The Faithless Insomniac Thread

For me, it's PTSD, PMDD, GAD, depression, and, pain issues. I'm a MESS!

And, yes, I also take enough meds to drug an elephant!
 
After I finish my bottle of melatonin. I am going to try Alteril. It's got Valerian root, melatonin, L-tryptophan and L-theanine (an amino acid in green tea) in it.
 
Well since I can't afford insomnia medication on my own I am thinking about taking an herbal or holistic approach to see if anything works.
 
Ok who's having an insomnia episode tonight?
 
Dixie said:
Well since I can't afford insomnia medication on my own I am thinking about taking an herbal or holistic approach to see if anything works.
Click to expand...

Try melatonin, Dixie. I've heard that to be pretty good. But, beware... This can get expensive, too. I wish you luck!
 
Oceanbreeze said:
Try melatonin, Dixie. I've heard that to be pretty good. But, beware... This can get expensive, too. I wish you luck!
Click to expand...

Thanks. I've been laying off caffeine after 6pm and seeing if that helps any.
 
Dixie said:
Ok who's having an insomnia episode tonight?
Click to expand...

I am!!! It's because of my stupid cough... It's not getting any better... Grrrr...

For me, it's PTSD, and depression but I don't take any medication for that.
 
my ex had his bipolar diagnosis changed to PTSD by the VA. He was in the Navy but got into a car accident right after boot camp. He never saw active duty. The thing that gets me is he's on the same meds that he was on when he was bipolar. :dunno: sounds the same to me.
 
Dixie said:
Ok who's having an insomnia episode tonight?
Click to expand...

I'll be up tonight, I took meds yesterday and the day before so I won't take them tonight. I try to embrace my insomnia, I'll be finishing up school work or maybe read a book or whatever.

FYI, my an insomniac due to an alpha wave issue (aka..can't stop thinking), it clogs my sleep pattern and won't allow me to get to REM sleep. If you're curious why you can't sleep, go to a sleep clinic and they will have you "sleep" overnight a few nights and they will ekg you overnight to read your brain for the different stages of sleep. I find that part funny because even if you're not an insomniac, how are supposed to sleep in a strange bed not your own with ekg electrodes placed all over your head. :D

Here's some advice they'll give you, try sudafed first. that makes you drowsy and will help. if/when that don't work, try things like exercise and diet tricks. diet such as cutting out all caffeine, they will say after 5pm or entirely but I haven't had a soda/caffeine in about 4 years and yet here I am. also exercising, not before bed but a regular exercise regiment. next is onto creating a "pattern".

First off, NEVER do anything in your bed except sleep. Your body remembers everything, even if you don't. If you go to bed to read every night, when you go to bed to sleep, your body thinks, "well, it's reading time, I guess I'll just lay here and wait". don't take naps or sleep anywhere except your bed, this will train your body on "bed recognition". this all includes watching tv while in bed, that's a no no also. create a cycle to train your body, ie...every night at 10pm you go to bed and lay there until you sleep, eventually this is supposed to create a pattern "cycle" to train your body, next thing you know, you're knocked out at 10pm. Also have sex, believe it or not this is part of insomnia cure. If you don't have anyone, take care of business yourself, but make sure to finish. Remember, don't do it in your bed, that's for sleeping. Also, eat healthy. A regular, healthy diet will promote a healthy brain and body, this will help you sleep. There are a lot more things I learned in the countless years of sleep clinics and doctor visits, but this thread has gotten too long already. :P

BTW, i paid an INSANE amount for doctor visits and clinics. I just saved you over $12,000 for your first clinic and first few doctor visits, and since you read this post, I'm passing the savings on to you, please send $49.99 to me :giggle:
 
Juli-terp-to-be said:
my ex had his bipolar diagnosis changed to PTSD by the VA. He was in the Navy but got into a car accident right after boot camp. He never saw active duty. The thing that gets me is he's on the same meds that he was on when he was bipolar. :dunno: sounds the same to me.
Click to expand...

I was diagnosed with bipolar II, depression dominate. However, the diagnosis was wrong. I have been re-diagnosed with Pre-menstrual Dysmorphic Disorder. The irritability is so bad, though, it has mimicked hypomania or a mixed state in the past.
 
MSHax said:
I'll be up tonight, I took meds yesterday and the day before so I won't take them tonight. I try to embrace my insomnia, I'll be finishing up school work or maybe read a book or whatever.

FYI, my an insomniac due to an alpha wave issue (aka..can't stop thinking), it clogs my sleep pattern and won't allow me to get to REM sleep. If you're curious why you can't sleep, go to a sleep clinic and they will have you "sleep" overnight a few nights and they will ekg you overnight to read your brain for the different stages of sleep. I find that part funny because even if you're not an insomniac, how are supposed to sleep in a strange bed not your own with ekg electrodes placed all over your head. :D

Here's some advice they'll give you, try sudafed first. that makes you drowsy and will help. if/when that don't work, try things like exercise and diet tricks. diet such as cutting out all caffeine, they will say after 5pm or entirely but I haven't had a soda/caffeine in about 4 years and yet here I am. also exercising, not before bed but a regular exercise regiment. next is onto creating a "pattern".

First off, NEVER do anything in your bed except sleep. Your body remembers everything, even if you don't. If you go to bed to read every night, when you go to bed to sleep, your body thinks, "well, it's reading time, I guess I'll just lay here and wait". don't take naps or sleep anywhere except your bed, this will train your body on "bed recognition". this all includes watching tv while in bed, that's a no no also. create a cycle to train your body, ie...every night at 10pm you go to bed and lay there until you sleep, eventually this is supposed to create a pattern "cycle" to train your body, next thing you know, you're knocked out at 10pm. Also have sex, believe it or not this is part of insomnia cure. If you don't have anyone, take care of business yourself, but make sure to finish. Remember, don't do it in your bed, that's for sleeping. Also, eat healthy. A regular, healthy diet will promote a healthy brain and body, this will help you sleep. There are a lot more things I learned in the countless years of sleep clinics and doctor visits, but this thread has gotten too long already. :P

BTW, i paid an INSANE amount for doctor visits and clinics. I just saved you over $12,000 for your first clinic and first few doctor visits, and since you read this post, I'm passing the savings on to you, please send $49.99 to me :giggle:
Click to expand...

Thanks, now I see a lot of my problem but I admit I am a creature of habit and once I get into a routine of something that doesn't necessarily have to be changed then I won't change it.

I do a lot in my bed. I'll read, surf the Internet, watch TV, etc. I will try to do things out of my bed but the thing is that my bed is so damn comfy I don't wanna sit anywhere else! I don't think I'll ever set foot into a sleep clinic just knowing they are usually outrageously expensive. I also have frequent headaches so this may be insomnia-related as well. I'll try to do the simple fixes first before I do something drastic.
 
KristinaB said:
I've taken that and had my heart rate accelerate to dangerous levels. The doctor took me off after only 2 doses and said that due to my allergies, there was nothing available for me with my problems sleeping. He suggested I use natural methods and do my best to avoid stress. Hah! With my household, stress is a part of life.
Click to expand...

melatonin and sleepy time tea


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Melatonin

Circadian rhythmIn humans, melatonin is produced by the pineal gland, a gland about the size of a pea, located in the center of the brain but outside the blood-brain barrier. The melatonin signal forms part of the system that regulates the sleep-wake cycle by chemically causing drowsiness and lowering the body temperature, but it is the central nervous system (more specifically, the SCN) that controls the daily cycle in most components of the paracrine and endocrine systems[29][30] rather than the melatonin signal (as was once postulated).

Infants' melatonin levels become regular in about the third month after birth, with the highest levels measured between midnight and 08:00 (8 AM).[31]

In humans, 90% of melatonin is cleared in a single passage through the liver, a small amount is excreted in urine,[32] and a small amount is found in saliva.
Click to expand...


Sleepytime® Herbal Tea | Celestial Seasonings
 
KristinaB said:
Thanks for the info - melatonin makes me a little nervous, but I will check into it. Sleepytime Herbal Tea does not do a thing. I have tried it a lot, but I hate chamomile.
Click to expand...

You can buy melatonin tablets over the counter at Walmart. I've tried these but had very limited results.
 
I have tried Valerian root, melatonin......they work for a while but then I have to up the dosage.
I was taking 3 Valerian root caplets then I switched to Melatonin & now I am up to 4 3mg tablets. I don't know why I am not able to fall asleep anymore. :dunno:
 
I tried Tylenol PM a while back. It didn't help any. Has anyone tried the other PMs like Excedrin PM?
 
Dixie said:
What's your longest stretch of no sleep?
Click to expand...

naturally or chemically? (haha)

I am a part-time insomniac. I have gone thru periods in my life where I could not sleep. Happily, I am not in one of them right now. There is nothing worse than not being able to sleep. But then - is it possible that some that think they are insomniacs are really just night people? Some people come to life at night, it is when they are most active. It is only because the rest of the world slows down at night that they might feel it is an issue...

My problem with sleeping was mental. I was either depressed or just could not turn off my mind. I would lie there all night with my thoughts racing. Even if I did fall asleep, I would always wake up in the early am hours, like at 3 or so, and not be able to fall back to sleep. Of course I resorted to medication to help me get back on track, sometimes it worked, sometimes it didn't. I had to go for the good stuff, things like sleepytime tea or valerian root (made me break out in hives) don't work for me. I remember a time when one of my quack doctors gave me an unlimited prescription for a drug called halcion...which was later I THINK proven to be very very bad...turned people into psychos or something....but damn, did it work!! Just one of those babies and it was night-night for sure.

So glad sleeping is not an issue for me at this point in time, insomnia really is the worst.
 
Back
Top