Yes earplugs…
the soft foam ones work fine. I think the three major differences that make it hard for me to sleep compared to home are
Noise
Heat
Light
Try working on those whatever way you can and it make all the difference.
I didn’t sleep well for a year and a half in Taiwan because of the noise, I discovered ear plugs are very useful and double curtains.
The first flat I lived in I was woken by packs of stray barking dogs at 4am every night. The neighbours never did anything about it which confirmed for me that they could take a lot of shit and not notice things. About 2 times I found myself running down onto the street and chasing those dogs while throwing objects at them and swearing at the top of my voice.
I had to move from the best room in the house but it was well worth it for a good nights sleep.
I will just say that many Taiwanese seem to be immune to noise and that is a problem for a lot of westerners.
Some peoples body clocks can get out of whack from too many late nights or travelling too much. Maybe some type of ‘light therapy’ could do the trick for some people.
Keep a pencil & paper by your bed… If you are working hard and have a million things on your mind you just won’t be able to sleep because of all that stuff going around in your head.
When lying in bed and you think ‘oh sh@# must not forget to do that tomorrow’ or ‘thingy needs xxxxx’ write it down, then you can forget about it, clear your mind and you should find sleep will follow quickly behind.
Of course, things like hot milk/chocolate and 30mins relaxing with a dull book before heading off to bed are more important… Oh, don’t check you email just as you are heading off to bed…
Dr. TpeTourist
Note: These are not observations from a real Dr. just mine.
my doctor said my sleep problem (ie i sleep but don’t get enough o2 during the night) is partly attributable to my nasal passages. apparently they can zap away some ‘extra’ tissue to make it easier for you to breathe while sleeping. dunno where u can get this in taiwan tho. this was talking with my doc in BC
In the battle against SARS, sleep is of vital importance as it builds up your immune system. The more sleep-deprived you are, the more susceptible you are to virus attacks. That’s why these days I make sure I get my 8 hours every night.
In addition to all the remedies already mentioned, a good mattress can make all the difference. Since box springs are not used here, most mattresses feel too firm on my body. I have a soft mattress with an added comforter on top. No more insomnia.
I’d like to offer some relaxation techniques:
o Rag dolls: bend at the waist with straight legs and arms hanging down
Bob up and down like a rag doll.
o Yawns
o Shoulder shrugs
o Head rolls (be careful to do them gently & slowly)
o Take a deep breath; hold it for a while; let out slowly; repeat
o Tense up your whole body. Picture your your body red and think about
things that stress you out. Then relax, picture your body blue,
and don’t think about anything.
This is also good to do with individual body members (i.e. arms, legs,
torso, neck, face, etc.)
o Picture yourself in your favorite place (i.e. in a hamock on the beach,
under a tree on a mountain, etc.). Think positive thoughts.
o My wife’s trick when she can’t sleep is to ask me to talk to her about computers for a while
I have some extra natural sleep remedies that contain, among other things, Melatonin, that I brought back from the States last trip. If anyone is interested, send me a private message. I have found them effective and great for jet lag while travelling.
If sleep deprivation is a constant problem for you, I can recommend a good Qi Gong practitioner who can probably help. I have gone to him recently for my low energy patterns. I would wake up in the morning after 10-12 hours of sleep still groggy. The Qi Gong master told me that which accupunture meridians were blocked or weak and treated me. He is in Taipei and has an assistant that speaks English. I think they go down to Taichung a few times a month. Send me a private message if you want more info.
Incubus is right! As we battle the SARS bug, we should all be concerned about improving our body’s immune system. The simplest way we can do this is by trying to improve our sleep quality. HIVOX BIOTEK Inc. www.hivox-biotek.com markets a product called “Dreamate” that works naturally by stimulating proven Traditional Chinese Medicine accupuncture sleep-aid points on your wrist. There are 3 specific sleep-aid points located on your left wrist that are responsible for stress relief, sleep inducement, and calming effects.
Another sleep problem that has been mentioned in this thread is the one of SNORING and Sleep Apnea. HIVOX also markets another product called the Snore Stopper. This unique device works by using a natural biofeedback mechanism to train your body not to snore. The result is a reduction in your snoring frequency and snoring volume. Take a look at the links below for reviews on the Snore Stopper:
Lastly, HIVOX also markets digital ear thermometers…light, compact and perfect for personal use. You don’t have to wait in long line-ups anymore to get into office buildings, banks, dept. stores, etc…just whip out your own personal ear thermometer, take your own reading, and by-pass the line up!
Anyone interested in the products above?? Give me a shout!
Top 3 Sleep Techniques. I’ve had sleeping problems for most of my life. I tried various methods, none of which worked. Now I’ve got a routine that works. 1) Earplugs when there’s noise around. The plugs fall out after a couple hours but it doesn’t matter, you’re asleep by then. 2) Curtains to keep out light, your body won’t want to sleep if it’s bright 3) If you have the urge to toss and turn because you’re bored and don’t feel tired, DONT. The key is to find a comfortable position and simply lie there in a very relaxed position and lull yourself to sleep. The thing that is keeping you awake is your heart which is beating quickly from all the activity and motion. If you don’t move at all, your heart rate will slow down, your breathing will slow and become more regular, all the things that happen when one is asleep. So when you are doing all those things, your body will recognize the signs and unconsciousness will follow. Good luck!!
Re: Melatonin, the main ingredient (if it’s natural, not synthetic, is “pineal glad” from animals). So in Taiwan you can try asking for “pineal gland” instead of “melatonin.” Although in Taipei I have no trouble getting “Bovine pineal gland” pills as well as a big fat jar of “Melatonin” from pharmacies. :snore:
I use St. Johns Wort for times when I need a good sleep. Brew it up about two hours before you plan to go to bed and enjoy feeling relaxed and fluffy before falling asleep. You can buy it in most herbal stores in Taipei.
Also Lavender in tea form or stuffed in a pillow is, according to my wife, a good alternative if you don’t want to go the St. Johns Wort route.
Get your blood sugar levels checked. See the qui gong guy. no caffeine. earplugs. herbal remedies.Don’t take too many vitamins and supplements. A good shot of whiskey a while before sleeping. No vigorous exercise after 2 pm., except maybe yoga. Watch your diet. Control your stress.
I’ve had sleep problems all my life. Now I have it down to almost sleepless full moons only. .
good luck!
I use ear plugs and a sleeping mask some nights and still wake up every two hours or so. I actually slept better when I first got here, it still took til 4am to fall asleep then, but at least when I did I was out for a solid sleep. Now I feel tired all friggin day. WHY? ahhhhhhhhhhhhhh
D
(bitch, moan, moan, bitch)
I tried that, friend gave me two pills and I saved them for the weekend since I didn’t know what dose it was and how long I will sleep. The first one worked well, slept deep and long (12 hours) and felt fresh afterwards. The following night it did not help and even though I stayed in bet for around 11-12 hours I felt like going to bed again after waking up. :s
A couple of months ago a chemist tried to sell me melatonin over the counter so I think its now readily available. He also swore by warm milk due to the calcium content. :snore:
Going for a one hour walk after dinner . . . . and then perhaps a small glass of warm milk before settling down . . . these things seem to work for me. I also like a bed near a window with a good supply of fresh air . . . .
I’d stay away from sleeping pills, if you ask me. Pills just focus on the symptom (which is insomnia) but don’t do anything about the underlying causes, which could be noise, light, too much activity, stress, anxiety, bad sleeping positions, etc etc. Your body will inevitably build up a tolerance to pills. A friend of mine has been taking sleeping pills in recent weeks because anxiety over an upcoming test has kept her awake. The pills worked for a while, but now her body has developed a tolerance and it isn’t working.
[quote=“gretel”]A couple of months ago a chemist tried to sell me melatonin over the counter so I think its now readily available. He also swore by warm milk due to the calcium content. :snore:[/quote]Hi, Gretel, which chemist’s shop was that? I’m in Taichung as well. I’m visiting the UK later in the year and want to take a little melatonin to ease the jetlag. Last time jetlag lasted 3 days each way, but people have told me melatonin can really help. Of course I’ll get doctor’s advice and do an internet search before I take it.
[quote=“headhonchoII”]Yes earplugs…
the soft foam ones work fine. I think the three major differences that make it hard for me to sleep compared to home are.[/quote]Great if foam ones are enough for you, but I have to use better earplugs such as wax ones, which I feel are at least twice as effective, and particularly good at blocking out low-frequency rumbles and hums. I bought some polymer ones in a swimming shop, based on Sandman’s recommendation in another thread. I wore them last night. They seem as effective as the wax ones.
They are a little lighter and hence more comfortable. The ones I bought, made by goggle manufacturers Eyeline, are cuboid in shape. One of these cuboids can be broken in two, whereupon the pieces are roughly the right shape and size. I noticed that while wax stays in whatever shape you mold it, these ones have a degree of ‘memory’ and return at least someway to their original shapes.
They are 50NT for four pieces, so if you break them as I said that’s four pairs.
Also see this thread: [The wonderful 5-htp (5-hydroxy-tryptophan) about 5-HTP. It’s good for insomnia too. 5-HTP is a precursor to Serotonin which is a precursor to Melatonin which is released by your pineal gland to tell your body when to sleep. Taking Melatonin also works as some others have mentioned, but 5-HTP lets the body process things into Melatonin more naturally.
I also highly agree with cutting out all kinds of caffeine. It does terrible things to your body’s natural rhythms. Besides that, it also helps to try to keep a regular schedule of sleep, wake, and meal times. The body is better able to keep it’s cycles going if you have a regular schedule. You should try to eat your last meal about 3-4 hours before bed so you don’t go to bed stuffed or hungry.
[quote=“joesax”][quote=“gretel”]A couple of months ago a chemist tried to sell me melatonin over the counter so I think its now readily available. He also swore by warm milk due to the calcium content. :snore:[/quote]Hi, Gretel, which chemist’s shop was that? I’m in Taichung (Taizhong) as well. I’m visiting the UK later in the year and want to take a little melatonin to ease the jetlag. Last time jetlag lasted 3 days each way, but people have told me melatonin can really help. Of course I’ll get doctor’s advice and do an internet search before I take it.[/quote]My trip’s pretty soon now. Does anyone know of a place to get melatonin in Taichung?
