"He shall feed his flock like a shepherd: he shall gather the lambs with his arm,
and carry them close to his heart, and shall gently lead those that are with young." Isaiah 40:11

Tuesday, February 1, 2011

Insomnia

Rachel had a great day.  She seems to be over her intestinal virus.  And she is smiling again - the grinning kind.  Every time we go back to a few days without this, I remember when she had her first spell - when we wondered if we would ever see her smiles again.  So, I think we treasure them that much more...

Can I ask you to pray for me that I will start sleeping again?  I have been having trouble with insomnia for awhile now - and it's been bad for the past month.  I often go to sleep fine, sleep for a few hours and then I am up the rest of the night....or I can't sleep at all until 6 or 7 am, then fall asleep, only to wake up by the kids.  I have had spells like this before but this one seems particularly bad.  And when I am tired, I have less reserve for those 'high-pressure' times. Those who know me know how much I love my sleep and miss it when I am not getting it;) And I am trying hard to focus on 'resting' and not 'sleeping' so I don't stress out about it.  I wonder if this is the effect of the last year's stress catching up, and lack of exercise probably plays a part too... I have already tried several herbal remedies...still open to hearing what works for you:)  Thank-you.

11 comments:

On God's path said...

Hi Kendra,

I will pray for you regarding this sleep issue. Try making yourself do something you detest like cleaning the bathroom for example.

I am glad to hear that Rachel is grinning at you again now that she is feeling a bit better.

Love,
Christina

Janet said...

That is so wonderful to read that Rachel is doing well again.Praise God.Your family is such a big part of our daily prayer ,& it is great to hear all that has been answered by many prayers.
When I have a hard time sleeping I have a nighty time tea.The box has a bear in the front sleeping on a chair. :)I put a little honey in it & it is quite good.I will have a second cup,just before I go to bed,It works for me. ;o

I will pray for rest for you .
Love & prayers
Janet M

Carol Taves said...

Hey Kendra,
I will definitely be praying for peaceful, uninterrupted sleep for you. Could you find about 20 minutes sometime in the evening or just before you go to bed to do some muscle relaxation/deep breathing exercises? It's not a quick fix, but if you do it regularly, it can really start making a big difference in a couple of weeks. I also try to pick a scripture passage or verse to meditate on while I do the relaxation thing. I can send you specifics if you would like it. Let me know.
Carol

Dani said...

Guess that means the Melatonin didn't work? Boring textbook? I'm fresh out, but thinking about you and sending sleep vibes your way.

Kathy said...

Every time I'm up with Elena during the night, I will pray that you will be able to sleep. Because without sleep it's hard to cope at the best of times.

Brenda Funk said...

Hey -- if nothing else works, get something from the Dr., or even try the over the counter ones -- I use those once in a while, and it works for me. Often if I'm not sleeping well for a while, I'll take one and find that my sleep button is reset. Hope you find something that works.

Valerie Ruth said...

being of the medical trained type, i vote for drugs! ativan just for when you need it. works for me. or over the counter gravol will do the trick for the occasional night.

Emily (Garvin) Clark said...

I would definitely recommend grabbing something from your doctor - sometimes it's the only thing that works.

When I couldn't take those anymore I set up a laptop on my nightstand and watch a movie in bed - something distracting enough to make my brain get a rest from the million things swimming around in there. I would unplug the laptop so that by the time I passed out, the battery would die so the light from the laptop wouldn't wake me up later. I still use this technique almost every night.

Charlene Trudel said...

Hi Kendra,

I am so glad to hear that Rachel is smiling again and almost over her sickness. However, you are going to need your sleep too. I understand from another friend of yours, that you have tried melatonin. It works well if you take it at least 3 hours before you go to bed. (I have troubles sleeping and I can't seem to shut my brain off.) I also drink sleepy time tea - usually make one cup with 2 tea bags. Sometimes, if I know or feel that neither one of these will work, I take Valirian Root. It smells yucky (like old,dirty socks) but works really well, especially when you need it. If all else fails, i have used Nytol. And if everything above all else fails, I use ibuprophen before bed, or gravol or even benadryl! Benadryl, although supposed to be used for allergies (I have 2 fluffy cats in the house) works in a hurry when you need some quick, deep sleep and rest!! Sorry!! I have had some serious issues with trying to stay caught up on my sleep. I hope that one of these suggestions from everyone will work for you!

Sending love and hugs to you and your family!!

Kara said...

Sorry to hear that, insomnia is horrific especially when your survival depends on getting some rest. I've had several bouts of it to, it seems to go in stretches for me, maybe hormones and stress? I've tried everything before meds but finally resorted to meds, unisom over the counter or (for severe bouts of it) ambien from the doctor. Relief! After a few nights of sleeping well I can get on track with sleep without meds. Wishing you some zzzzzzs!

Anonymous said...

Ok I'm a bit late to this party but as fibromyalgia includes a insomnia component, I struggle with this a lot.

Somethings that sometimes work:

When the mind is racing:
1. Count backwards from 100
2. Name a flower for every letter of the alphabet (aster, begonia, cosmos, dahlia...)
Other things that work:
3. Gravol or an antihistamine
4. Heating pad helps relax me.
5. Progressive muscle relaxation - starting with the toes, gently tighten, hold for a few seconds, release. Work your way up your body.
6. Paced breathing. Deep breath in through the nose, hold for 10 seconds or so, release through the mouth.

Glad to hear you are sleeping better though.
Kathy Dueck