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  • BDD Moderators: Keif’ Richards

Efficient (but shorter) sleep on benzos?

E

elpro

Greenlighter
Joined
Dec 1, 2010
Messages
16
Hey, everyone. Most of us have used benzos to try to sleep. I assume I'm not the only one who has often slept really well as a result, but then didn't want to wake up. My question is... Might there be a benzo or a dose that would allow you to fall asleep and have a high-quality sleep, but won't leave you feeling groggy in the morning, especially if you aren't able to get 8 hours? I'm wondering if a lower dose of a benzo with a shorter half-life might serve this purpose.

Essentially, I need to try to get some sleep tonight, I know it probably won't happen easily without some medical assistance, yet I need to wake up within 6 hours and would love to not feel totally shitty when I do. I have lorazepam and temazepam, and when I take either as prescribed, I do fall asleep, but it also guarantees me hitting the snooze button 20 times in the morning and losing a couple hours from my day while I wake up and normalize myself.
 
Have you tried Z drugs, Zopiclone or Zolpidem, they are more widely prescribed these days for sleep than Benzos, in the UK any way. They have a shorter half life thean most Benzos especially Diazepam.

You don;t mention which Benzos you have tried, this chart gives you the low down on Benzo half life :-

Benzodiazepine-Conversion-Chart
 
hey man i had the same problem as you, have tried everything from benedryl, lunesta, ambien, all sorts of benzo's and opiates, and the one drug i find to me most effective for sleep is Clonoidine. it knocks me out, and has me up in the morning with no groggyness / shitty morning feeling. i highly reccomend talking your doctor into getting it, it lowers blood pressure and is also prescribed for opiate/alcohol withdrawl. if not, ambien does a good job with knocking you out but i find that it really only put me asleep, not kept me asleep while clonidine keeps me well rested until morning. also, benzo's are very addictive and you can get dependent on them for sleep which is not good. make sure your excersicing, eating well and not eating anything really heavy after 7 30. just my .02
 
Seeing as you already have Temazepam, why not take it earlier.(go to sleep earlier).
Give Zopiclone a try, it works for sleep and last around 4-5 hours.
Finally take whatever medication and then go to bed, don't take it and "muck" around for an hour or so, cause you are feeling relaxed. It just messes up your sleeping pattern
 
4.5g of GHB is your best bet for a well-rested short sleep.

Lasts around 3-5 hours. Puts you in a deep, healthy sleep. Wake up feeling relaxed. Avoid addiction. Don't mix with other CNS depressants unless you want to sleep forever.
 
I'm mostly a lurker, but wanted to chime in because I'm in nursing school and took a pharmacology course and we discussed Xanax. I don't know about other benzos, but the reason Xanax gives that awful hangover is because it doesn't allow you to fall into the deepest level of sleep. So while you may pass out and sleep really hard, you wake up feeling crappy and completely unrested. This is also why Xanax isn't supposed to be given for sleep and if it is, not to be taken for long periods of time (you know, get yourself back on schedule and stop taking it).
 
^you are right that benzos affect the sleep cycle. but gabaA agonists like benzos reduce time spent in REM. the new sleep meds like ambien and lunesta work on gabaA too. REM is not the "deep sleep" stage.
 
elpro said:
Hey, everyone. Most of us have used benzos to try to sleep. I assume I'm not the only one who has often slept really well as a result, but then didn't want to wake up. My question is... Might there be a benzo or a dose that would allow you to fall asleep and have a high-quality sleep, but won't leave you feeling groggy in the morning, especially if you aren't able to get 8 hours? I'm wondering if a lower dose of a benzo with a shorter half-life might serve this purpose.

Essentially, I need to try to get some sleep tonight, I know it probably won't happen easily without some medical assistance, yet I need to wake up within 6 hours and would love to not feel totally shitty when I do. I have lorazepam and temazepam, and when I take either as prescribed, I do fall asleep, but it also guarantees me hitting the snooze button 20 times in the morning and losing a couple hours from my day while I wake up and normalize myself.
Click to expand...

Benzodiazepines and Z-drugs aren't very good choices if you're looking to get some quality sleep. By quality, I mean all stages of NREM and REM sleep. These drugs usually suppress NREM-3 sleep completely and also may shorten REM sleep. NREM-3 sleep is responsible for memory consolidation (among other things). Ever hear of chronic benzo users complaining of terrible short term memory? That would be why.

I'd go with Triazolam if you're looking for a benzo which won't make you feel groggy in the morning. It's got a rather short half-life. Just don't take it for more than 2-4 weeks or chances are you'll begin to start your workday in acute benzo withdrawal, which in severe cases can kill you.

You can always try a Z-drug. They might work better for you in terms of not waking up feeling groggy. And apparently they're not as habit forming as benzos (although IME this is complete bullshit, but everyone is different).

On the flip side, they're quite good at helping you fall asleep. They also usually drastically reduce or completely eliminate night terrors, nocturnal enuresis/bedwetting, sleepwalking, and somniloquy/sleeptalking (which may be a very good thing for those who are afraid of the dark, or suffer from any anxiety and/or panic related disorders).

Hope this helps
 
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Small sample sizes but worth a read.

Zopiclone

Zopiclone and Temazepam

*edit* I have been on 7.5mg of Zopiclone for a long time and can vouch for it. In the sense of quality of sleep without the day time drowzyness and for its lower abuse potential which I have experienced with - flunitrazepam, temazepam and most hypnotic benzos.
 
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shreddedlettuce said:
Small sample sizes but worth a read.

Zopiclone

Zopiclone and Temazepam

*edit* I have been on 7.5mg of Zopiclone for a long time and can vouch for it. In the sense of quality of sleep without the day time drowzyness and for its lower abuse potential which I have experienced with - flunitrazepam, temazepam and most hypnotic benzos.
Click to expand...

On the contrary, I find Zopiclone to be more recreational than any and all benzos I've used (which - from what I can remember - amounts to Alprazolam, Temazepam, Lorazepam, Phenazepam, Etizolam, Diazepam, Bromazepam, Oxazepam, Clonazepam and Flurazepam; sadly, I still have not had a chance to try Flunitrazepam, I hear it's a doozy). It gives me a pleasant headbuzz for some reason which I cannot describe. I suppose, just like some people love Tramadol (I think it sucks), I happen to enjoy Zopiclone. I've asked for it on several different occasions after I was handed a prescription for a benzo. Again, I can't explain it.

As far as the sleep architecture studies go, it seems there are conflicting reports/studies on whether Zopiclone disrupts SLS (Slow Wave Sleep - NREM3) and REM sleep.

One study mentions that Zopiclone shortened Slow Wave Sleep Length[1]. Another claims that it reduces REM Sleep Length as well as delaying onset[2].

1 - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8430216
2 - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8290860

Still, I cannot deny that - when I was prescribed Zopiclone as a sleep aid - I did feel more rested and less groggy compared to every benzo I've used for the same reason. I feel it's a better sleep aid than any benzo (with respect to what I've tried). However, it poses a greater abuse liability to myself as well because I find it more recreational for some odd reason. That's probably just me (and a few others) though. Usually everyone I've spoken to thinks it's crap.
 
Exercise about 4hours before you go to sleep, then eat something warm just before going to sleep. If you still need benzo as I do drag your ass to the shower and take one as cold as you can stand. Exercise will make you tired and also releases natural opiates. Foodalso releases naturalopiates as well as taking blood away from your brain to gather nutrients from eating.why you feel tired after a big meal. Warm oatmeal without sugar works best for me. Cold shower will cause blood to flow into your core organ, you're body will release a hormone that will make you alert as it believes it is going hypothermic natural defense. This works great for me. Also avoid caffeine five hours or so before you go to sleep.
 
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