Hi @BobK99, I am glad you have now got a better package, I wonder if anyone else has had a similar experience to you, we await hearing. Take care.
The NHS option seems to be the £395 programme
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Well I’ve come to the end of my 6 week programme in Sleepstation, I understand that there are 2 weeks of support available if required.
I’m waiting to see what they come up with for going forwards.
I have very mixed feelings about the programme as a lot of the tips and techniques are ones that I’ve already used and are well documented. I did try them again but didn’t find any of them useful.
The getting up, after not getting off to sleep after 20 mins just woke me up!
The most useful thing I found was doing a wind down routine before bed. Turning the lights down, tv off, music on and some reading and guided mindfulness meditations. Also made my bedroom a whole lot darker and took the noisy catch off the bedroom door so it’s now quiet when my husband gets up in the night to go to the loo!
I think their support could be better, as I said before you get different people answering your queries and messages and I’ve ended up getting the same information given to me of not having my queries answered.
The sleep restriction part of the programme, which is the main technique, is very hard and also the filling in of diaries and logging your sleep does make you overly conscious of your sleep. I have got quite frustrated with it all at times.
Where am I at the moment , well this last week finally I’m getting between 4.5 & 5 hours + sleep and feeling a whole lot better.
I have learn’t some interesting things about sleep, like it’s normal to wake up during the night and we all sleep in waves. It has been described as like a dolphin going down and then coming up for air.
So have found that if I do wake I tend not to worry about it so much and go back to sleep.
It’s more important to go by how you feel after you’ve got up.
I’m still getting up at 5am and have got quite use to it and have found it useful for getting on with the day and getting things done.
We’ll see how things progress from here. I’m still hoping to improve the amount of sleep I get each night.
It will be interesting to see how you get on Bob as each of us is different. Good luck with it, it’s not easy and hard on those living with you, I got very irritable and grumpy! It’s not something I would recommend to do while working best to start it when you have some leave.
I have ordered a book about sleep from the founder of the Sleep School, can’t remember his name now. They have a totally different approach, so that will be interesting.
If anyone is interested in guided meditation I would recommend the Insight Timer app. They have a huge library of free meditations using different methods for all situations, along with music, white noise and sleep stories. You can build up your own playlist, give it a go it well worth it.
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Franco sleeping in chunks throughout the night, I have come to learn is quite normal. Apparently we all do it it’s just that if you have a sleep problem you notice it more, then it becomes bigger in your mind.
Having other people disturb you in the night really doesn’t help and I don’t think it would be petty to mention it, as you say they probably don’t realise how noisy it is for you.
The one thing I have learnt is the more you worry about not sleeping the worse it is as it just takes over, even to the extent of worrying before going to bed if your going to get any sleep.
So if you go to bed thinking your not going to get any then…!
One of the techniques in the sleepstation programme is desensitisation, it used mainly for snoring don’t know if it would work for the noises you get? The idea is that you record the noise and then play it back during the day so that eventually you get so use to it your brain ignores it. Well that’s the theory.
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Hi @AnnD, I was interested that we all in chunks and the more you worry about not sleeping the worse it gets.
Perhaps we all vary in the amount of sleep we need (I don’t mean want) and many people seem to think 5ish hrs is normal and achieve so much in the early morning.
We await hearing how you are in your new routine. Take care that is the main thing.
…I have just paid £29 for a 1 year subscription to an app called CALM.
I have had 7 nights of uninterrupted sleep, having struggled with sleep at the ‘appropriate’ time!
When I go to bed, I put a ‘story’ on, thinking ‘that’s sounds interesting’, then between 5 or 6 hours later I wake up astonished I can’t even remember what the story was about!
I feel refreshed after just a week - sleep deprivation is the worst! It was recommended by my sons partner and the app has a free trial for a week! I’m the typical cynic - ‘that won’t work!’ - try it, and see what you think!
Keep safe and well! Kindest, Adam
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Thanks Adam for your experiences, very interesting.
As Adam says sleep deprivation is the worst, has anyone else got any hints or tips?
I’m
So glad it worked for you and that you are feeling better for it! Let’s hope it continues!
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Thanks for sharing those tips! I tried the Calm app, and it works. Still, sometimes I toss in bed for hours to find a comfortable position to sleep.
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Hi @RolanGoblen and @lauMercury a great big welcome to our forum.
This forum is full of experiences and handy tips and I hope that you will also find it supportive, I do.
I hope you will both keep on posting as I look forward to hearing more about you both.
Look after yourselves
I’ve had my share of sleepless nights and found strategies that make a difference.
I do light stretching or breathing exercises to ease into a state of relaxation before going to bed. It’s basically about creating cues that tell your mind it’s time to switch off for the day.
I’ve minimized screen time at least an hour before bed; the blue light from devices can mess with your internal clock.
Investing in a good pillow has been helpful. I have an adjustable pillow from Pluto. It has helped me improve the quality of my sleep by providing the right support for my head and neck.
I maintain a cool, dark, quiet sleep environment in my bedroom. I use blackout curtains and sometimes earplugs to block out any noise.
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Have you tried changing your pillow cases
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Hi @Ashleyjaz welcome to posting and you have just shown a value of our forum by suggesting an idea for fellow forum members.
I really look forward to hearing more about you, thanks for posting and really look after yourself