Insomnia
Mental Illness and Sleep
Unsurprisingly mental illnesses can have a detrimental impact on sleep! All the relentless, never ending stresses, strains, worries and anxieties…will eventually take its toll and you may probably find that your sleep becomes affected.
Many people suffering from mental illness are affected by some form of insomnia (sleep problems) and it is often a common dilemma. Some one once described sleep deprivation as ‘a form of torture’ and as an ex insomniac myself, I have to most definitely agree!
Many people suffering from mental illness are affected by some form of insomnia (sleep problems) and it is often a common dilemma. Some one once described sleep deprivation as ‘a form of torture’ and as an ex insomniac myself, I have to most definitely agree!
A Nightmare...
Lack of sleep used to drive me crazy. It used to be a horrible vicious cycle of restless days leading onto restless nights…back to restless days and more restless nights. It was horrendous. If I wanted to torture my worst enemy I would stop them from getting any sleep for weeks, months, years…it really and truly is torturous.
Throughout my struggle with mental illness, I suffered from several bouts of insomnia. I couldn’t seem to relax or switch off my racing mind or dispel the awful feelings that kept swirling around inside me. During my first bout of insomnia, which lasted several months, I found that because I was so exhausted from just trying to get through the day that by night fall I would just drop to sleep as soon as my head hit the pillow.
However – staying asleep was another matter altogether. I would find that after an hour or 2 of sleep, I would just wake up all of a sudden at some ungodly hour in the early morning like 2am or 3am. It was awful, once I was awake, I just couldn’t for the life of me get back to sleep. Tossing and turning for hours and hours on end, I would get so frustrated, but nothing I tried would seem to help. By morning time, I would be an exhausted, dithering mess and cranky with absolutely everyone and anyone. As the insomnia continued and went on for weeks…then months… it became harder and harder to cope. It was like a snow ball effect (but nothing as pretty…) whereby the less sleep I got – the worse I struggled to deal with my mental illness and the more I struggled with my mental health, the more I struggled to sleep. It was like things just kept getting worse and worse and I didn’t know how to stop it from escalating and spiralling out of control.
Throughout my struggle with mental illness, I suffered from several bouts of insomnia. I couldn’t seem to relax or switch off my racing mind or dispel the awful feelings that kept swirling around inside me. During my first bout of insomnia, which lasted several months, I found that because I was so exhausted from just trying to get through the day that by night fall I would just drop to sleep as soon as my head hit the pillow.
However – staying asleep was another matter altogether. I would find that after an hour or 2 of sleep, I would just wake up all of a sudden at some ungodly hour in the early morning like 2am or 3am. It was awful, once I was awake, I just couldn’t for the life of me get back to sleep. Tossing and turning for hours and hours on end, I would get so frustrated, but nothing I tried would seem to help. By morning time, I would be an exhausted, dithering mess and cranky with absolutely everyone and anyone. As the insomnia continued and went on for weeks…then months… it became harder and harder to cope. It was like a snow ball effect (but nothing as pretty…) whereby the less sleep I got – the worse I struggled to deal with my mental illness and the more I struggled with my mental health, the more I struggled to sleep. It was like things just kept getting worse and worse and I didn’t know how to stop it from escalating and spiralling out of control.
Help! I've Tried Everything...
I tried everything to help me get to sleep, Horlicks, hot drinks, warm milk, reading a book, having a hot bath, herbal remedies, relaxation cds… but nothing seemed to work! Just when I was about to give up hope and succumb to a torturous life of lack of sleep I accidently stumbled across something that actually helped me to nod off!
The one thing that I found that really helped me…was something that I didn’t quite expect! Whilst out having a meal one night in a nice restaurant, I fancied having a glass of red wine to complement my delicious steak meal. Even though I’d had wine and other alcoholic drinks before, I never really associated it with sleep. (More so with having a good time!) Anyway, the wine helped me to feel relaxed and for the first time in a long time I actually slept through most of the night. It was the most wonderful feeling ever…after being deprived of sleep for so long, having an almost full nights rest was heaven. From then on, I would have a small glass of red wine before I went to bed and it seemed to suit me. Other times it wouldn’t and I would still wake up in the early hours, but not nearly as much as before thank God).
Different things will help different people. Don’t give up hope, keep looking for what suits you and you too might find what you were looking for (even if is isn’t what you may have thought!)
The one thing that I found that really helped me…was something that I didn’t quite expect! Whilst out having a meal one night in a nice restaurant, I fancied having a glass of red wine to complement my delicious steak meal. Even though I’d had wine and other alcoholic drinks before, I never really associated it with sleep. (More so with having a good time!) Anyway, the wine helped me to feel relaxed and for the first time in a long time I actually slept through most of the night. It was the most wonderful feeling ever…after being deprived of sleep for so long, having an almost full nights rest was heaven. From then on, I would have a small glass of red wine before I went to bed and it seemed to suit me. Other times it wouldn’t and I would still wake up in the early hours, but not nearly as much as before thank God).
Different things will help different people. Don’t give up hope, keep looking for what suits you and you too might find what you were looking for (even if is isn’t what you may have thought!)
Things To Try
1. If you can’t sleep get up!
Yes I know it doesn’t seem to make any sense…isn’t the aim to get to sleep…not get up?!! But actually the longer you stay in bed when you cannot sleep, the more frustrated you become and the more frustrated you get…the harder it is to sleep! So if after say 30 – 45mins you still cant nod off despite all the sheep counting, then get up and do something constructive like read a book or do a jig saw… the activity will help to tire you out and help you to fall asleep more easily than lying in bed tossing and turning and cursing. Try it!
2. Don’t Force It
It can be incredibly frustrating when you’ve been lying in bed for hours and despite trying everything you can think of, you’re still wide awake. Trying to ‘will’ yourself to sleep is very noble, but it can actually make it even harder to drift off! The sheer effort and concentration involved will only make your mind and body even more active and this is the opposite of what you want to do! The best thing to do is to just let yourself relax - even if you cant sleep. Remind yourself that lying down and just closing your eyes is allowing your body to rest and when you do this, it will help you to gradually relax and calm down which will then eventually help to induce sleep.
3.Visualisation
This can be a useful technique to aid sleep. Think of your ‘happy place’ it could be anything that makes you feel relaxed and content, e.g. lying on a hammock on the beach, being with your loved ones, watching the sunset etc…and imagine that you are there. Visualise the scene…immerse yourself in the details around you, the colours, the smells, the sounds, the feelings and just let yourself go. Inevitably your mind will probably wander…’what’s for tea tomorrow…’
4. Hypnosis
Yes, it got to the point where I was so desperate that I tried listening to hypnosis CDS to help me nod off. Funnily enough it wasn’t the actual hypnosis that sent me to sleep but the man’s monotonous boring voice which sent me to sleep! (at least it worked, even though it was not quite in the way I expected!!!)
5. Imagine its time to get up
Yes you read that right…‘’but what do you mean?’’ I hear you ponder…
Well, you know that horrible feeling when you’re alarm goes off and you wish that you could have just a few more hours in bed…amazing how that then makes you hit the snooze button and nod back off doesn’t it? (My favourite button of all time.) Anyway, using the same idea, if you cant sleep, just imagine you have to get up! Imagine all the horrible feelings of waking up early…the cold floor, the grey day outside, the tired woozy feeling…the more horrid you can visualise it, the more you wont want to do it and the more you will want to stay in bed and sleep! This will help convince your mind and body of how tired you are and you can trick yourself back to sleep! (Yes I know it sounds a bit bizarre, but when you cant sleep anything is worth a try hey?)
Well, you know that horrible feeling when you’re alarm goes off and you wish that you could have just a few more hours in bed…amazing how that then makes you hit the snooze button and nod back off doesn’t it? (My favourite button of all time.) Anyway, using the same idea, if you cant sleep, just imagine you have to get up! Imagine all the horrible feelings of waking up early…the cold floor, the grey day outside, the tired woozy feeling…the more horrid you can visualise it, the more you wont want to do it and the more you will want to stay in bed and sleep! This will help convince your mind and body of how tired you are and you can trick yourself back to sleep! (Yes I know it sounds a bit bizarre, but when you cant sleep anything is worth a try hey?)
6. Read a book
This is a less unusual one! But it helps to take your mind off your worries and therefore relax your mind, enabling you to drift off to sleep…(or just choose a really boring book and that should be enough to make you nod off!)
7. Have a hot bath
Even though this didn’t help me, it helps a lot of people unwind and relax which is essential to sleep. (and even if it dosnt work - at least you will be nice and squeaky clean)
8. Have a hot drink
No I’m not obsessed with ‘hot’ things (hot bath…now hot drink!) but they are very good for helping you feel more relaxed and therefore in theory more sleepy! Ovaltine, Horlicks, warm milk or herbal teas like hot camomile, catnip, anise or fennel tea are well known to aid sleep!
9. Avoid Caffeine
Although the above drinks are recommended, the following caffeinated drinks are not! Unfortunately this includes coffee, tea, chocolate and cola drinks. (yes sadly all the tasty ones) but never fear, you don’t have to give them up forever, just cut down how much you have and make sure you don’t touch them for at least up to 3 hours before bed time.
10. Get a Massage
If cutting down on caffeine was a rather traumatic thought for you, then you might like the sound of this one better... See if you can convince your partner (or anybody you can persuade!) to give you a massage! This will help ease tension in your muscles and body and id sleep (even if it doesn’t work…at least you would have still had a lovely massage!)
11. Exercise
I know... I know... after the thought of a relaxing theraputic massage, the last thing you want to think about is labourious excercise! But isnt worth a try if nothing else has worked so far? Exercise and physical activity during the day can help wear your body out and help you to sleep more easily at night. However avoid doing any strenuous exercise near bed time and this will have the opposite effect as the stimulation will keep you awake! By the way, a quick word of advice...if youre anything like me and the mere thought of excercise is not enough to send you to sleep then its a good idea to try a fun activity that you enjoy. theres a whole varity of new and exciting sports you can do that are a lot more invigorating than the ususal treadmill or areobics class. Try dance classes like salsa, zumba, break dance (or just get a nintendo Wii fit!)
12. Regular patterns
Having a regular bedtime pattern can help train your brain into settling into sleep. Just as young children benefit from a routine like story time, hot drink, cuddle and sleep, adults can also benefit from having a regular routine to stick to. Try to go to bed at regular times, get into the habit of doing something that helps you relax (e.g. read a book, listen to soothing music etc) and stick to it! This will train your mind and body to get used to relaxing before bed time. Think of it like this…if you work all week say 9 to 5, your body and mind will become used to waking up at say 7am every morning. Do you ever find that sometimes even on weekends or your day off that you sometimes till automatically wake up at 7am even though you don’t need to? Its because humans are wired to be creatures of habit, so the more positive habits we create the benefits we can receive. Remember new habits take time to build, so be patient and you’ll see the results!
13. Lavender oil
Aromatherapy can be really good and lavender oil is well know for its calming effect and sleep! (This one actually helped me as well as the wine!)
14. Valerian Herbal Remedies
This is a herbal remedy that us well renowned for its ability to send people to sleep. it can be taken in liquid form (just a few drops in water) or tablet form and can be bought from health shops like Holland’s and Barratts and Boots the Chemist. It didn’t work for me, but everyone is different so it might still be worth a try. (pretty much anything is worth a try when you cant sleep!)
15. Relaxation CDs and soothing music
This can be useful and I found that personally it did help to soothe and relax me (though sending me to sleep was another matter!) But it did ease my racing mind and that in itself was a much appreciated relief. Simple...but effective!
16. Sleeping Pills
I was very hesitant to take sleeping pills as they can become addictive and I did not want to become dependant on them. It was a personal choice for me not to go down that route, although as I say, everyone is different and for some people it may be what they need to get the sleep they need.
And Finally...
...the thing that helped me... a nice glass of red wine!
(on a serious note: drink in moderation and never mix medication and alcohal)
(on a serious note: drink in moderation and never mix medication and alcohal)
Sweet Dreams!
Different things will help different people. Don’t give up hope, keep looking for what suits you and you too might find what you were looking for (even if is isn’t what you may have thought!)
Insomnia
http://www.insomnia2.com/famous-people-whom-endured-insomnia.html
And in more the past few years the name of Maggie THATCHER is described as someone who got terrific difficulty in falling asleep.
Well acknowledged writers, have been proven to get suffered from insomnia had been Shakespeare, Dickens, Marcel Proust, plus Scott Fitzgerald.
Actors and stars were in addition certainly not protected: The names involving Cary Offer and also Marilyn Monroe springs to mind.
http://www.slumboo.com/famous-insomniacs/
Marilyn Monroe The troubled film star was a regular insomniac and frequently took sleeping pills in order to get to sleep. Over the years, her insomnia grew steadily worse until her death, supposedly from an overdose of sleeping tablets.
Vincent Van Gogh Vang Gogh preferred to treat his insomnia himself. The artist's remedy involved a strong dose of camphor applied to his mattress and pillow, which whilst possible helping him sleep was also steadily poisoning him.
Napolean Napolean Bonaparte built an empire on a few hours of sleep at a time. The 'Little Emperor' suffered so frequently from insomnia, rarely sleeping more than 4 hours a night, that he simply learned to live with the condition.
Judy Garland Addicted to diet pills (amphetamines) from a young age, Judy Garland would sometimes be awake for days on end. To counter the effects of the speed, she would take sleeping pills, a dangerous combination that no doubt contributed to her eventual death.
Margaret Thatcher The redoubtable British Prime minister was famous for only needing 4 or less hours of sleep a night. Some speculate that her motto 'sleep is for wimps', was in fact a cover for insomnia, a condition might be seen as a weakness in a leader.
Groucho Marx Marx's insomnia started following the stock market crash of 1929 in which he lost a small fortune. To ease the symptoms of insomnia, Groucho would call strangers up in the dead of night and insult them. This site does not recommend this activity as a cure for insomnia. Remember, in Groucho's day, there was no caller ID!
More Famous Insomniacs:Benjamin Franklin
Carey Grant
Catherine The Great
Charles Dickens
Thomas Edison
Marcel Proust
http://www.insomnia2.com/famous-people-whom-endured-insomnia.html
And in more the past few years the name of Maggie THATCHER is described as someone who got terrific difficulty in falling asleep.
Well acknowledged writers, have been proven to get suffered from insomnia had been Shakespeare, Dickens, Marcel Proust, plus Scott Fitzgerald.
Actors and stars were in addition certainly not protected: The names involving Cary Offer and also Marilyn Monroe springs to mind.
http://www.slumboo.com/famous-insomniacs/
Marilyn Monroe The troubled film star was a regular insomniac and frequently took sleeping pills in order to get to sleep. Over the years, her insomnia grew steadily worse until her death, supposedly from an overdose of sleeping tablets.
Vincent Van Gogh Vang Gogh preferred to treat his insomnia himself. The artist's remedy involved a strong dose of camphor applied to his mattress and pillow, which whilst possible helping him sleep was also steadily poisoning him.
Napolean Napolean Bonaparte built an empire on a few hours of sleep at a time. The 'Little Emperor' suffered so frequently from insomnia, rarely sleeping more than 4 hours a night, that he simply learned to live with the condition.
Judy Garland Addicted to diet pills (amphetamines) from a young age, Judy Garland would sometimes be awake for days on end. To counter the effects of the speed, she would take sleeping pills, a dangerous combination that no doubt contributed to her eventual death.
Margaret Thatcher The redoubtable British Prime minister was famous for only needing 4 or less hours of sleep a night. Some speculate that her motto 'sleep is for wimps', was in fact a cover for insomnia, a condition might be seen as a weakness in a leader.
Groucho Marx Marx's insomnia started following the stock market crash of 1929 in which he lost a small fortune. To ease the symptoms of insomnia, Groucho would call strangers up in the dead of night and insult them. This site does not recommend this activity as a cure for insomnia. Remember, in Groucho's day, there was no caller ID!
More Famous Insomniacs:Benjamin Franklin
Carey Grant
Catherine The Great
Charles Dickens
Thomas Edison
Marcel Proust