Sleep aid

[mattdavis11]

Originally Posted by craigster59

Another good trick I've discovered is for those restless nights, nothing sends me off to Dreamland quicker than reading a few pages of this.........

That's wrong.

Lay off the ice cream before bed.

[wdfifteen]

I wake up almost every night. If it is before 2 AM I take half of an Ambien-like sleeping pill and listen to The Moth, Fresh Air, or This American Life stories on my iPad. The stories are engaging enough to keep my mind from racing, but not so compelling that they excite me or wake me up. I'm usually asleep in 15 minutes. If it's after 2 AM I just use the iPad - no drugs. It works well for me and I usually wake up feeling rested.

[red-beard]

Originally Posted by scottmandue

To my knowledge there are no pills you can take after midnight to help you to get back to sleep (if you have to get up a 6AM to go to work).

There is a new version of Ambien that can be taken if you have 4 hours to sleep. It is called Intermezzo.

[Targa Me]

If you're a drinker, try cutting back during the work week. Cutting waaay back.
If that doesn't help try checking your blood sugar level and/or blood pressure when you wake up. Maybe your sugar and/or blood pressure is spiking. Your liver produces sugar for help you get started the next morning but if it's producing too much you could be a diabetic. Blood pressure tends to rise in the middle of the night and if you have high blood pressure that's a problem. Thats why you alway hear of people having a heart attack or stroke in the middle of the night.

[scottmandue]

Tried antihistamine... knocks me out for a few hours but then I'm up and feel all jumpy (can't get back to sleep).

Tried Melatonin... not very effective on me... will try it again but wife has some homeopathic sleep aid I have tried (and works ok... but just ok) pretty sure it has melatonin in it.

Wife is a good sport but at 2AM not so much.

Was a major pot head in the 1980's, don't want to go back down that road... and wife is super conservative and would not go for it (doesn't even like me smoking cigars.

I have done a lot of research on alcohol... read the book(s)... went to meetings... dated an AA'er... 99% sure I'm not an alcoholic.

Friend tried ambian... said it messed up his taste buds.. I'm a major foodie... if it comes to sleep or enjoying food I will give up sleep.

Thanks for the replies

[Drdogface]

I have not read all of the posts here so this may be a repeat. Alcohol does not have to be in excess to disturb your sleep. At first it will/can make you sleepy but then will produce some excitation in the brain later which will always wake me up about 2 AM. I sometimes smoke a tiny bit of weed at bedtime and it helps. My wife is not a fan but I do it in private...

[desertt5]

I have used Valerian root with good results before. Usually sleeping is not a problem for me, but a couple times a year I can't seem to sleep for nights on end. A few nights with Valerian root and problem solved til next time.

[vash]

have lubie send you one of his books

[vash]

on a serious note..since exercising regularly..my body functions are kicking ass!! sleep and other stuff.

[scottmandue]

Originally Posted by vash

on a serious note..since exercising regularly..my body functions are kicking ass!! sleep and other stuff.

Yes, on Saturdays if I work in the yard or on my car most of the day I sleep well...

But what about work days... even if I did want to work out after work (see the redundancy there?) go to the gym from 6-7, home, shower, dinner around 7:30-8:00... eating that late at night isn't good for you either. Plus the $$$ for a gym membership...

This is what my wife takes... no melatonin... maybe I should give that a try...



Weed, as I said, even thought I could get it legally no way no how... I smoked every day all day for ten years... not going back there.

[mattdavis11]

Sounds like things on you conscious are dictating your sleep patterns.

[Don Ro]

I buy & use WAL-DRYL from Walgreens drug store for when I can't sleep.
Same ingred. as Benadryl but less pricey.
One (1 ea.) does me well.
Sleep tight.

[BE911SC]

I used to have reflux issues and then needed an upper endoscopy. I had been taking an occasional Zantac to tamp-down the problem. The doc who performed the endoscopy asked me what I had taken for reflux, I said an occasional Zantac, and his reply was that if I needed a pill to control reflux then perhaps it was something behavioral I was doing. I heard him loud and clear and threw the Zantac in the trash. I eat less now (50, was 44 when the endoscopy was done) and have not had one bout of reflux since. Dinner must be over by 7:00 at the latest and nothing after that, maybe water if I'm thirsty. Exercise has helped me a lot too. Got my metabolism back on track and my sleep, although never poor, is better than ever. Eat less, especially later in the evening, exercise, eat smarter. If you're medicating then consider what you can change in your behavior to get off of the meds.

Another sleep tip: Wash up before bed, a shower and wash you hair. I fly for a living so I smell like airplane when I come home. I wash all that off and sleep much better. Nice warm shower before bed and I'm out like a light.

[scottmandue]

Originally Posted by mattdavis11

Sounds like things on you conscious are dictating your sleep patterns.

That is rather cryptic...care to elaborate?

{I may regret asking that}

[recycled sixtie]

Alcohol apparently degrades sleep and for myself with sleep apnea I would think that
could make the breathing condition worse.Doctors might chime in here re that.
I think that the less booze the better and the less pills the better as well as research
possibly shows that sleeping pill use could contribute towards dementia.

[Aragorn]

Originally Posted by BE911SC

I used to have reflux issues and then needed an upper endoscopy. I had been taking an occasional Zantac to tamp-down the problem. The doc who performed the endoscopy asked me what I had taken for reflux, I said an occasional Zantac, and his reply was that if I needed a pill to control reflux then perhaps it was something behavioral I was doing. I heard him loud and clear and threw the Zantac in the trash. I eat less now (50, was 44 when the endoscopy was done) and have not had one bout of reflux since. Dinner must be over by 7:00 at the latest and nothing after that, maybe water if I'm thirsty. Exercise has helped me a lot too. Got my metabolism back on track and my sleep, although never poor, is better than ever. Eat less, especially later in the evening, exercise, eat smarter. If you're medicating then consider what you can change in your behavior to get off of the meds.

I would agree with this. I would look at all the potential causes of your waking early before trying a drug or medication to fix it. I had acid reflux also and have cured it for the most part by watching what I eat and when I eat it. That and a little exercise helps.

Something is getting you up at night. Could be acid reflux, sleep apnea, racing mind, or something else. Best to find out what is causing the problem before you try and fix it.

[beepbeep]

Big no to alcohol.

Liver is affected by cumulative intake, so you would be chewing through liver at rate of one weekly binge w/o even having fun. Also, alcohol makes it harder to achieve REM-sleep.

Effectively, hitting a bottle before sleep would tax your liver and still make you tired. I would rather wake up in that case.

[1990C4S]

Anyone tried 5-ATP?

[craigster59]

One doctor I know says she takes one Tylenol PM if she has problems sleeping. I tried it once and it seemed to do the trick.

[Scott R]

I suffer from near incurable insomnia, the kind where I'm up for days straight even with non-prescription meds. I have a very good doctor right now that has me on three things, one to get me to sleep and one that keeps me asleep and one that I can take between that 12:00 - 3:00 AM if I wake up.

I can discuss more on PM, but I'm not a doctor. I can say that one of these is a fairly new medication that's been really good. Oh, and I have absolutely zero morning after effects.

I'm certain your doctor can prescribe the same things.