In my opinion, sleeping pills are the devil. I struggled greatly from chronic insomnia and have successfully recovered, no thanks to the various pharmaceuticals I was prescribed.

I recently discovered, following a SPECT scan, that the lack of success from sleeping pills was because my problem was not primarily do to neurotransmitter activity which is what pharmaceuticals manipulate. Rather, my problems were caused by hyperactive regions in my brain, as measured by blood flow. Basically, certain structures in my brain would not turn off at night, my circadian rhythm was very weak, natural queues would not make me tired, and the pills I was taking were ineffective.

I'm not suggesting you try to get a SPECT scan, unless you live in a country with free health care. If you live in Canada, you can get this for free.

To recover my sleep patterns, I experimented with almost everything under the sun. Here's a list of affordable remedies that I found to be effective and easily accessible:

1) Cognitive Behaviour Therapy for Insomina (CBT-i) with Dr. Jacobs. This program costs USD$50. This is a 5 week interactive program that involves education, a sleep diary, and weekly correspondence with Dr. Jacobs. He provides scientifically backed research to educate you on the causes and effects of sleeplessness. The sleep diary is numerical only, he only wants to see things like bedtime, sleeptime, wake-up time, etc. Throughout the 5 weeks he tells you when to go to bed and when to wake up. This was the single most important resource I used to recover my sleep patterns. (http://www.cbtforinsomnia.com/)

2) Dr. Parsley's Sleep Remedy. This costs $60/month, there are some discount codes if you listen to his podcasts with Ben Greenfield and others. This is a powder supplement taken before bedtime. It is a vitamin and neurotransmitter micro supplement designed to give your body the exact ingredients necessary to initiate sleep. I found this product to be better than sleep pills, and effective 60% of the time. However, it includes the neurotransmitter GABA which makes you feel normal after a sleepless night. (Doc Parsley's Sleep Remedy | Sleep Remedy)

3) Magnesium Citrate powder. This costs $30/month and can be found in most grocery stores, and probably for cheaper than my quoted price. Magnesium deficiency is extremely common, especially for those who have experience concussions and TBIs. Magnesium is also quickly depleted during stress and anxiety. Taking this powder will calm the nervous system. I found this product quite effective taking before bedtime, or in the middle of the night if I woke up and couldn't fall back asleep. (Amazon.com: Natural Vitality Natural Calm Magnesium Anti Stress, Organic, Raspberry Lemon, 16 oz: Health & Personal Care)

4) Binaural Beats. This ranges from free to $5. You can download various apps onto your phone or tablet. Basically, our brains emit wavelengths at all times. Certain wavelength patterns have been well researched relating to sleep. What has been found and reported in scientific literature is that our brains are good at mimicking frequencies, so plugging headphones in to binaural beats can be an effective sleep remedy. There are many free apps available, but this $5 app I found to be the best.(SleepStream 2 - Premium Sound Therapy)

5) Max Richter Sleep music. This acclaimed musician has created an 8 hour album specifically for sleep. It was labeled as the most relaxing music ever. Here is a free 1 hour sampler (Max Richter : From Sleep (Full Album) 215 - YouTube).

6) Daily meditation routine. I was a hard charging adrenaline junkie before my world crashed down on me from PCS. A daily meditation routine was a difficult thing for me to accept. I now believe that it has been the most instrumental tool for overall recovery of all of my symptoms. There are many types and many instructors of meditation. Any type will work, the key is to pick up a habit that you will stick with. So I won't recommend any particular type. I think everyone on this form should try at the least an 8 week program to advance their recovery.

Good Luck.

Hains