Hi Ben,

I don't really suffer from this like you do, but i just thought id reply as i saw a programme on tv where this technique really worked. Its as simple as this, you just limit the time you spend in bed to say 6 hours, so you go to sleep late and get up early. if you dont sleep, then you have to get up anyway. I think it works because you eventually get so tired you're knocked back into the normal sleep pattern.
anyway i know its just from tv not personal experience but might be worth researching!
hth, hugs

I lie awake and sweat it out. Suffer with the insomnia and feel like hell the next day, Do it again and again till I am physically worn out. Pretty much what stripeybunny said.

Hot turkey sandwich and hot milk.
In case youre wondering, tryptophan is an amino acid that the body uses in the processes of making vitamin B3 and serotonin, a neurotransmitter that helps regulate sleep. It cant be produced by our bodies, so we need to get it through our diet. From which foods, exactly? Turkey, of course, but also other meats, chocolate, bananas, mangoes, dairy products, eggs, chickpeas, peanuts and a slew of other foods

Okay, you said you don't want to take a sleeping pill. Does that mean a drug, like a Unisom or a prescription sleeping pill? Or does that mean natural ones are off-limits too? If you don't want to try a natural pill, read no further lol.

I take Valerian and Melatonin. The Valerian pills I have also contain lemon balm, hops and passion flower. I take 6 milligrams of melatonin, 2 (3milligram) pills.

If you try this, start out with just one 3milligram melatonin. I did, and you do develop a tolerance to it.

So, if you're open to trying natural pills, those have worked really well for me. About an hour, 1/2 hour before bed, and then by the time I want to sleep, I actually feel like it. It's not foolproof by any means, but it's worked better for me than Unisom, and you don't get that "pill hangover" the next day.

Good luck to you :)

BenThere...... I have CERTAINLY been there.

My insomnia varies, based on my anxiety. Or rather, degree of shittiness in my life.

Hot bath and relaxing tunes come closest to working for me. Good luck~

hello Ben: just read your comment regarding sleep. This has happend to me and I found out that I had Graves Desease, which can cause insomia. I suggest if you recently have had sleep issues to see a physician. I know from experience, that If you suffer from depression, some Doctors just want to push the sleeping pills and antidepressives. Good luck

I always had trouble sleeping through the night until I started taking Klonopin for anxiety. While it doesn't cause drowsiness (at least not in me), I haven't had trouble sleeping through the night ever since.

Hi Ben,
I totally understand where you are coming from! Insomnia is a huge part of my life. I find I sleep better when I have been more physically active during the day. Also have tried the supplements that Summer mentioned, with varying degrees of success. Sometimes, for me, I don't sleep because my mind won't shut off. In that case, I try to write out what I am thinking, to get it out of my mind. It helps sometimes. All the best, and hope you get some quality sleep soon.

I struggle very badly with insomnia. I really do think that some people's natural biorhythms fall on a nocturnal cycle rather than diurnal, and, if left to my own devices, I would naturally fall asleep between 4-5 AM and wake up at noon-1 PM.

What helps me is a heavy cardio workout around mid-afternoon / early evening. I am much more relaxed mentally after that and I have very refreshing, unbroken sleep that night. Also, don't give into the temptation to nap during the day, if you can. It's somewhat "painful," but it'll get you to bed at a more reasonable hour. Easier said than done, I know, because I love to nap...

I can't sleep either when in the grips of a depressive episode. Try going to bed at the same time every night, cut your tv off, get up at the same time everyday even if your tired try not to sleep in the day time.