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Can anyone suggest something that might help me sleep better and at all sometimes.
I wake around 3am a lot of the time and simply cannot get back to sleep, previously I have needed and wanted up to 9 hours sleep every night.I have one cup of real coffee around 6am and the rest of the day is decaf or water. As a rule I don't drink too much (I find it makes it worse) and donot eat after 7pm at night. I have already tried chamomile, lavender oils, sleep east tea, hot milk and honey and am now trying Valerian tablets. I do want to sleep and am tired, but cant. Any suggestions welcome please.

This may sound odd but I had the same problem and hypnotherapy helped me. Specifically Robert G. Dean's Sleep Hypnotherapy. It took about a week but after that... ZONK within the first 30 seconds of the recording and never woke up. Well... in the middle of the night. I'm not dead.

I hate to sound crude or bizarre in anyway but i guess in reality most of us do it so... masturbation is well known to aid you in getting sleep. Or sex too i guess. Hope that helps.

I had very bad side-effects from valerian with very weird intense dreams/nightmares and felt very sluggish the next day - but things of course work differently for different people. Failing my above idea have you chatted to your GP about it?

Hi becks

pm me your email address and I'll send you my sleep leaflet.

Is there any chance it's hunger waking you up? If you don't eat after 7pm and you wake up about 3am, that could be because you've gone at least 8 hours without eating. I used to find find that happened to me if I skipped dinner, and though I didn't feel hungry, after a little bowl of porridge or a biscuit, I got back to sleep very easily.

Try 1/2 an hour of meditation a few \hours before you intend to sleep (NOT immediately before) - it will help to, relax you and prime your brain for the production of the correct wave patterns needed for sleep.
Trancendental Meditation works particularly well for this for me.
Here in NZ we also have a herbal multi for sleep produced by RedSeal called "Insomnia herbal combination" that i have found quite effective. it combines a mild dose of valerian with hops, passion flower, ginger root and peppermint (the which surprises me as i see mint as a stimulant) but it seems to work very well for me and im a dedicated insomniac.
having spent months not sleeping after a week of two of this i am now only waking up once in the night

Insomnia can be a symptom of stress or of anaemia. Check your iron levels.

Are you waking up thinking of something in particular that could be worrying you?

Zoe

I had that problem a few years back and someone put me on to Valerian.

For the first few days, I had strange dreams and it felt odd. Anyway I stuck with it and after a week or so it began to work. Good sleep. No mad dreams. After a few more weeks I was sleeping really well.

I've used it since whenever disturbed sleep has come back.

The only problem I have found was getting a good enough supply; tablets were of little effect but then I found capsules which were really good. (At the time I was living in France and you could buy these in chemists over there). I've yet to get around to growing it but I keep telling myself I must...

The other things, which I know have worked for other people, are Melissa (Lemon Balm) and Hops. In both cases made into a warm drink (warm not boiling). Hops are very sleepy making.

When you are next having a bad night - and you are wide awake at 3.00am - try making a cup of Hop-Tea. Cheap and easy and it might work for you.

A little bit more excersize might help too like a long walk or something.

Thank you all for your wonderful ideas, the I now have some very useful things to work on. Its horrid not being able to find the source of the problem and therefore an appropriate cure, however these are good ideas to try.
Thank you again

Becks

dont think it has been said, but a hops pillow is really good at sending you to sleep. id combine that with a few other suggestions.

oh an i sleep terribly especially when sharing a bed, so i try if i can to sleep alone i find i wake myself up and sleep alot better, thats probably because im a light sleeper and a certain person fidgets so much in the night!

i need a new bed too but thats beyond y current finances so it will have to wait but im sure it will improve my sleep!

I've been a rubbish sleeper my entire life, and when I'm going through a bad patch (normally stress does it to me) this is what works for me:

No alcohol/ real coffee at all (this is actually one of the reasons I stopped drinking, I know that's a bit depressing). Instant coffee in moderation is fine but I know lots of people think it's horrible!
Go to bed and get up at same time every day until you're sleeping normally again, weekends included, however badly you've slept, and don't spend more than 8 hours in bed.
Get some outside exercise every day (just walking is fine).
Don't nap during the day, and don't spend time in your bedroom if you can avoid it - you have to reprogram yourself to associate it only (well mostly ) with sleep. Don't worry during the day about whether or not you'll be able to sleep.
If you wake up don't lie awake fretting, think 'at least I am getting some rest' and be calm and think of other things, because you always get your sleep cycle back eventually! I just lie there, but partner who is insomniac too gets up and reads and that works for him. Also, sometimes when you think you haven't slept at all, you actually have and you don't realise (I know that sounds mad, but it is true.)

I've heard good things about valerian too. Good luck!

Hops, lavender, mugwort & clary sage in a pllow, don't go too heavy on the lavender though as too much has the opposing effect

I have been having this problem too for a while, I have found that a Valerian - Hops fresh herb tincture which I bought from a pharmacy which sells alternative remedies is really good although it tastes foul. Also a cup of valerian tea ( a Dr Stuarts Brand) helps if I have it half an hour or so before bed.

The tincture is made by A. Vogel. They have a website here:


http://www.AVogel.co.uk

Should have added also that lettuce have sleep inducing properties aswell. Gillian Mc Keith has a recipie for lettuce soup for sleep problems, let me know if you are interested and I'll dig out the recipie.