O/T Help me sleep??????

Not a solution or anything but can the doctor really not see you for another 2 weeks????? can you not go in a beg for an appointment/take a cancellation etc etc...or maybe i just have really great surgery - ours will ALWAYS see you, usually on the same day (its a village surgery i suppose)

on the work thing i'd definitely call another meeting with my manager. they must realise the situation they've put you in and with the wedding coming up it's unfair stress that you don't need. to save more agency fees can they not sencond someone from another department in who already knows the company and basic admin procedures?

have you tried the old remedies:

bath before bed/milky drink

get your H2B to give you lots of massages :-) to destress (my fave!)

take hot water bottle to bed

avon also do a good lavender sleep spray to put on your pillow which im told is really good

sorry these are all quite basic but better than getting drugged up!!! xx

Oh Jem ... sounds like your well and truly stressed out...i can emphathise i have an extremely stressfull job working in a male dominated environment made even more stresfull by a colleague handing their notice in and leaving so i am covering a massive geographic area doing 1000+miles a week and pulling 10 - 12 hour days, along with wedding planning and dealing with the usual family feuds etc

Im completely opposite and falling asleep on the sofa by about 8:30 every night but i do have bouts of insomnia, have you tried all the usual cutting out caffeine in the evening and drinking herbal tea, warm bath, hot milk, reading a book, herbal sleeping tablets?

If so i suggest you put a bit of pressure on the docter into getting an earlier appointment and they may prescripe you some stronger sleeping tablets to knock your rhythm into sync!!!

Yogo or pilates may also help as i find the concentration on breathing etc relaxes me and helps me settle before bed after a stressfull day.

Hope you feel better soon

K xxx

Thanks emsa. They really wont see me!! They only have emergency appointments and apparently this isnt one!! lol

The boss knows and has already said he's worried about me getting too stressed with everything. Unfortunately, all the other depots are less than half the size of ours so only operate with one admin anyway so they aren't going to be able to come over to help straighten it all out ☹️ I'm feeling a bit like i'm getting stressed about getting stressed!!lol

I've tried baths and massages which are lovely but as soon as I turn the light out i feel wide awake again... not tried lavendar spray tho... might give that a go ?

Girl you have taken on waaaayyyyyy too much, alot of it forced onto you by the sounds of it. You need to speak to the relevant person at work and explain you have just got back after sick leave and need to be able to integrate yourslef back into work and not have it dumped on you coz if yu don't then it's likely to lead to longer sick leave because of stress. Also, do you HAVE to have the foreign student staying with you? Can someone els not take hm/her?

The forgetting things is basically due to your body and mind being totally knackered, it's telling you to cull some things or else you will be ill (again) ..... really is it all worth it? As for sleeping then...try a warm bath, clean jammies and a warm milky drink. Don't try to sleep if you can't, but don't watch tv or anything it will just stimulate your brain), read a book instead and have soft lighting in your bedroom before you go to sleep. (I watched a tv doctor talk about this recently!), I've tried these things and they worked for me, hope they do for you too Jem.

Take care x

x

Kerry, thanks. I actually have no caffeine intake anyway but I have a milk intolerance unfortunately. I'm in a male dominated job too!! (65 employees at our depot, 1 woman!!)there's no sympathy lol

I feel like im dropping when im on the sofa but then go to bed and it's like someone's switched a light on.

Are there any herbal things you could recommend? there's so many products, i'd rather stick to herbal but have no idea where to start!

Might try breathing exercises, I have hypermobility and can't do yoga cos i keep dislocating!! lol but maybe just the breathing bit on its own?

Oh hun sorry to hear things aren't great for you... but i am a healthcare professional so maybe i can help...

Horlicks at bedtime may help, and just slowing down with the wedding, which is hard. Take time to just relax for 30 mins and try to stop worrying. Are u waking early too, and how is ur appelite doing?

Another solution to ur doc problem is to attend an NHS walk in centre, and to see them, and also to ring for any emergency appt, whch should be available within 48 hrs.

wish u all the best x

let me know if i can help

Thanks mel, unfortunately we do have to have her, we signed up to it months ago and we really need the money to pay for wedding stuff!!

I think you're right about the forgetfulness, I am worried about just being totally stressed out, even asked if i could finish early today just cos i needed a break but we have an audit tomorrow so it never happened in the end...in the long run it probably isnt worth it but i hate feeling like im letting people down!

must remember to avoid stimulation lol i was so restless last night i was playing sudoku on my phone at 2am!! thought it would help me focus...

Hey sweety i tried herbal nytol for a while (i didnt sleep for about 8 months) and it worked sometimes but others it didnt but it is worth trying it just to see how you get on xx

Nytol works

so does zopiclone but u may need a precription for it

No Jersey Cows milk for you then ....Its called Snozooo milk in my house as i got told the higher fat content makes you sleepy!!! Does that mean no chocolate tooo??

I have used these after being recomended by my mum who swears by them and i must say they work on me but maybe a bit of trial and error to find ones which work for you https://www.boots.com/en/Kalms-Sleep-84-tablets_947804/

Saw this on Boots website and thought of you! http://www.webmd.boots.com/sleep-disorders/having-trouble-sleeping-quiz

It can be a nuisance working with all males as you unfortunately dont get the opportunity to offload and if your anything like me take more on as im always trying to prove myself...more fool me then i always end up running mysekf into the ground get a cold and a chest infection!!!

Maybe have a look online for Yogo things or meditation excercises its all breatahing related and may help you to relax!!

K xx

Thanks claire, never thought about the drop in centre. my docs say its not an emergency so wont see me sooner so i might just try that.. my appetite is ok except my eating routine has gone out the window, i seem to be getting hungry really early then not again til mid afternoon. as for waking early, i'm not managing more than an hour at a time and by 630 im fully awake even though my legs still feel really heavy. (normally get up at 750!!)

I dont want to slow down too much with the wedding because i need to have the time to revise for my exam next month and i'm on a course for a week and i have my graduation ceremony so i just feel like im running out of time and seem to have lost the ability to prioritise!!lol

Jem on the herbal front, try holland and barrett. the staff in there i have always found really knowledgeable and helpful. you could also try those chinese medicine places in shopping centres i guess but i've never been in one!!

i would also keep pestering your doc for an appointment....ring them every day! even take an appointment with the surgery nurse if you can get one. the nurse will refer you to the doc straight away if they think you need a prescription xx

Nytol is now at the top of my shopping list!!

kerry i can have chocolate and small amounts of yoghurt/cheese it's just when i have milk straight from the carton i gat a really nasty rash all over my face and neck that itches like crazy! been the same forever, when i was little i hated cows milk and would only drink goats milk then by the time i was 12 id stopped drinking milk altogether!

can i take kalms and nytol?? will def have a look at that quiz!! I always take on too much, dont like saying no when people need help but now there isnt anyone to help me ☹️

Granted it feeling like ur juggling too much but i think you have to put down one ball for just a while. and a stress reaction may not be an emergency but it should be sorted sooner...

a drop in centre may be best, but avoid a&e like the plague...

if you accept you are NOT superwoman (no really!) it will help u...

Ask ur OH to help u, talking openly is difficult but helps. My OH is the best cos he listens to all my stresses, and looks after me through it all! Study working shifts and planning weddings is too much alone but i bet a good chat may help a little...

Thanks claire, i have to admit ive never felt less like superwoman!! feeling a bit beat and totally overwhelmed if im completely honest.

a&e has got to be my least favourite place in the world!! ive spent far too many hours in there over the last few years with broken bones and damaged ligaments. my gp is totally useless anyway so I will find my local drop in centre ?

OH is really good, helping to sort thing and he's even done all the ironing for me for the last few weeks!! and been forthcoming with the massages to try and get me to relax

Then u are blessed! lucky to have a good man. good luck and keep us updated

My H2B struggles to sleep too and has tried several things. We always turn all the lights out about an hour before we want to go to bed and make sure that the bed is ready so that as soon as he does feel like he is dropping off we go straight to bed. It's almost like a newborn baby's bedtime routine, teaching your body when it's bedtime.

He also taking melatonin tablets, these are sleep hormones and seem to be helping. They are commonly used to help with jet-lag and sleep disturbances.

You need to tell them at work that you need assistance, they can't just dump all of this on you and expect you to cope, particularly after sick leave anyway. If they carry on you'll end up being off again and then where will they be!

Good luck x

Take liquid calcium before bed and it helps you sleep and stay asleep (I don't know why but I read it somewhere and it works). A bath before bed with soft lights only (we have horrid bright spot lights in our bathroom and a useless shavers light above the mirror which is fab for night time baths!), pj's, nice temperature, a good pillow (it really makes the difference to spend good money on a nice pillow!). Sleep tight.

I would just repeat the one bit of advice you've already been given - try yoga - but i would recommend a proper class (not do it yourself wii fit etc) yes its an extra hour you feel you might not have time to spend but it is definetly worth it for the relaxing feeling it gives you - and don't worry they're not a bunch of skinnies all shapes and sizes attend the classes.

Another recommendation I would make (i know you said you tried massage - but what type?) is a head massage - one of the most relaxing things i've ever had (even put me to sleep in the spa?) be selfish and make time for yourself!

With regards to the work situation the word stress seems to work with most employers nowadays in terms of making them back off - give it a go!?

Thanks girls, stress has been mentioned but i dont think anyone is taking me seriously. I made a mistake on something and just had one of my colleagues chanting 'lindsay dropped a bollock!!' for 10 minutes so I've shouted at him and stopped for a break! It's not even as if it was a big mistake ☹️ Then he had the nerve to tell me not to speak to him like that!

Mrs spink, i didnt know you could get liquid calcium!! what's that like and where do you find it? I replace my pillows every tree months anyway, I have a trapped nerve in my neck and it plays up terrible if I dont have a good pillow.

keltic, unfotrunately I can't do yoga, did try it once and ended up with my shoulder dislocated and my back out, i have loose ligaments and cant control my joint position well enough ☹️ is head massage really that good???

Jem,

Shame about the yoga - But definetly try a head massage - does wonders for me anyhow.?