And it’s one of the things I enjoyed about being home during lockdown. I forgot how hard it is to switch off from a day in school. I won’t let it happen again. Thanks for the reminder @Pisces56 X
3 Likes
I have tried so many things listening to music throughout the night, it worked for a bit and helped when I woke up as it gave my ears something to listen to. Getting tangled up in the head phones didn’t help!
I tried sleep stories haven’t found one yet that sent me to sleep.
I got so fed after having a night with zero sleep I have just signed up with sleepstation.org,uk
It’s an online course based on CBT and you are working with sleep specialists who give you a programme to follow to improve your sleep, based on your own sleep pattern.
I believe it’s based on sleep restriction therapy
and can be pretty hard going in the first weeks, so maybe not something to do while you are working.
They do NHS referrals from your GP. I have just been accepted so will let you know how I get on.
Feeling a little apprehensive. Fingers crossed.
2 Likes
Yes, @AnnD, please let us know how you get on, I think it is natural to feel apprehensive.
Yes, fingers crossed. Take care.
1 Like
Really interested to see how you get on. Anything new makes me a bit nervous but definitely worth a go!
2 Likes
I am rubbish at getting to sleep. Takes me hours to switch off normally. But have tried sleepy shower gel from lush and it really helps. Might just be psychological but definitely worth a try !!! Ps I am not employed by them or anything !!
3 Likes
Hi @bev, a great big welcome to our forum and thanks for your handy hint, who cares if it is psychological or not. Funnily enough I had an extra long, relaxing, bubbly bath this morning and 3 hrs later I still feel more relaxed. We look forward to hearing more from you.
1 Like
Hi @bev and welcome! I love lush bath bombs but they make me itch. Just smell them instead when my daughters use them! Whatever the reason, I’m glad it helps you x
1 Like
Ok so I’ve had the first week on sleepstation.org.uk.
I had to do a week of sleep diaries which I have to say makes you much more conscious of your sleep, or lack of it. This resulted in me getting even less sleep than usual.
At the end of the week I had a report on my sleep which resulted in an average of 3 3/4 hrs each night!
Along the way you get tips for better sleep and can message the sleep coaches with any concerns or if you need help.
I was then given a sleep plan to follow, time to go to bed, time to get up in the morning. They gave me a total of 5 hours in bed.
You don’t have to start the plan straight away and I opted to give it a few days to start in the hope I would get a bit more sleep in between.
I’ve just completed the 3rd night, the first 2 nights were appalling but last night, I think due to being exhausted I got just over 4hrs.
I’m having to go to bed at midnight and get up at 5am, missing my cuppa in bed!
Will see how I get on for the rest of the week. Still have to fill in sleep diary every day and my sleep will be reviewed again at the end of the week.
I have been told it’s not a quick fix and the whole programme will last for 8/9 weeks.
There are a lot of resources on the website to take advantage of.
It does sometimes feel a little automated but have been assured that there are real people monitoring the sleep diaries and your progress.
Taking one day at a time.
2 Likes
This is interesting @AnnD - what’s the process for getting NHS funding? (They say it’s free on the NHS, in England but “sometimes” (!!!) with GP approval. I suppose I’d better start there. 
(Really though. if sometimes it’s available without GP approval, there ought to be a link - and they could say 'approval needed" if it was.)
3 Likes
Thank you for sharing this @AnnD, interested to hear how you get on with it, really hope you get some positive outcomes from it. 3 3/4 hours of sleep a night sounds incredibly tough!!
2 Likes
I just applied for NHS funding through the website. I obviously had to give my GP’'S details.
I got an email back saying they were applying for the referral but in the meantime if I hadn’t already notified my GP to let him know I was applying.
Before I got to speak with my GP I had an email back from sleepstation to say I had been accepted. I think it may be different for Wales and Scotland.
Will post an update after completing my second week.
1 Like
So here I am just halfway into my 3rd week, still going to bed at 12pm and getting out of bed at 5am.
The second week was a lot better with more even number of hours sleep each night, still only 3.5hrs but a slight improvement.
The 3rd week however I seem to have taken a step back and have struggled with very little sleep over the last 3 nights.
So exhausted last night I slept through for 4.5hrs feeling much better this morning.
They did say weeks 2-5 were the hardest.
I do have some issues and frustrations with how the programme is run, which I have bought up with them.
They have sleep coaches who you can message with any questions or concerns but you never know which one is going to get back to you. So you could be starting a conversation with one then get someone else replying. This has led to conversations not being carried through, or getting repeat information.
There has also been some misunderstanding around where I was on the programme and when a review was taking place, however this was resolved but I felt that if the sleep coaches were really checking things these sort of errors should not happen.!
They did survey me re the programme after the 2nd week so at least getting the chance to bring concerns up.
Hoping continued improvement though and determined to see this through. I have had years of not sleeping well and nights of not sleeping at all so know there is not a quick fix but a gradual process.
1 Like
Hi @AnnD, interesting and I am sure your diary is so helpful for many people. No, unfortunately there is no quick fix, take care of yourself.
It sounds like you’ve got a plan @AnnD . I almost never sleep all through the night but I get woken up a lot by the nocturnal habits of the people I live with. My room is next to the bathroom and they seem to use it an excessive amount during the night including having a shower at 2 am. I’m not sure if they are aware of their behaviour and feel I’d be petty for raising it. As I’m the only one of the four people in the house who has been working this year I really need a good night. I find it difficult to sleep naturally even without noise and usually sleep in one or two hour chunks even on a good night.
2 Likes
@AnnD Ann, ditto to Erica and Franko, thank you so much for sharing how you’re getting on and for being so open about how you’re feeling too.
@Franko ah Franko, that must be really tough when living with others who may always consider who they’re living with, and as you say, in your case- someone who has to get up for work the next day. And it’s so understandable to feel a bit reluctant to approach them about it. Do you find anything helps distract you at all, when it does get very noisy? anything that helps shift your focus at all?
So sorry that you’re experiencing this Franko.
Su
2 Likes
Oh @Franko a bedroom next to a well used bathroom must be so difficult for you, why is plumbing and the items it services so noisy, especially at night. Take care and try to look after yourself.
I’ve had a referral; from my GP, and am waiting to hear from SS. I must admit to feeling a bit of trepidation.
When I did the Options thing (which lets them tailor a package) they suggested the bare-bones version. But as well as CLL and depression I have a mitochondrial disorder (which saps energy), so I think I need a little more attention than their one-size-fits-all £95 job. So I reapplied, and laid it on a bit thicker (luckily, their software doesn’t police this sort of behaviour!), and now I’m getting the £395 package. We’ll see…
PS Maybe the moderators would prefer to put all the SleepStation replies in a separate topic (Hint hint - I’m glad I’ve hung up my moderator’s hat (in another forum)