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AgainandAgain posted 6/14/2013 21:47 PM

I didn't know I could post here so here is my first (I'm sure of many).

I have always had issues sleeping at night. I have anxiety and have been on different meds throughout the years. I've weaned myself off to the point it can't be healthy to take them forever.

Well, ever since I was younger I have always had issues with not being able to sleep at night. Once it gets dark out, my mind fills with things I can't control and I am awake. I've resorted to taking sleeping pills here and there and I still take a few of my leftover anxiety meds. I guess I need to go to the doctor but my doctor isn't exactly great at helping me with issues.

My question is this. Who here has issues with insomnia/anxiety and is on a great medication for it? Or do you do something holistic and it helps?

jo2love posted 6/14/2013 21:55 PM

(((again)))

I go on spurts where I can't fall asleep or fall asleep too quickly. Have you tried melatonin or journaling before med? Anxiety meds have also helped me.

[This message edited by jo2love at 9:56 PM, June 14th (Friday)]

thisissogross posted 6/14/2013 22:05 PM

Lifelong insomniac here. Although I've gone through periods where meds have been a necessity, I've found making bedtime very routine (if not ritualized) most helpful. Also, some of those teas (native remedies I think was one?) have been CRAZY effective for me. I had always poopooed them and never tried one until a couple years ago and was amazed at how well it worked. Beware though, if you're on the pill a lot of naturally sleepy herbs can render it ineffective.

Eta: I lied, it's actually 'nighty night' by traditional medicinals. Native remedies makes my cat's allergy med but-They may have sleep stuff for people so I'm leaving their name up too.

[This message edited by thisissogross at 10:17 PM, June 14th (Friday)]

Sad in AZ posted 6/14/2013 22:18 PM

I have very minimal sleep needs--5 to 5.5 hours a night, but since d-day, I rarely even get that much. I find that I have a very small 'window of opportunity' to fall asleep; it may come at 7pm, and if I miss it, I'm doomed for my night's sleep.

So, from my experience, go to sleep when you are tired, no matter when that occurs.

AgainandAgain posted 6/14/2013 22:23 PM

Thank you for all the replies!

I'm having issues a majority of the time. Last night, I passed right out but was awoken about an hour later and then had broken sleep.

I haven't tried journaling at all. Melatonin I tried for a few nights but then forgot to take it. Is it good??

I was on a anxiety med that doubles as an allergy pill and it knocked me out. I was often sleeping within minutes.

I was going to try Mid Nite but didn't know how that worked. I'm just so sleepy and would love to be in bed for 8 hours a night!

Thisis...I am on the pill. How do you know which ones render it useless??? I didn't know that!!!

Nature_Girl posted 6/14/2013 22:26 PM

Depending on the night I may take:

Melatonin
Benedryl
Chamomile tea
Valerian root capsules
Tylenol

I also cannot sleep on an empty stomach. It helps me to eat something shortly before sleeping.

AgainandAgain posted 6/14/2013 22:28 PM

NatureGirl-do you take something every night?

Actually does anyone take meds every single night??

thisissogross posted 6/14/2013 22:31 PM

I know for sure that st. John's wort is one that does-and am fairly certain others do as well (valerian maybe among them?) Anyway, if you decide to try that route I'd just be sure to check product info carefully, sleep aid that is-the BC inserts never say anything about herbal interactions. Good luck, I know how crazy making and miserable this can be.

AgainandAgain posted 6/14/2013 22:33 PM

Very, I'm going nuts not sleeping. It wasn't too bad years ago but now with a small child, things change. Once she sleeps, I want to sleep. She naps for a very short period of time during the day and it's usually when I can't nap or I have things I need to accomplish and do so when she is sleeping.

I just want to go check into a hotel for a few nights and sleep the whole time

missherlots posted 6/15/2013 00:44 AM

In my opinion you need to practice maindfulness meditation. It will fix your problem slowly but forever. Just do not give up bc it can be boring shometimes. the meditaion will get you to the point that You will be able to control your thinking by creating new neuropath ways in your brain.
it is free and you can do it always, anywhere, with anyone.
check youtube with the subject and start there.
Hope it helps.

Lucky2HaveMe posted 6/15/2013 06:57 AM

My H takes ambien every night and has for years. He is trying to wean off, but isn't seeing very good results. He also suffers from anxiety and takes ativan as needed.

I take tylenol pm every night. It helps me get to sleep and stay asleep through H's snoring. If I wake during the night and have trouble sleeping I will pop a MidNite (they dissolve in your mouth so you don't need water).

Probably not the best habit, but I need to sleep.

AgainandAgain posted 6/15/2013 07:11 AM

Missherlots-I'll look it up and try it. Thank you!

Lucky2HaveMe-I'm now taking ZZZquil every night. It works but I'm sure it's not the best habit to form either. I've heard people on sleep prescribed meds have issues coming off of them.

I just miss falling asleep naturally!

Dreamboat posted 6/15/2013 07:23 AM

I have always had difficulty falling asleep. I tried melatonin but it did not always work. It just did not seem effective for me. I was prescribe sleeping pill (ambian I think) and I hated those. While I could sleep, I felt sluggish in the morning and could not think until well after noon.

I have resorted to routine and being tuned in to my body. I go to bed when I am tired, not at a set time every night. So I may go to bed at 9 one night and midnight another night. And if I go to bed and I am still awake in 1 hour, then I get back up.

The one thing that keeps me awake more than anything else is stress that results in "racing thoughts" When I am stressed about something then my mind just churns and churns about the problem and possible solutions. When that happens, I take a xanax and that calms my thoughts and I am able to sleep.

HTH

Nature_Girl posted 6/15/2013 16:07 PM

NatureGirl-do you take something every night?

Yes. There are only a handful of nights per year where I can successfully get to sleep without something. I've had chronic insomnia since I was a VERY young girl. It does not matter if I read, pray, meditate, exercise, am happy/sad, journal, watch TV/movies, have sex, have a routine, whatever. Sleep is very hard for me to come by.

I've charted when I actually get sleepy and have determined I am not from Planet Earth. I do not have a 24-hour sleep/wake cycle. It's MUCH longer for me, I could and have gone 24-hours AWAKE. I spent years geting about 4 hours of sleep per 48-hours. Not that I recommend it, but I've done it. The reason I tried melatonin was because I hoped I could train my body to get sleepy at normal intervals. No joy.

Sadly for me, the time of day when I'm most sleepy and can most easily conk out would be between 5:00 pm and 7:00 pm. As a mother (and former wife), it's not possible to go to sleep at that time. So since I don't go to sleep when I'm actually sleepy, I'm up for another however many hours.

I just figure I'm a freak.

ETA: What's really a bummer is now that I'm "older", not only do I have a hard time getting to sleep, now I cannot STAY asleep. I'm often awake for an hour or two in the middle of the night these days. Or I'll wake hours before I need to and can't get back to sleep. Well, can't until it's about 45-minutes to go until time to get up, then I crash and enter the sleep of the dead zone.

[This message edited by Nature_Girl at 4:10 PM, June 15th (Saturday)]

Hearthache again posted 6/15/2013 22:04 PM

Nature_girl and I are on the same meds.

I do not remember a day when I did not have to take something to sleep. I am naturally a night owl. I usually do not feel sleepy until around 4 am. I am lucky and have a H that lets me sleep when I can. I can go days without sleeping more than 3 hours a night. As long as I get 1-2 sleep cycles in a night I am good.

Benadryl is very safe to take. As far as I know there is no long term effect. Its the go to med for me. I am about to take some sleep meds soon because I have to get up early and teach Sunday School and get classrooms ready by 9 am.

Lucky2HaveMe posted 6/16/2013 07:26 AM

Benadryl is very safe to take

Same active ingredient as the Tylenol/Advil/Generic PM sleep aid.