INSOMNIA: (SLEEPLESSNESS): Work up slowly to 30 to 60 minutes of moderate to vigorous exercise, daily, depending on age and physical condition, preferably in sunlight, but not within 3 hours of bedtime. Avoid coffee, green or regular tea, or any other caffeine containing product (chocolate, cocoa, Excedrin, Pepsi, Coke, Red Bull, Dr. Pepper, or Mountain Dew) 6 hours before bedtime. No daytime naps! Try going to bed earlier. Avoid spicy food late in the evening, and only snack lightly. Take L tryptophan, preferably, or 5 HTP, or Valerian root (it is a good idea to discontinue their use as soon as you can, or they can become habit forming). I am aware of advice not to use melatonin, as it can interfere with natural sleep patterns, but if you do, take it earlier in the evening. With that in mind, go to http://www.alternativementalhealth.com/articles/sleep.htm
In Australia there are some natural products available over the counter at pharmacies: Tranquil Night and Sedasleep are some, and more in supermarkets, but of those, the Valerian (see www.drugdigest.org) is known to work for many. Use Valerian for a maximum of 3 weeks; some people experience Valerian hangovers. Avoid anything exciting within 2 hours of bedtime (except sex), such as TV, loud music, games, or even interesting reading matter; anything you find boring is alright. Take a warm bath, with lavender oil, or a warm shower, and sprinkle a few drops of lavender oil on your pillow. Have a glass of very warm milk, or sleepytime, chamomile, or peppermint tea, before bedtime (NOTE: peppermint should not be taken by pregnant or breastfeeding women, or given to children under 5 years of age, ALSO NOTE: c(h)amomile should not be taken by pregnant women, or people using medications which thin the blood.).If you want to avoid being woken up to urinate, it may be advisible to drink these earlier, some hours before bedtime, and empty your bladder just before going to bed. If you have to get up, don't turn on the lights, as the light will stop the production of melatonin in your brain: a small flashlight, directed at the floor in front of you, while you keep your eyes at eye level, is as far as I would go.
Keep your bed for sleeping and sex only! Establish a set pre - sleep routine: in this way, your subconscious mind knows that it is time to start preparing for sleep. The bedroom should be dark after lights out, and the best sleeping temperature is around 70 degrees F, or 21 degrees C . Count backwards from 150 in bed after lights out, or focus your attention on the feeling your breath makes at the place where it enters and leaves the body, as you breathe regularly, preferably through the nose, or repeat a word or short phrase in your mind, like: "easy". Short term, products like Nyquil or Tylenol PM may be necessary in some few cases, but their use should be discontinued as soon as possible, and certainly within several days. Prescription medications should be kept as a method of last resort, and used for as short a time as possible. If sleep fails to come within 20 minutes, get up, listen to soft music, or read something boring, or do your relaxation exercises, and try again when some time has passed, and you feel sleepy, not just fatigued. In extreme cases, treatment at a sleep disorders clinic may be necessary, but that is rare. Some people recommend switching off all devices generating an electromagnetic field, even turning mains power off, but what about hardwired smoke detectors?
If you want to do this, the sensible thing to do would be to get 2 battery powered ones, and replace the batteries every daylight savings change occurs, or at six monthly intervals. A sensible compromise is to keep your clock/radio/alarm about a metre (just over a yard) away. There is a course on sleep at http://www.healthu.com/ and a guided meditation on sleep at http://www.meditainment.com/free_guided_meditation/ View: http://www.shuteye.com/ and http://www.sleepfoundation.org/ and http://familydoctor.org/ and http://www.mercola.com/ , where Dr. Mercola has a comprehensive article on: "how to get a good night's sleep", so you could type that, or try typing: "sleeplessness", or "insomnia", in the taskbar provided. Another website with a good section on sleeping problems is at http://www.mind.org.uk/ They also recommend trying reverse psychology, keeping your eyes open, and saying: "stay awake!" to yourself. I put this last, here, to be tried as a last resort. Overall, the single most comprehensive website on sleep disorders that I have encountered is http://www.sleepdisordersguide.com/
The Handbook of Self-Help Therapies recommends No More Sleepless Nights by Peter Hauri and Say Goodnight to Insomnia by Gregg Jacobs.
Try the free sleep aid download at http://www.soundsleeping.com/ Mellodyn is 100% Natural & Not Habit-forming, but contains melatonin, so I suggest limiting its use to 3 nights in a row, at most. From: www.Natures-Remedies.com
HYPNOTHERAPY FOR INSOMNIA: Most people are suggestible, to some extent, so consider professional hypnotherapy, or http:www.hypnosisdownloads.com Fall Asleep Fast, Drift Off To Sleep, Sleep and Dream, or Sleep Like a Child, or http://www.instant-hypnosis.com Beat Insomnia, Quiet Blissful Sleep, Enjoy Deep Sleep, or Restorative Healing Sleep.
SLEEPWAKING: If you awaken regularly during the night, it may be caused by having nightmares, the memories of which are sometimes repressed, as with the high proportion of people who don't remember their dreams. If you feel agitated on awakening, such may well be the cause. There is specialist treatment available through http://www.sleepwakesfl.com/ or at your nearest sleeping disorders clinic.
SLEEP APN(O)EA: Occurs as a result of collapsing of the airways, when sleep causes muscular relaxation, and is a serious disorder, requiring immediate and effective treatment, or some very harmful, and potentially fatal consequences. Treatments can be as simple as providing pillows/cushions/bolsters, so that you sleep only on your side. This may be achieved with just a special pillow, or buckwheat pillow(s) to achieve that effect. Another solution is to sew a tennis ball into the back of pajamas, forcing the wearer to sleep on their side. There is also a positive air pressure device, called a CPAC, which forces air into the lungs through a sealed face mask, which is strapped on. There are other devices which can be worn at night to mechanically keep those air passages open, and surgery is sometimes performed as a permanent solution. Alcohol, and sedatives should be avoided. Reducing weight, if overweight can be all it takes to remedy the problem. Around 60% of the sufferers of this condition are considerably overweight. Check out http://www.sleepwakesfl.com/ and enter the term into the WebFerret search engine, your own, and the Google and Wikipedia websites. If no immediate results, consult a sleeping disorders clinic, where you may be required to stay overnight, so that your sleep behavio(u)r may be properly observed. See: www.sleepapnea.org
SNORING: There is a good article on this at http://www.sleepscene.com/snoreaao.htm One solution is to sew a tennis ball into the back of pajamas, forcing the wearer to sleep on their side.
SOMNAMBULISM: (SleepWALKING) is estimated to affect around 10% of the population, at some time in their lives, is most common in males, and those aged 8 - 12, the rates declining with increasing years. It is particularly dangerous for those who manage to find their way into the outside world, especially on the roads. Many cases have occurred recently where those affected had been taking sleeping medications. Put an alarm on the bedroom door, and make that room as safe as reasonably possible. Avoid alcohol, late at night, if prone to sleepwalking. Practise one of the following relaxation methods in bed, after lights out. http://www.drcoxconsulting.com/managing-stress.html or http://altmedicine.about.com/cs/mindbody/a/Meditation.htm or http://www.wikihow.com/Meditate or Yoga Nidra, (a series of easy mental exercises only; no flexibility required) at http://your-mental-health.weebly.com/l.html Consider hypnotherapy, if sufficiently suggestible. Never wake a sleepwalker, particularly males, since they can react violently. There is a comprehensive section on this at http://www.sleepdisordersguide.com/sleepwalking-faqs.html and also see http://nosleep.in/
Most people are suggestible, to some degree, so you could either seek professional hypnotherapy, or, quicker, cheaper, and more conveniently: http://www.instant-hypnosis.com/ Stop Sleep Walking.
RECURRING NIGHTMARES: The idea with recurring nightmares, such as those in which you are being threatened or chased, is to confront that character in your dreams. To do this, you need to use vivid visual imagery, just before going to sleep. Imagine yourself confronting the character inhabiting your dreams, stating as forcefully as you can: "Why are you doing this? I've had enough of it! GO AWAY!!!" It is important to visualise this in your mind's eye as vividly as possible, and to want it as much as you possibly can. I would also say it loudly, three times, and keep on doing it, night after night, until success is achieved.
BAD DREAMS/NIGHTMARES/NIGHT TERRORS: Eating some things, like cheese, late at night, results in nightmares for some people, so be aware of this, and if you experience a nightmare, ask yourself what was it that you ate beforehand, and avoid such "nightmare triggers" in future, unless consumed early in the evening, or before. If you go to http://www.mercola.com/ and type "EFT" in the taskbar provided, there is an affirmation on nightmares, and this technique is well worth trying, before paying for remedies or professional therapy, and if you give it a good try, but find it ineffective, the alternatives are still there for you to try. Read: Banishing Night Terrors And Nightmares: A Breakthrough Program to Heal the Traumas That Shatter Peaceful Sleepby Christopher Raoul Carranza and Jane Rogers Dill, from your bookstore, or Amazon.com There is a non pharmaceutical remedy available by mail order, online at: http://www.nativeremedies.com/baddream-nightmare-night-terror.html (costs $$$) I have no information on its efficacy, apart from onsite testimonials. If they continue, however, it may be symptomatic of a deeper psychological problem, requiring expert help from someone specialising in that field, and familiar with the techniques of dream analysis.
I would not expect such a problem to be quickly resolved through therapy. You can also learn the techniques of dream analysis and control, but they take discipline, and time, and are not easy. If you are one of the 40% of people who are fairly, or highly suggestible, you could try professional hypnotherapy, or Stop Night Terrors Self-Hypnosis CD (Audio)by Steve G. JonesBuy new: $29.95 Amazon.com ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
HOW TO DEAL WTH NIGHTMARES:
Visualise yourself, as vividly as you possibly can, confronting the source of your fears in the dream, demanding: "What do you want? Don't bother me again! GO AWAY!!!" This should be done every night, just before you turn off the lights, and I would reinforce the message to the part of my mind which is not conscious, but controls dreaming, by writing down three times, also just before bedtime: "Tonight, I want to confront my fears in my dreams!", and then say it aloud three times, and it is important to want it very, very much, as you do so. Repeat until you notice your dreams changing, and then again if the problem recurs. For females in particular, it may also be beneficial to undertake a course in self defence, as the mental control techniques learned can help reduce fears in waking life, and this may well carry over into the dream state. In those situations in your dreams when you are tied down, or powerless to resist, as with alien abduction, it is important to protest vehemently "You have no right to do this: STOP!!!", and struggle as much as you can.
Certain foods, usually eaten late in the evening, such as cheese, or even chocolate for some people, can trigger nightmares, so try avoiding them for a while and see how it goes, then eating them earlier, at least 6 hours before bedtime. Second - DREAM ANALYSIS: Apart from hypnotherapy (which works much better on those people who are suggestible, and not so well on those who are untrusting, skeptical, highly self directed and/or cynical), or psychotherapy, there are the techniques of dream analysis and dream direction. It isn't quick or easy, and requires discipline and perseverance. It took me several months of keeping a dream diary/journal at my bedside, and forcing myself to get up and write down every dream that I had, in detail, including emotions and colours, even going to the extent of setting an alarm to wake me up after a few hours, when I would most probably be dreaming, just so I could get out of the habit of sleeping straight through, and rarely being able to remember more than flashes of detail here and there.
Then, as soon as I woke up in the morning, I performed an exhaustive analysis of each dream, asking myself various questions about the elements of it: what did the horse do? what did the bull do? what did the horse want? How did it feel? What colour was it? What was its relationship to the bull? Then I would say to myself: "You are the horse; describe it."And so on...... Then I would perform my first analysis of that dream, while it was still fresh in my mind, returning several weeks, then several months later, with more experience under my belt, and greater knowledge, from having read more books on the subject, to review and add to, or correct points here and there. Dream direction is about communicating with that part of your mind which is not conscious, but which has enormous power to shape your emotions and actions, and is best done by means of visual imagery. You have to imagine as vividly as you can, what it is that you want to dream about, and really, really want it very much (not what you don't want to dream about: it doesn't cope well with negatives). For example, if you have been experiencing dreams that you are falling, I would advise saying loudly a few times to yourself before turning off the light "Tonight I want to fly in my dreams!" and visualise in your mind's eye yourself initially falling, but quickly opening your dream wings and flying, as strongly as I could, and with as much desire as I could muster.
I would even go so far as to raise my arms and flap them, simulating a bird flying, to better communicate that muscular memory of what I want to my unconscious mind: this may seem silly, but the unconscious is that part of you which existed before you were the educated, civilised person you are now, before you learned to read and write; before you even learned how to talk, and it doesn't operate on logic and rationality: you need to learn how to communicate with it in terms it can understand! I found the work of Fritz Perls on dream analysis quite useful, though dated, but based on rational scientific principles, and suggest going to the psychology section of your library, or your local bookshop, or online to Amazon.com Some links that may be of help are: http://www.dreammoods.com/dreamdictionary and http://www.hyperdictionary.com/dream and http://www.freakydreams.com/freaky.htm and http://www.dreamdoctor.com and http://www.lucidity.com/ and http://www.ld4all.com/ and http://www.why-we-dream.com/ and there is a section on dream interpretation in Social Science. More in the blog of shan eris on "tackling depression" at http://www.myspace.com/ ________________________________________________________________________________________________ I have my doubts that you will find a good website ondream interpretation, although Yahoo! Answers > Social Science > Dream Interpretation can sometimes be quite insightful, depending on who is in attendance. Repeating the question occasionally can help. Single dreams are often of little, or no significance; recurring dreams are another matter, and may generally be regarded as being the subconscious mind's way of bringing to the attention of the conscious one, something which considers to be imoprtant, that needs to be addressed.
You could view http://your-mental-health.weebly.com/o.html on dream analysis, and start a journal; get some good, psychologically based books on it; visit your library, and/or bookstore; enter "dream analysis; psychological" at www.amazon.com such as: The New Secret Language of Dreams by David Fontana, & Dreaming: A Cognitive-psychological Analysis by David Foulkes, & The Key to Dream Analysis by Ray Douglas. The best one that I have read was by the psychologist, Fritz Perls; somewhat dated, but a truly excellent analysis, and I learned more in that one book than in several others on the subject. ________________________________________________________________________________________________ Nightmares: (hypnotherapy): Most people are suggestible, to some degree, so you could either seek professional hypnotherapy, or, quicker, cheaper, and more conveniently: http://www.instant-hypnosis.com/No More Nightmares "Waking up in a sweat?
Scared to fall asleep?
Nightmares can seem so real that we wake up terrified. It can get so bad that we put off going to sleep just to avoid the panic. Bad dreams can adversely affect our waking hours, too, as the sense of unease lingers throughout the day.
Our No More Nightmares hypnosis session helps combat this problem. In under an hour you'll feel the benefits, as your body relaxes and you sleep easy, without the threat of being chased by demons.
Sit back and listen to this tremendous hypnosis session, as No More Nightmares goes to work deep inside your subconscious where dreams and nightmares form, and brings about only positive dream sequences.
Simply sit back and relax as this superb recording releases your fears and anxiety, helping you:
• Banish the demons • Feel fresh and energetic throughout the day • Experience blissful, peaceful sleep" or http://www.hypnosisdownloads.com Perfect Partners: Stop Recurring Nightmares + Go Back To Sleep ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ NIGHTMARES: (Newer post): Remember the troubling nightmare in as much detail as you can. Create a scenario in which you manage to prevail.
"Tonight, in my dreams, I want to confront the ???/call on a dream ally for help". Write down your chosen form on a piece of paper, at least 3 times, and repeat 3 times aloud, after lights out, and visualise yourself doing it, as vividly as you can, and WANT TO DO IT!!!, with all the desire you can muster, to better communicate this concept to your subconscious mind, through imagery & emotional intensity, so it understands that this is important. Place the piece of paper under your pillow (metaphorically "sleeping on it"). Your subconscious existed before you could walk, or talk. It knows images, muscles/movement, and emotions: communicate with it in terms it can understand.
It doesn't understand negatives. When dreaming, try calling for assistance from a dream character - anyone, alive or long since passed on, even your favorite superhero is available to provide assistance, in the dreamstate. You can even try the technique of "dream re-entry", and use your new solution in that exact same situation. Try the above for 2 - 3 weeks; I believe there is a good chance they will work. Most people are suggestible, to some degree, so you could either seek professional hypnotherapy, or, quicker, cheaper, and more conveniently: Stop Recurring Nightmares - http://www.hypnosisdownloads.com In dream analysis, we are taught that each character inhabiting a dream represents some part of us. It is an axiom that the sole judge of the interpretation of any dream/nightmare is the person who dreamt it. If the nightmare doesn't respond to the above, after a few weeks of trying that technique every night; then it is time to look deeper for the cause. You may benefit from looking at your normal waking life. What problems, and decisions are there? Is there something you have been avoiding, or putting off? Your subconscious mind is trying to get you to focus on something which it considers is important, and resolve it. You could try asking for an answer in your dreams, as per the previous answer, writing it down 3 times, repeating to yourself in bed, after lights out, and focusing on wanting the answer. "Tonight, in my dreams, I want to remember what the figure is trying to tell me". This method, if it works, should do so in a week, or two. If not, you could try http://www.hypnotictapes.com/ Dream the Answer
AUTOSUGGESTION - SELF HYPNOSIS: (needs editing, later!) 20% of people are highly suggestible; a similar amount moderately so. Around 20% are not suggestible. You could try the free hypnosis weblink, perhaps for memory improvement, to establish which type you are, but keep in mind that an experienced hypnotherapist is well versed in using hypnotic induction techniques, then deepeners: http://www.freehypnosistreatment.com They rely on donations to keep the free service operating, so, if helped, kindly contribute a little. Keep the number of subjects that you address to a maximum of 2, and preferably only 1. Google: "hypnospirals; rotating" & "self hypnosis; induction" & "self hypnosis; deepeners" Try: http://www.hypnosense.com/ Some go along the lines that: "Lie back, and make yourself comfortable. When you are ready, imagine, as vividly as you can, that you go to your closet, or wardrobe, and in the back, hidden behind clothes you notice a recessed handle, indicating a panel, or door, which you decide to investigate. Inside there is darkness, but you can dimly see a light switch, which reveals a long spiral staircase. You are fascinated, and want to know where it leads, so you begin following it down, deeper and deeper, as you do, you find yourself becoming more, and more relaxed, until, at the bottom, you feel very relaxed indeed.
You see a door, with an old brass handle, and, curious about what is on the other side, you open it, and there are more stairs leading down to a landing, and a cleared space ... (here, you may have the choice of a meadow, in a forest, with a faun, and rabbits gambolling, and birds chirping cheerily in the trees nearby, or a beach scene, where there is a hammock strung between 2 coconut palms, which you decide to have a short rest in, after your long descent, and near it a recorder, which you press the button on, and you hear a gentle voice saying, as you relax into that hammock, feeling the warm tropical breeze, and taking in the salty tang of the waves softly lapping the coral sands of the beach, and the voice says ... you have become aware recently that you need to deal with your ..... ..... Make your recording in a soft relaxed, unhurried voice. Ensure that you include instructions to gradually return to normal, waking consciousness at the end, feeling relaxed, refreshed, and alert. It is best to restrict the number of topics addressed to one, or, at the very most, two, at least at first, and perhaps always.
Hypnotherapy can help, if you are the suggestible type, or autosuggestion (self hypnosis), using a tape of your own voice giving you instructions. See http://www.hypnosisdownloads.com/ where a series of email articles are available free, and http://www.hypnosense.com/ there are links to 2 hypnospirals, and some very good instructions and deepeners, and try the one at http://www.hypnotictapes.com Also see http://www.uncommonknowledge.com/ & http://www.wikihow.com/Perform-Self-Hypnosis & http://www/howstuffworks.com/hypnosis5.htm Always include instructions to return you to normal, waking consciousness at the end. It is a good idea to set an alarm, which is either muffled, or located at a suitable distance, (so as not to startle) for a time somewhat past your planned ending time. HYPNOSIS INDUCTION TECHNIQUES: see: http://www.psychwww.com/asc/hyp/art/ind00.html ________________________________________________________________________________________________ EMDR VARIANT: The following EMDR variant came from a book on treating insomnia for the depressed; I use it every night, and it is well worth trying. It seems to reduce distractions during the mindfulness relaxation methods, so I use it first. Keeping your head still, move your eyes first to the far left, then far right, and repeat this another 19 times. Each full sweep should take around a second. If you like, you can either subvocalise, or repeat: "one one thousand, two one thousand, three one thousand ... up to twenty.
After this, allow your body to go limp, and relax for a short time. Then repeat the whole exercise, limpness, and relaxation twice. This may well be all you need. Others may require another round of the above. Before beginning the EMDR variant, I take a whiff of lavender essential oil in both nostrils; some people prefer a drop, or two on their pillow. This provides a strong cue to the subconscious mind to prepare for sleep.