Got any nonpharmaceutical remedies for insomnia?

I've been keeping my New Year's resolution to stay off Ambien but I'm still having trouble falling asleep and staying asleep for more than a couple hours. I've been taking Tylenol PM but it leaves me feeling kind of hung over. Do you have any tried and true tricks for falling asleep and/or staying asleep? My bloodshot eyes thank you in advance for any suggestions.

Pull an all-nighter. It helps. Really.

3 MG. Worked for me. It's a natural supplement.

:yawn: good luck

I don't know if this counts as non-pharmaceutical, but it knocks me right out.

I only take half a tablet because if I take more, I have a hard time getting up in the morning. The best place to get it pricewise is Costco.

It works for me. I don't take it every night either. If I have a night or two where I wake up for a period of time than I take it the next night. Great dreams on that stuff - very interesting.

Thus it has all of the drawbacks of Ambien.

A little known fact is that melatonin was once obtained by extracting cow's brains, but the "mad cow disease" game put an end to that business.

We don't hear much about mad cow disease anymore. I guess I'm dating myself.

I think that's what's going on with mad cow. It would be disastrous for the industrial food production of this country if we had to think too carefully about it all :-/ I bought a bottle of melatonin today. I guess I'll have to do more research. In the end, I think the real solution for my insomnia is to find a better way to deal with the stress in my life. It's a conundrum because the lack of sleep just makes the stress worse, which makes me not sleep, lather, rinse and repeat. :sigh:

I've been taking melatonin for years, easily over a decade, and have never ever ever gone driving while asleep, let alone even gotten out of bed while asleep.

Can you elaborate? Isosteres can vary significantly in terms of biological activity -- as well as sharing similarities.

Moving the eyes gently back and forth is also very soothing.

There are a lot of meditation practices that help. Simple relaxation meditation doesn't require a lot of training. There are lots of free podcasts to get you started.

This is one example: http://www.meditainment.com/secret-garden/

L-Tryptophan, which aids in sleep. More info and foods containing it at the Wiki link below:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tryptophan

No caffeine after 12 Noon.
Moderate exercise in late afternoon or early evening. Could be a long walk, short run, whatever. Studies show that exercise really helps you sleep.
Chamomille tea.
Turn off television and bright lights around an hour before bedtime. Read until you are ready to go to sleep.
If you are unable to make your bedroom totally dark, you may want to wear an eye mask.

Good luck and please stay off the meds.

People swear that the TV helps them to fall asleep - but the lights from the TV keeps the brainwaves active and takes away from a productive sleep

I used to sleep with the TV on and wondered why I had such disturbed sleep. :crazy:

I still have a TV in the room, but I set it to turn off automatically after I fall asleep.

Alternatively, if I wake up at night, sometimes the XM Audio Visions channel helps me go back to sleep, very slow, quiet dreamlike music.

Did the trick for me when I had a nasty bout of insomnia a few years back. Thank you Fight Club, haha.

Lots of good suggestions here. I thank all who replied. Part of my problem is that I work 3rd shift so I sleep during the day. Only been doing it for about 3 months. I didn't think it would be this hard on my system -- I tended to be insomniac even before that but it has gotten a lot worse. I'm going to work on implementing some change; I think exercise is probably a good place to start. Thanks again all.

I couldn't sleep during the day... at all. I'm a morning person and even after being awake all night I still wanted to be up in the morning. I was getting afraid to drive because I was so tired all the time.
I had to move to a 1st shift job. Only then could I sleep.
All I can say is don't try going to sleep right away when you get home from work. If you can, stay up for a while in a darkened room. Don't eat anything either.
I hope you can find some relief. I remember how miserable I felt during that time and I don't like thinking that anyone is going through that too. :hug:

usually helps me sleep too.

and started taking sleeping pills now and then.

And I hate putting weird chemicals in my body. I don't even take asprin. That's how desperate for sleep I was. :\

yes INDEED

And the only reason I didn't end up committing homocide to some of the worst repeat offenders... was because I was too damn tired to get out of bed.

midnights. Get black out curtains for your room and you still might want to try a sleep mask. Try ear plugs if sound bothers you even a little bit. Turn off the phone. Try to get a daylight lamp to use when you get up and as much as you can during the night if possible. Turn it off a couple hours before the end of your shift if possible. The melatonin may be the best one to try of the suggestions above since your body usually releases it naturally at night. Exercise is good too but try to be sure to not do it close to bedtime. Basically you are trying to fool your body. Also try coming up with a sleep ritual. Things you can do every day before bed that will eventually tell your body it is almost bedtime.

My biggest problem with falling asleep is that my brain won't shut down. I'll stay awake for ever worrying about what really is just trivial stuff.

GABA is an amino acid and 750mg before bed will help calm the 'busy brain'

I take it every morning, in place of the Lexapro I used to be on for anxiety. Does about as well with almost zero side effects.

Because my brain..she's busy; I'm getting *maybe* 4 hours of sleep a night.

Kudos to you for getting off Ambien - after three or four years on the stuff, I finally stopped last year. I still have problems with insomnia, but nothing unbearable. What I do if I have problems sleeping is just to write in a journal. Usually I have a hard time sleeping because I'm worry about this and that, and everything else in between. Writing helps with that - and if all else fails, I read an old marketing textbook until I find myself dozing off.

:hi: and I'm going to take your marketing textbook idea probably tonight :-).

then sleeping with earplugs

I use the little night light that's on my alarm clock. And then when I'm ready to fall asleep, or go back to sleep as the case may be, I have to tuck the book in next to me and leave the night light on but pointed so it's not in my face. I don't know why but for me that helps. If I put it back on the nightstand , I can't seem to go back to sleep even if my eyes are drooping. Weird, huh? :hi:

if I can't get to sleep within about 45 minutes, I get up and go read in a very dimly lit room. I figure that my eyes get tired more quickly and then I'm able to fall asleep.

What's really weird is when I workout (2hrs/day isn't out of the ordinary), sometimes my body will be so tired and wanting to be asleep but my mind is racing about various things. That's a weird feeling.

but I only stay asleep for 3 or 4 hours. As a night worker, earplugs/fan are a given. Sometimes I just skip a day of sleeping; I just tire of forcing myself to sleep.

I've tried two or three times to read it, and have never gotten more than halfway through.

I don't know why. I'm a bit of a bookworm and I lap up his "Dark Tower" stuff like it's candy!

It remains the most recent non-Dark-Tower book of his that I have read. :boring:

I wish I'd read it before I finished the Dark Tower series.

I listened to it unabridged on tape. It was looooong. I whiled away 2 weeks at work (back when I was doing mindless data entry) with that.

This tea is a great relaxer: http://www.algonquintea.com/01_teas_05.html

Taking melatonin at the time you want to fall asleep each night helps reset your clock. Sleeping regular hours also helps.

Getting some exercize before the early evening is good, too.

:hug: Good for you for getting off the Ambien. I hope that some of the suggestions here are helpful. What is it that keeps you awake? Mind racing with worries? Body just doesn't feel tired? Identifying the source can also help you move toward finding an appropriate solution. :hug:

that's the biggest thing but also I've got some arthritis issues and sometimes it will be knee or elbow pain that wakes me. Just thinking about exercise makes my joints ache but I think in the long run doing something low impact will be the best thing for me. Thanks.

teh chattering monkey mind. :scared:

That's a new one on me! My cats would probably give me a really hard time, lol.

It's a sedative in humans, and you can brew it as tea, often mixed with other things to aid in sleep/relaxation.

You can buy it a Bath and Body Works - the aromatherapy section has it.

so that's good to know :)

But I was aware that rosemary will trigger lucid dreaming :D
(sometimes it works with me, but not always.)

As so many others have said, valerian is the herb to go with for relaxing your body.

Or the Cisco Systems CCNA training manual.

Either one of those will put you to sleep.

It took about six weeks before I got back to falling and staying asleep in anything like a normal fashion. So, my first suggestion is to stick it out.

I try to get to bed by 11:00, have at least a half hour without TV beforehand and keep the bedroom chilly, about 60 degrees.

use as needed.

No prescription required.

you'll wake up in the middle of the night, thus you don't really get a good night's rest.

I'd also suggest laying off the tylenol and staying away from booze unless you're desparate.

Here are my suggestions:
Get into a regular exercise routine, if you don't have one going already. Makes a HUGE difference and helps to burn off energy so you're tired at night time.

Hot baths with soothing essential oils before bedtime

Melatonin before bed, too.

sometimes a nice cup o' tea with Chamomile or valerian will help, too.


:hug: Sweet dreams! :hi:

to reset my time clock and allow me to sleep. But use an alarm clock because I have found that I might sleep 10 hours after taking it. One nice thing though is that I have found that I can quite often go for months without having to use it. Check with your doctor.

or.. stay up an entire night, no naps, no alcohol, and no caffine after 3. It works for me. Well, I also got some magic pill the doc gave me if it's too bad.

:hug:

Black out curtains, no TV, always go to bed at the same time and no eating or drinking alcohol or caffeine after a certain time, etc.

Good luck and good sleep.

Have a small healthy snack and a hydrating liquid (non-alcohol/non-caffeine) about 30-45 minutes before bedtime.
Do not watch television to tire your eyes. Read in muted, but not too dim light instead.
Regular exercise routine. You might need to experiment with the right time of day. If I exercise in the evening I sleep better at night. If I exercise in the morning or early afternoon it has no impact. On the other hand, if my sister exercises in the evening she can't get to sleep.
Sounds silly, but I have a braided knotted cord wrapped around my bedpost and trailing down. The times I have difficulty falling asleep I have an affirmation I recite at each knot. Kind of like saying a rosary I suppose, but this particular affirmation comes from a Buddhist monk. I usually fall asleep before I get to the end of the cord. Not exactly the Buddhist ideal, but it does what I need it to do.
If your brain is spinning, don't lie there and toss and turn. Get up and write a list of what is going through your mind. Often just getting something out in that manner will release it from your head enough for you to go to sleep.
Good luck. Insomnia sucks!

:boring: :boring: :boring:

:-)

about the giant toad that walks on its hind legs

I have been a light sleeper and sometimes insomniac all my life. A couple of months ago I read on another board someone saying sleep masks helped them get to sleep so I got one. I was very skeptical but it is actually helping me get to sleep faster and stay asleep longer. I am very sensitive to light and I realized that even the light from my alarm clock is distracting. A good sleep mask will block all light out and it should help some. It is really helping me so I would recommend you try one.

I also read not too long ago that it is important that once you turn in you shouldn't be turning lights on again and then turn them off again because this can disturb your cycle. So if you have to get up to use the bathroom in the middle of the night, don't turn any lights on.

This is the one I use most. It has lavender in it which also helps:

http://www.drugstore.com/products/prod.asp?pid=73951&catid=79971

This is actually a health issue beyond insomnia. Any amount of light can inhibit the production of melatonin, even with your eyes closed. Light peeking through curtains and blinds, and even digital alarm clocks are enough to decrease melatonin levels. High melatonin levels inhibit the growth of cancer cells.

How did they discover this odd relationship? Blind women have an unusually low rate of breast cancer and researchers think that it's because they have consistently higher levels of melatonin.

resets your circadian clock.

Apply directly to head! :spank:

Smoke a bowl, a blunt, whatever you can get, eat some chips or maybe order pizza, anything greasy and only 99c. You will sleep well my friend, very well.

:smoke:

why did you give it up? I know some of the side effects can be rough. Ask your Doctor about seroquel. You take one of those and falling asleep and staying asleep is no issue. You feel a little groggy when you wake up, but it wears off in about 45 minutes to an hour.

one being scary side effects (sleep walking kinds of things) and also it never let me sleep for more than a couple of hours before I would wake up again. I got some melatonin today and I'm going to give that a try, going to try to start an exercise program and maybe get something from the doctor to use in dire emergency only.

I have heard some terrible stories about Ambien..I have heard more negative stories than good, so i can see where you are coming from. Let us all know how the melatonin works.

...it does work.

hard to find usually

if anyone does try this, make sure you get the stuff made from linden flowers

and mentally say to yourself, "Breathing in, I'm aware that I am breathing in" as you inhale; and "Breathing out, I am aware that I am breathing out" as you exhale.

While it sounds pretty simplistic...maybe even silly...to acknowledge something so basic...a real "DUH" moment. But sleep problems often arise from our tendency to dwell on complexities rather than dwelling in the moment.

You might also try preparing a ritual before bedtime...read a little, have a cup of herb tea, etc...
It's great that you're trying to get away from drug-induced sleep. Sweet dreams! :hug:

nt

start dimming the house somewhat before you turn in. A bit of quiet soothing music in the background.

Works just as well alone as with a partner.

I've got 5mgs under my tongue right now in fact

Works great for me.