Does anyone out there have trouble sleeping at night?

Health & Medical Other Health & Medical
21

Hi,
I've had trouble at various times and I am a proponent of more natural approaches. There are lots of things you need to know about sleep like: In order to make melatonin your sleeping area needs to be dark, not dark with night lights, or equipment lights etc..but dark. If you wake in the night and your eyes pick up light, then your body stops making melatonin and a vicious cycle ensues. If you have babies, obviously you have to do the best you can. You can take melatonin to help in times of poor sleep. You can also take MAGNESIUM, I recommend a product called Natural Calm,(cheapest at Vitacost.com) it is a powder you place in warm water or juice etc. I put a Tblspn, or 650 mg in my at night about 30 minutes before bed. Your whole body needs magnesium and it is very helpful in relaxation, heart beat regulation etc. You can take 5HTP, a percursor to needed sleep hormones. You can take Valerian, a smelly but very useful herb relaxant (works well on cycle cramping too and is useful for anxiety) You can take all of these together (we found out when my daughter had sleep problems and doctor who specialized in sleep and pain problems filled us in) B6 is particulary calming and can help with depression and improved sleep.

Now especially for young women with post partum blues or babies and sleep trouble,.. it is highly likely you have more than one reason for sleep trouble, but progesterone deficiency is very likely, if you know someone with post partum blues, be sure they get to someone like Dr. Sakina Davis in the Woodlands TX area who can prescribe bio identical progesterone and not the pharmaceutical stuff. You can also try an over the counter cream. Progesterone cream, should you use to much can make you a bit sleepy. Lots of women have progesterone imbalances and can benefit from trying a run of the cream. It helps anxiety, palpitations, sleep issues, PMS, all sorts of things. It can help you teenage daughters with terrible cramps and headaches as well.....
You can also have messed up cortisol levels...too low in the morning, too high in the evening and therefore you can't sleep, you can get tested for that as well, but I don't recommend the standard test for one time in the day...you need an all day long test.. again someone like Dr. Davis can help you there, you can order a saliva test online about 100.00 dollars. Cortisol regulation is imperative to handling stress, and sleeping... and tons of women have problems with it especially after they've been pregnant, but it those without kids can be affected as well.

Thyroid is another issue that affects lots of women and goes undiagnosed. Most doctors look at a test called TSH, it can show problems, but it is NOT definitive. There are doctors who are looking at the bigger picture, like how you feel, and whether you are sleeping, gaining weight, having pain and all sorts of other things as a barometer of poss Thyroid trouble.. I know Dr. Davis in the Woodlands will check T3 T4, Free T3 Free T4, Thyroid antibodies and other things that most MD's are not checking. It can change your life and Dr. Davis does not charge an arm and a leg to see you. New patient fee applies, I think it runs $55.00.

If you have trouble with magnesium (it can give you loose bowels past a certain level) there are alternatives, like epsom salts in your bath...read up on this and learn about it, and you can buy magnesium oil online, it is absorbed through the skin, so it bypasses your intestines and you have no bowel problems.

Remember not to drink too much before bed, take a hot bath.. use the scent of ylang ylang on your pillow, that scent helps you sleep.

Perimenopausal women can use the Progesterone big time for sleeping.

Hope this give you some other options...

22

Yes, I take 1/2 an ambien...and if I don't have that I take a tylenol pm...works pretty good too. I have not tried Lunesta, since ambien works for me.

23

i dontknow but my husband can't sleep well either so i hope there are some responses

24

Yes - only for about 30 yrs. I have tried all the prescription sleep aids. I have been using Valerian (a natural substance) and take 4 or 5 each night. I started with 2 per night about 2 yrs ago.

I'm a 77 yr old great grandmother, raised 7 daughters and have lots to keep me from sleeping....

25

I took Lunesta a few years ago. I also take Adderall and if you don't know how it works, it can make it very hard to fall asleep. The level of focus it puts in your brain, sometimes I just couldn't stop it. Lunesta was great. Really great. I went through Ambien first and was hooked on it almost instantly- could NOT sleep without it. Lunesta, I was able to take as needed because I didn't need it everyday. Ambien, I HAD TO HAVE. I quit taking it because there isn't a generic for it and my copay for it was $50! I'm now on Restoril and love it maybe even more than Lunesta. If you're looking for cost efficiency, I'd go with the Restoril. If not, Lunesta is awesome. Hope that helps! Molly

26

There are lots of options out there-others are Sonata-this one is good if you just have trouble falling asleep. It also has a short half life, so if you happen to wake at night and can't fall asleep again, you can take another one.

Some people use Benadryl, which is the active ingredient in the OTC sleep aids.

I also used Lunesta-I did have the taste in my mouth, but it just helped me to remember to drink more water :)

Now I take Trazadone (sp.?)-it has worked the best for me.

I"m also getting ready to schedule a sleep study. You might consider getting evaluated for one before doing any meds-there may be underlying issues keeping you from sleeping

HTH. Blessings~

27

I have been taking Lunesta for quite some time. I have not noticed any side effects. And I do get a good night's sleep, something that I had been missing for years. The only thing with it that you need to get 7 - 8 hours sleep or you will be groggy. Sometimes, I can take 1/2 a pill and that works good too

28

One thing that helped me sleep better was to put together my To Do List the night before. That way, when I went to bed, I wouldn't have to worry about all the things I had to do the next day. Also, no caffiene after 12 noon. Also, are you exercising? If not, even a short walk a few times a week can make a differrence. Good Luck!

29

hello there! Yes, i have just started having trouble with sleeping and find myself up in the middle of the night for hours. What started happening is I was so stressed about it, it started affecting the my ability to fall asleep. I talked to my doctor who prescribed an ambien type sleeping aid (generic). The problem was, the dose was 10mg, which for me was way too much. I cut the pill in 1/4's and it really helped. it got me over the hump and now most nights i can sleep on my own. Good luck. (I'm 48...some of the problem might of been hormonal and at the same time was very stressed. Hope this helps. you are not alone.)

30

No I have never used Lunesta but at times I have struggled with insomnia. My advice to you is to try a product called Melatonin. We all produce Melatonin in our bodies. If you put a little more into your body before bedtime you will doze off faster. You can purchase this at any type of grocery or retail store. BIG HINT: Make sure you get at least 5mg or even 6mg. Any less will do nothing for you. Hope this works for you. It has really helped myself, my husband and even my 12 year old at various times.

A LITTLE ABOUT ME. I am a Mom of three, 12, 10, 8 and a guardian of a foreign student, 17 who lives in our family to attend American Schools. On the go alot with transporting of kids to Private Christian School. Have a great and blessed day!

31

Yes, I have had insomia for about 18 years and I have tried every pill there is including Lunesta! The only side effect that I noticed with Lunesta was when you wake up in the morning, You have like a metalllic taste in your mouth and I was told by the Pharmacist that this was one of the side effects. I am now taking Temazapin 15 mg! It takes me an hour after I take the pill to fall asleep and when I wake up between 4 to sometimes 5 hours of sleep, I cannot go back to sleep. I feel like I' m wired up!!! But later, I have no energy and I feel tired alot! I also tried over the counter called Simply Sleep and it did work for awhile but now it does not work!! I wish that there was something out there that can make me sleep at least 7 to 8 hours!!!! If you know of something else, Please Advise. Thank you. Gladys

32

well, if you are like me and just have a lot of - scuse my french - CRAP on your mind, I tell you it is the worst feeling to be sitting up a lone, in the middle of the night, mind just spinning, can't stop thinking, up pacing the floors, I take prescriped Restorill (? spelling) and it really helps me. I take 1 before I go to bed around 9 or 10.... I pray I dont' wake up during the middle of the night - then I can't get back to sleep, and I don't want to take one that late. But, unfortunately there's nothing really else you can do... and it is hard when everyone else is snoring, THAT makes it harder to try & get back to sleep... but, in answer to your question, my sleeping pill is really the only thing that saves me. You might want to talk to your doctor, he/she might can give you something. I have never heard of Lunesta - just the commercial. So I really don't know how it will work. Good luck!

33

I did for 8 years...then I was introduced to Simply Sleep by Tylenol. It is great! It's just over the counter, so I would try it before any of the perscriptions. In fact, I only take 1 pill (1/2 the dose)and I am able to wake up with the kids when needed and be able to fall back asleep quickly. I am a much happier person now! Hope you find something that works for you soon.

34

First, what time is it happening? What are your habbits before bedtime? Do you drink a lot of caffeine? Have you had any life changing events or are you about to? There are many things that effect our sleep. I know that sometime after kids things were not right for me. I was unable to sleep and became dependent on a sleep aid. I would suggest first trying to get to the root cause before jumping on the med wagon. It is easier to do that but can take a long time to get out of and your body feels like crud for taking it. I have never tried Lunesta but I can't imagine there aren't some side effecs that will effect you in the long run. It is always a good idea to examine what is going on in your life before you jump into something.

35

I have never tred Lunesta but, have tried ambien. Well, I was just recently taken off of my migrnae medicine and now I can't sleep at night. So what I do is clean my house. I find it better to do at night whle the children are sleeping. Sometimes, I just do mommy time where I spend time just doing what I like to do.
HAve you tried a warm bath, or just relaxing. Sometimes, I can't sleep at all.

36

Yes, I haven't slept since 1999 without medication - Prolonged, Chronic Insomnia. I've been put on a variety of medications. The best thing I've tried is Ambien CR. I hate Lunesta, it gives you a bad taste in your mouth. Whenever you eat, everything tastes like dirt.

37

I occasionally have a hard time falling asleep. There is an over the counter sleep aid called Melatonin. It is available in several different mgs. and it helps me when I can't sleep.
I don't feel groggy when I wake up the next day. You might want to give it a try.

38

I've been thruogh that and before taking a pill I have some home tricks you might want to try, they've worked for me. Before going to bed, go outside and deep breath 7 times, drink a glass of warm milk and leave one of the room's windows slightly open.

39

I used Lunesta every night for nearly 6 months a couple of years ago and never had the bad taste in my mouth or any of the other side effects some have experienced. For me, it was a wonder drug! They tried Ambien, Ambien CR, and 2-3 other drugs first and none worked for me at the time. I had memory issues with Ambien - it was like I was drunk or something. I also use Simply Sleep from Tylenol or Tylenol PM if I also have a headache or some aches and pains. Additionally, I'm a big believer in the brain dump and brain diversion before bedtime. I "dump" (write) everything on my mind on a piece of paper and let God worry about it during the night. I also do crosswords or read something like Guideposts to get my mind off of my troubles and onto something neutral. Best of luck to you - sleep is vitally important! Make sure you get whatever help you need to get back to sleeping!!

40

I never had problems sleeping until I started having night sweats, and now my nights have become like a Dr. Pepper advertisement, 10 2 and 4, up and awake. After becoming dangerously sleep deprived, I tried Lunesta and it made me feel like I had a hangover the next day. The butterfly was more like a rhinoceros. But then, I am sensitive to drugs. I think I would try Melatonin from the health food store first.

The worst thing I have found is to lay there and think. It is best to get up, make a hot drink, and read. Sudoku or crossword has to be out, because it stimulates your brain awake.

Good luck! And if it gets worse, well, too bad we're not neighbors. We could play gin rummy until someone passed out.