Do you have trouble sleeping or relaxing at the end of a long day?

No method works all the time. Some nights awake for 5 minutes, other nights 2 hours.

While Ambien is a great short-term solution, keep in mind that it is addictive if you take it for long periods. Alcohol is also not a solution. You wake up to urinate throughout the night and sleep under alcohol, which is an anesthetic, does not support REM sleep very well which is necessary for a restful sleep. Sleep studies are the best solution as they can pin-point the real problems that you have. OTC (over the counter) melatonin is helpful but often not a good solution since it is geared for adjusting circadium rhythms. If this is not your problem, it will be only marginally effective. Anatomy often is the problem, i.e. nasal blockages, refluxes from the stomach can be a problem. Often, just raising the head of your bed by putting blocks under the legs can help. There are a number of anti-acid drugs that your doctor can prescribe. Avoid stimulants such as caffeinated drinks (coffee, soda, etc) prior to bedtime. Don't watch TV in your bedroom, because it keeps your mind in an active state. These are just a few of the things you can do. I'll post in the future to add more suggestions. Jim, nurse anesthetist.

Mind won't shut off

I have a very difficult time falling asleep almost every night, Sometimes my only solution is to stay up that entire night and hope I will be tired enough to fall asleep the next night

Yes

Can go to sleep, usually. Can't stay asleep, and often have a hard time getting back to sleep once I wake up.

For many of us, this is caused by type of hyper-vigilance. The importance and value of hyper-vigilance is paramount if you’re in a war zone or an area/situation of potential danger/attack. However, it can keep you from “turning off” when you are in a safe environment. This is something my nephew and I have in common. If allowed to consume us, it will not only rob us of restful sleep, but will also cause mental and physical disorders.

I have found it helpful to not only recognize this as a good trait in the correct situations, but also a hinderance if allowed to consume us. I have averaged 3-5 hrs per night sleep for at least 15 years. This led to a struggle with depression for a few years and I still have sleep apnea.

However, there are a few things that have helped me so much that it is no longer something that consumes me.

First, I am a fully committed Christian (I’m not saying I’m a good person; I’m not. Christ is my Savior and my Lord and His grace covers my failures.). This is important, because the Bible is replete with advice that deals with this exact issue. Many people find it helpful to read Psalms, but I like strong, succinct commands like Phil 4:6-8. Obeying these verses often put me back to sleep while reading the Bible, praying or meditating on some new insight He has given me in His word.

Helping my wife (who was born and raised in a foreign culture and speaking a different language) to deal with the difficulties, prejudices, pain and stress of life in the United States, has helped me to turn my focus from my own difficulties. It is amazing how hard it becomes to stay awake while comforting (calmly, and empathetically discussing with my wife her pain while lightly massaging her scalp or her back, etc) for long periods of time.

Third, I have learned some techniques that help focus the mind and relax the body in preparation for sleep. I taught one of these techniques to my wife and children. I used to talk them through it with a calm, quiet voice and they have almost always fallen asleep before I finished. I start at the most distal (farthest away from the center) parts of their body by saying quietly, “focus on relaxing your big toe on your right foot”. At this time, I will gently move back and forth their big toe a few times. Then I will say, now remember to keep your big toe relaxed while you focus on relaxing the toe next to it” and I’ll slowly and gently move that second toe back and forth. I’ll continue this through all the toes on the each foot referring back to all that came before and I’ll work my way from toes to feet to ankles to calves, etc. Then I’ll do the same with the fingers to the shoulders, then the core muscles, then the neck, face and scalp. Before I finish, they’re usually asleep. I do the same for myself, except I just slightly move each muscle the first time to ensure I feel the difference between tense and relaxed.

This is a helpful technique to reduce the number of things that are flooding my mind and keeping me from sleeping, because it forces me to focus on one boring task and release the other distracting thoughts. It’s not magic, but with practice it helps.

Finally, I stopped worrying about the fact I only sleep 3-5 hours per night. Your body needs sleep to regenerate, but God has made our bodies to be remarkably resilient. After years of reduced a number of hours of uninterrupted sleep, my body has adapted to sleep heavier for a fewer number of hours. I’m in my late 50s and retired now, but even before retiring, I was still able to function on 3-5 hours of sleep.

What has worked for me may not work for everybody, but have faith that you can “adapt and overcome”. Seek new TTPs that work for you and put them in your toolbox. Pull them out, sharpen them and use them regularly. You’ve got this!

Have trouble falling asleep sometimes staying up all night. When I do fall asleep I very seldom sleep more than a couple of hours at a time. In those short hours of sleep I toss and turn. Am always tired the next day.

Eating a bowl of cereal

JUST BE STILL AND THINK