Thank you very much to those who have given their advice about my insomnia. Like hh, I've been a bad sleeper for a long time, from the age of 11 or thereabouts. (I remember sleeping for barely 3 hours before my O-level history exam.) I think some people are just made that way. I have taken medication, both over-the-counter and prescribed, and certainly it helps, but sometimes nothing works. I will try hh's idea. It must be largely be psychological rather than physical. Trouble is you have to believe the remedies will work, and I don't think I do any more.

I know, I think, why I'm particularly bad at the moment. It's partly the time of year - I mean, it's daylight at 4  a.m or something, and even though I have thick curtains I know it's light, and I suppose some primeval instinct tells me that I should be awake. But mostly, it's anxiety about my son's wedding on Saturday - whether it'll go well, whether the best man will say something deeply embarrassing, whether I'll get there at all with the fuel strike, and of course whether I'll be able to sleep in the hotel the night before. For heaven's sake, you're supposed to enjoy weddings.

I'm sure the only answer is to stop thinking sleep is important. I just haven't managed to do that.

I'm absolutely sure you're right about the "quiet mind", Martin. I must try to get one!

I wish I could get up to where you are, Mary. I've used the technique that Martle describes, not for myself but for patients. They've been away with the fairies in no time!

Hmmm. That's a new one What does the message say, Mary?

I've used the relaxation technique that martle described and sometimes I have TTN on, very, very softly.  Another thing that worked for me was changing bedrooms.  Purely psychological in that the association of going to bed equated to not sleeping but a different bedroom for a while seemed to help.  Or there is the old standby of a mug of Horlicks!

I used to do that too. I find it's not as effective now and it was never 100% reliable for me.
Another thing to bear in mind is your relationship to your bed.
I am firmly of the belief that if your only relationship with bed is to do with sleep, then this will create a problem when it comes to getting to sleep. As part of my new approach to sleep, I found that allowing at least 30 minutes to unwind in bed before even trying to sleep (reading, solving a crossword, listening to music) and sometimes allowing a whole decadent hour, meant that I didn't feel under this almost athletic pressure to perform (i.e. sleep)! A change of bedding and/or lighting can help.

I am exactly the same here Martin, I always 'plug in' the radio in fact and have it on all night. I often lose the ear piece during the night so I don't often get all the really loud ethnic radio in the night, but the shipping forecast gets me off nicely!!

A

Mary, hops and lavender are really sleep inducing.  You can get hop pillows and fresh lavender next to the bed really helps, or you can get lavender oils and creams.  You could try a lavender scented candle or oil on a burner?

Sleeplessness is horrid, but as you get older you do require less sleep it seems.

I think you must be troubled by the wedding, but weddings are fun, you always think the worst but in general they pan out OK with no GBH.  In most cases.  Is it that you are going as a singleton?  No-one to hold your hand so to speak?  If you could take a friend to cling to would it help?  It must be daunting to be Mother of The Groom.