Widows & Widowers Support Group
This community is dedicated to those who have lost a husband, wife, or partner. Anything is open for discussion here, with the hope that we can focus on grief, bereavement, life after loss, and continuing on after a great loss.
I am not one to take pills, but I have tried Tylenol PM... the doctor did give me a few Xanax in the beginning, but the most I got from that was about 40 minutes of sleep. The Tylenol is no better...
I have tried soaking in a bath for a while to help relax me, herbal teas, soft music,
I tried some lavender scented lotion from Bath and Body Works, called "SLEEP"... nothing (but I smell good...) I have even tried a shampoo for stress relief (also from BBW). NADA. I do not get much sleep... a couple of times I have gotten almost two hours, but I am not sure how much longer my body can take this. I keep hoping that I will eventually collapse from the exhaustion and get several hours of sleep.
Is there anything that anyone here has had success with? I would prefer to avoid medications, but at this point I am desperate enough to try nearly anything.
I have tried soaking in a bath for a while to help relax me, herbal teas, soft music,
I tried some lavender scented lotion from Bath and Body Works, called "SLEEP"... nothing (but I smell good...) I have even tried a shampoo for stress relief (also from BBW). NADA. I do not get much sleep... a couple of times I have gotten almost two hours, but I am not sure how much longer my body can take this. I keep hoping that I will eventually collapse from the exhaustion and get several hours of sleep.
Is there anything that anyone here has had success with? I would prefer to avoid medications, but at this point I am desperate enough to try nearly anything.
I put on a Netflix movie that I've watched a million times, on my iPad, with the volume low and the screen light low. I have the subtitles on, so if I want to catch the dialogue, I can.
Melatonin - a couple tablets before bed, and keep the bottle at my bedside, to take an additional dose during the night if needed.
Exercise during the day - seems being physically tired really helps me.
Painkillers on occasion - I find grieving often makes me feel achy - not in pain exactly, but achy all over. Taking off the edge helps.
Yoga/meditation music. So soothing.
Yoga/meditation itself. There's good sequences at yoga journal.com which I've found helpful.
Journaling - writing it all down and having a good cry.
I hope some of these suggestions help. It got so bad for me at one point that I was referred for a sleep study at a local hospital clinic... They found nothing "wrong" - just normal insomnia that comes with grieving. Strangely, after I was told I was normal, I found I was sleeping better...weird how the mind works, eh?
Xo jacq