Sleep hygiene, has anyone had success trying it?

I have been prescribed this stuff about 3 weeks ago (though it is an anti-depresssant) to get me drowsy in the evening and therefore going earlier to sleep.  I cannot say whether it helped that but for 3 mornings I had an aching pain in my left thigh.  My neurologist and physio advised me to stop taking the mirtazapine.  I have but the aches have not yet totally disappeared.   I hope the pills did not do any lasting damage to my left upper leg,  This is responding to paracetamol on a day be day basis

i don't know. I don't sleep well cos of chronic headache and migraine. Every doctor I've seen recommends it. every time I do it, every time no improvement. Up to you, our circumstances are different.

Sleep hygiene is useless.

basically. They recommend you get up in the night if you can't sleep and do something like cleaning or reading or watching tv.

dont know about you, but I don't feel like getting out of a warm bed in the freezing cold.

woukd you? 

I would rather lay there with eyes closed, resting.

the only thing that works for me is a 7.5mg zopiclone tablet.

tried Mirtazapine, they didn't work either.

I think that getting up + doing something different works well IF you havebeen having a nightmare. It breaks the sequence I find.

In my experience doing so much to be able to sleep just puts more pressure on sleep. I too rather spend the night with my eyes closed.

Best of luck if you try it, nevertheless.

I have suffered from insomnia for many years and there is nothing worse than laying there in the dark with an active mind, worrying because you cannot sleep.

The thing that works for me is to listen to ‘talking books’ which I download from my local library on to an MP3 player and listen to with an earbud in the ear I don’t sleep on and set the sleep timer for 30 minutes.  I am rarely still awake when it switches off and if I wake up during the night I just put it on again.

For me this relieves the misery and boredom of sleeplessness and induces a relaxed state that allows sleep.   I actually look forward to laying in the warm and dark listening to the story.  Music might work for some people.

i do it and it works for me

that medicine actually works bettet in lower doses try break in the pill in half I was on 7.5 mg I increase my dose to 15 milligrams cuz it made me sleepy all the time now I am in the same boat you are can you explain what type of insomnia you have?

that medicine actually works bettet in lower doses try break in the pill in half I was on 7.5 mg I increase my dose to 15 milligrams cuz it made me sleepy all the time now I am in the same boat you are can you explain what type of insomnia you have?

Yes, sleep hygiene is the best way forward. There is a brilliant new book by a guy called Matthew Walker called "Why we sleep" who talks the reader through all the key things to address. 

We have been gradually removing "blue light" from screens, removing LEDs from bedrooms, and also using blue filter reading glasses for PC work. 

There are also behaviours connected with getting the right light in the morning and evening, to match with body rhythms, timing of exercise, and diet/alcohol intake.

This may sound like a psychosomatic connection, but three weeks in,,especially with the use of the blue filter glasses, really does seem to make a difference......it might be all in the mind!

Make sure to programme your laptop to change the screen light at night - it's called "Nightshift" on Macs, not sure about PCs.....

Good luck - and always stay off the medication if you can!

JFK