finding it hard to sleep

[Kacie Lynne]

Ever since i decided to go through with transition i have been having a very hard time
sleeping, i can be watching tv or on the computer and be tired as heck but when i lay down
all i do is lay awake and toss and turn, i get on average of about 3-4 hours of sleep a night,
i thought that once i got my appt. set for HRT it would calm my nerves a bit but it was just
the opposite i sleep even less and when i do fall asleep i wake up several times during the night,
ive never had this problem before and i really dont want to have to take a sleeping pill just to
get some rest.

if anyone has any ideas i would be grateful as not only am i not sleeping
but it makes my nights seem like forever

[Reilana]

Sounds like insomnia to me, your body may also still be getting acclimated to the hormones, they certainly affect the emotions in some.  Doing boring stuff when you're getting ready to sleep may help, avoid indulging in exciting, high-tension kind of things, and if you have an active imagination, don't read or watch things that leave you wanting more or wondering what may happen next.  If you drink tea, having a bit of chamomile tea can help you to relax, might also consider a drink of warm milk with honey and nutmeg before bed, I like to add a bit of vanilla essence to that as well.  Hope that helps you a bit. ^^

[Newgirl Dani]

Hi Kacey, welcome.

First let me say two things, unless I'm reading this incorrectly, hormones are not the problem as the stage your at is only at the app stage.  Second, keep in mind this is coming from a thought based situation and not from an expert one.

My guess is that once you settled in on your decision, certain matters may still be unresolved that led you to this decision.  Sleep is our opportunity to use dreaming to sort of unravel mental problems, look for correctness, and then process life into a kind of neat package.  I believe it is then that these so called packets of information are ready for placement into further reaches of the mind.  When dreaming cannot resolve life situations in an adequate manner, we lose sleep.

Two suggestions: first contact a therapist so this can be worked through, and/or second, mentally walk through every step to see where you begin to feel uncomfortable in pondering on it.  It is those places that may hold the key.  Hope this helps.    Dani

[Ms Grace]

There are quite a few natural ways to deal with insomnia but it's hard to know what to suggest without knowing your exact circumstances. My general suggestions would be - cut back on caffeine (coffee, tea, cola, energy drinks) and other stimulants like sugar especially six or so hours from bed time; don't eat just before bed time, maybe a cup of camomile tea could help though; try to minimise light and noise in your room - if that's not possible then think about an eye cover thingy and/or soft foam ear plugs; remove distractions from your bedroom - TV, computer, electronic devices...or at the very least make sure they are turned off and would require you to get out of bed to turn them on; avoid TV, computer, games, iPad, iPhone etc for half an hour before bed to help your brain calm down from the electronic stimulation; also maybe have as few lights on as possible around the house. Try to have a regular bed time, if it's changing all the time the brain gets confused. make sure your bed clothes are comfortable, and don't sleep too hot (the body needs to be slightly cool to sleep comfortably), if you don't already consider making your bed each and every morning. During the day don't sit or lie or work on your bed, keep it for sleep only. So those are environmental things, you can also work on your thinking as generally insomnia is caused by anxiety and stress which leads to overthinking. Look into some deep breathing exercises and meditation techniques to help calm your mind and thinking. Hope that helps!

[Kacie Lynne]

I appreciate the ideas, i'm thinking alot of my sleeplessness is from nerves and anxiety, i find myself laying
awake thinking about what i need to do next in my journey and i find sometimes i suddenly wake up with
certain ideas raging in my head like needing to call doctors and set appts. and such, i think the anxiety is from
the feeling i need to and want to tell the rest of my family but i am also scared so i keep running different ideas
through my head about how to tell them and the possible outcomes, as far as getting a sleep schedule thats almost
impossible as i drive truck and sleep in the truck most nights, i can get it completely dark inside though so light is not
a problem but depending on where or who i park by it can be anything from completely quiet to noisy as heck but i have
been driving trucks for years and the noise has never been an issue, i might try the tea idea and see if it will calm my nerves
i have just about taken all caffinated drinks out of my life, i think when i get back home i am also going to have a family
meeting and get this out in the open and off my chest, i think that may help calm me a bit also

[katrinaw]

I suffer with Insomnia ATM.. definitely how do I gently tell SO's that I have been living in a pretend male world for sooo many years...

For me I will be looking at a therapist very soon now to help.... Of course after a couple of day's I am so damned tired that I just crash into a deep sleep anyways...

One thing I find that helps is a drink of water and a sweet biscuit / cookie... Or I delve into my favourite skiing memories playing back the great runs or tricks.... some how that seems to work too

L Katy

[Kristyn74]

I too have found just checking emails and doing computer things before bed usually keeps me up.

[Foxglove]

Kacey, this may sound silly and I don't know if it'll help you, but it's what works for me.  I've had sleep problems all my life.  It kind of runs in the family.  No surprise there.  I think we're a family of professional neurotics. 

Generally speaking, once I finally get to sleep, I sleep well enough.  The problem is that sometimes it can take me a long time to drop off.  Sometimes I might drop off in good order, say 1/2 hour or so, but often enough it can be a lot longer--2-3 hours.  And it is true that quite often I wake up in the middle of the night and might have trouble getting back to sleep.

One thing I try to do is not get wound up about things in the hours before bedtime.  If you have worries, get that done during daylight hours.  In the evening try to relax in whatever way you do that.

But basically what I've done is simply stop worrying about lost sleep.  I tend to go in streaks: I might have 3 or 4 bad nights in a row, and then a stretch where I'm sleeping well.  I learned a long time ago that I can go 3 or 4 nights in a row with maybe only 4-5 hours sleep.  If that went on forever, yeah, it would be bad, but I've learned that that doesn't happen.  So when I'm having a bad night, I just don't worry about it. I know that it isn't going to hurt me much. I lie there in bed and try to think pleasant thoughts.

Ironically, I don't mind too much waking up in the middle of night.  In a way I like my bedtime.  I feel nice and toasty, and safe somehow: nobody can get me here.  So if I'm awake, I just enjoy being in bed.  I always get back to sleep eventually.

It doesn't help to get wound up about losing sleep.  That'll pretty much guarantee you that you'll lose more, I think.  So for me the solution is simply not to get wound up about it.  I don't know if you're in a position to do that.  If you're not, then you're simply not and you'll have to find another solution.  But I sympathize with you.  I know the problem.

[oneWhoGetsBy]

The Jews that were forced into manual labor in concentration camps slept like logs.. despite being in concentration camps. The issue with sleep is more physical than mental. With adequate activity and exercise, you'll sleep like a pig, guaranteed.