Thread: Sleep Aids?

I've been having a serious problem with lack-of-sleep. For the past year or so, I've been waking up in the middle of the night. Not only that, I can't go back to sleep! I toss and turn and think about the days events, what I need to do the next day, etc.

I thought I'd try to work through it, but I think at this point I need to try some kind of sleep aid. I'm talking Ambien or Lunesta or something, but I'm so afraid of getting addicted to the stuff. Anyone have experience with this stuff?

Have you tried imagery or 'sleepytime' yoga or another form of alternative medicine? Just wondering as you have hesitations about traditional medication...

Originally Posted by maranajla

Have you tried imagery or 'sleepytime' yoga or another form of alternative medicine? Just wondering as you have hesitations about traditional medication...

I haven't! I think that would be so much better than a sleep aid if it works. The problem is that I don't have trouble falling asleep (at least not any more) I have problems staying asleep...

I take Benadryl. Not all the time, but only when I've got insomnia really badly. I know, I know, I shouldn't do it, but sometimes I'm desperate!

Make sure your room is really, really dark (or wear an eye mask). Your body only produces the sleepy hormone (melatonin) in the absence of all light. I've had the same problem lately (3am wake up) and it's been a lot easier to get back to sleep with an eye mask on.

Also, calcium late at night can help the body relax, and steer clear of TV, computer, and other stimulating activities for at least 30 minutes before lying down. I've heard you can ask a doc for an Rx of melatonin; a hormone is possibly safer and less addictive than whatever's in the other ones you named...might be worth looking into.

dyphenhydramine (the generic of benadryl) is good, cheaper if you buy it in the generic as well. ccan rarely give side effects, gives me nightmares, and I can't get up the next morning.

valerian root in pill form is good (herbal remedy, but nasty to drink)

Originally Posted by ejaghana

I've been having a serious problem with lack-of-sleep. For the past year or so, I've been waking up in the middle of the night. Not only that, I can't go back to sleep! I toss and turn and think about the days events, what I need to do the next day, etc.

I had this exact problem for years. My saving grace came in a strange form -- a herniated disc in my neck, accompanied by muscle knots that tightened up terribly at night. My doctor put me on flexeril (a muscle relaxer). I take one dose at night and thankfully I sleep through the night.

This medication is not addictive, neither is it generally used long term, but I have been taking it for two years now. It keeps me away from the neurosurgeon's knife and I feel so much better sleeping through the night. Several doctors have told me they see no harm in my extended use of it.

Sedonia

I've used melatonin with good success -- haven't experienced any side effects or addiction issues. You can get it over the counter.

If you have trouble sleeping because your mind is racing, it might be helpful (contrary to conventional wisdom) to put on the TV or a book on tape or something. This usually works for me, although it used to make me feel guilty since I'd always heard that you're supposed to have that stuff turned off. But I recently read that some people actually recommend it because your mind can only have one narrative going on at once, and the book on tape or etc. can therefore preempt worrying about what happened that day or what you're going to do tomorrow.

And I know this is obvious, but you might think about what/when/how much you drink before you go to bed. For one thing, caffeine can affect your body for a longer period of time than you might think.

One more thing -- trouble sleeping can be a symptom of depression, so if you have any other symptoms, you might want to get checked out for that.

i second kina's suggestion for valerian root.
its generally considered safe and doesn't drug you up.

i'm generally not in favor of drugs that knock you out. what if there's an emergency and you can't wake up or are too drugged to handle the situation?

also, perhaps try hypnosis. a good hypnotherapist can teach you how to quiet your mind when its time to sleep.

You can try listening to the Sleep Induction Wizard which I have.

Sleep Wiz - Surefire Natural Remedy To End Insomnia Forever And Enjoy Energizing Sleep In As Little As 3 Days!

Basically you hear pulses which gradually slow down and the brain waves follow the pulses.

I also find that sweating in a steam room provides me better sleep at night if I haven't had a chance to detox for a while, like in winter.

Did you get hallucinations from Ambien? The one and only time I took it, I did. But i think it is b/c I didnt fall asleep immediately after taking it

Originally Posted by shimmygoddess

Did you get hallucinations from Ambien? The one and only time I took it, I did. But i think it is b/c I didnt fall asleep immediately after taking it

who had hallucinations? I used to take ambien, but it's addictive, so I had to stop.

Trazadone (a mood stabilizer so can help with mild forms of depression) is also pretty good and not as many side effects

Sonota is actually a good sleep aid. It has a very short half live so if you were to try other things to calm your mind - meditation, prayer, etc. - you might find that Sonata is better answer. This way, if you wake up in the middle of the night and can't settle, Sonota only lasts about 2.5 hours or so. In other words, it'll get you back to sleep and allow you to wake up if needed.

But I am going to agree with the idea of a bedtime yoga and meditation. Giaum has a great DVD called PM yoga. It is only about 20 mins long. Which works great for a pre bedtime ritual.

{{{HUGS}}}

I am almost addicted to my iPod: When I wake up at night, I turn on the iPod, which makes me fall back asleep within minutes. I found that podcasts and <don't laugh!!!> sitcoms are the perfect way to get me to sleep quick, and without disturbing my dearheart. That may be a no-drug thing to consider (it works perfectly for me, my husband doesn't even want to give it a try).

I believe know the first 10 minutes of pretty much every Frasier episode as well as one can, but hardly know the last 5 minutes, because I am so conditioned to fall asleep ;-)

Passion Fruit juice!!!

Or anything with passion fruit in it! In Brazil we make alot of things with it and you have to be careful cuz it really does make you sleepy.

And it tastes good:)

Originally Posted by kina

Trazadone (a mood stabilizer so can help with mild forms of depression) is also pretty good and not as many side effects

I second trazadone. ,s::

NOOOOOOO! Stay away from the 'medications'!!

But do try the natural herbal remedies as well as the relaxation techniques suggested. Valerian root comes in pill form and can be taken as long as needed. It is all natural, an herb, is not addictive and relaxes your central nervous system so you can go to sleep naturally. This allows your body to readjust its sleep schedule. The pills smell nasty (think old gym socks) but they're tasteless. If that doesn't work for you within a couple of days try Cava Cava (or kava kava), also available in pill form. THAT stuff works. Also all natural and works the same way Valerian Root does - both available at GNC or most any pharmacy. Neither have any side effects like meds (lethargy, mental impairment) and cava cava has actually been shown to improve reaction time and mental clarity (it is sometimes taken as an anti-anxiety - it's not strictly used for sleep).

But please stay away from the meds. They may help you sleep for a night but do nothing to help reset your body's clock to sleep naturally. They have side effects, can be habit forming, and at the very least are dehydrating.

Here are two tips I learned from my doctor:

1. Eat a small amount of protein before going to bed.
2. Do multiplication tables in your head.

Works every time. And no drugs.

Souzan

I use Diphenhydramine (Benadryl). You can get it in generic versions that don't cost as much. First I tried Somonex but then realized that the main ingredient is Diphenhydramine and started finding it in generic, cheaper versions. It helps take the edge off for me and works great when I have an overnight flight.

Originally Posted by Souzan

Here are two tips I learned from my doctor:

1. Eat a small amount of protein before going to bed.
2. Do multiplication tables in your head.

I do a variation of this, but with the alphabet. I'll either try to name all the states in alphabetical order, or as many animals as I can (or foods, or book titles, or any topic you choose) for each letter. I usually only get 1/3 to half way through the alphabet before dozing off.

Originally Posted by Whisper

NOOOOOOO! Stay away from the 'medications'!!

But do try the natural herbal remedies as well as the relaxation techniques suggested. Valerian root comes in pill form and can be taken as long as needed. It is all natural, an herb, is not addictive and relaxes your central nervous system so you can go to sleep naturally. This allows your body to readjust its sleep schedule. The pills smell nasty (think old gym socks) but they're tasteless. If that doesn't work for you within a couple of days try Cava Cava (or kava kava), also available in pill form. THAT stuff works. Also all natural and works the same way Valerian Root does - both available at GNC or most any pharmacy. Neither have any side effects like meds (lethargy, mental impairment) and cava cava has actually been shown to improve reaction time and mental clarity (it is sometimes taken as an anti-anxiety - it's not strictly used for sleep).

But please stay away from the meds. They may help you sleep for a night but do nothing to help reset your body's clock to sleep naturally. They have side effects, can be habit forming, and at the very least are dehydrating.

Natural doesn't necessarily mean better. Whether you ingest something that comes from a natural source or a lab-synthesized source, they BOTH will chemically interact with your body and alter or influence your biochemical processes in some way. Any time you ingest something your body reacts with/to it. Natural does NOT mean automatically exempt from negative effects and is often mistaken to mean better for your body. Natural does not mean "gentler on the human body."

That said, have you tried a white noise machine? Often times, I wake up in the middle of the night due to a weird noise. I guess I'm a light sleeper. My boyfriend brought me a white noise machine and ever since, I've been able to sleep through the night. It's heavenly!

I don't want to give medical advice, as I am not a medical professional or anything. But I thought I'd chime in with my own personal experience - take it for what it's worth (not much, probably).

I use benadryl and melatonin together many nights, and find that they make me sleepy enough to fall asleep and stay asleep. The benadryl also helps with my allergies. I have tried valerian before, too, but I have to say it made me feel weird, so I don't take it anymore.

I agree with the folks who suggest you stay away from the meds; however, if I'm going to take meds I have always thought that it's a good idea to take the lightest-weight ones that work. Benadryl (and the generic, of course) has been around for ages and is used as both an antihistamine and as a sleeping pill. It is very widely used, and I don't think it has a lot of side effects (though others here may know that better than I). Melatonin is a chemical already in your body, you're just increasing the amount in your body.

-Khalisah

I've used Calms. Its homeopathic and non addictive. I only take it occasionally when I have trouble sleeping for a few days. I also used it to take the edge off when I quit smoking. Its WONDERFUL. Doesn't make you loopy or drowsy, it just does something to....calm!

Hyland's Homeopathic - Calms Forte

This is along the same vein as Summer's suggestion of using white noise. I have a little clock-radio from Sharper Image that also has built in some sounds of nature. I find that its thunderstorm sound effect is nice for soothing me to sleep when I first go to bed. It has a number of other nature sounds, too, such as Yosemite falls, gentle rain, north woods, etc. Thunderstorm works best for me, but others might prefer some of the other sounds.

When I'm really wound up and can't shut off my brain, something that helps is a cassette tape I bought years ago called "Astral Sounds". (Typing this reminds me that I don't use it any more because of it being on cassette... guess it's time to upgrade to a CD!) Anyway, I bought it years ago because I was curious just what kind of sounds would inspire the brain to do astral projection. Now, I've never astrally projected from it, but I discovered that its sound effects really cut through the busy-brain stuff that can interfere with falling asleep.

Sometimes a person can have trouble falling asleep due to muscle tension. A soothing bath before bed can help a lot with this. Use your favorite scent of bath salts to make your nose happy as well as your muscles.

You might want to consult an M.D. to determine whether there is an organic cause to your sleeping problems. For example, in women if the amount of progesterone is too low when balanced against the amount of estrogen, that can lead to trouble sleeping in some women. An endocrinologist can help diagnose this.

If I lie awake for more than an hour trying to get to sleep, I'll get out of bed, put on a warm robe and slippers, and brew up something hot and soothing to drink (without caffeine). Eating some light carbohydrates can help. I stay up until I start to feel sleepy, then go back to bed.

More ideas are on my web site at Belly Dance Advice, Tips, How-To's under the article on how to beat jet lag. (See the section called "The Dancer's Life".)

Thanks so much for all the tips, guys. I'm going to try melatonin and some PM yoga, and invest in an eye mask.

I'm sure my schedule has something to do with it as well, since I sometimes have 4am wakeup calls and other days I don't have to be at work until 3pm. I'm trying to get myself on a sleep schedule anyway. I think that'll help.

I've found that working out in the evening/ taking a walk helps me sleep better. Like you, I always have things on my mind and these activities seem to the best natural stress-relievers.

whether something is herbal or pharmaceutical, it's still a medication, thus will have side effects. The important thing is that you (generically) pay attention to what the general side effects are and see if they are acceptable to you or not.

benadryl is a medication, so is valerian root, herbals can kill just as easily as pharmaceuticalls, the biggest difference in this country is that that the FDA doesn't regulate herbals.

I think if you have problem, you need to address it and not exclude something on the basis of a pre-conceived notion that it's bad for you because it falls under a certain category. research and figure out what works best for you.

Originally Posted by kina

I think if you have problem, you need to address it and not exclude something on the basis of a pre-conceived notion that it's bad for you because it falls under a certain category. research and figure out what works best for you.

I agree with this!!!

Originally Posted by ejaghana

I've been having a serious problem with lack-of-sleep. For the past year or so, I've been waking up in the middle of the night. Not only that, I can't go back to sleep! I toss and turn and think about the days events, what I need to do the next day, etc.

I thought I'd try to work through it, but I think at this point I need to try some kind of sleep aid. I'm talking Ambien or Lunesta or something, but I'm so afraid of getting addicted to the stuff. Anyone have experience with this stuff?

I went through the same thing at the end of last summer when I was under a lot of life-changing stress. I'd fall asleep fast and wake up about 2 or 3 am, unable to turn off my brain.

I upped my exercise, had stupid reading material handy (People, Us weekly, etc) to read if I couldn't go back to sleep on my own. I'd get up and read or watch stupid television with a blankie so I could just crash out on the couch if necessary.

Hang in there it , will get better.

I have had the same problem with sleeping for a couple of years now...I think a lot of it is to do with the adrenaline we produce when we are constantly doing shows. I know if the show goes well I come home on a high and can't calm down for hours. I have also cut out coffee completely and had three days of really bad withdrawal symptoms but then...SLEEP! Might be worth a try...