This week includes a visit from the recently married Swedish Crown Princess Victoria and her Prince Daniel Westling, as well as the opening of Shanghai International Jazz Festival, Rolex Master Tennis Games, preparations for Shanghai Fashion Week (that kicks of on Oct 20), Finnish fashion events, dinners, mingle, cocktail receptions and you name it. I promise to try and become a better person if I survive this all.
Survive? What? –you might think, but yeah, the thing is that the recent hectic travelling schedule of mine has managed to mess up my sleeping patterns completely. I’ve had troubles sleeping for quite a while (basically since I moved to China), but for the last month or so it’s been on the verge of unbearable. Last week I slept two out of five nights. The other five nights were spent tossing and turning, counting the hours until I had to get up. I try not to panic about it, as I know it makes it all worse, but it's hard, and nowadays I sometimes catch myself thinking "I bet tonight I'm not going to be able to fall asleep" even before I go to bed. Ahhhhrg!
I’ve tried a fair bit of things: no coffee after 9am, no tea, no coke, no late dinners, exercising myself tired, reading before sleep, deep yoga breaths in order to calm down, and last week I even turned to some herbal sleeping pills, but they did nothing to me. So, in case some of you are sitting on some kind of magic sleeping cure, I’d be delighted to take part. I need my hours of rest this week more than ever (however, don't say "drink warm milk" because the taste of milk makes me feel like vomiting. I cannot handle anything else but soy products these days).
12 comments:
there are herbal tincture or herbal melatonin drops you can take to make you sleep...
that is the safest thing you can take...(forget sleepin pills)
I honestly believe this a worldwide phenomenon taking place. I personally have experienced weird changes in my sleeping patterns these past few years and keep running into so many others who say the same. Whether its all part of globalization or the internet being accessible at all times, I don't know, but I truly think its a 21st century phenomenon.
Nothing works. The only thing I have found remotely successful, and your gonna love this cause it also means significant weight loss, is taking on a reduced calorie diet or even fasting. I regularly fast (only drinking water for a few days) to purge toxins. Its tough the first two days, and if your a coffee drinker you will experience severe headaches from caffeine withdrawal (should tell you something about caffeine, but thats another story) but on the third day you are not all that hungry and something weird happens. You get the urge to sleep... A LOT! From what I have read its a primal thing, your body senses it needs to preserve calories and basically wants to hibernate. Lose weight, purge toxins, and get some sleep!
Sorry to hear that. Maybe, you can try a full body massage, that can help you relax your body.
Hmm for me a nice long night jog around my quiet neighborhood plus a hot bath always help. If not I just try to bore myself to sleep.
This happened to me once before a long time ago, on a trip to Sweden. Finally I was so tired after one week that I think my body decided it had enough and I slept for two whole days.
Now whenever I travel from the USA to China, it takes me a few days to adjust to the time change. I try not to drink any coffee or tea at all after breakfast. No alcohol. If possible, I also try to get some sun in the day. I also use eye shades and foam ear plugs when I sleep.
But if I find that I am thinking about events during the day and thinking about the next day, I put on earbuds and listen to some soft music from the mp3 player. I put a few song in the playlist and when the playlist is finished, it automatically turns off. The earbud acts as ear plugs also and keep the outside noise out.
Hope that helps.
Have you tried audio books? Concentrating on a story while lying comfortably in bed in the dark most times work for me.
Thanks you guys for all of your advices! I will have to check what melatonin drops is called in Chinese... anyone?!
Hopfrog... as for fasting. No thanks! I have already lost 5 kg since I started my job, so I am not that keen on losing more. Now I just wanna shape up. Since I feel faint if it goes more than 5 hours in between my meals (and I have actually fainted from time to time) I don't think fasting is for me... but thanks still for the advice!
lideting -maybe... worth trying!
Anonymous -If I had a nice neighborhood I would try that. But not at this place... :/
Chan -I also sleep with earplugs. I've tried music before, but not for a while now. Might try tonight.
Dee -never tried this. Worth a shot! Cheers for the idea!
Joanna,
don't know.
Order it online from www.iherb.com YOu 'll get the best quality product that works effectively(read product reviews first!!). There are many melatonin drops in the market, not all are effective...forget purchasing it from China. Too many products are FAKE
when you don't get enough sleep or can't sleep at the right times, it means your hormonal system is out of balance. this is usually caused by shift work, drinking too much coffee or sugary stuff...
this is the product i'm talking about....
http://www.iherb.com/Natrol-Melatonin-Liquid-1-mg-2-fl-oz-60-ml/5294?at=0
1st anon....
When I had sleeping problems in SH I also used melatonin. I asked for 褪黑素 tuìhēisù at the pharmacy. I think they knew what I was talking about but on the bottle I bought the Chinese name is 松果体素 sōngguǒtǐ sù. It's pretty cheap, and I felt it helped me fall asleep if I went through my routine, prepared for bed, and lay down. Sometimes I would only sleep for 3 hours (about as long as it remains effective in your body) then wake up, but 3 hours is better than nothing!
K
Melatonin can work, also check out hypnosis, you can get tracks from youtube, 酷我 or other places, listen to them when sleep doesn't come easily, good luck.
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