NeuroTalk Support Groups - Sleeping Tips anyone ??

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Sleeping Tips anyone ??

Anyone got any good tips for getting a good night sleep ?
My sleeping has been terrible for the last couple of months, sometimes i don't go to sleep at all and i am awake for a couple of days at a time, other times might get 2 or 3 hours sleep then i am wide awake again and can't get back to sleep, its all over the place.
I haven't any no pain or stress that could cause it, and i don't really want to go for those sleeping tablets, but lately been feeling really washed out, so i am wondering if any of you have found anything that helps.
i would really appreciate any help,
Brian

melotonin perhaps?

Brian have you tried Melatonin? You can buy it over the counter in the USA. The old forum had lots of sleep tips.

I can sympathize as I quit sleeping about two years ago without medication.

Billye

Benadryl (diphenhydramine) OTC antihistamine for helping to sleep when I
need it. It works very well for me.

Another thing is magnesium ...a good supplement relaxes, and helps sleep.
Take it at bedtime. It loosens muscle tension.

Sometimes I have to rub Biofreeze on my knees and ankles...there is a low
grade subliminal pain I get there, that can interfere with sleep. It always works
for me.

Thanks very much everyone, your a great bunch of people :)

Billye - No, i have not seen that particular one anywere, but i will look around for it now, thanks.
Yep, its a shame about the old board, but surely its not gone forever, there must have been backups in place, especially with all that important data that was there.

Aussie - I have seen those Valerian tablets whilst grabbing my b12 at Safeway but didn't know anything about them, thanks, that gives me another option.

Mrs D, I do have some magnesiun tablets at home , i will try them tonight with either the Valerium / Melatonin / Benadryl, whatever i can get my hands on.

Thanks everyone

Aussie -
I just realised that you had already started a thread on the very same topic, lack of good quality sleep really does affect our ability to function properly, I am not working now because of other med problems, just as well, but it must be very hard on you with such a busy lifestlye.
I hope things improve for you.:)

Here is an article I have on tips for better sleeping. Lots of good do's and don'ts here. Take what seems to apply and go from there. If sleep still has not improved, look at what you might be avoiding in the list and see if that could be relevant. If still not better, time to consult with someone knowledgeable - not necessarily an MD if all he wants to do is quickly push regular meds.

Quote:

Recognize that the sleep system tends to right itself after a few nights of insomnia, if you do not adjust your schedule.

Set a regular bedtime – and keep it. Your body needs reliability.

Less is more. Keeping your wake-up time constant but going to bed one hour later will help 25% of insomniacs within one to two weeks. Prepare to feel sleepy at times and avoid driving then. After two weeks, add back the time in half-hour increments.

Look on tow or three nights of insomnia as a gift – time to get done all you have to get done. Insomnia may be functional, a signal that you need to attend to whatever woke you up.

Put sleep in the background of your life. Don’t monitor it, don’t evaluate it. “Put it in an envelope and don’t open it for two weeks.”

If you’re an adolescent or student who has difficulty getting up and functioning in the morning, your insomnia may be a sleep-phase insomnia. Maintain your wake time and immediately apply bright light for at least 15 minutes to reset your clock. Progressively move your sleep time earlier and follow wake-up with a strong pulse of light.

Another way to deal with sleep-phase problems: reset your clock by taking melatonin four hours before bedtime. Again, move up your bedtime a little bit each day.

If you are an older adult troubled by early morning awakening, you may need to reset biological rhythms and phase-delay bedtime by going to sleep one hour later: Do nothing else to correct your sleep problem.

Get more exercise – physical and mental. It primes the sleep homeostat. Sex, among, other things, is a great exercise.

Jack up your body temperature with a warm bath before bed. Exaggerating the normal drop in body temperature that accompanies lying down helps sleep.

Learn simple meditation and practice it before bedtime; it cuts down nervous system arousal.

Keep your bedroom dark, especially as you get older. Even small amounts of light and noise can disturb sleep as you age.

If you awaken in the middle of the night, use the time for creative problem-solving. The “bleeding” of unconsciousness into wakefulness makes thought less rational and freer at this time.

You can take the sting out of a bad night with the judicious use modafinil (Provigil), a stimulant developed to help narcoleptics stay awake during the day. Taking it after a sleepless night helps ease anxiety about insomnia and primes the sleep homeostat.

DON’T’S

Don’t fight insomnia. The homeostat makes sleep a self-reparative system – if you stay out of its way.

Don’t worry about the consequences of not sleeping. Worrying about insomnia can create insomnia.

Don’t overheat your environment. Sleep loves cold. Keep your bedroom cold but load up on blankets.

Don’t sleep with your pets. Animal dander can create allergies that manifest only at night, and the movement of any pet on your bed can wake you up.

Do not sleep late or nap to make up for a bad night. It de-primes the sleep homeostat and reduces the need for sleep the next night, setting the stage for recurrent insomnia.

For the same reason, don’t make up for an acute bout of insomnia by going to bed early.

Do not try to sleep by drinking alcohol. Yes, it’s a great relaxant – but it is metabolized so quickly it creates rebound insomnia; it’s so fast acting you’ll be up in four short hours.

Don’t stay in bed waiting for sleep. It’s not true that the more time you spend in bed , the more sleep you’ll get.

Don’t catastrophize. While you are taking steps to repair your sleep system, abandon the notion that you can’t function on less sleep; sleeping less as therapy wont’ feel good but it will re-prime the sleep homeostat.

Be careful with caffeine: Limit yourself to one cup of coffee in the morning. At age 18, caffeine has a half-life of 4.5 hours, which increases with age. Gradually eliminate caffeine altogether if you have continued trouble sleeping.

Don’t hesitate to take a sleeping pill if an acute bout of insomnia doesn’t self-correct in a few days.

Thanks Rfinney for your reply,

That article has got lots of sensible suggestions, i will print that out , Coffee is one that i have been over doing lately, was drinking much more than i usually do, i will cut right back on that.

Actualy, last night i got a pretty good nights sleep, i was able to get that some Valerian [suppose to be in super strength] and magnesium, i took them after tea and my lights were out at 7.30 pm, right through to 3.30 am this morning, best sleep in a long while, i feel much more refreshed this morning.

Thankyou all so much. :)

I

Just checking on ya matie, how has the sleep been coming?

Very nice of you to ask Aussie, its been great thanks , last night i stayed up until about 11.00 pm, hit the sack then i went straight off to sleep within minutes, and didn't know anything untill 7.30 this morning, what a differance.

Thanks Aussie :)

How have you been going with your sleep ?

I am happy to hear you have had a couple of good nights sleep Brian.

As far as me,my sleep is still not right. I have been sleepless mostly since August,and I have the odd night of sleep mostly due to being so tired from the nights before. Even the stillnox (ambien) doesn't work so great on me. I took it last night,and woke up with a headache,and a very washed out fatigued feeling. Basically the feeling you get if the tablets don't work. It's like a hangover without the alcohol.

I have been contemplating going back on my tryciclic, things were pretty good when I was on it. I had lower pain,low anxiety,and pretty good sleep. The main problems I had was weight gain, & I think a case of TD. My jaw would slam shut on it's own all the time,and my teeth would collide. But this would go on all day long. This was really worrisome, because I was on the tryciclic for only 14 months. I was worried about it getting worse, or even spreading. If you google Tardive Dyskensia, the symptoms are very frightening. I mean I could end up with all sorts of uncontrollable facial contortions. So basically matey I am stuck between a rock and a hard place. What can we do sometimes but soldier on.:cool:

Thats no good Aussie, I tried to stay away from any sleeping drugs as in the past they had made feel awfull in the morning, excactly how you describe " a hangover without the grog " , and they seem to be less affective in the long run.
Have you given any thought asking your doctor about using the newer types of antideppressants ? that may give the same benefits as Endep, without some of those terrible side affects you mentioned with Amitriptyline.
http://millercenter.uchicago.edu/lea...nts/ssri.shtml

I know someone that is on Prozac now and sleeps really well these days, but before she was put on Prozac had a lot of trouble with sleeping.
I hope things improve for you.

Brian :)

My normal GP is overseas now, and so I went to see my backup doctor who gave me the sleeping tablets. I am waiting for my normal doctor to return so I can go talk to him about everything that has been going on. He comes back in 2 more weeks. He has my whole case file and knows my history,so I trust him the most.

I am going to ask him about the newer drugs available because I know that I really need to do something.

Thanks Brian!:)

Just learned about hops

Was looking for sleeping help for my aunt, and looks to me like hops are effective and safe. Makes sense, since they are related to the cannabis plant.

rose

Thanks Rose, i wouldn't have ever thought about hops, sounds interesting even though i am sleeping really well with the valerian & magnesium supplements, i will check out hops as well, i think its always wise to have a backup just in case.
all the best.
Brian :)

I have used Advil PM on a couple of occasions with great success. I do not have trouble getting to sleep, it is staying asleep that I have problems with. Two ot three hours is the most I can sleep, then awake for an hour or so.

Diana

Quote:

Originally Posted by dlshaffer (Post 31867)

Hi Diana, may i ask what is Advil PM ?

Hello Brian - Advil PM is used for occasional sleeplessness when associated with minor aches and pains. The regular Advil is used for headaches, muscle aches, etc. Some people use Tylenol versus Advil and there is a Tylenol PM (this did not work for me). It is an OTC product. I do not know how well either one would interact with any of the other medications that all of us take. You could use one of those drug comparison sites that have been mentioned to check it out.

Diana:)

I have gone to the chemist and bought Restavit sleeping tablets. They can be purchased w/out a script, but they are a pharmacists medicine. I have slept like a baby the last 2 nights.

They have antihistamine I beleive. This is the only thing that has put me to sleep and has kept me asleep in the last 3 months.

They are obviously not as powerful as proper prescription sleeping tablets, and much less addictive.

But they worked.:D

Quote:

Originally Posted by dlshaffer (Post 32033)

Ok, thanks Diana, i have heard of people taking Tylenol for diferant things, just haven't heard of Advil pm, we may have it in OZ i don't realy know, i will check out one of those online chemists over here.
thanks for the info
Brian :)

Quote:

Originally Posted by Aussie99 (Post 32051)

Good stuff Aussie99 :) , i am really glad that you found something that worked well for you and don't get the side affects that perscription sleeping drugs give you, is a real bonus.
The Antihistamines seem to be very helpfull for sleeping as Mrs D said with the Benadyl she takes at times.
Those of us that have sleeping problems know the importance of a good quality sleep, all these good suggestions [ drugless ] may help others down the track, so i was thinking when this thread is finished of compiling all of the suggestions together and putting it into a sticky, if knowbody minds me doing that.
The Valerian and magnesuin is still working very well on me.
Brian :)

The magnesium did nothing for Alan!!

I believe he still takes it but it didn't do anything to help him sleep. He's been on it quite a while.

The requip in small doses did help with the tingling, but for some reason, kept him awake last night. Only when I gave him the xanax did he finally hit the sack.

So tonight, he'll probably take his xanax and go to sleep. Don't blame him one bit. We have to sleep don't we????????????

melody

Quote:

Originally Posted by MelodyL (Post 32121)

We certainly do need our proper sleep Mel, its essential for our bodies to recover/revive, i reckon a few sleepless nights can really take a toll on us, especially if your working and need that 100% concentration on whatever you are doing.
Was Alan taken any of the suggestions here like Valerian with the magnesium or only just the magnesium itself ? those 2 combined sure put my lights out.

wide awake, at 1:19, scanning the board to see if I can be helpful to anyone, and I read your post and smiled. I guess this is on thread I'm not going to be of much help with. All I can do is commiserate. At 1:30 am and tomorrow a full work day. Oy.

Never mind Liza, you have certainly done your fair share of helping many people through out the time i have been associated with the old board and now this new one, good one :)
I use to be on the net for hours & hours through out the night trying to wear myself down so i could go to sleep, but i think i was really activating my mind more so than wearing it down, i try not to use the net at least one hour before go to bed at night, taking the valerian and magnesium a couple of hours before hand has been terrific, i haven't felt so good in a long time.
take care
Brian :)