I've been a bad sleeper for as long as I can remember, but have just always accepted it as I've been able to function OK (just lacking in energy), and my Fa & bro have similar problems. However when I was pregnant with my first child 2 years ago I slept much worse than normal, only 1-2 hrs a night in the last trimester. It was unbearable.

Now I'm 17 weeks pregnant again, and when I found out I was pregnant I decided to try and do something to make sure I didn't get to that unbearable stage this time round. I've been seeing a Naturopath, Accupunctursit, Osteopath, counsellor, doing yoga, relaxation exercises, sleep CDs, and nothing is helping. It's just getting progressively worse and worse and I'm feeling absolutely terrible every day. I'm really reaching the point where I feel i can't function anymore, and I have a 21 month old toddler to run around after as well.

So a typical night would going to bed at 9:30pm, taking 1/2 - 1 hr to fall asleep, sleeping maybe 2-3 hrs and waking up. Being awake for up to 1 hr, but often not wide awake, just restless and tossing and turning but feeling really sleepy. For the next few hours I sleep an hour here and there, but not really ever more than 1 hr blocks, and toss and turn a lot. By about 4-5am I might get another block of 2 hours before waking around 6-7am.

On a bad night I take 2-3 hrs to get to sleep, and often get up if I can't sleep. I only sleep 1-2 hr blocks and spend a lot of the night getting up as I can't get back to sleep. On bad nights I'm usually out of bed between 1-4am.

This pattern is only just worse than what I'm used to most of my life, except that being pregnant and having a toddler I'm obviously needing a lot more sleep than I usually get.

I don't know what to try next. I really can't go on like this. It never used to depress me, but now I find I'm thinking about how sleep deprived I am all the time, and just feeling totally horrible. It's affecting every aspect of my life.

I would really appreciate any tips / suggestions / strategies, or would love to hear any other similar stories.