Caught in the wheel of anxiety attacks, tiredness, night heat waves and no sleep with Polycythaemia vera (PV) right now.
Anyone any suggestions for the none sleeping hours, trying mediation apps at the moment and reading, oh and rabbit hole YouTube 
Not seeing the specialist till the 18th next month despite talking to the nurse, so aware now of the symptoms slowing getting worse.
Funny thing is, driving long distances, no concentration issues, sit down to do paper work, Salvador Dali surreal focus painting time
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Oh @clickinhistory it is rotten when you cannot sleep.
Perhaps a trip to the GP is in order to see if they can suggest something.
Did the nurse suggest anything?
These are personally things that help me:
Keep to a timed routine for sleep
Be comfortable and snuggly in bed
Try not to force sleep, relax and just accept it, rest
A nice warm bath in the evening before getting into bed
A bedtime drink, for me hot chocolate made with water, for some people a hot milky drink, not caffeine
No electronic devices for a while before bedtime.
Perhaps watch some chill out TV
If you can set the TV or music to turn itself off after a timed period, a bit technical for me, otherwise I will wake up in the night and really wake myself up having to turn it off.
Some people like to read
Don’t be too hot or too cold
Don’t watch the clock
Cuddle a furry animal, real or toy
All time winner is to listen to relaxing music
I hope something is of use, I need my sleep to function during the day.
I await others handy hints
Really be kind to yourself
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Hi @clickinhistory
I feel for you. I share your pain my sleep pattern is also miserable.
There are some useful hints and tips here
Some things I have found that have helped are Lush - sleepy spray and cbd massage bar
I have one of those vaporisers and use various sleepy smells neom do some great ones.
I also invested in a weighted eye mask which proved really relaxing . It’s always a bit of a combination of lots of different things , being warm smelling lovely certainly helps and a little bedtime yoga helps me too.
I’ve never found a magic answer some nights can just be miserable and like the NHS says it’s best really to just get up and do something else and try again later. Hope you manage to get some no
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@Erica They sound great, trouble is I don’t work a standard day, so have random start and finish times which doesn’t help.
I can be away a lot too, so don’t have access to stuff.
Downside of Polycythaemia vera (PV) is baths are a nightmare of itching afterwards, though watching bad tv series has been a godsend for just switching off the mind for a while.
My poor Kindle is weighted down by 350 odd books 
Hot chocolate at any time of day is good though 
Trouble is I lose mornings after a bad night as I just end up resting, but trying hard these days not to beat myself up about it.
Enjoy your weekend and I hope you are feeling better for taking your own advice
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@Jules sleep hygiene is hard in my work, none regular hours and not always in my own bed.
God Lush should be banned from the High Street, they ruined the centre of York until they had action taken against them over the smells lol. Would get a headache walking past them!
The eye mask sounds like a good idea though.
Wonder if a dab of malt whisky behind the ears might help relax me
Take care of yourself
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Hi folks
I recently found out that the spice nutmeg added to supper can help with sleep. Just a teaspoonful mind. I am not on any medication yet so I think in my case no side effects. IT DOES WORK. BUT NO MORE THAN A TEASPOONFUL. IN ANY CASE HAVE A CONVERSATION WITH YOUR DOCTOR, SOME SPICES CAN REACT OR HAVE QUITE SEVERE SIDE EFFECTS. ESPECIALLY IF YOU TAKE TO MUCH.
BEST WISHES
UNCLEJACK.
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@clickinhistory I am sorry to read that you are having sleep issues on top of everything else. I swear by lavender oil on my pillow, I lie there deep breaths in through my nose and take in the fragrance. For me it’s helped immensely, all the very best 
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@Suenew1967 looking at getting an essential oils diffuser that I can set and take with me, knew Black Friday deals would come in handy
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@clickinhistory thats what I need! I just put too much in my pillow…… I’ll have a look this evening 
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@clickinhistory oh my gosh I’ve just read this, if I ever came across a Lush shop I had to cross the road, used to make me feel awful couldn’t stomach the smell! 
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@Suenew1967 as they got more successful, they changed the stuff they made and the smell just got worse. It made the sugar beet factory smell good, you couldn’t smell the Rowntree factory or Terry’s and even the air dump from the Jorvik museum smelled better
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Oh @clickinhistory @Suenew1967 @Unclejack @Jules we also have a Lush shop in our local town and it had a fruit, veg, fish market opposite.
The smells really turn my stomach and I used to work in a cosmetic and perfume factory with no problems.
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@clickinhistory thats made me chuckle! I thought I was the only person that couldn’t stand Lush
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@Erica @clickinhistory so thats at least 3 of us then and there was me thinking I was unique
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@Suenew1967 a friend back in the York days would check which way the wind was blowing before heading to parts of the city it made her so ill lol
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Oh gosh what a storm I have created 
My husband has exactly the same opinion he hates the smell. I used to be of the same opinion but I have either lost a lot of my sense of smell or I do think they have toned it down somewhat.
I was intrigued and did a bit of google searching and yes I do think they have toned down the smells they put out the door to entice people in as it had the opposite effect 
Anyway it’s 5am I’ve been awake since 4 trying to practice all the things I suggested including avoiding my phone ! Lush sleepy ! And I’ve given up and I’m about to get up but thought I’d pop on here and see how everyone is today. Have a good day everyone- today is my lovely mum’s birthday so hope it’s a great day for you all too @Suenew1967 @Erica @clickinhistory @Unclejack
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Oh, @Jules I am sitting here and my nose is smelling Lush, uurrrgh.
Looks a lovely day here and I am going to get some fresh air into my nose on my walk to Pilates.
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Hi I can empathise with you regarding your ‘Wee Small Hours’ experiences.
They can be quite frightening and also a dark place to be at times.
I have had a sleep problem for three years, and have seen various Doctors and specialists, with many tests, and medications.
However, I am now resigned to getting a, one hour, continuous sleep period at a time. This is very exhausting as you would imagine.
I have tried the odd sleeping pills which gives me two, or three hours, continuous sleep, but that is not the answer in the long term.
I have also tried reading, getting up and walking about the house, and making a cuppa, all of which was too disruptive for me.
When I was first diagnosed with Chronic lymphocytic leukaemia (CLL) I changed my way of living, diet, exercise, weight, etc. Included in that was ‘Slow Deep Nose Breathing’.
A controversial subject, I know, but there is a lot of good science and medical reports, which backs up the efficacy of this, therapy, and, the Molecule ‘Nitric Oxide’, which is an integral part of the therapy. (For that is what it is in my opinion.)
Most nights after the first two or three ‘Toilet Stops’ I lay in bed still, quiet, and calm, and do slow and moderate nose breaths in and out, until I go to sleep, which I invariable, and eventually do.
The downsides are, that I can calmly, silently, and serenely, do this for anything ranging from ten minutes, to two hours. (But I’ve nothing else to do), so 'What the Heck 
Whatever works for you, but do keep experimenting, as we are all different.
I do hope you find an answer to this terrible, and irritating, affliction.
All the best. Ron
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@Vindicatrix I have been doing deep breathing for years, another long distance lorry driver taught me a few exercises he learnt from a Greek orthodox monk who sang.
A friend years ago, swore by whole meal lettuce sandwiches to help her sleep and there is some science to back her up.
Enjoy the still moments
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