Sleep

[Loverskitten]

Any home remedies for insomnia?

 

[Loverskitten]

Nothin... back to tossing and turning *sigh*

 

[SweetErika]

Yes, there are a bunch. What have you tried so far?

One of the best things I've found is melatonin. I've always used the Schiff brand that I buy at Costco for about $5 for a 3-6 month supply.

 

[Loverskitten]

Pretty much alcohol and tea is all I've tried, oh and nyquil

No prescription drugs, since my friend burned herself on ambien and another caught his kitchen on fire.

I can nap during the day but can't seem to turn my brain off at night.
IDK? Maybe I need a wooden stake :O

 

[Que]

Take light, slow shallow breaths. not so slow do you feel like you are starving for air. Carbon dioxin level in your blood goes up, voila you sleep. Helps if you believe it will work, mildly self hypnotic effect...concentrating on breathing 'correctly' frees mind from whatever is troubling your subconscious. Inthe alternative, I recommend a warm bath and some assisted 'self help' assuming actual in person orgasmic help not available.

 

[LucyH]

Print this out and read it in bed:
http://www.plosgenetics.org/article/info:doi/10.1371/journal.pgen.1002387

No skimming.
That kind of thing always used to put me to sleep, at least.

 

[SweetErika]

Are you avoiding caffeine after 3pm and going easy on the sugar and other carbs, as well as lots of fat, in the evenings?

Do you exercise regularly? If so, is it possible you're exercising too late in the evening (so you get a second wind)? If not, start with at least 20 minutes of good exercise (a brisk walk, at minimum) daily, then work your way up to at least 40 minutes.

Are you sleeping in on weekends by more than an hour or so? If so, try to stick to a better schedule all week.

If you're napping, that could interfere with your sleep at night. If you have to nap, limit yourself to a 20 minute "power nap" earlier in the day, or whatever definitely will not revitalize you to the point that you can't sleep.

Go to bed at a reasonable time, and have a relaxation routine (bath, reading, journaling your thoughts, meditation, etc.). If you can't sleep after 20 minutes, get up and do something else relaxing in another room for a bit, then try going to bed again.

Don't push yourself past your natural "tired" point at night to do something else, like computer stuff. As soon as you feel tired, go to bed and do your relaxation ritual(s).

If none of the home remedies work for you, visit your doctor. There are MANY medications besides Ambien, and it's possible something like a hormonal imbalance, anxiety or depression is causing your insomnia and needs to be addressed.

 

[RedHairedandFriendly]

http://www.celestialseasonings.com/...s/sleepytime?gclid=CLfcmZLi66wCFQ4j7Aod-Q3uKA


My son who loves to play video games, and think up lots of different ways to do things, as well as has a mind that never shuts off was staying up all night in bed, lying awake. I didn't know this until one night I allowed him to stay in my bed, we'd lost power that night, so he and one of my daughters climbed in with me. Off and on through the night I would wake up to hear him talking to himself about various video game moves, or doing math equations in his head. I asked him during one of my more aware moments if his nights were always like this, he said yes.

So the next day I bought him this tea, and made stop all over-stimulating activity - like video games fifteen minutes before bed. He went to bed and I checked on him - he was out like a light in less than five minutes. He used it religiously for three weeks and now he sleeps great without it.

I'd recommend buying one box, have a glass of tea every night, until the package is used up and then if it worked buy more, if not don't buy anymore. We got ours at Wal-Mart, but I know other stores have it.

 

[Loverskitten]

Thanks everybody. Yes, I'm going through major depression/stress right now but the sleep thing has been a problem for a few years.
I don't want antidepressants as I watched them turn my friend into a shell of what she used to be. I guess I'm one of those who hates all the reliance on prescription drugs these days.
I don't exercise much, I should.
The tea and breathing sounds like something I should try.

 

[akatrex]

I Second Melatonin.

Also Tryptophan. Have you gotten sleepy after Turkey on Thanks Giving?


Alcohol is not good for sleep.

Alcohol consumption can induce sleep disorders by disrupting the sequence and duration of sleep. Also by altering total sleep time as well as the time required to fall asleep.

 

[boredVAwife]

When I find myself lying there and unable to shut things off inside my brain I put it to other uses instead. I think of my ideal beach house and imagine myself starting from the outside and flow from the landscaping, flowers to everything in between. Other nites I will think about what the inside looks like - the paint and furniture, colors (beach colors are different yanno) and the like. I will imagine sitting on my porch overlooking the water and listen for the waves and sea gulls. For some reason it just puts me at ease and simply never fails to free up my mind and let me drift off to sleep. Hope some of these wonderful suggestions work for you because I have been thru depression and that coupled with lack of sleep can put you in a less than desirable place. Good luck hon.

 

[iwantyoufuckme]

Any home remedies for insomnia?

It really helps me to take a nice bubble bath before bed, Light some candles.. relax, then climb into bed in the complete dark =) Snuggle up and I'm out

 

[SweetErika]

Thanks everybody. Yes, I'm going through major depression/stress right now but the sleep thing has been a problem for a few years.
I don't want antidepressants as I watched them turn my friend into a shell of what she used to be. I guess I'm one of those who hates all the reliance on prescription drugs these days.
I don't exercise much, I should.
The tea and breathing sounds like something I should try.

Sleepytime tea is yummy, but it doesn't have any terribly special ingredients - it's just chamomile and peppermint. Chamomile has some soothing properties and peppermint is good for digestion and some stomach issues. Lots of places have that particular blend of tea (last I saw, Safeway and Trader Joes had their own brands). If you have an upset stomach, find herbal tea relaxing or are sensitive to the placebo effect, it may very well work for you, but don't expect it to be a miraculous sleep-inducer.

ALL medications have adverse effects for some people. Just as it's unwise to rely on a bunch of meds to "cure" whatever ails you, it's unwise to discount medications because other people have had poor reactions to them. There are TONS of antidepressants and anti-anxiety medications, which is why it can be a challenge to find the right medication(s) for any given individual. If you have depression and/or anxiety, you owe it to yourself to attempt to treat it. You can certainly go as natural as possible with diet, exercise, therapy, etc., but you may very well need like a low dose of a medication with fairly few side-effects. Your body is NOT your friend's, and vice versa; your friend could have been on a med with a bunch of common side effects, too high of a dose, had a problem when their medication was combined with other stuff, etc.

Seriously, talk to your doctor or a psychiatrist who really knows their stuff about your options. Tell them you're very concerned about side effects and want to go as natural as possible. Research possible medications beforehand and discuss the possibility of trying low doses of any that could work for you, then adjusting or switching if necessary. Clinical depression is a very real problem that requires treatment, so you owe it to yourself (and likely your loved ones) to discuss your issues and potential treatments with a good medical professional. You can always go back to what you're doing now, but you'll never know if something will improve your quality of life unless you actually give it a fair shot.

But any professional worth going to will tell you that you need to be doing self-care in addition to any kind of medication. That means you need to eat well, exercise regularly and stay away from depressants, such as alcohol and pot. I'd strongly suggest avoiding Nyquil and the like, too, since it contains acetaminophen (tylenol), which can cause liver damage, especially in combination with alcohol and other substances that stress your liver. Give melatonin a shot, and if you must take an OTC medication for sleep, try plain old generic benadryl (but, again, it's not a great idea to combine anything like that with alcohol).

 

[fire_breeze]

For herbal remedies, try a chamomile, peppermint, linden and lavender combination - most 'sleep teas' have these. As SweetE said, peppermint aids in digestion, something that can keep keep a person up. Linden and lavender have natural calmative properties and chamomile cures everything.

You mentioned depression/stress issues. Have you had a physical lately to rule out any underlying health issues? I have a thyroid condition that can appear as depression. Again, as wise SweetE said, a lot of health conditions can contribute to sleeplessness. And if it is clinical depression, it's best for your doctor to know and help you along the road recovery, one that is right for you.

Is your bedroom for sleeping and sex only? Many people, if their bedrooms are multi-purpose, will subconscious associate it with work as opposed to a space of relaxation. If it's possible, then make sure your sleeping area is only for sleep and sex and nothing else. You can create the illusion with room dividers.

Also, by keeping a consistent bedtime ritual (the same thing almost every night) can help your mind and your body associate these series of activities with sleep. So for me, it is a long hot shower, powering everything that is electronic down, opening a window and reading a half an hour. This helps me to relax and unwind and prepare both my body and mind for sleep.

Remember, you do have to keep up at it for several weeks.

Good luck

 

[Loverskitten]

You mentioned depression/stress issues. Have you had a physical lately to rule out any underlying health issues? I have a thyroid condition that can appear as depression. Again, as wise SweetE said, a lot of health conditions can contribute to sleeplessness. And if it is clinical depression, it's best for your doctor to know and help you along the road recovery, one that is right for you.

Funny you mention this as my sister's been after me to get my thyroid tested for like a year. Apparently my Dad had issues and all of my siblings do too.
I need to get on that.

 

[Loverskitten]

BTW I hope I don't come off as some kind of chronically depressed sad sack. I've had a very hard couple months is all, well most of it.

 

[boredVAwife]

Kitten I think most of us have been there at one time or another. We just insist on facing each new challenge with a smile and get thru it with that smile intact.

 

[Noor]

Sex!

Hi Breezy!

I have had some interesting sleep problems these past few years.

At one point, not sleeping was the only symptom I had of a large abdominal mass. Before surgery I could take ambein and be wide awake in an hour. I say go to your dr and keep pushing until you find out why.

If its stress and/or depression try walking 45 mins/day if you don't want to take drugs.