natural sleeping aids

hello_kitty3
hello_kitty3 Posts: 98 Member
edited October 6 in Food and Nutrition
I have been struggling with insomnia for years now off and on. I will go for a month and sleep just fine, then I'll go for 3-6 months where I just can't stay asleep. I'm afraid to take pills for it because I don't like how they make me feel the next morning and on top of it I have a hard time waking up at all. Not to mention I have woken up before because I have stopped breathing in my sleep, its not something that happens very often but I have found that a few times I've been dreaming that I was drowning and I woke up or was woken up by my husband because I was gasping for air. I'm a very vivid dreamer so that could be what caused me to stop breathing because I've never been diagnosed with anything, but still its a scary thought. SO, that being said I've considered trying melatonin as a sleep aid, I've done some research about it and it seems pretty safe and I was wondering if anyone out there has tried it. Did it work? Do you suggest something else? Any help would be great! Thanks!
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Replies

  • mahidac
    mahidac Posts: 126 Member
    yes I used melatonin during med school because sometimes diphenhydramine would make me way too groggy in the morning

    its perfectly safe and occurs naturally in your body however you will find that it has varying effectivity with different people - MT is used to regulate your circadian rhythms so if you are going to really try and use it - you have to use it consistently around a certain time everyday. If you are having very vivid dreams like that your body may just move into REM sleep a little quicker then most poeple (mine does as well).

    But if you are just looking for a spot sleep aid antihistamines are the best non prescription - but I know you said you dont want medication
  • josery1630
    josery1630 Posts: 205 Member
    My husband works the graveyard shift and takes melatonin religiously to help him sleep. It's natural, safe, and non-habit forming. He loves it.
  • twocsmom
    twocsmom Posts: 120 Member
    I use "Midnight" that I buy at Walmart. It's natural and doesn't leave you with a drugged feeling in the morning. While it won't knock you out into a comatose state, it will hopefully allow you to rest as it did me!

    Good luck!
  • mzkynd
    mzkynd Posts: 63
    I have not tried Melatonin, luckily I can fall asleep pretty much any time anywhere. However I am a huge fan of herbal tea, chamomile is a great soother, which does wonders for a sleepytime tea. though there are others so i put a link if you felt like browsing herbal sleep remedies :)

    http://www.holisticonline.com/remedies/sleep/sleep_insomnia_herbs.htm
  • applebobbrush
    applebobbrush Posts: 235 Member
    I have used melatonin and love it. Ever since I had a hysterectomy 11 years ago I have had issues with insomnia and when I found it I loved it and still use regularly. I also use a product from the Vitamin Cottage called Snooze Right. It has a lot of "stuff" that is natural that helps you relax, fall asleep and stay asleep. Valerian root works well also, that is the main ingredient in Celestial Seasonings Sleepytime tea. The Vanilla Sleepy Time tea is really good as well.
  • ilovemyhorse
    ilovemyhorse Posts: 87
    Melatonin! I freaking love that stuff. Prevents cancer too, and boosts your immune system. :]

    I also take trazedone, it's a medicine my doctor prescribed.
  • sillygoose1977
    sillygoose1977 Posts: 2,151 Member
    Melatonin is good but also try kava kava and valerian root. Kava just kind of helps your brain quiet down when you are trying to fall asleep. Valerian works well but it smells poopy.
  • breskittle
    breskittle Posts: 75 Member
    Natures Made makes a Drug Free natural sleep aid. Its awesome! I've never tried straight up melitonin but this has lots of it in there. I love it! I work nights so it helps me during the day when I can't sleep. I bought it at Walgreens.
  • LuciaLongIsland
    LuciaLongIsland Posts: 815 Member
    yes I used melatonin during med school because sometimes diphenhydramine would make me way too groggy in the morning

    its perfectly safe and occurs naturally in your body however you will find that it has varying effectivity with different people - MT is used to regulate your circadian rhythms so if you are going to really try and use it - you have to use it consistently around a certain time everyday. If you are having very vivid dreams like that your body may just move into REM sleep a little quicker then most poeple (mine does as well).

    But if you are just looking for a spot sleep aid antihistamines are the best non prescription - but I know you said you dont want medication

    this
  • hello_kitty3
    hello_kitty3 Posts: 98 Member
    wow thanks for all the tips! I can't drink tea though because caffeine gives me horrible migraines which also greatly reduces the number of options for me lol. I'm going to try the melatonin and see how it works for me. I'm going out of town on Friday for the holidays so I probably won't be able to start it until I get back next week if you need to use it around the same time everyday.
  • wk9t
    wk9t Posts: 237 Member
    Melatonin always works great for me, and I don't feel groggy in the morning when I get up.
  • carterjerm
    carterjerm Posts: 28
    Melatonin.. they make a couple strengths 25 mg and 50 mg. I found that 25mg is more than enough, the misses uses 50mg. I used 50mg once and didn't want to wake up.
  • josery1630
    josery1630 Posts: 205 Member
    wow thanks for all the tips! I can't drink tea though because caffeine gives me horrible migraines which also greatly reduces the number of options for me lol. I'm going to try the melatonin and see how it works for me. I'm going out of town on Friday for the holidays so I probably won't be able to start it until I get back next week if you need to use it around the same time everyday.

    Just FYI, a lot of the herbal teas don't have any caffeine in them. I can't have caffeine after 1 pm or I won't sleep, so I've done a lot of research on this. The "Sleepytime" teas are always caffeine-free. :)
  • erikahernandez360
    erikahernandez360 Posts: 17
    You should check out 5-HTP. I'am thinking of using it, studies say it is good for insomnia, depression and helps control appetite.
  • XXXMinnieXXX
    XXXMinnieXXX Posts: 3,459 Member
    Hi hun. I know how you feel as someone who has also suffered from insomnia for 10 years. I went on a drug called zopiclone \ zimovaneand its the worst thing I've ever done. At first I thought it was the best thing in the world and it was amazing to sleep... However It lost its effect even on the top dose quite quickly and now I'm hooked. Its destroyed my confidence, given me anxiety its awful. If I try to stop or decrease the effects are terrible. I'd try the melatonin as it sounds safe, make sure you have done lots of research. I may even try it myself. Please though never ever take powerful prescription sleeping tablets they will ruin your life. Even though I was desperate at the time I wish I knew then what I do now, I would never have started taking them. Zara x
  • tiptoeketo
    tiptoeketo Posts: 271 Member
    I do use melatonin occasionally- I sleep like a log and feel amazing the next day! I only need a half tablet and drift off within the hour.

    I've also used valerian root. Both work well.

    This is the Valerian mix I've used:

    http://well.ca/products/jamieson-relax-sleep_331.html
  • fiberartist219
    fiberartist219 Posts: 1,865 Member
    My grandma uses melatonin, I believe.

    I have been prescribed muscle relaxers in the past, but honestly, I don't need them anymore, because my problems with sleep were not severe.

    My biggest tips are for good sleep hygiene. This means, you want to make your sleep habits a ritual, and consistent. For example, keep your bedroom dark, and don't watch TV. The light from the TV will keep you awake longer than you would be awake if it were completely dark and quiet. Go to bed at the same time everyday. If you always go to bed at 11, and wake up at 7 (this is just an example... use whatever time that works for your schedule) then you will always find yourself getting sleepy around 10:50, and after awhile, even without an alarm clock, you'll want to get up by 7:30.

    Try not to use your bedroom for anything other than sleeping and sex. If you are on the computer in there, your mind will start to associate it with other things you could be doing.

    If you find yourself laying awake for more than 20 minutes, you should probably just get up, leave the room, and go do something else for awhile. When you get tired, come back to bed.

    Other than that, I'm not sure what you can do. I know these tips are good for falling asleep, but if you have sleep apnea and keep waking up, you might want to ask your doctor about a cpap machine or something.
  • Firesign
    Firesign Posts: 169 Member
    If you have stopped breathing in your sleep...you need to..... not walk.... but run to your doctor before you take any type of sleep aide
  • hello_kitty3
    hello_kitty3 Posts: 98 Member
    Hi hun. I know how you feel as someone who has also suffered from insomnia for 10 years. I went on a drug called zopiclone \ zimovaneand its the worst thing I've ever done. At first I thought it was the best thing in the world and it was amazing to sleep... However It lost its effect even on the top dose quite quickly and now I'm hooked. Its destroyed my confidence, given me anxiety its awful. If I try to stop or decrease the effects are terrible. I'd try the melatonin as it sounds safe, make sure you have done lots of research. I may even try it myself. Please though never ever take powerful prescription sleeping tablets they will ruin your life. Even though I was desperate at the time I wish I knew then what I do now, I would never have started taking them. Zara x

    This is a perfect example of why I don't want to take a "sleeping pill"! I had severe migraines, depression, and insomnia a few years back and I was prescribed some sort of sleeping pill, I can't remember the name now but I only took 1/2 the dosage and I was out for 16 hours. There was no waking me up and it was scary so I never took it again. I've just been suffering with my sleeping problems because all doctors seem to want to to do nowadays is throw some kind of medication at you instead of offering alternatives.

    I don't actually have sleep apnea, my mother does and I've been to the doctor about it and its so random and infrequent that they said it was probably more to do with my dreaming. I generally wake up a lot because I'm a very light sleeper so any sound in the neighborhood wakes me up and my dog has a bad habit of waking me up when he gets bored at night... sometimes I can go back to sleep but most times I can't and I just lay there for hours trying to go back to sleep. Its hard for me to get up and leave the room because my husband wakes up when I open the bedroom door and freaks out.
  • fiberartist219
    fiberartist219 Posts: 1,865 Member
    You might want a fan going in your room as a white noise type of thing so you can't hear what's going on outside.

    Don't worry about your husband freaking out when you get up. Eventually he'll get over it.
  • Onesnap
    Onesnap Posts: 2,819 Member
    Workout 6:30pm or later. You'll sleep like a baby.
  • Onesnap
    Onesnap Posts: 2,819 Member
    Just FYI, a lot of the herbal teas don't have any caffeine in them. I can't have caffeine after 1 pm or I won't sleep, so I've done a lot of research on this. The "Sleepytime" teas are always caffeine-free. :)

    Yes, and in America herbal tea is not actually tea. In fact, in some countries they don't even consider herbal tea actual tea!!
  • MissOphelia
    MissOphelia Posts: 23
    Melatonin! I freaking love that stuff. Prevents cancer too, and boosts your immune system. :]

    I also take trazedone, it's a medicine my doctor prescribed.


    I've had insomnia for a couple of years now and I started taking melatonin a few months ago. It helps somewhat but I'll warn you now that it may not be a total knockout kinda thing for you. I think I fall asleep faster but it doesn't help me stay asleep. As for trazedone...I've taken that too and it did absolutely nothing for me. That being said, it didn't make me feel groggy in the morning at all. You just want to be careful with melatonin if you're on any kind of prescribed meds because it can interact quite badly with them. :)
  • MissOphelia
    MissOphelia Posts: 23
    Also forgot to mention that when you say you've been waking up not being able to breathe...that sounds like it may possibly be sleep apnea. My mum has that and she went to a sleep clinic and they gave her a breathing machine thing for night time. You could try checking with a sleep doctor and see what they say!

    Hope this helps! :)
  • MissOphelia
    MissOphelia Posts: 23
    I do use melatonin occasionally- I sleep like a log and feel amazing the next day! I only need a half tablet and drift off within the hour.

    I've also used valerian root. Both work well.

    This is the Valerian mix I've used:

    http://well.ca/products/jamieson-relax-sleep_331.html

    I read in a health magazine that valerian root is bad for you...increases the risk of cancer maybe? I can't really remember...you can probably look it up on google.
  • kenzietea
    kenzietea Posts: 614 Member
    I am totally in the same boat, and I figured out for me, it is stress/depression related.

    Melatonin is great, and trader joe's sells chewable mint kind that tastes awesome. (lol)

    Also, taking baths, meditating, yoga, working out, are all fabulous stress relievers. Maybe try a combo. I really suggest teaching yourself how to meditate. It is the only thing that works for me.
  • DannyMussels
    DannyMussels Posts: 1,842 Member
    I've tried a few OTC sleep aids, usually when I have a long day ahead of me, or am off travelling and not staying at home.

    I find a routine at the end of the night helps. Take it an hour before bed, make sure you kill all the lights, brush and get into bed. Watch tv, or read...whatever it is before you go to bed. It should help you fall asleep easier.

    Keeping the same ritual every night really helps your body shut down and get used to bedtime.
  • servilia
    servilia Posts: 3,452 Member
    A friend has used it and liked it. How about a glass of warm milk? Poppy seed dessert? - although watch the cals lol

    Kiwi had some good suggestions!! ^^
  • flamegirl72
    flamegirl72 Posts: 143 Member
    bump for later...
  • adjones5
    adjones5 Posts: 938 Member
    I am totally in the same boat, and I figured out for me, it is stress/depression related.

    Melatonin is great, and trader joe's sells chewable mint kind that tastes awesome. (lol)

    Also, taking baths, meditating, yoga, working out, are all fabulous stress relievers. Maybe try a combo. I really suggest teaching yourself how to meditate. It is the only thing that works for me.

    ^^ this. Meditation really helps me.
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