taking them again.

ASMR sounds. This freaked me out big time! I couldn’t listen to them for long.

Sleepy Lotion by Lush. Everyone was raving about this so I thought it was bound to work. It gave me a headache, I found the smell very, very, overpowering and sickly.

This Works Deep Sleep Pillow Spray. Again quite a strong smell but I might have sprayed too much of it and it didn’t help me sleep.

Lavender oil in a diffuser. Relaxing but no sleep.

Concentrating on breathing….it sets me off panicking that I can’t breathe and I’m going to die – so not for me.

Not looking at the computer for an hour before I go to bed. No difference.

Magnesium Citrate supplements as suggested by Siobhan my nutritionist – yes this worked! I’m sleeping much better since I’ve started taking them and I also have an Epsom salt foot soak which also seems to help.

Tisserand Sweet Dreams aromatherapy roller ball (Thank you Lucy). Out of all the scented things I’ve tried this is my favourite so far, it wasn’t overpowering and it did help me sleep. It also came with a daytime De-Stress one which I used over Christmas, I was starting to get stressed and get a migraine, I rolled the oil on my temples and it made me feel so much better.

Painting for 30 minutes before I get into bed…and I don’t mean painting the wall! I have paper and paints and just fling paint around, nothing technical but it really helps me relax.

A salt lamp which I’ve recently got (thank you Laurence) and is meant to help with insomnia. I am sleeping better so maybe it’s working.

So there you have it, these are the things I’ve tried. If you are out there suffering I hope you find something that works for you.