Just trying to get a decent night sleep...

[General joy]

I have always had insomnia but recently it has hit me to the point where I am
having a hard time functioning. I hate taking meds (even one tylonol pm gives me a "hangover").
I have reduced my stress, don't drink caffeine after 10 am. If anyone has homeopathic tips please help!

 

[madswagga]

id say go get some ambien, then you could have a fun timeevery night before bed. but if you want homeopathic id say sleep md, which i dont think that much of but my mom uses, or melatonin supplement. just one 3mg pill a half hour before you want to go to bed (as in a half hour before you will be laying in bed with everything off wantin to go to sleep)

 

[rm-rf]

there are many threads on this in this forum. have a search, info is in the abundance.

ill throw my recomendations:

1) learn meditation. passivemeditation. you can learn to turn your mind off, and command it to go to sleep with time and discipline. seek out (AUTHENTIC) yoga or martial arts schools in your area, or find some strict buddhists to hang out with. feel every part of your body falling asleep - start at the toes, and slowly work up every single muscle into a sleepy muscle in your mind. sometimess youll pass out by the time youre focusing on your legs.

2) diet for sleep. eat things like potatoes, complex carbs, meats, etc for dinner, and dont eat any simple carbs/sugars.

3) exercise int he mornings. THIS IS SERIOUS. you can conform your body's internal clock, the circadian rhythm, with morning exercise, such that your body will begin telling you when its time for bed, not the other way around.

4) valerian root. chamomile tea. kava root extract. these arent "meds," theyre perfectly natural plant based ingredients that relax your body and mind, so that when you get horizontal, youll snooze easy. they arent addictive. id also recommend cannabis, but that is habit forming, and you *can* form a dependency on it for sleeping.

5) melatonin. dont even need the normal suggested dose of 3mg - its not like a drug that makes you sleepy. its a neurotransmitter that begins your CNS's preparation for the sleep cycle (its active in the 10mcg range). 1mg is plenty. this can be habit forming, but usually isnt.

6) if all else fails, a small glass of wine + valerian root + melatonin + a fat joint usually nocks me out. i suffered from insomnia for a decade, and i still kinda have it. thats my emergency nock me out method when meditation isnt working.

you should also talk to your physician, and express you dont want to take exogenous chemicals to sleep.

 

[madswagga]

rm-rf: could you give some tips or suggest some links on the meditation? ive been meaning to get into that, my sister does it but she lives across the country so shes not much help ha

 

[dokomo]

Good sleep hygiene can really make a difference too, meaning eliminate all light from your room (don't use a laptop or cell-phone with a backlight in bed.) Perhaps get new sheets, pillows, comforter, etc. Make the room an appropriate temperature, a little cooler is usually preferred.

Medicinally, what alot of others have said is good advice. Melatonin in 1mg dosages can help, as can supplements based on valerian and chamomile. There is one that GNC sells called "Calm-U-Nat" that is herbally based and I can testify that it helps.

 

[General joy]

Thanks for the input. It's crazy- I work out regularly and switch between yoga (bikram, hot and vinyasa) and kettlebelling. I do the mediation in bed focusing from my toes to my head (best cure for migraines!). I am at my wits end. Sorry if this is a common topic, I looked back a few pages and didn't see anything on topic (I board regularly so I know reposts stink).

 

[Roose]

A fat joint of some heavy hitting indica. However, if you do that a lot then your body will get used to it and the nights you don't smoke would be just as bad as before

 

[Dtergent]

When the sun is about to go down, commit yourself to gentler activities. Try not to expose yourself to a lot of stimulus past a certain time. When I was recently unable to adjust to sleeping hours, I tried to live by candlelight past 6PM (that's what time it gets dark here). And it works! Studies on animals living outside city limits show visible effects on hormones and stimulation patters just from the glow of the city (sorry I can't find the link now, I read this a few years ago). So you can imagine what direct light can do to you. When I feel I'll be hyper at night, I don't even get on my computer in the PM-- I leave my laptop at work.

Try to get your meals in at least 2 hours before you sleep, and sometimes a walk around a good park can get this down.

Also, the best way for me is to wake up early (6AM ish) and by all means, keep yoruself from going to sleep again before work/school. This helps readjust your body clock in the most major way. Slowly you will see that at the end of the day you will be ready for rest.

With insomnia and nervous system issues, the problems are usually resolved subtly and gradually. So don't be discouraged. I second what Todd said.

 

[General joy]

Such great ideas. I have been trying to incorporate them in my sleep routine and so far. I have had success. I have gotten through the 2 days soundly. Thank god. I was starting to feel like a zombie.

 

[addictivepersona]

3) exercise int he mornings. THIS IS SERIOUS. you can conform your body's internal clock, the circadian rhythm, with morning exercise, such that your body will begin telling you when its time for bed, not the other way around.

If someone wakes up at 5p, do you think them exercising then would have an impact on their circadian rhythm?

Don't meant to steal the thread, but figured this was the most relevant place to post. Anywho, I started working nights (12-6a) a few months ago and haven't had an issue up 'til recently... I get wicked tired around four, force myself to stay up... By the time 9 or 10a (my normal bed time) rolls around, I'm not tired.

I don't know if it's the exercising in the morning (usually take the dog for a quick walk, started bike riding every few days), the exposure to the sun, or what, but the weird part is that once I force myself to sleep, I'll sleep excessively. My phone's battery died the other day so my alarm (set for 6p) never went off--I slept past 8p. I had went to bed around 10 or 11a.