Trouble Sleeping - Hampshire, IL

Hi A.,

I certainly hope this is not the case for you, but I just want to throw it out there. I gave birth in April 2008 and ended up with postpartum depression that set in about a month after my baby was born. One of my major issues was that I could not sleep. But in my case, I could not fall asleep at all. I was put on medication for it. I know PPD can supposedly hit up to a year after giving birth, so I thought I'd mention it. If you are not having any other symptoms, then this is probably not the case for you. Good luck...as I have come to learn, a good night's sleep is soooo important!

Hi A....I have a great pill for you. It is called Melatonin. I got this at Target. This is something that is already in your body and it is all natural and it helps you sleep. I also take this and so does my children because they have trouble sleeping so their dr recommended it for them. We are all very stressed, and we sleep through the nite. The brand is Nature's Bounty and it was only like $5.00 I believe. I hope it can you. Good Luck

Do you take Melatonin? That's the natural supplement to support good sleeping. If you are breastfeeding, ask your Dr. if it's ok to take, but I've never heard of it being a problem for nursing mothers. Like anything else, you have to let it build up in your system for a while before it works, but I also have a lot of sleeping problems and it has helped me a lot.
Good luck,
MC

I think that light sleeping is just a natural reaction to being a new mom. You'll get used to it and will eventually learn to fall into a deeper sleep as your daughter gets older... and then just when you can finally sleep again, you'll have another and then it'll start ALL over again!

If your husband shifting around wakes you up, I want to recommend a Tempurpedic mattress. We just got one for a lot of different reasons, and much to my surprise, the best part is that I don't even know my husband is in bed with me! Ha ha. He often comes to bed later than me and it's really nice because I don't feel him get in, nor do I notice if he tosses and turns. Also, since our kids were born, we have a ton of nightlights and so we sleep with eye masks, and we take turns wearing ear plugs at night. I've found that if I can create a cocoon for myself, almost like a sensory deprivation chamber, I sleep much better. And the best part is, no drugs.

Give it a try! I think that Tempurpedic has a 30 day trial policy, so if it doesn't work you can send it back. They are pricey, so it's worth trying it out first.

Tryptophan is a natural pill that you can take to help you relax - it is not a sleeping pill, but will help you relax and help your nervous system stop being so hypersensitive. Tryptophan is the "sleepy" ingredient in turkey! They simply put it in pill form. It should help you feel more relaxed and sleepy, but not like a sleeping pill to "knock you out" as most do. As with any medication, I would double check with your doctor before taking it, or any other medication, because even with natual remedies, there could be interaction with any medications or health problems you may have. Good luck!

I had the same exact problem. My daughter is now almost 5 and I would say that when she turned 2, my sleep problems stopped. Anything would wake me up and then I would be up for the night. I feel for you, really. It is tough. I didn't take anything OTC because I nursed her for 16 months. I thought it might have been hormone related, because when I stopped nursing and my body got back to normal, I slept much better.

Try melatonin, it does work,and also get plenty of exercise. I hope you get some sleep!

You could try one of those white noise makers, a fan or a sound soother. You might be less likely to wake up at every little sound that way.

I've also found that a cool room makes it nicer to snuggle up under the covers.

Talk to your doctor about Natural Calm and see if it would hurt your baby. It's just magnesium, a natural supplement and it calms. Or a nice decaffeinated tea like Sleepy Time.

I've found the more I worry about sleeping the less likely I am to sleep! So relax--and good luck to you!

Hi,

I am a distributor with Shaklee, which is the no. natural nutrition company in the US and they have a product called Gentle Sleep Complex. It is not a medication and does contain natural ingredients. I love to send you some information on it and about Shaklee itself.

Let me know if your interested, I would love to share.

L.

A.,
Make sure you don't drink any alcohol before you go to bed. Alcohol will help you to initially fall asleep, but then causes you to wake up in the middle of the night & not get back to sleep. There are also foods that help promote sleep. Nuts & milk are good (protein). You can go on line & find all the good & bad things to consume at night.

Ok, this isn't exactly natural, but it's not a sleeping pill either. Take a Zyrtech around or right after dinner time. It's an over-the-counter allergy pill you can get at any drug store. I can always tell when I forget it because I don't sleep well. I am a life-long light sleeper, and was stunned by how much better I sleep once I started taking this for allergies. My mom was prescribed Ambien and it wasn't working, so I gave her some Zyrtech since she has allergies as well, and it worked great for her too. After decades of poor sleep, she's getting more rest finally.

A., You should have a check up to make sure everything is medically okay and talk to your doctor about sleep. It could be many things and you shouldn't start messing with it until you are medically evaluated.

I feel your pain A.! I never had problems, unless under extreme stress, until after my son. He's 2 and we are having all kinds of sleep issues w/him. Although even when he did sleep through the night I would wake up from the wind and if it was after 2am.. couldn't get back to sleep! It was a nightmare. I sleep w/a fan on. That helps. We need a new mattress and when we can afford it we will get a king size one. We have a queen and I feel every toss and turn. I know having a comfortable bed is important for good sleep!

However, since being pregnant with #2(due 4/30) I haven't had as many problems getting back to sleep. Natures way of helping me out I guess! Good luck and hope you find a solution soon!

Here are a few things that I've found about my same problems:

1.) Do you injest any caffeine after 3 or 4pm? I go to bed around 9pm and if I've had any caffiene after 5pm, at the latest, I will toss and turn. I will wake up at every little instance. In my younger days (20's) I could take diet pills and go to bed, but those days are over.

2.) Do you find yourself waking up with troubles on your mind? You need to learn to let things go. Stop fretting about things you can't do anything about while you sleep. I have to pray quite a bit when I start doing that. I can't fix it in my sleep so I have to tell myself to not worry about it until tomorrow. I pray for the Lord to shut my over-active brain down and help me deal with those things that are troubling me and accept those things I can't do anything about. For me it is having just a bit of faith to hand things over. I have trouble doing that and tend to fret.

3.) Do you have unresolved fears? Our house was broken into three years ago in broad daylight (when I should have been home, but stepped out). I came home in the middle of the robbery but for some reason changed my routine that day and didn't walk in the house to put my purse down. I instead go the kids all out of their seats and then searched for a toy that rolled out of the van and under the carriage. To this day I have no idea how the toy got up to the front of the van and then roll out that door. (God was looking out for me) At any rate, I sometimes can't sleep because of it. For the first year it was horrible. I heard every noise. They caught the young man that did it because he left his fingerprints all over the house. He spent a few months in a detention center, but now he's out. Security is a big issue for me as well.

4.) Do you worry about your child when it sleeps? My neighbor gave me this Angel monitor that you put under the mattress. It will sound an alarm if your baby does move a little every so often. Babies move alot when they sleep. That helped with my fear of SIDS. I also have a three way monitor from Safety 1st that scans each of my children's rooms during the night. I listen to each room for about 10 or 20 seconds and then it goes to the next. I can't hear my children at night and that helps me. Unfortunately I haven't found a replacement for it and I now have to listen to shorts in the circuitry on occasion.

I suppose after all that I would say that for me it is the ability to shut my brain off. To concentrate on having and remembering a little faith in the Lord that he's there watching over me and my family. Trying to handle things that trouble me in an efficient way and then let things go that I can't do anything about. Telling myself at night that my sleep is very important to my well being and I need to relax.

Make sure you are comfortable...your mattress is a good one, your jammies are comfortable (I get real hot when I sleep so I sleep with warm jammies and a sheet....then I don't freeze when I have to get up in the night with the kids).

I hope some of that helped.

It is crazy how our sleep habits change when we have kids. I used to be able to sleep in til 2pm on my day off, now I get up by 6am no matter what! The best thing you can do for your body is have a very good sleep routine just like I'm sure you have done for you daughter. Go to bed at the same time every night if possible and before you are super exhausted. Don't watch tv or read in bed as these are distractions. Make the room as dark as possible and try a fan for noise. Try a sleep mask. Kick the puppy out of the room---really set the stage for sleep! If you lie down and can't fall asleep after 20 minutes than get up out of bed and do something for a half hour, don't lay in bed tossing and turning. Try exercising in the morning to get the blood flowing and making sure you are eating well throughout the day. Avoid tons of caffeine or sugar. You really have to give your body a chance to adjust to a new routine. Don't give up after a couple nights, it will come. But, definitely rid yourself of all the distraction in your bed----don't do anything in bed except sleep and have sex! Come to think of it, try having some more sex before bed, it may tire you out a bit and I'm sure hubby won't mind! If all else fails go see a sleep specialist or ask your doc about taking a benedryl before bed. Its not habit forming and very safe. I don't know if you are breastfeeding though, so ask you doc first if you are. Don't suffer through days with no sleep, lack of sleep causes more health problems than you probably know. A good night's rest is essential to your health and you and your family deserve a healthy, happy, rested mommy!

Have you tried melatonin? You can get this at GNC. My son is 6 years old and before he had his tonsils and adnoids taken out his doctor recommended this for him. I use it occasionally as well. It is a natural supplement and you do not need to take a lot of it. I only take 1mg which is what she suggested for my son.

Been doing this for a few years now...eat a banana about 30 minutes before bed, and take a Melatonin supplement. Both have natural sleep aids in them and you will rest comfortably without any side effects, and you won't sleep too hard to the point where you wouldn't hear your children if they got up in the middle of the night.

I recommend plenty of physical exercise - that is the best thing for enhancing sleep. I also use white noise to mask the little sounds that wake me up at night. Between the two, I sleep OK - that is until the hormones kick in b.f. my period then I'm up all night.....but what can you do?

Good luck.

Try an air purifier/fan for some white noise to drown out noise caused by the shifts in movements. We love our white noise!
Sweet dreams!

Have you tried melatonin? It's all natural. I use it on the occasions when I can't stay or fall back asleep. Three milligrams, works for about 3-4 hours, so you can take them in the middle of the night & wake with no "hangover." You can purchase it in most drugs stores. My Dr. recommened it.

Exercise is great for getting a good nights sleep. Also, cut out any caffeine and alcohol. If you're waking up and can't get that list of things to do out of your head, write them down. That allows you to stop thinking about them (and worrying you will forget them) b/c they will be waiting for you in the morning. Good luck!

There is a natural sleep aid called Melatonin. It's a natural herbal pill that you can find in any grocery store near the vitamins. I don't know if your breastfeeding and what impacts that can have. But from what I understand, it helps your body find it's natural rythme again. It doesn't help you fall asleep, but stay asleep for 8 hours. And it's not a drug, so if you do get woken up, you don't have that awful groggy feeling. I used to work some of the strangest hours and it would throw my sleep schedule all off. I would take some melatonin, and in time, I would be sleeping thru the night again.

Just found this out . . . a supplement that can be purchased at any vitamin store or pharmacy.

Calicum 1000 mg.
Magnesium 500 mg.
Zinc - If you feel like you have a cold.

They come all in one pill. Give it a try. I used to wake up 5-6 times a night, couldn't go back to sleep most time and I cannot tell you what a restful, peaceful sleep I am getting now. It's like a miracle to me.

Barb R.

My husband is a chiropractor and does accupunture. I found that I was the same way with sleeping after my daughter was born. I took roughly 6-7 months for me to start sleeping well. I also started sleeping better after I took the monitor out of my room. She was right acrossed the hall from us, so we could hear her anyways. My daughter was and still isn't a great sleeper at 21 months, so you are lucky in that respect. I started accupunture when she was around 15-16 months old and it really helped me to relax and get some zzzz's. Try it! I also did try medication, but it just made me feel worse and very edgy.
Good luck!
A.