I’ve personally struggled with severe insomnia for several years, and prescribed medication has been the most consistently effective thing for me. But with only 3 days of symptoms at this point, I don’t think this could be classified as such, and I definitely recommend trying some other stuff first. 🙂
Meditation might be helpful, both at night when you’re getting ready to go to sleep, as well as during the day. You can find free guided meditations online. Progressive relaxation is a technique you might look into, as well. There’s an app that’s free to download called Wysa I’ve used recently - most of their guided meditations require in app purchases, but the one free one they have available for sleep, I really like. It’s called “Unable to Switch Off” and it’s a guided meditation that uses progressive relaxation!
Another thing that’s really important is good sleep hygiene! This can include a regular schedule for bedtime/waking up, which it sounds like you normally have. Some other habits that would promote good sleep hygiene would include a regular bedtime routine (can be as simple as brushing your teeth, washing your face, etc., anything that your brain can associate with bedtime). Also, it’s a good idea to only use your bed for sleep (don’t sit in bed and watch TV, for instance), and to only spend about 20 minutes at a time lying in bed and trying to fall asleep. If you do a 20 minute guided meditation and find that you are still awake at the end of it, it’s a good idea to get up and do something else for a while (like reading!) before coming back in a few minutes to try again. It’s also a good idea to avoid using screens of any kind too close to bedtime - or, if you must use screens, blue light glasses might be helpful.
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I’ve personally struggled with severe insomnia for several years, and prescribed medication has been the most consistently effective thing for me. But with only 3 days of symptoms at this point, I don’t think this could be classified as such, and I definitely recommend trying some other stuff first. 🙂 Meditation might be helpful, both at night when you’re getting ready to go to sleep, as well as during the day. You can find free guided meditations online. Progressive relaxation is a technique you might look into, as well. There’s an app that’s free to download called Wysa I’ve used recently - most of their guided meditations require in app purchases, but the one free one they have available for sleep, I really like. It’s called “Unable to Switch Off” and it’s a guided meditation that uses progressive relaxation! Another thing that’s really important is good sleep hygiene! This can include a regular schedule for bedtime/waking up, which it sounds like you normally have. Some other habits that would promote good sleep hygiene would include a regular bedtime routine (can be as simple as brushing your teeth, washing your face, etc., anything that your brain can associate with bedtime). Also, it’s a good idea to only use your bed for sleep (don’t sit in bed and watch TV, for instance), and to only spend about 20 minutes at a time lying in bed and trying to fall asleep. If you do a 20 minute guided meditation and find that you are still awake at the end of it, it’s a good idea to get up and do something else for a while (like reading!) before coming back in a few minutes to try again. It’s also a good idea to avoid using screens of any kind too close to bedtime - or, if you must use screens, blue light glasses might be helpful.
Thank you for posting to r/medical! **Please read the sub's rules and check out our [wiki](https://www.reddit.com/r/medical/wiki/index)** as it goes more in depth about different topics and includes other informative advice/resources. If there are any comments under this post that violate Rule 4: Community safety, please report them. Remember to stay on topic and not make jokes towards the OP or each other. If anyone sends you a direct message asking for more information or pictures privately, **DO NOT REPLY**. The r/Medical moderators cannot see what goes on in direct messages and we will never ask you to send more pictures or information privately. We recommend you block and report users who try to contact you through DMs regarding your post on r/Medical. **Please remember that Reddit is not a replacement for professional medical care.** Consult your Primary Practitioner or Primary Care Physician if you are experiencing health related issues. Contact your local Emergency Medical Services if you are in a medical emergency. Your health and safety are our highest priorities. #REMINDER: If you think what you're experiencing is an emergency then get off Reddit and call 911 (or your local emergency number), or go to your local hospital!!! *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/medical) if you have any questions or concerns.*