I can not STAY asleep

[kfillmore]

I am getting pretty desperate. I can not stay asleep. I usually fall asleep easily but then I keep waking up, over and over. Occasionally my mind is spinning or my bowels are bothering me and that gives me insomnia. Then I wake and have trouble falling back asleep. My real problem, however, is that every night I wake up a million times (seriously probably every few hours). I usually fall asleep again pretty quickly. I wake in the middle of dreams which to me means something is waking me up. I usually sleep well until 11pm or 12am. 

Here are the things I think could be waking me:

     Stress/anxiety (although I don't exactly feel that I know that is generally my state of being)

     I sleep with DD and she often wakes up.I wonder if I am conditioned to wake even when she doesn't

     I haven't let go of the mommy awareness of her baby sleeping so I am hyper sensitive and not sleeping deeply

     my bed is uncomfortable (perhaps this is the only reason)

     sometimes I think I stop breathing

When I wake what I feel like is that I just got sucked out of sleep.

I would particularly like any advice on herbs or homeopathic medicine to try

thank you!

[laohaire]

My recommendation is Theanine.

[Kedrosami]

Hi! As for herbs, you could drink sleepytime tea before bed--made by celestial seasonings. Or just straight chamomile. Peppermint is also very soothing.

Getting enough exercise during the day can really help you sleep better (sometimes easier said than done.) And practicing breathing exercises, yoga, and meditation/prayer can help calm your racing mind. A warm bath before bed might also be nice if it's an option.

But my biggest suggestion is to try listening to some hypnosis tracks for sleep. I don't know what your bedroom/technology setup is, but I have a smartphone with earbuds, so I can play things on my phone at night without bothering anyone else. It's a great setup.

Go on YouTube and search for "Rob Gorick sleep" and you will come up with lots of fantastic videos made by this hypnosis guy. Just follow along with what he says, and you will find yourself drifting off peacefully. I often listen to his videos to get back to sleep when I wake in the night.

[FrannieP]

Have you tried melatonin? It works wonders for some.

Someone else her suggested a homeopathic remedy for healthy sleep patterns called serenite that I tried and LOVE.  Like you, I can always fall asleep okay - but struggle sometimes w/ waking repeatedly through the night. This stuff really helps me with that.

Valerian is effective also - but makes me groggy in the morning.

Good luck, I know how hard it is to try to function well w/o good sleep.

[laohaire]

Realized I should add a little 'splanayshun about theanine. It's an amino acid. Somehow it doesn't make me drowsy, which is a great thing because I am very sensitive to drowse-inducing medication and I wake up feeling about as groggy as I did when I went down.

I just pop one or two of those babies and enjoy a deeper sleep. I frequently have trouble achieving deep sleep - I'll often spend the whole night in a semi-conscious state. Sometimes I'm actually wide awake, but frankly the semi-conscious state is just about as bad. But after a theanine-powered night, I wake up feeling refreshed, having enjoyed actual unconsciousness and REM sleep.

The only problem for me is that it seems I can't take it every night or its effectiveness wears off. On the other hand, if I take it one night, I usually enjoy a second night of deeper sleep without taking it again. I take it one night out of every two or three and it works best for me that way.

[crunchy_mommy]

Have you been tested for sleep apnea? That was my first thought & when I reread your post I saw you sometimes feel like you've stopped breathing (missed that the first time!) That sounds like classic sleep apnea to me -- several of my immediate family members have it. Do you snore? That would be another sign, though occasionally people have it without snoring too... I'm sure it could be other things too, like stress & being in mommy mode, but I'd consider getting a sleep study done, sleep apnea can wreak havoc on your health...

[DecemberSun]

Try doing a cleanse!  It really helped my insomnia!  :)  Here are some links for you:

http://www.sensiblehealth.com/Journey-07.xhtml

http://www.chinesemedicinecure.com/node/797

This is the cleanse I used:

http://www.drnatura.com/

And some info for spring cleansing:

http://www.peacefulmind.com/spring.htm

Hope this helps.  :)