Bought sleep supplements, which should I try first?

[ChiliPep]

I bought some sleep supplements, and I'm going to try one at a time. I'm not sure which one I should try first. I also have some melatonin on the way but it won't be here for a few days and I've tried it before and know it only helps me with falling asleep and doesn't always work. I have issues falling asleep, staying asleep, and I wake up too early and can't fall back to sleep. I am already taking magnesium and D3. Also, any idea how long I should take the supplement before adding another one? I was thinking a week but maybe two weeks is better.

This is what I bought:
- Thorne 5-hydroxy-tryptophan
- Thorne L-Theanine
- Thorne L-Tyrosine
- Thorne Basic B-complex

Thanks!

 

[Thinktank]

I don't think any of the supplements you mentioned will provide much better sleep. In contrary, the Basic b-complex might be quite stimulating instead of sedating. Many ME-people do not tolerate B vitamins and i do not see a reason why a b-complex would improve sleep, unless you are deficient or if it has a huge dose of niacinamide?

L-Tyrosine is not a common supplement used for sleep, it may be quite stimulating as it known to increase andrenalin and noradrenalin.

L-Theanine might help some as it's a glutamate inhibitor and also stimulates GABA. It might relax you, but i wouldn't expect much better sleep on it.

Tryptophan might help or not, serotonin is a strange thing.

May i know where you got that list from and why you think each of the supplements would help your sleep?
It sounds like you need a sleep study, i don't say this often but in your case it's probably best to see a sleep specialist.

 

[PinkPanda]

I would start with 5htp or theanine since they both have calming effects. Tyrosine could be rather counterproductive and some b-vitamins are important for energy metabolism but by stimulating energy they might also make you more awake.

 

[PatJ]

Melatonin: The regular form helps me get to sleep but not stay asleep; the long acting form helps me get to sleep and stay asleep longer. I do better with lower doses. I take 1mg of Natrol Long Acting melatonin at bedtime.

L-Tyrosine: this is great for helping me to sleep better and is one of my essential supplements. I take one 750mg capsule at bedtime. 750mg works better for me than 500mg.

L-Theanine: this is used in a lot of sleep supplements. At one point I could tolerate it, but now causes problems such as feeling drugged for a couple of hours after waking. Some people have nasty reactions to l-theanine (stomach pain, vomiting) so it's a good idea to start with a low dose.

I've read comments from people with CFS/ME who get sleep studies and most people found them to be useless unless sleep apnea was found. The sleep disruption experienced by people with CFS/ME is something that most doctors don't understand so they just throw pharmaceuticals at the problem which can introduce nasty side effects such as tolerance, addiction or benzo withdrawal. I've been able to avoid pharmaceuticals so far by relying on a cocktail of supplements.

I would try the l-tyrosine first. I know within a day or two whether a sleep supplement helps but a trial of at least a week is useful for many people, especially if useful effects aren't noticed right away.

My current nightly sleep cocktail is: 1mg Natrol long acting melatonin, 750mg l-tyrosine, 1 bag of Nighty Night tea with valerian, 350mg of magnesium citrate, two tsp of apple cider vinegar, and a couple of spoonfuls of oatmeal (helps to maintain blood sugar during the night and produces serotonin). Other daily supplements that help my sleep include iodine, methylfolate, and LDN.

 

[taniaaust1]

I see the others have said what I was going to say... B vitamins can tend to stimulate so arent usually used for sleep and u can get slow release melatonin if u have trouble staying asleep (though for me I havent found slow release one any good for getting to sleep).

 

[ChiliPep]

I think I read about Niacin and/or methylfolate helping sleep and ended up getting the B-complex. I'll take it in the morning and see if it helps my energy rather than at night for sleep. The Thorne brand I bought has the methylated folate and methyl B12 so hopefully I won't have a problem. I might also buy Niacin supplement by itself for sleep and methylfolate too.

I did an at home sleep study a couple years ago and they found I have sleep apnea so I tried the cpap machine. I tried 4 different types of masks and was highly motivated to make it work because I thought it was going to cure all my problems, but couldn't sleep with it on no matter how hard I tried. I could not sleep with it at all and insurance monitors usage so when I kept ripping the mask off to get a couple hours sleep, they stopped covering it. My oncologist told me of a good sleep specialist, I might go see her and see if I can get oxygen or something. My RBCs are high which could be lack of oxygen. But of course if my airway is actually closing then I don't know how much oxygen will help. My asthma's been really bad too, ever since I went on tomaxifen.

Thanks for heads-up on L-Theanine causing stomach ach and vomiting. If tyrosine can activate adrenaline, I might try it during the day. I've been using my inhaler a lot lately and between that and my fast heart rate from POTS, I worry a bit about my heart racing too much. I think I'll start with the 5-htp. I do need to try to get some LDN. My melatonin came today so might try that second. Argh, I've read all sorts of helpful posts and then my brain fog losses it--hanging onto my memories these days is like hanging onto a greased watermelon in the water or grabbing lint in the bathtub--they keep floating away. So now I'm taking notes.

Any other supplements suggestions are welcome.

Thanks.

 

[perchance dreamer]

L-Tyrosine: this is great for helping me to sleep better and is one of my essential supplements. I take one 750mg capsule at bedtime. 750mg works better for me than 500mg.

Hi, @PatJ. I think it's so interesting that tyrosine helps you sleep. It's way too stimulating for me to take in the evening although I can tolerate the small amount of tyrosine in Neuroscience's Balance D, a supplement I take as soon as I wake up in the morning.

Tyrosine is one of the ingredients in Neurobiologix's Calming Creme. My doctor, Kendal Stewart, formulates it, and I've known several people at his clinic who say they can't sleep or live without it. It gave me terrible insomnia, though, and I think it was the tyrosine because I can tolerate all the other ingredients just fine.

Interesting how different we all are!