Anyone else suffer from insomnia?

[debbiedoo]

Can you refresh my memory on this? Isn't it a natural, or herbal substance? I don't take any other medications, so it might be something that I can try.

you can do a search under melatonin on the CB here and find a few threads--

then I googled melatonin and this a website from there --

http://www.melatonin.com/

http://familydoctor.org/258.xml

can buy at GNC and not expensive at all

good luck

 

[PBader]

I suffer from bouts of insomnia that will last for about 2 months and then as suddenly as it started it will end for a couple of months. I used to rely on Tylenol Pm--I guess I got immune to them, have tried melatonin and it seems like for me it just has to run it's course. But it is miserable, surving long stretches of days on less than a few hours of sleep. I hate to go to the dr. but I guess one day I will break down, this has been going on for about 2 years.
Paula

 

[Tigger&Belle]

See, that's how mine is. I'll do it for awhile, and then I'll sleep all night for a few months. I've just noticed that lately it's happening more and more often.

Remember, just last weekend, I told you in a PM that I was exhausted? The phase has lasted that long this time.

My mom is the same way and every ailment that she has, I always get. Why not this too???

It's so frustrating to have this happen. I've always had a problem getting to sleep and have never been the type to go right to sleep, other than when I was TOTALLY exhausted right after the birth of my babies. When it got bad recently I was walking around like a zombie since I was not getting close to enough sleep. The one nice thing about my migraines is that I sleep well after my Rx migraine meds (I try to look at the bright side ). Another thing that I have tried which is a natural sleep med is Valarian extract. I think I got mine at GNC, but maybe the drugstore has it. I bought mine and then read that it can be a migraine trigger so I don't take it, but I have read good things about it and it's non habit forming and "natural"--similar to melatonin, something else that you should consider.

My problem is that anything I use seems to work for awhile and then starts having teh opposite effect on me. Not good!

 

[hydster]

I feel your pain! I would take hours to go to sleep and then I'd get to sleep for a few hours maybe and then I was awake again. I found that a glass of wine before bed, melatonin, potassium for restless legs *which didn't help insomnia* and a benadryl get me to sleep better. Also changing my workout to the late afternoon helped too. I was on Ambien for almost 2 years and it stopped working but I had a really hard time breaking the mental addiction with it. It was horrific to get off of and I wouldn't recommend taking something like that long term. My brother suffers from it too so he will take 1 ambien every 2nd or 3rd night. He at least gets some sleep during the week. Recently dh went on a business trip and my mom gave me 2 Lunesta. I slept good but had a nasty taste in my mouth especially when I drank water or juice. Didn't like that so I went back to my normal *drug cocktail* of melatonin, wine, potassium and a benadryl. Sleeping good now again. I buy my melatonin at costco and it's not expensive at all.

I hope you can find something to help!

 

[Am_I_There_Yet]

My 10 y/o DS suffers from insomnia. He never sleeps.....never did either! We did find out a few years back that he also suffers from ADHD & he takes stimulants for that (but he's always suffered from insomnia.) Doc prescribed Clonidine & it does work most of the time. Unfortunately, if there is something weighing on his mind, no amount of anything will help him sleep. Poor kid.

I feel sorry for him! You too! That must be hard being the parent of a child who doesn't sleep! I can't get my 15 1/2 year old to wake up!

I used to sleep walk until I was in my mid-20's. It just stopped about then. Once I woke up because I was feeling cold & I found myself standing outside on my bedroom balcony (I was on the 2nd floor).

Wow! You're the type that shouldn't have ever had a balcony on a cruise ship! Good thing that stopped!

 

[Am_I_There_Yet]

We need to form a support group!

I have read each and every response and I wanted to say thanks for the support! I figured if I answered each one individually, y'all were going to get really sick of seeing my name!

There is a GNC next to my nail place, so I think I'll pop in there today and pick up some Melatonin and try it tonight. It can't hurt to give it a try, but I heard ya when you said that it only worked for awhile. I used to take Benadryl to get to sleep and it started wiring me instead, after awhile. I think our bodies are pretty smart at adapting.

Anyone see the Exorcism of Emily Rose? Darnit if I don't wake up at 3am 90% of the time. Sort of freaks me out now! That's when I woke up last night, but thankfully I fell back asleep again pretty quickly. I woke up probably four times, but managed to not stay awake. As much as I'd rather sleep like a rock, I'm glad I at least got a full-night's sleep.

I'm self-employed and work from home, so I really don't have a schedule. I'm in the interviewing process (hence the stupid profile testing) and if I get hired, I'll have set hours and I'll be working my tail off. I suppose that may help get me regulated. I hope so, anyway. At least now, if I don't sleep good throught the night, I can sleep in the next day.

 

[Lachesis00]

I finally went to the doctor b/c it was taking a toll on my health.

I am on 3mg of Lunesta as needed. And it isn't every night. Sometimes I go days with out. OTC stuff does not work for me. In fact gives me anxiety.

 

[debbiedoo]

We need to form a support group!

I have read each and every response and I wanted to say thanks for the support! I figured if I answered each one individually, y'all were going to get really sick of seeing my name!

There is a GNC next to my nail place, so I think I'll pop in there today and pick up some Melatonin and try it tonight. It can't hurt to give it a try, but I heard ya when you said that it only worked for awhile. I used to take Benadryl to get to sleep and it started wiring me instead, after awhile. I think our bodies are pretty smart at adapting.

Anyone see the Exorcism of Emily Rose? Darnit if I don't wake up at 3am 90% of the time. Sort of freaks me out now! That's when I woke up last night, but thankfully I fell back asleep again pretty quickly. I woke up probably four times, but managed to not stay awake. As much as I'd rather sleep like a rock, I'm glad I at least got a full-night's sleep.

I'm self-employed and work from home, so I really don't have a schedule. I'm in the interviewing process (hence the stupid profile testing) and if I get hired, I'll have set hours and I'll be working my tail off. I suppose that may help get me regulated. I hope so, anyway. At least now, if I don't sleep good throught the night, I can sleep in the next day.

good luck and keep us updated

 

[Am_I_There_Yet]

I finally went to the doctor b/c it was taking a toll on my health.

I am on 3mg of Lunesta as needed. And it isn't every night. Sometimes I go days with out. OTC stuff does not work for me. In fact gives me anxiety.

Do you have the type of insomnia where you can't get to sleep, or the type like mine, where you can't stay asleep?

That's the problem with meds, for me. I don't usually wake up until about 2-3am. If I take something and I have to get up at 7am, I have no idea how it's going to make me feel. I know I'll probably be doing a LOT of this:

How quickly does Lunesta and Sonata (sp?) work?

 

[Lachesis00]

Both. More so falling alseep but when I do I just can't get into a deep sleep.

So I take one an hour or so before I am ready to sleep.

Depends, if I actually FEEL tired but still can't fall asleep 15-20 mins. If I am wide awake feeling or tired/exausted but not *sleepy* then maybe an hour at most. And even then I am probably forcing myself to stay awake by watching TV.

Do you have the type of insomnia where you can't get to sleep, or the type like mine, where you can't stay asleep?

That's the problem with meds, for me. I don't usually wake up until about 2-3am. If I take something and I have to get up at 7am, I have no idea how it's going to make me feel. I know I'll probably be doing a LOT of this:

How quickly does Lunesta and Sonata (sp?) work?

 

[MinnyGranny62]

I know just how you feel. I don't have any trouble falling asleep but wake up an hour later. Then if I fall asleep again I will be doing this all night. Usually I get up and read or put a puzzle together.

I don't take anything to sleep because I take other meds. I do have arthritis and other things that don't let me stay asleep. Sure do hope that all of you get some shuteye soon. Shirley

 

[YourMajesty]

I usually keep some liquid benedryl on hand. If you wake up during the night you can take a small dose and it works very quickly on an empty stomach. If you don't take the full adult dose you won't be as groggy in the am. Of course this would only work for those that benadryl does not hype up. If I take too much my legs will get jumpy....that's why the liquid is nice...you can find just the right amount.

 

[Tigger&Belle]

The active ingredient in a lot of the OTC sleep aids such at Tylenol PM, etc is Benedryl, which also used to work well for me, but then started wiring me.

 

[Am_I_There_Yet]

I just got home from getting my nails done and I almost fell asleep in the chair!

The only thing keeping me away awake was my nail girl saying, "You okay?"

On top of this, I think I'm getting a cold! Nothing keeps me up like not being able to breath through my nose.

 

[Am_I_There_Yet]

I usually keep some liquid benedryl on hand. If you wake up during the night you can take a small dose and it works very quickly on an empty stomach. If you don't take the full adult dose you won't be as groggy in the am. Of course this would only work for those that benadryl does not hype up. If I take too much my legs will get jumpy....that's why the liquid is nice...you can find just the right amount.

Yes! My legs get jumpy too! What's up with that?

 

[LiteBrite]

I used to have insomnia quite frequently, and the thing that made it better was a change in my diet. I did it to lose weight, but the plan I follow helps with digestion, which I think is what made the difference in my ability to sleep. I won't go into the whole plan here, but I'll be happy to talk about it if anybody's interested - just PM me.

 

[Stacerita]

Ive had insomina for years. I have tried many different things to try to help with it. But so far nothing has worked. I pretty much have given up and am just learning to live with it. What I would give for a full night of restful sleep.

 

[Mandy_in_NC]

My name is Mandy and I can't sleep! I work 3rd shift and I had been on the 3rd shift for almost a year before I started having trouble sleeping. When I would get off on the mornings where I didn't have to work that night I would stay up and not sleep. I would lay down that night and go to sleep and would wake up in about 4 hours and that was it. On the mornings I would get off and need to sleep so I could work that night I would go home and go to bed and it would take a little bit to get to sleep then I would sleep 4 hours and then I was up again. I couldn't take it anymore so I saw the dr. He put me on a new med and it didn't work at all so I called him back and he put me on Ambien. THere are very few times that Ambien does not work for me. I usually take it on an empty stomach and it kicks in pretty quickly. Usually with in 30-45 mins. But with Ambien take it just as you are fixing to lay down because it can make you loopy. THe first time I took it I fell alseep and woke up after about an hour because a woman on tv was screaming and I remembered that my husband's uniforms were in the washer so I was going to be nice and put them in the dryer and turn the tv and the lights off. Well I went into the laundry room and went to reach in the washer and everytime I tried to reach in hte washer would move. So I gave up and woke him up and told him to put them in the dryer himself. I come from a long line of people who can't sleep. My mom and aunt are both on Ambien. Ambien makes my mom really loopy. The first couple of times she took it she would call me and tell me that her alarm clock was running away. She keeps the clock on her tv stand across the room and she would look at it and in her mind state she thought the clock was running away. She scared me at first but then I had my washer incident with Ambien so I understood what she was going thru. But I am of the opinion if you can't sleep you can't function. Don't be afraid to ask for something to help you sleep. Non sleepers of the world band together!!!!