sleep aids

[heatherlynnky]

Once you get into a pattern of staying awake for several hours in the middle of the night, it's really hard to break it, and you create anxiety about it, so that decreases your chance of getting back to sleep anytime soon. If you take melatonin, you need to take magnesium and calcium with it, per my chiropractor. You might try taking something to get to sleep the first time, then something else when you wake up in the middle of the night. Benedryl is a pretty safe med to take. It is in OTC sleep aids. Taking too many will make you jittery, tho. There are "sleepy time" teas you can buy. I have one called "Seven Blossoms" that has 7 different herbs in it. You can smell the valerian, but it doesn't taste too bad. I buy it at an international food store that has a lot of Hispanic food in it. Another thing that helps me is to drink a cup of warm milk with honey in it.
Probably the main thing is to trick yourself into not caring that you are awake during that time, feeling relaxed and unworried whether you sleep or not. Don't just lie in bed and toss and turn. Get up and watch some boring TV or read a book that bores you.

i can't remember who it was who said they did this but it was an on air doctor. Anywho he said when he wakes in the middle of the night. Instead of tossing and turning or getting up and watching tv, he sits up in bed and does meditation. He said usually in 15 minutes he is ready to sleep again and he does not consider it sleep lost but rather meditation gained. He said before he would get upset because he was careful to make sure he got a certain amount of sleep and that upset over waking up would prevent him from falling asleep again. Wish I could remember who said it though.

 

[so lucky]

Lots of good information and ideas here. I think I saw that one about meditation when you wake up at night. It's a great idea. Other people I know who have a cpap love it. It seems to be an awful lot of trouble, but apparently you get used to it quickly, and you feel so much better. My DH had nightmares on melatonin. It's not for everyone, to be sure. D1, I hope some of these suggestions help you. And I, too, congratulate you on your sobriety.

 

[D1]

The grace of God was The NATURAL REMEDY I used to get over the alcohol addiction... thank you all

Thank you for all the advice.... this will give me a starting point

 

[raro]

I'm surprised nobody has mentioned valerian. I read that melatonin isn't good for long-term because it messes with your natural sleep rhythms. But valerian is a rather stinky herb that is in capsule form. You can find it in Walmart. It's funny because my kids and I were watching the British show Merlin, and they mention valerian many times as an herbal treatment that causes people to fall asleep. I wish it worked that well on me, hehe! I find that it doesn't make me tired, but when I do sleep it increases the quality of the sleep. You can take up to I think 3 pills at a time. But they really smell awful!

 

[Blaundee]

Try valerian, either in capsule or tea form.

 

[Blaundee]

I'm surprised nobody has mentioned valerian. I read that melatonin isn't good for long-term because it messes with your natural sleep rhythms. But valerian is a rather stinky herb that is in capsule form. You can find it in Walmart. It's funny because my kids and I were watching the British show Merlin, and they mention valerian many times as an herbal treatment that causes people to fall asleep. I wish it worked that well on me, hehe! I find that it doesn't make me tired, but when I do sleep it increases the quality of the sleep. You can take up to I think 3 pills at a time. But they really smell awful!

I didnt read your post before writing mine.

Valerian doesn't make me fall asleep, either, but helps me to stay asleep, and also relaxes sore muscles. For the past few months I've been taking melatonin every night to prevent cluster headaches, and it works WONDERFULLY for that, but it makes me very sleepy within 30 min of taking it, so I take it right before bedtime. However, melatonin does not help me to STAY asleep, and doesn't soothe muscles pain. I won't take 2 meds at one time that make me drowsy, so I don't take valerian anymore. I took it to try to prevent or help with the cluster headaches, and it didnt help, but IS great for easing your mind during stressful times, easing muscle pain, and helps me to stay asleep- I tend to wake up about 2 am and think, then fall asleep again around 4 or 5 am, just in time to get up for the day lol However, if I write things down before getting ready for bed, I dont think so much and can stay asleep just as well as if I took valerian. (I am always scheming on new business ideas, chicken breeding projects, or gardens or pens that I want to build next lol)

Basically, IMO, Melatonin is good for falling asleep, but not keeping you asleep, while valerian is the opposite. If I were to take one as a sleep aid, it would be the valerian because of the muscle soothing action, but it can make you a little bit drowsy in the early morning. I have not had any drowsiness in the morning from melatonin, and it has worked WONDERFULLY on my cluster headaches.

 

[ORChick]

Valerian doesn't so much make you sleepy, as calm your mind. I find that my mind gallops from one thing to the next, especially when I am trying to go to sleep, either first thing on going to bed, or (even more so) if I wake in the night. All the things I haven't done, or want to do, or should do tomorrow, or that have been bugging me, or ... or ... or. Taking valerian before bed helps to stop that bedlam in my head, or at least slow it down enough that I can sleep.
Another thing that sometimes helps me (and is along the lines of the aforementioned meditation) is to concentrate on something fairly boring and non-exciting. For me it is the multiplication tables. I start with 2x2, and occasionally make it to 10x10, but usually am asleep way before that. By concentrating on that it keeps "the gallops" from taking over my mind.
Silly, but it seems to work for me.
I also sometimes put a few drops of lavender oil on a handkerchief, and slip it in my pillowcase; this helps when I have a slight headache, and I seem to sleep better too.

 

[Blaundee]

Valerian doesn't so much make you sleepy, as calm your mind. I find that my mind gallops from one thing to the next, especially when I am trying to go to sleep, either first thing on going to bed, or (even more so) if I wake in the night. All the things I haven't done, or want to do, or should do tomorrow, or that have been bugging me, or ... or ... or. Taking valerian before bed helps to stop that bedlam in my head, or at least slow it down enough that I can sleep.
Another thing that sometimes helps me (and is along the lines of the aforementioned meditation) is to concentrate on something fairly boring and non-exciting. For me it is the multiplication tables. I start with 2x2, and occasionally make it to 10x10, but usually am asleep way before that. By concentrating on that it keeps "the gallops" from taking over my mind.
Silly, but it seems to work for me.I also sometimes put a few drops of lavender oil on a handkerchief, and slip it in my pillowcase; this helps when I have a slight headache, and I seem to sleep better too.

I used to do this, but then my mind learned to continue galloping WHILE I do the tables... WHAT?!?!?!? Not cool LOL