re: Anyone struggle falling asleep?

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Screen time pre-bed is too much…doomscrolling. But this was the case before I started having problems 6 months ago

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It takes time to rewire your brain. It will take time to undo it. Shut the screen down an hour or more before bed and read a paper book instead and I bet you'll crash hard.

YouTube 852 hz frequency. Might help with you stressing or mind racing

30 grm Melantonin
I look at the whacky dreams as a free wild ride

try 100-150mg Seroquel at bedtime. or Klonopin 1mg


Both are antipsychotic meds used to treat Schizophrenia.

Are there not concerns as to how it may affect brain chemistry?
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only the Seroquel classifies antipsychotic (and you don't get that benefit at the lower doses suggested above) * just the sedation side effect.

the Klonopin is a Benzodiazepine. it is NOT an antipsychotic. Ever.
it only reduces anxiety, and has some sedation as side effect, is relative to the dosing strength here too.
there can be a synergistic /cumulative effect for drowsy/sleep when used in combination.

I have struggled with this my whole life and made some changes that really helped:

- Don't do anything but have sex and sleep in your bed. Ever. Trains your brain to sleep when you get into bed. When I stopped watching TV and playing on my phone in bed, it helped a lot.

- Cut back on caffeine and absolutely none after lunch.

- No screens at least 30 minutes before bed, blue light really fricks up your ability to fall sleep. I find reading just a few pages of a book relaxes me.

- White noise machine

- Fan to circulate air

- Make it very cold

- Supplements: magnesium, ashwagandha , SleepyTime tea. All right after dinner.



Good luck!

Sleep Anxiety -- you might have developed somewhat of a "fear" of sleeping, or a "fear" of not being able to sleep. All disruptive.

Meditation -- it's hard to start, but commit yourself to it, and practice every day. It looks different for everyone, find what works for you. Head Space app is useful, I use it.

Medication -- I take 75 mg Trazodone (I think pretty low on the dosage scale) and 2 mg Lunesta every night (think 1 mg is the smallest dose, which I tried and wasn't effective)

Acceptance -- accept that you will not get a good night's sleep every night, no human does, you just might get less than others, but that's ok -- you can survive, thrive, and live on a bad night's sleep, you've proven this to yourself time and time again you just don't realize it

All the advice about caffeine intake, blue light, etc, while important and helpful, it's not enough to overcome the mind.

Follow Up #1: if you are comfortable with it, a therapist could be helpful; you don't absolutely NEED one, you seem fine, but I've found helpful in talking to someone pretty neutral, and many times they point out the irrationality of some thoughts, fears, etc, and a different way to frame them up

Follow Up #2: I've found reading before bed helps ease the mind, but not non-fiction, needs to be fiction to avoid the "thinking / learning" part about reading non-fiction and instead encourages the mind to relax and let go

I don't think you have the same type of sleep issues that OP and I have.

People who say this stuff have normal sleeping issues. So yes, you should watch caffeine intake and generally not have any past ~lunch time, but it is not the silver bullet. Same with screen time etc.

You can do all the right (physical) things in the world, all the things that internet articles, blog posts and message boards tell you, but the mind is much stronger. Sometimes it can actually be counterproductive in that you are so worried about checking every little box off on caffeine, blue light, bla bla bla, that it just even further adds to the core problem.

That's why there are often times when folks like us feel physically exhausted, running on not a lot of sleep, lots of exercise, etc, and still can't sleep. Yes, medicine should be the last resort.

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I don't think you have the same type of sleep issues that OP and I have.

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I bet you’re overweight, have a shitty diet, and have terrible sleep hygiene…. But sure

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People who say this stuff have normal sleeping issues. So yes, you should watch caffeine intake and generally not have any past ~lunch time, but it is not the silver bullet. Same with screen time etc.

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No silver bullets mentioned, I made an entire list of things. I've had trouble sleeping since puberty and been to doctors about it.

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it can actually be counterproductive in that you are so worried about checking every little box off on caffeine, blue light, bla bla bla, that it just even further adds to the core problem

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It's a bunch of things not to do, moreso than checking a box. They all help in a holistic approach and not by themselves. And NOT doing things is pretty easy. Don't drink caffeine after lunch, don't watch tv or your phone in bed, set a timer on your phone at night to let you know to stop scrolling so you don't have to remember.

Things you do have to "check the box" for is taking some natural supplements after dinner (same as your pills) and remembering breathing exercises when you lay in bed. Reading a few pages of a stress free book.

It might not work, but I hate recommending people take drugs unless they have tried much healthier ways first.


ETA:

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- White noise machine

- Fan to circulate air

- Make it very cold

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My white noise and thermostat are on timers and my ceiling fan stays on. So more things I mentioned I never think about.

Been using this method for about a month now and it has worked great in terms of both falling asleep and then if I wake up, getting back to sleep: Think of a three or four letter word such as bat and then with each letter, think of as many works you can for each.

Example would be:
Bad, babble, back, butter, etc.
then you move on the letter A in BAT so:
Apple, at, award, etc.

I also go alphabetically so to speak and I rarely make it to the second letter of the word I choose. And if I wake up, I just pick up where I left off.