Sleeping Issues

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Replies

  • Of_Monsters_and_Meat
    Of_Monsters_and_Meat Posts: 1,022 Member
    If you are looking for something natural and happen to be in Colorado. Weed really helps
  • bunnywestley81
    bunnywestley81 Posts: 178 Member
    I'm in the UK.
  • kitchensolo
    kitchensolo Posts: 38 Member
    Hey, Bunny ... I wrote an article about this very thing for work earlier this year - perhaps it'll help. The best advice is to keep your schedule consistent. You won't believe how well that works. I also sleep with a mask on, tape up every electric light in the room (alarms, for example) and sleep with a humidifier! ;-) Good luck! https://www.patientconnect365.com/DentalHealthTopics/Article/Want_to_Have_Your_Best_Year_Ever_Get_Some_Sleep
  • sevsmom
    sevsmom Posts: 1,172 Member
    Melatonin helps me fall asleep, but does nothing for me STAYING asleep. Benadryl (diphenhydramine) works, but I can't take it too close to bed time or I wake up feeling groggy until noon. I work out....consistently. Doesn't help me sleep. I don't smoke. I don't use caffeine regularly. I eat well. I *should* be sleeping soundly. But, I'm not. My doc keeps saying he can prescribe something, but the thought of having to take a sleeping pill regularly scares me. I shouldn't have to regularly take pills in order to sleep. This has been my biggest health complaint since turning 40. I'm *literally* tired of it!
  • ElizabethKalmbach
    ElizabethKalmbach Posts: 1,415 Member
    MysticRealm wrote: »
    I don't generally have issues sleeping, but when I do an advil really helps..

    OMG, I thought I was the only one who took an Advil if I wanted to knock myself out.

    When I cannot fall asleep, I know my thyroid is off. When I cannot STAY asleep, I know my B12 is too low. I also supplement D, potassium, and magnesium to help avoid other sleep related issues.

    If your insomnia is bad, it might be worth getting a blood test done to see if you have any kind of nutrition issue, as many vitamin and mineral shortages in the body result in insomnia. Similarly overtraining can cause insomnia. If your medical insurance covers it, seeing a sleep specialist can be worthwhile, particularly if you think your sleep interruptions are being caused by apnea.

    In the mean time, practice good sleep hygiene and keep putting yourself to bed at a good time.
  • alpine1994
    alpine1994 Posts: 1,915 Member
    Oh girl, I feel ya. I had insomnia my whole life (couldn't even take naps as a baby, my poor parents) and I've been on every prescription sleeping pill under the sun. Obviously I grew dependent on them but it was a battle between that and getting fired from my job for not being able to function so...

    Anyway, my doctor said no more. She promised me that if I exercised regularly, I would sleep normally. My argument was the same as yours: how the F am I supposed to exercise on 2 hrs of sleep? She said tough cookies. Do it for two weeks and report back. I did, and I've been sleeping like a baby for 3 years with no drugs. I don't know why it works but it does. You have to give it time. Obviously the first day I exercised and still couldn't sleep that night and planned on telling my dr she's full of crap, but I gave her two weeks as promised and I was sleeping perfectly by the end. It even continues now: if I fall off a normal exercise routine, I can't sleep. At least I know I'll always be in shape!!

    Aynway, I really feel for you. Not being able to sleep is the worst and people who don't have our problem will never understand. Try exercising. Give me two weeks. I know it sucks when you're exhausted but even just 25-30 min of raising your heart rate like 4-5 days a week. If it doesn't work, try Melatonin like others said and tell your dr. Good luck!
  • kitchensolo
    kitchensolo Posts: 38 Member
    ... a few other things that can work: wear sunglasses on the way home from work if it's still sunny, try hops tea (hops is a natural sedative - it does affect hormones, though, so ask your doc. This is why beer makes people sleepy and fat!), and look into bedtime snacks for kids that promote sleep. Anything with tryptophan and protein. Here's a good list: http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/howto/guide/eat-right-sleep-tight
  • Debbie_Ferr
    Debbie_Ferr Posts: 582 Member
    I'm a VERY poor sleeper & tons of night sweats. what helps me...

    magnesium, calcium AND
    melatonin no later than 8pm. (if i take the melatonin any later, I wake up groggy.

    Take multivitamins during the day.
    No caffeine drinks except in the morning.
    No chocolate after 3pm or so.

    Do some light stretching & breathing exerceises before bed.
    Have my bedroom at a cooler temp, and not too many covers on the bed.
    Concentrate on pleasant thoughts when I go to bed. ( I, too, have anxieties which tend to come out in the still of the night)

    And the hardest one... turning off my computer/smartphone/tv by 9 or 10pm

    I wish you well, I know how tough this can be.

    .
  • nuffer
    nuffer Posts: 402 Member
    Of_Monsters_and_Meat wrote: »
    If you are looking for something natural and happen to be in Colorado. Weed really helps
    (or Washington, both the state and D.C.)
    Second this. Indica strains seem to work better for me than sativa. Many states have legal medical marijuana and insomnia is a common condition for which one can get a prescription.
  • rungirl1973
    rungirl1973 Posts: 2,559 Member
    I'm taking Ambien, it's working really well for me.
    Thanks to the person who recommended Tranquil Sleep. I'm going to check that out.

    Exercise does not help me. I run 30+ miles/week plus lift weights 2-3 days/week. I still can't sleep without a sleep aid.

    One thing that helps me, I turn off all electronics at least an hour before I'm going to bed and read.
  • healthygreek
    healthygreek Posts: 2,137 Member
    No coffee anymore!
    In my late 30s, my body could not handle it anymore and my sleep really suffered!
    Now I can have tea in the morning and usually get 7 hours unless I'm stressed over something.
  • ythannah
    ythannah Posts: 4,371 Member
    For the record, these are all the sleep tips I've implemented over the years, to no avail:
    Strict schedule (easy to do, I'm the most routine person I know)
    Unlit clock so I don't get more anxious watching the time tick away
    Light blocking window coverings
    White noise (air cleaner) AND pink noise (fake rain sound)
    Zero caffeine. Ever.
    No electronics before bed. Not even my Kindle, I read a hard copy book
    No exercise in the evening. I work out first thing in the AM
    No work or other strenuous mental activity before bed
    And I think I' ve downloaded every free sleep meditation/relaxation mp3 in existence
    The only one I don't do is lower the temperature because I get chilled easily and then sleep is impossible
  • sofaking6
    sofaking6 Posts: 4,589 Member
    I had bad sleep my whole life, even with prescription sleep aids. Then I got a little Bluetooth speaker and an ipod and started playing science & history podcasts and zzzzzz. I put each one on repeat so as I wake up during the night I already have something playing to listen to and 99.9% of the time I fall right back asleep. It's a straight up miracle for me.
  • bunnywestley81
    bunnywestley81 Posts: 178 Member
    Exercise doesn't help me as it takes me too long to chill out and can only go to my gym in the evening as it doesn't open before I need to be at work. I still do the exercise as am paying for the damn gym (Can't cancel til July time, years membership).

    I do sometimes listen to classical music which sometimes helps. Not often enough though.

    I switched to decaf the end of last year, tea that is, I don't drink coffee. I don't really eat chocolate... I still have last years easter egg in the fridge. And I watch out for fizzy pop, though I don't drink that often either.

    Thank you to everyone who has given me some ideas! And it's kind of nice to know others have the same problems. Although I wish this on no one!

    I have to see my doc next week anyway so I'll bring it up and see what they say.
  • HaroldStearns
    HaroldStearns Posts: 2 Member
    Depression, high blood pressure and poor sleep had arisen a problem in me known to be Insomnia. I had mentioned this to my doctors. Then, he suggested me to buy Ambien and take it with proper dose with a full glass of water. And now I am getting my full hours sleep each day and relieve from my anxiety.
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