[caroline2]

I probably started having sleep issues at about 61 which hit with Fibro syndrome. That was in mid 1999. I worked hard at getting sleep issues fixed. With the help of a friend, we came up with this combo:

7:30PM
3/4mg Melatonin (1mg Soure Naturals, break to get 3/4mg)
500mg Inositol and or 500mg Gaba
Learning what works best for your body.
I've learned to work with these 2 "calmers" so use thru the
day too.

10:30-11PM
500mg Inositol and usually 1 Calms Forte' (homeopathic)

All the above can be adjusted for the person.

This combo gives me 8-10 hrs pretty good sleep.


I've never taken pharma sleep drugs and worked long and hard to get the above combo that works for me.

If I cannot get back to sleep after bathroom run at 3AM or so, I take another Inositol or Calms and this puts me back to sleep good. Lately, I don't need help during middle of night.

Besides Fibro "stuff", OA lives in me bodywide, and a mess from hip replacement in 2010. Left me with nerve damage, IT band damage, shorter leg....good grief.....

Oh, and 2 Advil at 11PM, so no pain during the night.

[waterwillow]

Good for you Caroline, less side effects. A routine is the secret and personally I also put on a mindfullness relaxation tape (MP3) on with lights etc off. Lasts about 20 minutes but find it takes my mind off most things.

Good luck with that.

[Auntie Audrey]

Normally I don’t have too much trouble sleeping, but I have occasionally taken inositol. I’ve found that the combination of choline & inositol seems to work better for me than just inositol. I like the capsules from Twinlab that have 250 mg of each, and taking one late at night usually works well for me.

[caroline2]

I too have used the combo caps but right now just inositol. I'm so THANKFUL how great I'm sleeping as my wake up hours are too rugged. My above routine WORKS.

[Auntie Audrey]

Hi Caroline, so glad you developed a sleep routine that is effective for you. I see that you use only a small dose of melatonin taken very early in the p.m. Did you try larger doses of melatonin, and if so, did they not work very well for you?

Melatonin and I don’t get along very well together. It is a matter of dosage. Small doses are not very effective for me, but larger doses keep me awake once I have gotten up during the night. Taking choline & inositol is a much better alternative for me.

[kiwi33]

Caroline, I used to have problems with insomnia.

I have found that learning and applying what is called sleep hygiene is very effective. Essentially sleep hygiene means developing good habits in preparation for sleeping well.

There some ideas about it here; http://healthysleep.med.harvard.edu/...vercoming/tips .

Sleep hygiene works for me with no need for prescription or OTC medication.

[Diandra]

Originally Posted by waterwillow

Good for you Caroline, less side effects. A routine is the secret and personally I also put on a mindfullness relaxation tape (MP3) on with lights etc off. Lasts about 20 minutes but find it takes my mind off most things.

Good luck with that.

hi water willow,
would you please give an example of the tapes you use. there are so many out there. thanks, Diandra

[caroline2]

My sleep continues to be good following what I've posted on what I DO. I've also been taking Iosol Iodine for years..mostly because I've read so much about iodine deficiency in the U.S. and also breast health. I KNOW it helps my body.

Many report more energy overall, and I've read some report they get better sleep too. Maybe that's another good reason I sleep good, taking Iosol so long too.

I just read a bunch of reviews on iherb on Iosol and some report better sleep and of course the added energy. I've talked about iodine dosing enough here at NT. Lots of research out there. C

[caroline2]

This morning I woke at 5AM and was fearful that I could not go back to sleep. So instead of an inositol capsule, I took a Calms Forte' tab and slept until almost 8:30AM and could have slept longer but forced myself to start getting up. Was dreaming again too. I hope that others are trying some of these with success. A person on another group is talking about the **** of ambien and wants off it, but her doc keeps pushing it...grrrrrr Many are advising her to get off it on her own, slowly etc...I think she says she is taking it over 3 yrs and still having tough sleep.

[caroline2]

I've been doing this sleep remedy for a long while now and concentrating on 1/2mg melatonin. But came to the realization I may need less as my dreams can be pretty wild and can elevate my blood pressure. So lately I cut off 1/4mg piece from the 1mg tab and my dreams are less but I still sleep good. Everything else is the same. Some nights I take a gaba 500mg with my 7:30PM start time to get body ready for sleep.

Others have mentioned this about melatonin and dreams.