Could Someone Give me Advice on Managing Anxiety and Sleep Issues Without Prescription Meds?

[samzyan425]

Hello there,

I have been struggling with anxiety and sleep issues for the past few months and I am hoping to get some advice from this community on how to manage these challenges without resorting to prescription medications. I have read a lot about the potential side effects and dependency risks associated with common anxiety and sleep medications, so I would prefer to explore alternative methods first.

I experience constant worry and nervousness throughout the day; which often makes it hard to focus on work and enjoy daily activities.

At night; I have trouble falling asleep and often wake up multiple times; which leaves me feeling exhausted in the morning.

I have tried over the counter sleep aids; but they either do not work well for me or leave me feeling groggy the next day.
So far; I have attempted a few strategies with varying degrees of success. These help sometimes; but I struggle to maintain a consistent practice.

Mixed results here as melatonin helps with falling asleep but not staying asleep; and valerian root does not seem to do much.
I try to stay active; but intense workouts too close to bedtime seem to worsen my sleep issues.

Natural remedies or supplements that have worked for you; especially those that are known to have minimal side effects.

Lifestyle changes or routines that might help improve both anxiety and sleep quality.

Any experiences with cognitive behavioral techniques or other therapeutic approaches that can be done without a therapist.

Also; I have gone through this post: https://www.bluelight.org/community/threads/i-need-your-advice-in-managing-my-minitab-depression-and-anxiety.616326/ which definitely helped me out a lot.

Mindfulness or relaxation techniques that are easy to stick with and have proven effective for others.

Thanks in advance for your help and assistance.

 

[SlightlyStoopid]

I've been taking gummies with Ashwagandha Root Extract, L-Theanine, Gaba, Lemon Balm Extract, Chamomile Extract, Passionflower Extract, and Magnesium and they seem to do the trick — for me at least. I typically combine these gummies with 5-HTP, and the combination seems to work fairly well.

It certainly doesn't knock me out or anything. But it helps wind me down and relaxes me enough to be able to assist in falling asleep.

 

[Methamphetanonymous]

The key is lights out no phone same exact time every night, alarm and rise in the morning same time every morning.

Throw in some daily cardio? Even better. Healthy diet (I was lactose intolerance and didn't know why I was having acid reflux at night and trapped awake).

Treat and protect your sleeping time, space, and environment as sacred. Ritual is the key to repairing circadian rhythm.

If you want to add supplements or some tea or whatever go for it, can't hurt and could help

 

[Methamphetanonymous]

Oh and dead ass no caffiene after 10AM, ever

 

[meadow_bunny]

We're in such similar situations,
I can tell you that heavy workout before bedtime give you a strong spike in adrenaline that messes A LOT with sleep hormones. When i do heavy weightlifting my anxiety levels reduce temporarily but i can say fucking goodbye to falling asleep in minutes, especially if i eat dinner after that.
I stand with the other guy that says that caffeine after 10am is a big no if you're quite sensitive to it like me.
Do you take enough sunlight during the day? Sunlight regulates your circadian rhythm.
My personal approach to myself for now is to understand the root of my anxiety and understand if I have some kind of neurodivergence, in my case insomnia is a symptom of a symptom (bad sleep quality and nightmares are caused by anxiety that is caused by something else).
A thing that makes me sleep like a baby is hiking probably because it mixes sunlight, need to physically rest and the emotion of doing something that I like.
I will list some things that i underestimated but that impact heavily on my sleep quality:
the mattress, room temperature and humidity, noise (example your parents watching tv or cars down the road), light that penetrates through the window, stress during the day, no phone in bed.
I hope I'm being helpful

 

[jasperkent]

The key is lights out no phone same exact time every night, alarm and rise in the morning same time every morning.....
Treat and protect your sleeping time, space, and environment as sacred. Ritual is the key to repairing circadian rhythm.....

^this^

For years (even during clean&sober spells) I didn't take my sleep seriously and consequently I slept poorly and too little. Being sleep-deprived exacerbated whatever anxiety and depression I was experiencing, which in turn encouraged my abuse of alcohol and other drugs, worsening my sleep disturbances, and round & round & round we go....

I'm a slow learner but I've finally figured out that a regular, predictable sleep schedule is absolutely essential for my physical and emotional well-being.

 

[Methamphetanonymous]

I can't remember if it was this forum or somewhere else, but some wise tweaker was musing over the possibility that sleep deprivation is a large factor in ADHD symptoms and quality of life. I think it was a post promoting clonodine for ADHD

I don't know that I buy it, but the worst feeling ever aside from a hangover is sleep deprivation

 

[jasperkent]

I can't remember if it was this forum or somewhere else, but some wise tweaker was musing over the possibility that sleep deprivation is a large factor in ADHD symptoms and quality of life. I think it was a post promoting clonodine for ADHD

I don't know that I buy it, but the worst feeling ever aside from a hangover is sleep deprivation

I didn't see that one, but somewhere on a BL thread fairly recently was some discussion of the likelihood that the worst side effects from methamphetamine use/abuse can be attributed to sleep deprivation.

 

[Methamphetanonymous]

I didn't see that one, but somewhere on a BL thread fairly recently was some discussion of the likelihood that the worst side effects from methamphetamine use/abuse can be attributed to sleep deprivation.

Oh yeah, it certainly doesn't help, but I try to be careful with that one. Meth is quite dangerous on its own and keeping sleep hygiene and three meals a day when using doesn't stop free radical cascade neurotoxicity in binge users.

Despite meth probably being one of the first things someone thinks of when talking of drugs and psychosis it actually is third place behind psychadelics and weed. But not to downplay it; up to 30% of meth users with no family history of schizophrenia experience inpatient treatment for psychosis.

Science doesn't know what causes psychosis. It very much is some kind of imbalance of monoamine signaling in the synapse... dopamine too high, serotonin too low, glutamate is expanding and sensitive to signaling.. in fact science knows meth shits dopamine into your cashew head, so they figured medicine that blocks dopamine could help schizophrenics. And were right.

But the same anti-psychotics are quite ineffective at treafing amphetamine psychosis. So, are there different pathways to psychosis? Maybe, a Neurology Professor I interviewed thinks so- and in Japanese medicine primary and secondary psychosis are called two different names, and handled as two different illnesses!

So sleep deprivation. We all know sleep deprivation over a few days induces delirium. They key difference between delirium and psychosis is that delirius illusions may be frightening, the user knows they aren't real. Psychosis is full detachment from reality. Delirium is a very bad warning sign towards psychosis: the user has exhausted their neuro transmitters, has not eaten so the body has no protein to make more neurotransmitters, and beyond that the brain hasn't gotten to shut down for three or four days and heal from the damage.

BUT, the spooky thing is a single strong dose of meth can alone induce first contact of secondary psychosis in a healthy tolerance naive user. Meth directly scrambles the monoamines and forces them out of storage. Too much dopamine, too much norepinephrine. Somewhere in there psychosis is born. The brain suddenly becomes unbalanced in a way we don't really understand.

Not sleeping is bad, meth or not.

But know the risks of the drugs you take, or you won't be able to respect their power

 

[Dextro .45]

Passion Flower - GABA-A agonist / PAM
Valerian
Hopes
Lemon Balm
California Poppy
Cannabis Indica
Melatonin
Phenibut (Phenyl-GABA)
Clonidine 0.1mg Rx
Zopiclone 7.5mg Rx

 

[emkee_reinvented]

Sort of alike. Except my latest addition is a sublingual spray.

Delivering/ 2 spray's:
Lemon Balm 240 mg and Passiflora 300 mg extract, 30 mg Lemon Balm Oil and 0.299 mg Melatonin.

The pill's were 600 mg Passiflora 80 mg Lemon Balm extract. The regular Valerian is worthless. But a fresh root tincture was advised for an second opinion.

Do they work for sleep ime no. For anxiety, maybe. On paper they should do both.

Do investigate Erythrina Mulungu, used to work on me. And its backed by scientific research. Seem's a bit like Valerian find the right one which contain's the active alkaloid's and such. btw it's the bark of Mulungu your after or an extract/ tincture made of it,

 

[jasperkent]

Oh yeah, it certainly doesn't help, but I try to be careful with that one....

Good read. Thanks for all the info. Also, thanks for clarifying the difference between Delirium and Psychosis. I've definitely experienced delirium several times, including hallucinations and delusions. But I'm pretty sure I've never experienced psychosis-- or if I did, I came back from it pretty quickly.

These days I use drugs at lower doses and much less frequently than I used to. I also follow three rules pretty strictly:
1. Get at least 7 hours of sleep every night.
2. Eat real food and drink lots of water.
3. If a relationship or a job is consistently unpleasant, quit.

I'm happier than I've ever been in my life.

 

[Methamphetanonymous]

Good read. Thanks for all the info. Also, thanks for clarifying the difference between Delirium and Psychosis. I've definitely experienced delirium several times, including hallucinations and delusions. But I'm pretty sure I've never experienced psychosis-- or if I did, I came back from it pretty quickly.

These days I use drugs at lower doses and much less frequently than I used to. I also follow three rules pretty strictly:
1. Get at least 7 hours of sleep every night.
2. Eat real food and drink lots of water.
3. If a relationship or a job is consistently unpleasant, quit.

I'm happier than I've ever been in my life.

Yeah typically most people require hospitalization. Good way to distinguish is that "acute" psychosis typically requires inpatient monitoring for a few days with IV benzos

Generally folks with a family history are five to seven fold more likely to activate the gene expression by way of substance abuse than someone with no familial gene expression.

Once you've had an episode there seems to be a good percentage of people who seem to have their "threshold" lowered. Substance abuse of similar compounds triggers episode of psychosis either immediately or much faster and much less substance than it took the first time. In individuals who are particularly sensitive just high stress situations can trigger an episode

And sadly a very very small percentage will have their secondary psychosis develop into primary psychosis and require a diagnosis of schizophrenia or schitzoaffective

 

[emkee_reinvented]

Missed the read you both are referring to but isn't the main difference Delerium is just a cross of sluggish and restless behaviour coupled with pour memory and such. What in Nl. is called a Delier, which 1 in 3 get on SEH anyway.

Psychosis be it concious or sub-consious is not even near those symptoms.

Delerium Tremens occurs 72 hour's after WD's of Booze set in. So what this nomenclatura.

As there are many form of spychosis, so dr's are basickly just talking outta their ...

 

[Methamphetanonymous]

Missed the read you both are referring to but isn't the main difference Delerium is just a cross of sluggish and restless behaviour coupled with pour memory and such. What in Nl. is called a Delier, which 1 in 3 get on SEH anyway.

Psychosis be it concious or sub-consious is not even near those symptoms.

Delerium Tremens occurs 72 hour's after WD's of Booze set in. So what this nomenclatura.

As there are many form of spychosis, so dr's are basickly just talking outta their ...

Delirium is the consequence of a seperate condition, so yeah alcohol withdrawal can cause delirium, as can sleep deprivation, certain drugs, brain damage etc.

Delirium requires confusion, easily distracted, poor maintenance of focus as well as a perceptual disturbance oftentimes these are hallucinations be it hearing sounds in white noise or hearing music playing- movement in peripheral vision etc. When sleep deprived or recovering from alcohol abuse one may have visual disturbances but understand that they are visions and not real. In a schizophrenic patient one may think the "voices" they hear are from God, or that they can hear peoples thoughts. But if one were to tell them it isn't real typically they will get agitated and upset.

Dunno what the rest of that is, you're goin pretty hard today

 

[emkee_reinvented]

Thru, must be some Lysergic. Needed some reviving potion. Winding down, but the sky was amazing.

AFAIK there are three states:

-Delier which just happens and results in sluggish, restless behaviour without really actual consiousness.
-Delerium Tremens which occurse after 72 no Alcohol. Hallucinationt's. tremor's, seizure's. A life threathening condition.
-Delerium as in Datura or difhenhydramine OD, so mayor anti-cholinergic effect's.
-Might there be another form please say so and I'ĺl adjust my post.

Psychosis seem's a at least catogorized as somehing else. My mostly non-consious Ictal-Psychose's resembled neither.

 

[TheUltimateFixx]

Different things work for different people. There's no one size fits all.

What variously helped me was heroin, alcohol, physical exercises, mental routines, healthier living in terms of nutrition and activity. I'm supposed to recommend all but the first two. Which assisted me the most personally (though at a not inconsiderable cost). You go figure what you are willing to pay for what you feel you need to have.

 

[Methamphetanonymous]

Thru, must be some Lysergic. Needed some reviving potion. Winding down, but the sky was amazing.

AFAIK there are three states:

-Delier which just happens and results in sluggish, restless behaviour without really actual consiousness.
-Delerium Tremens which occurse after 72 no Alcohol. Hallucinationt's. tremor's, seizure's. A life threathening condition.
-Delerium as in Datura or difhenhydramine OD, so mayor anti-cholinergic effect's.
-Might there be another form please say so and I'ĺl adjust my post.

Psychosis seem's a at least catogorized as somehing else. My mostly non-consious Ictal-Psychose's resembled neither.

Delirium is a condition defined by the DSM-5

Delirium tremens is just alcohol cessation and withdrawal syndrome, it got a fancy name but it's several symptoms including delerium, hallucinations, hyperactivity, shaking, body temperature changes, and yes grand mal siezures are

Psychosis is defined as a condition in which a person has difficulty determining reality. Hallucinations, delusions, strange speaking patterns (my friend with bipolar type 1 would often rhyme or speak like chanting when she had her first manic episode). Sleep issues are common before or during a psychotic episode (my friend would stay up all night and just look at me) social withdrawal, irritability etc

Really hallucinations/delusions tied together and often reinforcing themselves are critical to psychosis

 

[Methamphetanonymous]

Different things work for different people. There's no one size fits all.

What variously helped me was heroin, alcohol, physical exercises, mental routines, healthier living in terms of nutrition and activity. I'm supposed to recommend all but the first two. Which assisted me the most personally (though at a not inconsiderable cost). You go figure what you are willing to pay for what you feel you need to have.

OP: I need help with my sleep
TheUltimateFixx: "Try out some heroin"

Huge dick energy

 

[emkee_reinvented]

OP: I need help with my sleep
TheUltimateFixx: "Try out some heroin"

Huge dick energy

Good Erythrina Mulungu extract, is worth considering. And harm reductive.

DSM-5 describes Delirium as what dr's here call a Delier. Which is probably a Dutch word meaning the same. The symptoms overlap.

Sorry for getting obsessed with that term, just when I had a non-concious Ictal Psychosis (post, during and after), which is a feature of seizure I was having.
But when medical staff has no clue what is happening to you. They really hurt me during my beserk fases, causing lasting damage.

And then later you later read in your file they considering it a Delirium/ Delier. And call for a psychiater which arrive's 1 1/2 later to administer some Diazepam and Haldol.