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100% SOBER Need suggestions for sleep aids

I

ImagineBetter

Bluelighter
Joined
Jul 2, 2013
Messages
101
Location
Portland
I am ready for two years of sobriety at the very least 8o . I smoked my last bowl of weed and drank my last beer on the 4th of July. I also got some weird RC that fucked my shit up royally 8( . Then four days ago I quit cigarettes =D and am handling it a helluvalot better than I ever have before.

So long story short I'm a little on the funky side and completely committed to being sober. I also kicked a bad crystal meth habit around a year ago. I was diagnosed schitzoaffective and NEED to be sober to live my life. I am 21 and have consumed and abused more substances than just about anyone I know, at one time this was me bragging now it's me just kinda shaking my head if you know what I mean.

My question for all you wonderful folks on BL is what kind of sleep aids preferably natural could I try to help me get a full nights rest? At this point it is just a helluvalot of tossing, turning, sweating, and yearning for a quality nights sleep. Tonight I am trying valerian root to see if that helps. The past 4 days I have probably gotten a hour or two of sleep a day and it just isn't conducive to a healthy lifestyle. I am also attempting meditation but am in a rather odd state of mind.
 
OTC antihistamines like Benadryl can really help.

Valerian can also work well <3 I hope you get good sleep soon.

I have horrible insomnia so I really feel for you man. It's almost 3 AM here and I am still awake.
 
haha man we are in the same time zone.

Unfortunately I have always had insomnia as well it just went away when I was stoned all the time.

Going to take some melatonin and a benadryl then hopefully sleep will come. It seems valerian does have a helpful effect, but I should be laying down before I start feeling its effects. Thanks for the fast reply BTW
 
I have always had terrible insomnia. I went to the Doctor and was prescribed 25 milligrams Seroquel for sleep. I took this same dosage the last time I was clean. If you can, I'd suggest visiting a Doctor and being honest that you are an addict immediately. I always tell them first thing and sometimes I need to remind them that I am as well.

Anti-Histamines can work, I find Unisom is the most sedating but will leave you more foggy. Vistaril is another prescription option. Valerian works for me as well. Magnesium is another one.
 
Congrats I'm coming up on 2 years myself.

Meditation does help a lot, getting on a regular sleep cycle where you get up and go to bed the same time, avoiding caffeine after 12PM, drinking chamomile tea, and exercise helps some people.

I have tried Valerian root, and even melatonin but neither helped me when I had insomnia.

Also try drinking some green tea, it has L-Theanine in it which relaxes people. The herb rooibos or "red tea" as it's called in the United States and Europe also relaxes people but it has no caffeine in it.
 
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I will pick up some chamomile tea later today.

Last night I finally got a good nights rest I ended up taking benadryl, valerian root, and melatonin.

Also phactor thanks for the suggestion but I was on 400mg of seroquel for close to a year. Due to some bad side effects I won't touch it again even in small doses.
 
My sleep aids go as follows:
1. full body stretch (usually hold each stretch for 30 seconds usually takes 20-30 min to stretch my whole body)
2. masturbate
3. hot shower
4. melatonin (I only take this step on rare occasions, usually the only 3 together do the job just fine)
 
I too have suffered sleep issues my whole life and getting sober definitely made it more difficult. The longer I've been clean the better its gotten though I still get waves of extra bad insomnia for weeks at a time. I've been sleeping in a tent all summer at a Buddhist retreat center and the fresh air as well as sun driven light schedule has made a pretty big difference. Also reading books and never having my laptop in bed has made a huge difference as well. Though likely the most imppactive difference has been meditation. Its absolutely incredible that such a simple thing as sitting and meditating for even just 30 mins a day can help so much but it does and not just with sleep, its made a giant difference in anxiety, depression, and my overallperspective and perseption on things. Basically helps with ALL negative emotions/mental problems. The benefits can't be understated, but only if you do it everyday.

So my suggestions would be:
Daily schedule/routine that you stick to
Go to bed and get up the same time everyday day.
Exercise
Meditation
Fresh air and sunlight, perhaps an open window so you can wake up to the sun in the morning.
No computer in bed. Ever.
Google sleep hygiene and you'll find more tips.

Keep in mind most of these tips won't help after just one day, do them daily however and a big difference can be cultivated. Its easy for addicts to always just want a quick fix or miracle pill buttthat's not always the answer. Even if you find a non narcotic substance that helps you will have to take it everyday with increasing dosages.
 
I have allot of exp with this problem. Step one would be Diphenhydramine for most people. I have a different list of options that are more effective as the list goes on... 1. Melitonin/Valerian/5HTP/GABA/L-Tryptophan 2. Kava (with high kavalactones %) 3. Phenibut 2g two hrs before bedtime. 4.[EXTREME] Etizolam 1-2mg before bed.

I advise Starting at #1 and mixing your way up as necessary. I am a recovering addict and am using step 1&2 quite successfully.
 
Thanks for all the replies everybody, I am still having trouble sleeping and am working on finding a method that works for me. Stretching, melatonin, valerian, and 5-htp have seemed to help a bit. At this point it is mainly an anxiety issue that is keeping me from sleeping restfully.
 
Specterchild said:
I have allot of exp with this problem. Step one would be Diphenhydramine for most people. I have a different list of options that are more effective as the list goes on... 1. Melitonin/Valerian/5HTP/GABA/L-Tryptophan 2. Kava (with high kavalactones %) 3. Phenibut 2g two hrs before bedtime. 4.[EXTREME] Etizolam 1-2mg before bed.

I advise Starting at #1 and mixing your way up as necessary. I am a recovering addict and am using step 1&2 quite successfully.
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Phenibut or Etizolam are two things I would not personally recommend people in recovery use. At least for me, I got hooked bad on both.
 
I agree. For me it'll bring me back to using. Lots of good ideas here about meditation , valerian, chamomille, excersise. The bottom line is sleep will suck for the first few months. Most of the time drugs or drink made me pass out so natural sleep was hard.
eventually you will sleep 2 hours then 3 hours then 5 hours or more per night. It'll be natural sleep which means you'll wake up more refreshed.


You are doing great just by saying you want to be clean. Try to stay in the day though. Just for today you'll stay clean. Much easier than thinking for two years or the rest of your life. The days add up. For me it's been over 8 years. Way better than using though there are rimes I don't sleep well cause my head is up my ass. Usually cause I haven't been to an NA OR AA mtg in a few days. I always sleep like a rock after a meeting.
Hope you're ok.
 
Promethazine and diphenhydramine are over-the-counter sedative antihistamines that I have found to be quite effective. If you were to consider starting an antidepressant course, that is if you're not on one already, mirtazipine is an antidepressent that has sedative properties, without the adverse effects or addiction potential that you find with benzodiazepines and related drugs. Bio-melatonin can be rather effective, though it depends on the person. Mirtazipine and bio-melatonin may have to be obtained through a prescription, however, and I know that bio-melatonin is an extremely expensive medication. That's something to consider, as I noticed you live in America.

A lot of the reasons for insomnia, narcolepsy or just irregular sleep patterns are the result of feelings of anxiety and stress. Perhaps as well as the medication, you should also look into how you might be able to relax yourself before sleep. There are many possibilities, such as breathing exercises, physical exercise and yoga. However, different strokes for different blokes.
 
Gabapentin is a good sleep aid (see gp) and trazadone (see gp again). I take gabapentin at the mo, it helps 99% of the time. Trazadone was great but I developed some cardio issues. I use etizolam a couple of times a week, especially when I have engagements where I have to be fully refreshed from sleep. I take phenibut once a week, but like everyone else said, better to stay away from the addictive meds. I never found the herbals to be effective, the anti-histamines leave me feeling heavy and groggy.
 
PriestTheyCalledHim said:
Did you take an OTC supplement, or just drink Japanese green tea?

I've never taken a supplement of L-theanine I just have had it in various teas.
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I took the supplement and it worked phenomenal. I highly recommend it. The kind I took was a dissolving tablet. <3
 
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