Poor you.

Most (not all) forms of sleep disorder are usually linked to lifestyle. The biggest lifestyle issue is usually stress. Hope you're not too stressed out. A friend of mine last eyar had a major sleep problem and in the end found a great solution. 3 weeks backpacking holiday in India. 3 weeks of no TV, no work, no pressures, jet lag, immense heat. She loved it and when she returned slept like a baby every night.

Paul.

Basically yes, I think a specialist would just perscribe a pill as well...and charge five times as much to do it.

If you can take a nap after work, even for an hour, i recommend that. It's actually been proven that if you sleep regularly throughout the day you need alot less sleep.

I know I can't function with less than 6hrs of sleep. I had a night a couple of nights ago when I got about 3hrs and felt like a total zombie the next day. I think it was shortly after that I started feeling under the weather. I turn into a witch with a "b" too. I used to get by in college by napping a lot during the day (that partly explains my grades ). I, and I suspect you, can't nap now that I have kids and responsibilities. I am certain your employer frowns on naps other than at lunch time.

I find that if I exercise too late in the evening, I can have difficulty falling asleep. Stress, good or bad can keep your mind racing also. My hubby reads to get his brain to quiet down and I veg in front of the TV for a bit before bed time.

Hope the sand man will be on time for you tonight

The very first thing i would do, before even going to the doctor, is either research insomnia on the net, or read a couple books about it. There are people all over that are doing research on insomnia, and the reasons for it range from mental illness to stress, to hormone imbalance, to too much light.

no one is going to be able to tell you how to overcome your insomnia, the only thing you can do is try a couple methods, and figure out what works for you. Some of the ones listed are valid options.

The number one pill on the market for insomnia is Ambien. Most doctors will only give you a prescription for about 60 pills per year, so you don't end up gettin' hooked on 'em. Your body will start depending on 'em too much if you take 'em too much, just like any other drug. This allows you to get one night of good sleep per week.

i'd start with a websearch of insomnia and look at the latest Sleep Institute's study results. There are alternatives to the drugs, and i for one admire you for wanting to find 'em...

I'm a light insomniac and here are some tips to sleep better~

Stay active~ try doing something strenuously physical for at least two hours a day. You won't always have to, but for now your body needs to be aware of its need for sleep.

Get into bed at precisely the same time every night~ even if you can't get to sleep for hours, stay there. After a while, your body will realize that it has to shut off at a certain point.

Wake Consistantly~ Regular sleep habits not only make you sleep easier, they make you sleep easier. Your sleep is literally more effective. The reason is that if you have a consistant 'scedule', your body isn't 'worried' that you're going to interrupt it, so you sleep sounder.

Prepare~don't exercise or drink coffee for a couple hours before you sleep. Try to do something pretty relaxing, like reading or watching TV.

Umm...~Do you have a husband? *Thinking of way to put this tactfully* There are things you can do with a boyfriend or husband that release chemicals that make it easier to sleep.

Good luck KaramGirl

~Dan

imajinit, thanks for the response. I hadn't heard of that drug yet. I really don't like taking drugs unless I need to. The only drug that I currently take is Synthroid (I don't have a thyroid). I keep thinking that it might be the problem, but my blood work always comes back on the low side of normal, which means I should actually be tired easier than most people.

Dan, I actually do everything that you mentioned. My husband wishes I would do more of your last suggestion LOL But, that's typical for a guy

I think I am starting to realize what keeps me from sleeping. It's two main things- I can't get my mind to shut off (too many irons in the fire right now) and I'm a Mom. Every since I had my daughter, I have always had to listen to her at night in case she wakes up sick. I started putting a baby monitor in her room again so that I know that I will be able to hear her. Even though the monitor makes some noise on its own, after a few days, I started being able to sleep a little bit more. I'm still only averaging about 4 to 5 hours a sleep a night, but I actually slept for 7 hours last night, which felt amazing.

Life is so much better with a bit of sleep.