# The one change you can make to help your insomnia, according to science



## Northerner (Oct 11, 2018)

Most of us have struggled to sleep at some point, and it can have a major impact on our waking lives as we roam around like zombies.

So, when someone says there may be one quick change you can make to help you travel to the land of nod, you are going to take it.

And when it comes backed by scientific evidence, well, you might as well give it a go.

New research suggests wearing woollies in bed may be a more effective insomnia remedy than counting sheep.

It sounds like a dubious yarn but experts say wool helps keep the body in the "thermal comfort zone" most conducive to restful sleep.

https://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/news/liverpool-news/one-change-you-can-make-15263583


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## mikeyB (Oct 11, 2018)

Do you pull the woollies over your eyes?


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## eggyg (Oct 11, 2018)

As a woman of a certain age, if I wore wool in bed I would spontaneously combust! Skin is too hot for me! Now Mr Eggy, he would go for this, he is as cold as I am hot. I bought him a single electric blanket for Christmas last year and he said it’s the best present he has ever had!  ( he really needs to get a life). Only problem is, I can feel the heat permeating onto my side.


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## Ljc (Oct 11, 2018)

Oh nooooo.  Though I am well over that women of a certain age stuff, I couldn’t bear any more on me, I’ve even had to dispense with my summer duvet 4 tog as it’s too warm and he@vy for me , I now use a bedspread instead.


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## travellor (Oct 11, 2018)

I'm just allergic to wool. All night scratchin'


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## grovesy (Oct 11, 2018)

Ljc said:


> Oh nooooo.  Though I am well over that women of a certain age stuff, I couldn’t bear any more on me, I’ve even had to dispense with my summer duvet 4 tog as it’s too warm and he@vy for me , I now use a bedspread instead.


I bought 1 tog quilts in John Lewis sale, just as the weather began to get warmer.


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## TheClockworkDodo (Oct 11, 2018)

travellor said:


> I'm just allergic to wool. All night scratchin'


I am too - first thing I do when I'm away is check there isn't a blanket under the mattress cover and remove it if there is.

I don't think wool would do much for R's insomnia either - he doesn't have any trouble getting to sleep, he just wakes up in the early hours and his brain switches on and won't switch off again.


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## stephknits (Oct 11, 2018)

Well, as far as I'm concerned, wool is always the answer


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## Hepato-pancreato (Oct 16, 2018)

My mum, had to give up knitting as fibres from the wool affected her chest.
My missus can’t even get to sleep even after taking 7.5mg of zoplicone. 2 x 30/500 co- codomol and other various medication for her nerves as we used to say ( anti-depressants ) .


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## Ljc (Oct 16, 2018)

grovesy said:


> I bought 1 tog quilts in John Lewis sale, just as the weather began to get warmer.


Thanks , I had a browse through their site , they have 2.5 tog in atm but I think I’ll wait to see if they get some in nest spring/summer.
To think I used to have 13.5 duvets.


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## trophywench (Oct 17, 2018)

I'm looking forward to watching the Ruth & Eamonn prog on TV tomorrow night - rather than go out to buy handknitted PJs !


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## mikeyB (Oct 17, 2018)

Doesn’t matter what I wear in bed, it always ends up wet through. No man made fabrics, but this has only happened since my neurological system started decaying. And waking up with _legs_ as stiff as a plank. Bit different from when I was a teenager...


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## Northerner (Oct 17, 2018)

I've always been like a little furnace in bed (so I'm told  ) Can't even bear the thought of wearing woolly PJs  When I was on lantus I would often wake up absolutely drenched - a pretty sure sign of a night hypo


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## grovesy (Oct 17, 2018)

Ljc said:


> Thanks , I had a browse through their site , they have 2.5 tog in atm but I think I’ll wait to see if they get some in nest spring/summer.
> To think I used to have 13.5 duvets.


I did not realise till I saw these in the sale. We still have it on our bed but my son has just gone back to his normal. We usally have a 4.5.


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## TheClockworkDodo (Oct 17, 2018)

mikeyB said:


> Doesn’t matter what I wear in bed, it always ends up wet through. No man made fabrics, but this has only happened since my neurological system started decaying. And waking up with _legs_ as stiff as a plank. Bit different from when I was a teenager...


What causes the stiff legs, Mike?  My legs have started doing that too (though not fully plank-like, just slightly uncomfortable), and I've been hoping it's just getting older and nothing I should be worrying about ...


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## mikeyB (Oct 17, 2018)

Muscle spasticity due to motor neurone decay. Occurs in MND, also MS and Parkinson’s ( not due to motor neurone decay) and occasionally tertiary syphilis. Guess which I’ve got continues next Tuesday when I meet the local neurology team.

I’ve not got syphilis, by the way. That was tested in Scotland. Not that I’ve ever consorted with ladies of negotiable virtue. Or men, come to think.


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## TheClockworkDodo (Oct 17, 2018)

I don't have any of those, but I imagine ME could cause similar symptoms (it overlaps with lots of other illnesses because it is effectively a disease of the whole autonomic nervous system).  That is probably good, I didn't want it to be diabetes-related!  Do you get muscle spasms too?  I had those in hospital when I had DKA, gave the nurses a bit of a shock.  I've not had them since (just a bit of twitching sometimes with the Lantus) - I think they must have put something with citric acid in it in one of my drips.  People with ME often get them if they're given anaesthetic too.

Good luck on Tuesday - not sure which of the options you want as your diagnosis, or "least don't want" might be a better way of putting it.


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## mikeyB (Oct 18, 2018)

Well, MND is fatal. If I had a choice, I might want to skip that one.


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## mikeyB (Oct 18, 2018)

I should add, the symptoms of motor neuropathy are not remotely similar to ME, though I do get muscle ‘spasms’. They are more related to the spasticity.


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## TheClockworkDodo (Oct 18, 2018)

Hmmm, from a medical perspective I can see that, but a non-medical person might find it difficult to tell the difference, as ME also effects the brain and spinal cord and can cause all sorts of muscular problems.  It doesn't cause neuropathy though, and so far as I know I don't have any of that as I haven't lost feeling anywhere, just gained this stiffness.  It's frustrating waking up with new symptoms and wondering which of my current crop of illnesses is causing them, or whether it's a new one I should see a doctor about (and knowing that if I do see a doctor they'll almost certainly say "it's probably just the ME" and do nothing to investigate).


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## TheClockworkDodo (Oct 18, 2018)

mikeyB said:


> Well, MND is fatal. If I had a choice, I might want to skip that one.


Didn't Stephen Hawking live for 55 years with it?  There's nothing like confounding the experts ...


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## mikeyB (Oct 18, 2018)

Only 1 in a thousand MND sufferers live as long as that. It’s a nice way to die, though, almost all die in their sleep when the body forgets to breathe.

2-5 years from diagnosis is the going range, with a third dead in one year, and half after two.


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