How do you fall sleep?

i had a nightmare coming off citalopram and wouldnt touch it with a pole. but the herbals are fine. The clinicians REM sleep pills are pharmacy ones here but natural - and work.

i will have to look into that

the ones i'm currently taking are healtheries easy sleep (i live in NZ so these may or may not be available elsewhere) and they arent as strong as the REM sleep, but you can't take REM sleep if you're on anti-d's, so I changed to these ones and see no reason to stop while they're working

so what are your home remedys?

Go to bed with a good book, prop up your pillows, dim light and start reading. Before you know it, book has slipped out of your hands

This is what I do every night. It works...unless you really like reading. Sometimes I stay up for hours accidentally :laugh:

sleepy tea is ok if you like the taste of chamomile. - i like it better without the apple in it.
hot showers are good for me, makes me all relaxed especially if i focus on 'washing off the drama of the day"

Also, citalopram is not for sleeping, it is an anti-depressant. It's a nightmare to get off of because it's a psych med. I know I'm on it myself. I love the stuff it has turned my life around 180 degrees, but when I don't take it for a few days I get really light headed and dizzy.

Instead of a drug, if you are having trouble sleeping try melatonin. It is a supplement you can buy over the counter. Melatonin is something your brain naturally releases to help you sleep. Working on a stupid schedule like I do can really screw up your internal clock so it is helpful. I've worked in health care for six years and it always works wonders when doctors perscribe it for my nursing home residents. My mom also takes it because she works 12 hour night shifts and it helps her sleep longer and better. She swears by the stuff and she's been a nurse for over 25 years. Just make sure you talk to your pharmacist before taking it to make sure it won't react with any of the medications you are currently taking.

Not just a dark room, but one free of electronics. I read a study that said just the light from cell phone or screen saver can be enough to disturb sleep. Also, nothing wrong with a bit of antihistamine, as they have them without the analgesic and a half dose does it for me.
Oh And do NOT watch the news before bed!

Avoid playing games on the computer after, say, 8 PM. It takes time for your brain to calm down after that kind of thing. Don't watch TV too late either (that's MY main problem, lol) because it will have the same effect. I second a lot of what I've read here - melatonin, lavender oil, a white noise machine or a small fan, and pull down the shades and draw the curtains. Oh, almost forgot - use a small lamp instead of the overhead light. The brighter the light you use, the longer it will take to fall asleep.

I hope you sleep better soon. :flowerforyou:

I have to pass out from exhaustion

1/4 gram of marijuana - smoked

I drink Bedtime tea almost every night. I sleep thru the night without getting groggy in the morning.

http://www.tealand.com/Bedtime-Tea-Yogi-Tea-Promotes-Restful-Sleep-P112.aspx

I also sometimes mix it with Easy Now tea, helps with my general anxiety and calms my nerves.

Blackout blinds... double honeycomb... they are awesome.
Selectblinds.com

Totally, 100% worth the money.

I had the same "active mind" issue, but once I got my room dark, it made it sooooooo much easier to shut down.

I was going to suggest this as well... I wish I would have heard of blackout curtains a long time ago! I used to have A LOT of trouble getting to sleep and staying asleep, but the curtains make it a little easier.

It also helps to have some white noise in the background. My hubby likes to have the fan on at night; it used to bug me, but now I find it soothing and it helps me to get to sleep. I read that's actually a good thing because if your room is totally silent, you're more likely to be disturbed by any little noise. That probably doesn't go for everyone, but it helps me.

Edited to add "me" at the end of my last sentence... It's been a long day

When I can't sleep, I put therapeutic grade lavender essential oil on the bottom of my feet. Then I get comfortable and start counting backwards from 99. Thyme essential oil works really good for me too sometimes. I put it on my husband's feet and he stops snoring. That works really well.

Tonight, not too well. I found a spider in my bed last night :sick:

But sometimes when I can't sleep, a cup of honey chamomile tea will help. I'm not sure if it's the chamomile, or a psychological effect from warm, comfy herbal tea, but either way, it's awesome, especially with a bit of milk and nutmeg. Either this, or a warm bath.

Also, it usually helps if I've done a strenuous workout that day.

haha aww you cant kill a spider in your house though thats bad luck for 7 years!!! lol.... im not a fan of tea, but i guess i really need to try this chamomile tea everyone is talking about...working out helps, but i perfer to work out in the morning, just trying to find a way to fall asleep so i can wake up early enough to do it before work....it would be nice to have some kind of routine again

Yeah I'm gonna have bad luck till I die then. Spiders must die.... I will continue to launch whatever I can find from my perch on top of the chair and if it hits I will be grateful for my last moment of luck for 7 years.