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Sleeping pills don't work on me!
Take a step back, analyse your anxieties, consider the things that are preventing you from sleeping and take appropriate action. _ Pills should ALWAYS be a last resort. Marijuana is NEVER a solution. If you do try pills, ask your DR for a NON-Benzodiazepine product such as Zopiclone. _ Then try something new. Change your routine. At http://www.insomni astore.co.uk there are many options you can try from specific essential oils created specifically for insomniacs, to magnesium suppliments (Magnesium relaxes the muscles and has a calming effect on the entire nervous system and this makes it very a important mineral in the treatment of insomnia), to pillows to specialist insomnia teas. _ GO TO BED ONLY WHEN YOU ARE TIRED. If that means going to bed at 3am, so be it. Some sleep is better then no sleep, and this will help greatly. People that say you need a sleep routine by going to bed at the same time each night (in my opinion) are wrong. Trying to sleep when you are not ready for it only adds to the anxiety you already feel which is that that you wont sleep. It was this cycle that broke my insomia to a manageable level. _ Exercise daily _ Eat foods that are rich in L-Tryptophan, such as dairy, beans, turkey, chicken etc – this is the amino acid your body uses to convert into the hormones melatonin and serotonin. _ Raise your core body temperature with a hot drink or hot bath before bedtime. The quicker the body cools down when in bed, the quicker your body triggers itself into sleep mode. However, if you are someone that would wake up with a hot bath rather than relax = avoid it. Just have a hot drink instead. A specialist tea – such as Mimosa – available from insomnistore.co.uk can be even more beneficial. The above should help. Let me know how you get on! (Apr 19, 2010 | post #40)
Baby Sleep Advice? Does your Baby Sleep Soundly or Badly?
Do you have a baby who just wont sleep at night? Have you any solutions to help encourage a baby to sleep soundly? What baby sleep routines do you use? I would love to hear your thoughts and methods!! Here are some of mine (which can be found on http://www.baby-sl eep.co.uk or http://www.insomni astore.co.uk/what- is-baby-sleep-4-w. asp): * Allow a quiet wind-down period of about 20 minutes before bedtime. * Make the bedtime ritual as calm and as relaxed as possible to reduce stress levels - a special night light mobile or dreamshow will help baby to relax and unwind. * Help baby relax and unwind in a warm bath. When she gets out, the surrounding cooler air will lower her temperature, which will help trigger the sleep mechanism. * Put baby in special clothes such as a sleep suit or sleeping bag that are only used at night. * Swaddle baby in a cotton swaddle blanket to remind her of the warmth and comfort of the womb. Wrap this firmly around her body and tuck in her arms and legs (baby’s hands can be placed near her face so that she can self-soothe by sucking her fingers). * Use key words such as ‘Bedtime’ or ‘Night-night’ which are associated with sleep. * Provide a comforter or special teddy or blanket (that smells like Mummy or Daddy) to help baby to fall asleep without being rocked or held. The smell of Lavender can also help due to its relaxing smell. * Avoid putting baby down on a very full tummy, as this will increase core body temperature and keep her awake * Wind baby fully before bedtime. * Use soft-paced classical sleep inducing music to help calm your baby * Put baby down while still awake so that she learns to fall asleep on her own. * Put baby on her back on a firm surface or a sleep positioner to keep her spine as flat as possible and to allow her lungs to expand fully. * Put baby on a lamb’s wool fleece (cover with a cotton blanket) to promote better sleeping patterns. * Make sure that baby’s feet are near the end of the cot. This will prevent her from working her way under the covers where she could suffocate. A Sleep T Wrap will also prevent your baby from wriggling around at night time. (Mar 5, 2010 | post #1)
Do Sleeping Pills work? Have you tried Benzodiazepines or...
Have you tried over the counter remedies or prescription pills - of so how have you found them? have they worked for you? HERBAL / OVER THE COUNTER SOLUTIONS? Some people try mild herbal solutions like Nytol or antihistimines - but in my experience these do not help with long term sleep problems and tolerance to them increases quickly! How have you found them? PRESCRIPTION SLEEPING PILLS - BENZODIAZEPINES Has anyone been prescribed any sleeping pills that include Benzodiazepines? If so how have you found these? In my experience, as they help with anxiety they are helpful but they can take hours to kick in and they often leave me feeling very slow in the morning. I have tried Diazepam and Temazepam and I found that I got tolerent to both of them quickly so again, i found them of little use in the long-term. Have you tried any of these and if so how did they work for you? Other Benzodiazepines products include: Loprazolam, Lormetazepam, Chlordiazepoxide & Lorazepam - i would be interested in your thoughts on any of these if you have experience of them? PRESCRIPTION SLEEPING PILLS - OTHERS I have recently tried Zopiclone - which, to date I have found the best so far on the basis that it seems to be faster acting than the benzodiazepine pills i have tried and i felt less groggy the following morning. However, I still only take them if I am on day 3 or 4 without sleep. Other products similar to Zopliclone are Zaleplon and Zolpidem. If you have tried any of these - how have you found them? Personally, I still believe that sleeping pills should only be used as a last resort. I find that my tolerance increases to all of them very quickly and I never feel quite the same the following day as I do sleeping without them. I still believe that the best solutions are natural and things you can do yourself such as: - Go to bed when you are tired. Not before and not after you have worked through the tiredness and have become over-tired! If you feel tired at 9am - go to bed at 9am. If you dont feel tired until 1am then go to bed then! - Try to increase your body temperature OR reduce the bed room temperature prior to sleep. The quicker your core body temperature drops, the quicker the brain kicks into sleep gear! - Take a sleep tea or similar before bed time - I drink Mimosa - pschologically it helps me prepare for sleep too. - Try essential oils before pills. There are many out there that can help, Restful sleep oils, lavender, marjoram, sandalwood, ylang ylang - find out which works for you. Put in your bath or on your pillow! - Read before bedtime. My insomnia is usually stress "mind is still active" related - i find that reading something totally unconnected to daily life helps me switch off before bedtime. Let me know what works for you!!! More sleeping soundly advice and products can be found by visiting http://www.insomni astore.co.uk (Mar 5, 2010 | post #1)
Sleeping pills don't work on me!
I have recently tried Zopiclone - which is a non Benzodiazepine sleeping pill and to date I have found the best so far on the basis that they seem to be faster acting than the benzodiazepine pills i have tried before (such as Diazepam and Temazepam) and i felt less groggy the following morning. However, I still only take them if I am on day 3 or 4 without sleep. Other products similar to Zopliclone are Zaleplon and Zolpidem. If you have tried any of these - how have you found them? Personally, I still believe that sleeping pills should only be used as a LAST RESORT. I find that my tolerance increases to all of them very quickly and I never feel quite the same the following day as I do sleeping without them. I am scared of getting an over reliance on any of them too. Psychologically it helps keep me sane knowing that some nights i can actually sleep without anything. I still believe that the best solutions are natural and things you can do yourself such as: - Go to bed when you are tired. Not before and not after you have worked through the tiredness and have become over-tired! If you feel tired at 9am - go to bed at 9am. If you dont feel tired until 1am then go to bed then! - Try to increase your body temperature OR reduce the bed room temperature prior to sleep. The quicker your core body temperature drops, the quicker the brain kicks into sleep gear! - Take a sleep tea or similar before bed time - I drink Mimosa - pschologically it helps me prepare for sleep too. - Try essential oils. There are many out there that can help, Restful sleep oils, lavender, marjoram, sandalwood, ylang ylang - find out which works for you. Put in your bath or on your pillow! - Read before bedtime. My insomnia is usually stress "mind is still active" related - i find that reading something totally unconnected to daily life helps me switch off before bedtime. The best advice I can offer is if you are suffering a night of no sleep just think to yourself "its only one night" - it can relax your mind. Its when one night turns into four or five nights in a row with zero sleep that things get more difficult. But i also find it is only after say 3 nights of no sleep that a sleeping pill can help - you are physically and mentally exhausted anyway by them so they tend to take affect quite quickly. I have suffered insomnia now for the past 4 years. It has improved significantly though over the past 12 months. Exercise has helped, as have the natural methods of sleep preparation listed above. I hope you all also improve as insomnia really is a very difficult problem to deal with - and one others who dont suffer really do not understand! More sleeping soundly advice and products can be found by visiting http://www.insomni astore.co.uk (Mar 5, 2010 | post #32)
for a variety of sleeping aids and products that are natural and holistic as opposed to over teh counter, go to http://www.insomni astore.co.uk (Oct 19, 2009 | post #1)
It sounds stress related - maybe the thuoght of going to college is subconsciously waking you early if it is on your mind or maybe it is something else bothering you? Either way, i wouldnt worry too much (worring is the biggest factor contributing to long term insomnia problems). Remember that everyone needs a different amount of sleep. 8 hours for everyone is a myth and many people function perfectly fine on much less. The key thing is that you are getting a full sleep cycle under your belt which takes about 4 hours. A full cycle includes deep sleep or Slow-wave sleep (SWS) which is made up of the deepest stage of NREM. It is during this stage that your body restores itself from the wear and tear of waking activity and is therefore the most essential stage of the sleep process. If you are going to bed at 11-12 then you will be getting the benefits of this. The advantage of waking later of course is that some people can get through two stages of SWS. Many people wake much earlier than 5am for work etc so i think you'll be okay. just try not to worry. If it really is a problem try to eat foods rich in L-Trytophan - this may help you to sleep for longer. See http://www.insomni astore.co.uk/insom nia-articles--rese arch-3-w.asp for some examples of foods that containg L-Trytophan etc. Hope this helps. (Sep 17, 2009 | post #2)
Online Treatment May Help Insomniacs
http://www.insomni astore.co.uk/insom nia-articles--rese arch-3-w.asp Coping with Insomnia Every insomnia sufferer will have a different cause depending on their own individual and unique circumstances. The good news is that most people can find relief through natural remedies for insomnia. Going to bed and worrying about being tired the following day can make matters worse. Try to relax. 1 - Don't try too hard. Worrying about the need to rest and fall asleep is one of the biggest causes of sleeplessness. The key is to try and concentrate your mind onto something else. Try listening to a specialist sleep CD to help your mind to wander to sleep. 2 - Avoid naps Try not to throw your body’s natural sleep cycle by napping and exercise! 3 - Watch what you eat Try to avoid caffeine after mid-day. Heavy meals can also affect your body’s sleep patterns. The key to good sleep is to increase the amount of L-Trytophan and Serotonin in your diet. L-Trytophan is an amino acid that enters your bloodstream to gain access to your brain in order for it to tell your brain to make serotonin (which encourages sleep). Because your brain is always dealing (competing) with different amino acids to process, we recommend combining serotonin and L-Trytophan rich foods with carbohydrates. The carbohydrates will force the body to release insulin, which will divert the other amino acids away from his brain and will leave the Serotonin to works its sleepy magic on you! Serotonin is also the same hormone that promotes relaxation and calm in the body so it will also help to reduce stress levels that can be brought on by insomnia. Foods that contain L-Trytophan or Serotonin include: · Cheese (Cheddar, Gruyere and Swiss are especially rich in tryptophan) · Dairy · Beans · Whole grains, including rice · Lentils & Chickpeas · Hazelnuts & Peanuts · Sunflower seeds & Sesame seeds · Potatoes · Ice cream · Wheat · Seafood · Oatmeal · Apricots & Bananas 4 - Relax before bedtime A great way to relax is to have a hot bath and use some sleep-inducing essential oils or bubbles. To encourage sleep the body reduces its core temperature immediately before sleep. Therefore, if you have a hot bath before going to bed, you will increase your core body temperature in order to allow to fall more rapidly to sleep once you go to bed. Ever wondered why you find yourself searching for “cold spots” in your bed? It is your body telling itself to cool down to induce sleep! Try to avoid getting too cold immediately prior to sleep too as this will only make it harder for your body to realise it is time for bed! Using sleep-inducing essential oils such as Restful Sleep Oil or well known oils such as Lavender, Sandalwood, Marjoram or Ylang Ylang will also encourage your body to relax and promote sleep. 5- Get great head support Correct head support is vital to a good nights sleep. 6 -Use your bed only for sleeping (and sex)! During sex you release hormones that promote sleep! It als reduces stress. Try not to associate the room you sleep in with activities that you are awake for (i.e. watching TV or working) - try and keep it pyschologically as the room you associate with sleep only. 7 - Perfume your pillow. Spray some lavender on the corner of a pillow can help you relax enough to get back to sleep. 8 - Are you physically uncomfortable? Make sure you are comfortable in your bed, that the room is the right temperature and that you have nice plump pillows. 9 - Don’t obsess about not sleeping. If you worry about falling asleep then you will keep your mind active and subsequently you may have greater trouble falling asleep. if you are struggling to fall asleep, think to yourself "its only for one night, no big deal" as this will ease your mind, reduce anxiety and tension and help you get to sleep. (Sep 16, 2009 | post #2)
Sleeping pills don't work on me!
Problem with sleeping pills is you become tolerant and subsequently require more and more until they either barely resolve the problem or you become reliant on them. Insomnia is closely linked to how you feel about sleep psychologically - if you start to think that you will only sleep if you have a sleeping pill then effectively you are just enhancing the problem. I had suffered for 3 years and often went 4/5 nights with no sleep at all. The key for me was doing the natural things that allowed my brain to 'prepare' for sleep in the right way. Raise your core body temperature before bed, eat lots of trytophan/serotonin inducing rich foods, exercise, relax and most importantly - go to bed when you are tired, not necessarily just because you have been habitually taught that a certain time is 'bed-time'. It is a gradual process. Psychologically change pillows, bed, position, whatever. i personally would avoid pills altogether. (Sep 16, 2009 | post #10)
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