I can't sleep in the van!!!!!!

[ilovemyvan]

Hello everyone,

Are you one of the lucky one that can sleep next to a busy train track and wake up refreshed? If so please appreciate it, don't take it for granted you lucky bugger.

I'm no, I've always been a "picky" sleeper. As I'm getting older I can't function as well when I only have 4 or 5 hours sleep. For some reason it's worse in the van. The van is very comfortable, with plenty of room. My husband doesn't snore...well not too loudly anyway and still I can't seem to be able to sleep more than 4 - 5 hours at the most, sometime it's even less. After 2 or 3 weeks of this I'm ready to be sent to (*&^%$##$%^&*) land. It takes the fun out of traveling, not only for me but for my husband too. I'm not easy to deal with when I've been sleep depraved for long periods of time, no matter how much I try not to be affected by it.

I've always resisted taking medication, but I might have to start now when I travel. Before I do I was wondering if some of you know of a natural product that would help. I can already tell you that smoking or eating brownies made of a certain product doesn't help. I've tried, it only makes it worst.

John is retiring in 8 months and the van is ready to go for longer trip....but I'm not. I want to be, I want to have fun exploring. Do you have any suggestions? I would be so grateful to find something, it really would be a new lease on life. I can't be the only one with this problem, and off all of us someone must have find the solution. So out with it my friend, let us know the secret to eternal traveling happiness.

I wish you all a great night with plenty of ZZZZZ'z

Nicole

 

[USACelt]

I also am having this trouble with sleep as I age and also work a nite shift currently, This is one of the many reasons I will be living tiny and minimal soon.
Try Melatonin, It works very well for Me and is all natural supplement with no side effects that I can detect. I take 10 to 20 mg for some peaceful sleep, I started with 3-6 mg and worked My way up to the current mg. That dose gets Me 5+ hours of sleep. For myself the mg is directly related to how many hr of sleep I get.
I don't take it every sleep cycle but 2-3 times a week just depending on what is going on around here and have not noticed a tolerance built up to the supplement.
Good luck.

 

[ccbreder]

There are many herbal teas available. I find camomile to be the least effective, for me, and can cause hay fever symptoms. I use Valerian root tea from a local health/organic market. Many do not like the flavor or odor, but I don't find it objectionable. My cats go nuts. Also a blend i use is Yogi brand called Bedtime. Experiment with a few brands and you should find some help.

 

[Reducto]

After several years traveling and sleeping in hostels, vans, cars, crappy motels, etc I've developed a method that works for me.

First thing is wearing earplugs. Next is covering up any flashing lights with electrical tape. Some people find blindfolds helpful, but I've never needed one.

When you're asleep there's a small part of you that stays alert, monitoring for danger. This warning system is slow to adapt but it can learn. Living in the same house for years it learns to recognize the sounds of the heater turning on and off, the movement of your partner next to you, tapping of pets walking down the hall, etc. The alarm system eventually realizes those things are not dangerous and stops waking you up for them. In a van the environment keeps changing so it can't adapt quickly enough. When I move to a new place or have trouble sleeping I'll take a moment to talk to my alarm before going to sleep. I tell it that the doors are locked, the neighborhood looks good, I have no possessions with me that cannot be replaced, that I'm unlikely to be in physical danger, and that it doesn't need to wake me unless it smells smoke or hears a tapping on the window. I'll list the noises and such I'm likely to encounter while asleep and assure myself that they are safe.

It might sound silly but it works!

 

[Patrick46]

Good post Reducto! ^^^

 

[mconlonx]

I am among the lucky -- I can sleep anywhere, anytime, and loved sleeping in the van, even in different environments, from city to nature. Sirens might wake me, but only until they pass. Only thing in nature which got me eyes wide awake was a squirrel on the roof.

ilovemyvan, what's waking you up or not letting you sleep? Noise or light, Reducto hit all the points -- earplugs and either a blindfold or insulate your van against any light leaks. Noise doesn't bother me, but I sleep with a sleeping bag pulled up over my head which blocks most light.

If it's a racing mind, do some breathing exercises and pick up some meditation techniques.

 

[Marie]

Maybe a little nap during the day, when your husband is awake, it's light outside, and you feel safe...

 

[light trip]

I like ear plugs. They're small and easy to keep with you on your travels.


Have you tried “white noise?” No drugs, no herbs, no preparation, and no pills. I have an app on my phone for noise. I use the white or brown noise but I can listen to a rain on a tarp, whales, the beach, a tropical forest, and so on. With ear buds I fall into another world while sleeping. Lately I've been using wireless ear buds so not to deal with wires. The battery lasts all night, but make sure you use the do not disturb function for phone calls and text.


Also down loaded a “Celestial White Noise” and a “Mountain Stream,” for my mp3 player, both are ten hours long. And if played from the “pod cast” section of my mp3 player, it won't move onto the next song after it's done playing.


Hope this helps, sleep is a wonderful thing...

 

[One Awesome Inch]

Melotonin (completely natural) and earplugs.

 

[LeeRevell]

I find even in my S&B home, neighborhood noises will keep me awake. I have cut out most sources of caffeine, especially in the afternoon on, so that isn't a factor. I usually have my C-PAP going (though it's not that loud), ear plugs in place, a radio turned on next to the bed, and if really noisy I will use headphones hooked to another radio. That usually does the trick. Being older, I do often wake up to change positions (back trouble) and to answer "nature's call". Then I go right back to sleep. In the van I just use headphones with one radio, and try to avoid crowded areas.
Industrial sounds don't really bother me, but I abhor listening to someone else's idea of 'music'. Constant banging and tool use at night is a real bother too.
On a good night, I get six or more hours of sleep. being retired now, getting up early is not necessary, so I can sleep in extra if needs be. A nap about midday can help too.

 

[vanman2300]

I sometimes take a single 10mg antihistamine tablet. It acts like a very mild sedative but has no addictive nature as some sleeping meds do. As an added benefit it will take the edge off any congestion you may have. It has always done the job for me.

 

[StarEcho]

I've found that using my tablet or laptop or watching TV makes it harder for me to fall asleep, so I've started reading my kindle (the no backlight kind) for a half hour or so before I try to sleep.  

Earplugs are VERY helpful, they actually give me a kind of white noise, sometimes I hear my heartbeat and that lulls me to sleep.  I get the soft bullet shaped ones with the highest db rating I can find.  I still hear the alarm in the morning, but not a whole lot else.

Red wine is supposed to be good for you, and I have found that for me, wine (or any alcohol) tends to make me VERY sleepy, so I've also found that if I have a tiny glass of red wine, I don't wake up at all until morning.

One thing I do know is that the more one focuses on a perceived problem, the more it can become a self-fulfilling prophecy.  We anticipate a horrible, no sleep night and we have one.  Sometimes just recognizing that different things we do to help the problem DO NOT have to completely SOLVE the problem can be very helpful.  Look for improvement, not perfection.  

Rituals can be very helpful in many ways.  If you can set up a night time ritual (or habit if you like that word better) that can help tremendously in convincing your mind and body that it's time to sleep.  So reading, glass of warm milk or wine or your beverage of choice, bathroom visit, clean face, moisturize, brush teeth, earplugs, set alarm -- in whatever order works for you - Try and train your body to respond to those cues as sleep aids.  Isn't that what we try to do for our children with sleep?  It works.  Well mostly

Good luck, I do know how hard it is to function on little to no sleep.  Please just don't expect one thing to magically work.  It takes some work on your part and maybe several "cures" to get you over the hump, and it might take time itself, so look for improvement, not perfection.

 

[ilovemyvan]

Lots of great suggestions here. I'm convinced that at least one of them will work. There will probably be some trial and error involve but I'm very hopeful. I might start with the Melotonin and meditation. I cut down on coffee a long time ago. I already have a fan on me all night -hot flashes- I like it as a white noise. Unfortunately I can't sleep during the day, I've giving up trying years ago. Something else I might try is listening to audiobook, I remember falling asleep on a particularly boring one.

Reducto, that's some good stuff to know. I'll include that ritual in the meditation. I don't feel insecure at all spending the night in the van. I took it on a solo trip last summer for 3 weeks. I never felt scare but the new noise might be the reason why I can't fall asleep or can't go back to sleep.

You guys are very cool, Thanks a bunches for taking the time to help me.

Nicole

 

[Iggy]

Having a comfortable bed was paramount for me. Check! Having the van fairly level is really important. I throw up if my feet are higher than my head. Not parking under a street light is necessary since my roof vent lets in the light (need to make a blackout curtain for that). I read a book to wind down and get my eyes tired. I try to think good thoughts after my reading light is off. Maybe even fantasies about traveling, winning the lottery, finding the right gal.
Now, after a year and half in my van, I get a good sleep about 90-95% of the time. Usually a bad sleep is because I'm worried about the spot i picked to sleep at. Sometimes it's because I ate too late in the evening. Once in awhile, I need a short nap in the afternoon to refresh. My toughest times sleeping are when I stay in a motel room or at a friend's place.
Good luck figuring out what works for you.

 

[Reducto]

Oh and when I say I talk to myself I don't mean out loud. That would be crazy right?

It might not be safety that is causing you anxiety and waking you up. Maybe it's feeling like you need to get something done or maybe there's some light or temperature trigger that used to happen when it was time to wake up before. Whatever it is, calmly reassuring your subconscious that things are just fine and you don't need to wake up for at least 8 hours may help.

I'm really grumpy when I'm tired too. It's not pleasant for me or anyone else!

 

[akrvbob]

Reducto, it's not crazy to talk to yourself, but... if someone answers I might be concerned!
Bob

 

[Belinda2]

O.k., now I'm going to have a shot at this, but all the men that are reading this post, well, turn your heads and don't listen to what I have to say, please. This is just between "us girls".
Ms. Nicole,
Have you considered that maybe you are in menopause and this is why you aren't sleeping well?
Obviously, you can google what can be done about that, if you are.
Anyway, my two cents. Just think about it.

 

[Bdog1]

I've been doing something similar lately. I used to sleep like a baby in the van, now I fall asleep for two hours and I'm wide awake again for hours. It's like clockwork. Exactly two hours. I was thinking it's because I'm pretty confined, but like someone mentioned it might just be "self for-filing" now. I guess I'll just file it under getting old sucks!

 

[ilovemyvan]

Ms Belinda, I'm right at the tail end of this awful thing called Menopause - I HOPE!. That's what wakes me up every couple of hours. Sometime I go back to sleep sometime I don't. I don't want to take anything for it because there is too much cancer in my family. I always had problem sleeping, even before this awful middle life thing. It's just much, much worse in the van.

Reducto. I sure hope it's ok to talk to oneself because I seem to be doing it more and more as I get older

You know I think Betty Davis said it best: Growing old ain't for sissy.

You all have a good night sleep now you hear.

Nicole

 

[anewbiewannabe]

Ms Belinda, I'm right at the tail end of this awful thing called Menopause - I HOPE!. That's what wakes me up every couple of hours. Sometime I go back to sleep sometime I don't. I don't want to take anything for it because there is too much cancer in my family. I always had problem sleeping, even before this awful middle life thing. It's just much, much worse in the van.

If you have money in your budget for supplements you might try Estroven---it was recommended to me by one of my health care workers and it helped me sleep a lot better. I tried it after prescription sleep aid caused somnambulism and didn't help with quality or quantity of sleep. Here's a link to Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center Integrative Medicine report about the active ingredient black cohosh: https://www.mskcc.org/cancer-care/integrative-medicine/herbs/black-cohosh

Hope you find a solution that works for you!