We have had lots of post about insomnia. I have lightly mentioned learning to relax but last night my wife and I got talking about it. She has observed how well my brain responds to music in preparation to go to sleep.

Have any of you with insomnia problems tried to find soothing music to help settle your brain's rhythms? Many people say they do not like slow or 'boring' music but it is worth taking some time to experiment with different tempos and genres of music.

I have a few that can lullaby me to sleep if I just remember to turn them on. Diana Krall's "The Look of Love" can settle me from the worst over-stimulating crashes/panic attacks. I also do very well with Celtic Woman. I have listened to foreign language music too. Sarah Brightman sings some like "Time to Say Goodbye" The languages that I do not understand ( all but English and un pokito of Espanol) allow me to not connect to the words cognitively.

It help for me to have heard the music many times before. That way, my mind knows what to expect.

I have tried white noise, rain sounds, waves, etc but they are too abstract. I need my brain to follow the music at a simple level cognitively. The simplicity of quality arrangements does wonders for me. I can even get refreshed from just listening without actually falling asleep.

Back in my youth, I used to fall asleep to Chicago, Blood Sweat and Tears, or Three Dog Night, etc. What a difference 40 years and PCS makes.

Hope you can use this to find a way to get better sleep.

My best to you all.

Wow, sorry to resurrect an old threat but...

I started taking Mirtazapine a little over a month ago. It's an anti-depressant with some sedative effects at a low dosage. It's also used off-label for sleep disorders. It was working wonders for me and I thought it was the solution to my sleeping problems. Well, my dosage has been increased and the sedative effects aren't as strong anymore...and just a few days ago my insomnia returned.

I know that insomnia is a common symptom for people with Post-Concussion Syndrome. I'm wondering, besides medicine, what you guys have been doing to get yourself to sleep? I downloaded a "Relax and Sleep" app on my Android phone that has different "white noises", sounds of waves crashing, nature sounds, city sounds, etc. but I couldn't find something to help me sleep.

I tried music once before but it didn't work. I'm going to try again tonight with the music that Mark suggested.

Any other advice would be great.

Thanks!

I listen to soundscapes (soothing music) on my tv and set it on a 20 minute timer. I then do Healing Touch on myself by touching certain points on my body that helps the body and mind to go into relaxation mode. Its called a Chakra Connection....you start at the feet and work your way to the top of your head. I usually fall asleep before i even reach my head! I wake up in the morning refreshed and pain free!!!

Ah, insomnia, my old friend! I have suffered from insomnia since before my PCS. Actually, I've had it since I was a child. Not every night--intermittently. Sometimes related to hormones, sometimes related to stress, sometimes not related to anything. Ironically, my PCS has made the insomnia easier to deal with--I don't fret over it. "Mind race" has always been my problem, but my PCS insomnia is just being awake.

I have learned some techniques over the years to deal with the mind race, but have come to realize one fundamental thing: insomnia is fickle. I have to let it lead me to the solution, and my solutions may not work for everyone.

That said, here are some things that have worked for me:
* Don't fight it--get up and do something if you can--I used to make pancakes & freeze them for breakfast, or fold laundry and iron. Something mindless that can be done with out thinking.

* Try to distract your brain--music may work, although I have better luck with guided meditation. Before the concussion, I'd do long division in my head or count, visualizing the numbers in a specific color or style--that technique is troublesome now, as it can give me a headache.

* White noise or nature sounds can be very soothing. The reason music doesn't work for me is that it's too complicated--since my concussion, I hear music differently, it doesn't blend. But the sound of the ocean or rain works.

* Remember some pleasant memory from beginning to end--my wedding or the birth of my kids, my first day on a tropical vacation. If I can't remember something, I simply write something pleasant in, not worrying about the "truth."

I can't suggest guided meditation enough. The very act of someone telling me to let the thoughts go the way they come has helped me learn to clear my mind. Instead of keeping them out, I can let them in, and then I can let them go.

Last night I had trouble with restless legs (I also suffer from restless leg syndrome--yay). I have several guided meditation apps on my iPad, and I used a long one (20mins) to try to relax. I don't even remember the end of it--the urge to move my legs didn't go away, but my need to follow the urge did. I slept like a baby.

I think, though, that for insomnia the key is to not feed its power. Give in to it if fighting it doesn't work. Let it run its course. Yes, the next day after a sleepless night is hard. It's awful. But worrying about it doesn't help--it actually makes it worse. We have much more important things to worry about, right? Of course it's easier said than done, but it does sometimes help to put it in perspective.

And, you can always call me if you aren't sleeping--chances are I'm awake too.

I use a Marpac Sound Screen white noise generater to lull me to sleep. It has two volumes, loud and louder. Amazon has them for a little over $50. Well worth it. Pure blissful white noise!

Taking Amitriptyline has been great for my headaches but as a side effect it gives me bad acid reflux. I take a dose an hour before bed so the heartburn I get results in insomnia. I try to take my dose with a good natural antacid like a banana. But if I'm out of bananas, I have to try and sleep in an inclined propped up position so my digestive tract isn't strained. It's pretty hard to get a good night sleeping in this position, even with the white noise. Often I'll go in and out of sleep throughout the night. Sleep for a few hours, wake up for several minutes, then back to sleep repeating the cycle.

I can tell what little sleep I may get is good quality REM sleep because I always have very vivid dreams. Sometimes in my dreams I'm in there recalling other dreams. Dreams within dreams...Freaking weird! I wake up in the morning thinking, "Wow, the Amitripyline packs a punch!"

Hmmmm - have you been tested for Hasimoto's thyroid disease? You sound very much like myself undiagnosed - insomnia and restless legs are part of my issues when my thyroid levels are off. Do you have dry skin? Fatigue? You need to have your TSH levels tested, not simply a thyroid panel. Google it and you can get more info.

Just a thought!

Thanks Amy. I have been tested for thyroid issues, and everything is normal. But it's always good to mention it! Thanks.

I've been taking Melatonin for almost three weeks now. Helps me fall asleep and because it's a supplement not an anti-depressent (I tried Apo-Amitrypiline previously) it doesn't make me groggy in the morning which is good.

I have been having troubles with thermal regulation in the night. I thought it was because I was sleeping with my husband, who is a furnace, but the past couple of nights I've been sleeping by myself and am still having the same problem. I'm very cold, then I'm very hot, then I'm very cold.

I wake up in the middle of it all and have trouble falling back asleep. Regular wake-ups around 1 and 4.

Anybody else experience this? Medication side effect? Hormones out of whack?

I have problems with temp. Hot, wake up. Cold, wake up. I take 100 mg of the amitriptaline and a clonazipam..still sleep problems. Right after my injury I would always feel warm and sometimes my husband would comment on how hot I was. I used to always be cold.