Thread: insomnia? Not being able to sleep at least

I believe we all have an equal amount of troubles weighing on our head, especially just before we go to sleep. You can pen your thoughts down and tell yourself you'll think about it when you wake up.

Do you feel exceptionally tired after your continuous insomnia? Because it seems you're not getting enough sleep. Lack of sleep affects dream recall too, from my own experience. I know some people uses yoga and meditation to calm themselves down, you can try reading a book too.

I have a natural tendency to lie awake for ages before falling asleep, and my answer to that has been to drink a relaxing herbal infusion before bedtime. Actually, I tend to brew this infusion with very little water (to prevent waking up during the night to relieve my bladder), and for a very long time (20-30 minutes), in order to get the most of the "good stuff" in the herbs.

I have found these to be particularly useful:

California Poppy: VERY effective, almost scarily so. 1/4 tsp. is adequate to guarantee 8 hours of unbroken sleep.
Catmint/Catnip: Also quite effective, and 1/4 to 1/2 tsp. seems quite adequate for the 8 hours of sleep.
Lavender: Extremely useful to put me to sleep, but not so sure about its "staying power". Use 1/4 tsp.
Damiana: very nice and also quite effective, but less so than poppy and catnip.
Lemon balm: also very useful, but as little as 1/2 tsp. will eliminate my chances of lucid dreaming.
Chamomille: Doesn't aid falling asleep, or indeed staying asleep. But it makes the night time seem pleasant.

For a perfect nights sleep (without lucid dreaming), I would blend 1/4 tsp. each of the following: damiana, lemon balm, and lavender - possibly with 1/4 tsp. of chamomille added. Or, alternatively, 1/4 tsp. each of California Poppy and Lemon balm.

Important health warning: I have to add, that pregnant women should exercise extra caution before using herbs; many herbs may have severely adverse effects on a pregnancy. Of the ones mentioned above, there has definitely been questions raised about the safety of lemon balm, and possibly catnip. But in any case, before using any herbs during a pregnancy, consult a trustworthy source on the safety aspect.

I have found that reducing my daily caffeine intake to one mug of coffee (or one soda) only and increasing my exercise has improved my ability to dream drastically. Do you use caffeine? Do you excercise? If these points do not apply to you after all, look for other things that you could improve in your daily habits that might help you sleep better: reduce stress, improve diet especially to eating more earlier and less later during the day, etc.

I also daydream a lot, and I don't think daydreaming interferes with my sleep. I don't think your imaginary world sounds really stupid: it sound like a really cool project. Just make sure to listen to your own body and mind: when I am daydreaming or reading before I fall asleep, I at some point feel very tired and I know that's my signal to go to sleep and stop doing what I was doing; if I ignore the signal, I might get a second wind and feel less tired for a while, but then I usually regret it later. So watch out for your signal of when it is time to stop and to fall asleep. Good luck and have fun!

Originally Posted by Voldmer

Important health warning: I have to add, that pregnant women should exercise extra caution before using herbs; many herbs may have severely adverse effects on a pregnancy. Of the ones mentioned above, there has definitely been questions raised about the safety of lemon balm, and possibly catnip. But in any case, before using any herbs during a pregnancy, consult a trustworthy source on the safety aspect.

xD haha, well, good thing is that I am not pregnant. But i haven't considered drinking any type of tea! Ahh yeah, I haven't had a good solid night of sleep in awhile. Thank you for giving some specific teas I could make! A lot eaiser than just telling me "go drink tea" and hope for the best or whatever.

I used to have this problem a lot. What I would do is while laying in bed, I would focus on each part of my body and try to relax it and release all tension. Start from your feet and work your way up your body until you're completely relaxed. I would easily fall asleep after that. You can also try saying mantras in your head like, "I will have a good night's sleep." Just repeat it over and over in your head until you feel like it's been implemented into your brain. I like to picture myself in my own fantasy world too, don't worry it's not stupid! Maybe someday you can visit your world in a lucid dream.