Ways to get sleep. Methods, drugs, everything.

[Little Bluestem]

That's a tiny dose. Has it also got other things in it too?

1 capsule also has 50 mg GABA, 50 mg hops, 200 mg valerian root, 50 mg lemon balm, and 150 mg L-Tryptophan.

 

[Allyson]

blu light therapy aquae aerobics or spa,,,vitamin b 12

Hi The blu light therpay works well for me; it needs to be blue; i use the phillips; you need more thatn 20 minutes and need to remember to put it on - in your peripheral vision at arms length' not fial proof but it helps

aqua aerobics in the evening helps me sleep as does a warm bath - not too hot mind!

I thought this was just form the calming effect of the warm water but I have OI so it is likely also that it boosts my blood bolume by pushing fluid back into the venous sytem from the lymphatics

intramuscular b 12 amazingly helps me have much deeper sleep - seem to feel it deeper in my muscles; it has no other evident effects such as increasing energy and my levels were not low before I started it but it really helps; i take a shot about every 1- 2 weeks.
l tryptophan helps
ltheanine helps
melatonin helps but makes me drowsy in the daytime after a few days on it
for the person helped by a carb meal at night - sleep studies have shown people - not with ME - often wake very early in the morning due to a drop in blood sugarwhich is followed by a compensatory spike in adrenalin which wakes them so this may be why it helps you

yes I agree dark room ......and earplugs help when I can bear to wear them

regular magnesium but not too much or too late at night [or you wake up needing to go to the loo]

calcim also seems to help

not raising my legs on pillows [as I am inclined to want to do] helped a bit and now I want to try raising head of bed slightly as that is supposed to help too.

D- ribose is supposed to help sleep; it totally stops my muscle aches but seems to do nothing else for me though.

 

[nanonug]

I do not believe there is such a thing as a secure online database.

Well, you are right. However, does it matter?

Every now and then I get a "spurious" charge on a credit card. I dispute the charge and get reimbursed. Easy as pie.

I would say that the financial risk of "spurious" charges is very small compared to the benefit of keeping more cash in my pocket.

 

[heapsreal]

I dont use this every night but i do use it 2-3 times a week and have been getting a solid 8-9 hours sleep, maybe a pit stop somewhere through the night but easily go back to sleep.
Diphenhydramine 50mg plus doxylamine 25mg plus zopiclone 7.5mg, plus 300mg neurontin. The first 2 are antihistamines, the third is a benzo z-drug and the 4th is an anticonvulsant which can help with sleep but i use for leg pains/RLS. I wake up abit groggy which passes in an hour but its a good nights refreshing sleep. zopiclone puts me to sleep and the antihistamines keep me asleep.

Im hesitant to use something that works well all the time as tolerence can occurr too soon.

cheers!!!

 

[meandthecat]

I have been using sominmex, promethazine hydrochloride, every now and again and it does the trick... but I never had insomnia really bad.

 

[taniaaust1]

1 capsule also has 50 mg GABA, 50 mg hops, 200 mg valerian root, 50 mg lemon balm, and 150 mg L-Tryptophan.

Thanks. I havent tried two of those things in that pill (GABA and the L-Tryptophan). Ive been on supplements or a night cap of those others things but they didnt help.
...........

Past few days my insomina has been a bit better. Im managing to get to sleep at 2.30am with only melatonin (2.30am, isnt ideal but certainly is bearable).

This is so great Im doing a bit better insomina wise as its giving my body a break from the anti-histamine which I was about to became tollerant to again and the Tempazepam (which I havent had to take in probably what would be near 1-2 weeks now.. I was about to have to use the Temtabs more due to where the anti-histamine was heading again as I do not want to have to up my dose of those again).

I could be using this better time to try to use the stronger things to bring my sleep time forward a bit more but I think for the next couple of weeks if the okay period stays, I'll just give my body a rest from any benzo and the other drug... and just use the melatonin. Then go back to them and try to move my sleep cycle forward a little more.

A think a cautious approach with taking breaks at times from things WHEN ABLE, is more sensible. If it takes me longer to sort out my sleep, its just the way its going to have to be (it's been 4 mths since specialists and I started working together to try to sort the sleep issues out, we are now probably over half way there).

Its great my body is giving me a bit of a break so to not have to worry about building up drug tollerances. All the drug stuff is one huge juggling act to do the best I can do for my body.

 

[jeffrez]

Suffering myself from chronic sleep disorder/insomnias, I realize this sounds a little laughable to those of us with severe sleep issues, but in all seriousness when the insomnia is not too intense I find that relaxing the mind and the body definitely do help. When in the grips of some severe HPAA wired/tired episode it's simply not as effective - at those times you often do just really need the right med or supp - but if you just need to take the edge off a little, a meditation approach can sometimes work - or at least help.

One of the things I do is first do a "progressive scan" of the body, drawing my attention up and down the body in a slow "scan," relaxing muscles along the way until everything is as relaxed as possible. Sometimes it's surprising to find areas of tension when I thought I was already totally relaxed. That process helps calm the mind, too.

Once I've gone through that and am as relaxed as I think I'm likely to be, I very simply start repeating "sleeeeeeep" on the outbreath, and then saying "and" on the inbreath: "And... sleeeeeeeeeeep." I stretch out the word "sleep" until I'm all the way to the end of the outbreath, almost to the point where I'm ready to breathe in again, and then in that little gap before the breath actually does come in again, I try to just rest in the sense of having a completely empty mind, a feeling almost of 'releasing' everything in my mind and letting the mind be still.

I usually keep the "eee" syllable going as close to the end of the outbreath cycle as possible, while still leaving room for that tiny "gap," as that seems to help quiet down thoughts that otherwise would intrude. But there's no right or wrong way to do it, obviously. That's just what tends to work for me. Everyone will most likely have their own natural rhythm that feels most comfortable to them.

So like I said - no substitute for needed meds at those really bad times, but even then it can sometimes help take the edge off. And when things aren't so bad, sometimes it can help you avoid having to take something when otherwise you would have to. Hope it helps someone!

 

[taniaaust1]

Once I've gone through that and am as relaxed as I think I'm likely to be, I very simply start repeating "sleeeeeeep" on the outbreath, and then saying "and" on the inbreath: "And... sleeeeeeeeeeep." I stretch out the word "sleep" until I'm all the way to the end of the outbreath, almost to the point where I'm ready to breathe in again, and then in that little gap before the breath actually does come in again, I try to just rest in the sense of having a completely empty mind, a feeling almost of 'releasing' everything in my mind and letting the mind be still.

I usually keep the "eee" syllable going as close to the end of the outbreath cycle as possible, while still leaving room for that tiny "gap," as that seems to help quiet down thoughts that otherwise would intrude. But there's no right or wrong way to do it, obviously. That's just what tends to work for me. Everyone will most likely have their own natural rhythm that feels most comfortable to them.

So like I said - no substitute for needed meds at those really bad times, but even then it can sometimes help take the edge off. And when things aren't so bad, sometimes it can help you avoid having to take something when otherwise you would have to. Hope it helps someone!

It sounds as if that would have the added bonus of also creating a deeper breathing state to due to slowing down the breath. Deep breathing can be great for some sleep issues.

 

[Marlène]

Is it me or did nobody mention the factor (cellular) pain in difficulty of falling or staying asleep?
I also don't seem to find a comfortable position to sleep. My head is empty but my body very restless.

 

[MeSci]

Just found this thread thanks to a link from another thread.

I'm copying here my own experiences from yet another thread:

...my low-grain/low-sugar/gluten-free diet plus l-glutamine, sodium bicarbonate, acetyl-l-carnitine, alpha lipoic acid, bone minerals and omega-3 supplement regime has improved my sleep considerably along with many other problems. I still have a few poor nights, which I think are due to over-exertion. I am fairly sure it's all down to leaky gut/acidosis, which can be exacerbated by stress, exertion and carbohydrates. The improved sleep coincides with calmer moods and less occurrence of feelings of high adrenaline either in sudden rushes or an underlying 'wired' feeling.

I do take mild sleep meds, which I alternate over an 8-day cycle and comprise paracetamol-plus-codeine, melatonin, diphenhydramine, chlorphenamine and promethazine. I combine the melatonin with paracetamol-plus-codeine, diphenhydramine or chlorphenamine.

A vital skill I've learned is how to stop thinking. I do it by focusing on vague shapes visible after closing my eyes. Thinking is a real sleep-killer for me.

The thread is here.

 

[heyitisjustin]

Olive leaf extract is anti-viral and an antioxidant. I believe the anti-viral effect is what helps me sleep, calming some chronic immune response a bit perhaps.

Olive leaf extract supposedly lowers noradrenaline, that might explain it too