Insomnia: how do you deal with yours?
 

On nights the boyfriend stays over, I take a sleeping pill. Nights I'm by myself, I'm online or watching TV because I'm afraid to take a pill every night.

When I can't sleep I take a long bath, two pills of Valerian Root (wich is a natural med), drink a cup of camomile tea and rub a body lotion with a calming scent as well.
If I can't get my thoughts to slow down I put on some music (nothing too loud or agitated) so I have other thing to focus on. Eventually, with all of this I fall asleep.

i'll get a slap on the wrist if i answer this honestly

^^ Haha :P
Books are good! ^_^

I don't really 'deal' with mine. I just lie in bed for ages, thinking about how if i don't fall asleep soon i'm going to lose my mind.

I listen to calm music really softly, hot bath before bed, hot sweet drink , or watch tv until I conk out =)

same here

A warm bath and a hot chocolate xx

Sleeping through the day.

if not, coffee, soda and sugar.

I don't deal with it I just leave it now, and the times where I have tried to deal with it... well let's just not go there.

Things recommended to me include warm milk, a nice soak in the bath, certain incense smells, sprigs of lavender under the pillow, massages, lighting adjustment before bed, etc. None worked though, but someone else may get use from them.

Actually I just thought of another really good one. At home in my room I didn't have any space to sit so I sat on my bed to go on the laptop/watch TV/read/do work but since coming to Uni and having a desk to do all of those things, my bed is only associated with either reading or sleeping. Since Uni I've hardly had any sleep issues :)

I can never sleep - but this seems to help me a little:
eat early, around 7 (okay that is early for my house) because eating late at night keeps you awake. have a bath at about 9, and really relax, change into my pyjamas,make a cup of tea and either watch a happy/funny film or listen to some really soothing music (Ludovico Einaudi is amazing, but not for everyone!)
if i cant do every one of these things, I do just leave it.

I'm another one of those who nearly lose there mind haha.

I usually watch TV, not late at night scary TV just stuff like eastenders and things that were on earlier in the day (on demand) or DVD's..ER, Friends. I eventually fall asleep..but not sleeping in the day, getting up at the same time everyday even if you've only had an hour or two of sleep, relaxing before bed are all good tips.

I've tried all of the suggestions... but I just lay there-- not even thinking most of the time, just lying there! Ugh.

Anyone used a med? My therapist suggested I use melatonin or Benadryl because I was so delirious from lack of sleep. Insomnia is really unhealthy if it is too persistent.

Seroquel.Non addictive ,has unfortunate label of anti- psychotic ,but will work.However I wouldnt go asking the doctor for this medication ,just out of the blue .This is pointless really .Just saying.

I used to take really long hot showers and then cuddle with my stuffed animals until the morning to pass the time, but would sometimes get hot after the shower. But now I study languages, though the lack of sleep keeps it from being as good as it could, so I don't really deal with it, rather I try to use the time.

Um, I too dont take sleeping pills too often. When I am working with great difficulty, I dont find tv, music, baths help, I just hope that I'll drop off.

I am currently signed off working, so I sleep when I need to and am awake when I don't.

Hmm..it depends..sometimes I just listen to my Ipod, but that just frustrates me so then I just lie there staring at the ceiling and sometimes I text people, but i'm often terrified of waking them up!

Depending on my mood I'll either read or go for a walk.

Often to the point of reading an entire book in one go or walking nonstop from midnight until sunrise (at which point, unfortunately, I start to feel very sleepy but have to go to school, where I drink a ton of energy drinks to stay awake and end up with insomnia that night. Not a great way of dealing with it, I know).

Ditto.

Since going on mirtazapine I rarely get insomnia, but I used to suffer really bad. I used to take valerian root, which is pretty effective but you kinda need the time to sleep for a while. But I won't lie in bed for too long if I'm insomnia struck- I tend to go into a quiet, dark room and read, then sit quietly, then go back to bed. It sounds weird, but it kinda clears the mind a bit. I find when lying in bed not sleeping my mind tends to race and I get really worked up about why am I not asleep I need to sleep why am I so broken I can't sleep etc. etc.