Sleep aids

[PaulRenegar]

For the past couple of months I haven't been able to sleep. Some times I have trouble falling asleep, but most of the time I fall asleep and wake up in the middle of the night and then am unable to go back to sleep. This happens most nights, even when I am completely exhausted. It's really starting to affect me physically and mentally. I feel like a zombie all day, and yawn nonstop.

Nothing major has changed in my life, I exercise regularly just about every day, and eat fairly healthy.

I've tried some "home remedies" such as drinking a glass of warm milk (milk is good, but it's yucky warm), taken a tylenol PM, and a benadryl.

Is there anything that I'm overlooking here, or is it time for me to go to a doctor?

 

[MainEntry]

Ask your physician to check whether you have sleep apnea. When you awaken in the middle of the night, is your heart racing?

 

[racer2438]

get teted for sleep apnia. It is more common than you think. You might try to a trial of ambian, or lunesta.

They work good but you need to watch how and when you use and if you have plans for the next day.

BUt also get you blood pressure/sugar checked.

 

[mike_n_herrin]

to the best of my knowledge sleep apnea doesn't suddenly spring up on you. so i doubt it's that, but it's best to be safe.

have you tried sleeping on another mattress or on the couch? just to see if you can sleep somewhere else. try sleeping on your side if you sleep on your back, or on your back if you sleep on your side.

sometimes i take tylenol allergy sinus night time to help me sleep. my doctor said it's not habit forming.

 

[KaraBulut]

Short periods of insomnia are normal. If they persist, you should first consider causes of your sleep interruption.

1. Are you consuming caffeine during the day (e.g. soft drinks, coffee, etc)? If so, stop.
2. Are you taking naps or dozing during the day? If so, stop.
3. Are you going to bed and/or waking up at inconsistent times every day? Many guys stay up late and sleep late on weekends. You should try to go to sleep and wake up at consistent times every day including weekends.
4. Is there something waking you up (e.g. a neighbor or roommate who comes in during the middle of the night)?

Sleep aids in order of preference:
1. Natural substances such as warm milk, melatonin, etc.
2. Over the counter antihistamines that have drowsiness as a side effect - Benadryl, Nyquil, Dramamine, Sominex, Nytol, Unisom
3. Prescription sleep aids - lunesta, ambien

By the time you get to option #3, you're going to have to see your doctor to get a prescription. If your sleep problem persists, your doctor may order a sleep study on you to determine why you are waking up.

 

[miyakko]

I've had problems with depression and anxiety and have since been started on meds... since then I've found it easier to turn my thoughts off and drift to sleep and remain asleep

I used to not sleep for more than an 2-3 hours a night for about a week or mroe and then finally have a good nights sleep.... it wasn't until I got started on meds that insomina got resolved... adn that was after doing melatonin and antihistamines... oh and I found out that Nyquil can have to opposite effect that you want... it actually can act as a stimulant, which is what happened to me... so not fun.

 

[TopThruster]

Melatonin and chamomile help me when I'm not able to sleep.

See your doctor since it's been happening for a couple of months.

 

[LotusOnBuddha]

I am a little worried at how quickly people turn to RX sleep aids.
While Rx sleep aids, Ambien, Ambien CR, Lunesta, and any benzo (most commonly restoril is used for sleep, but any of them will get the job done) help get you to sleep, they can quickly become addictive. Where you feel like you NEED them to sleep. Which is not true. They are a very helpful tool to help get you into a new sleep pattern if you have a huge day coming up, or you're under a ton of stress, or you have a job that is a weird shift. Lots of insurance companies will limit you to a 14 days supply of sleeping aids, and for good reason, they can be come extremely addictive. Its scary to see the normally pleasant mother of 4 turn into a raving lunatic when you tell her, her Ambien is too soon to be filled. I've seen better behaved CrackHeads. Just be careful with these medications and try to avoid using them every-night.
Another option is Sonata, not the car mind you. Its a shorter acting sleep aid.
In fact its the one i take the night before my 14 hour shift, I have to be well rested or i might kill someone. Sonata is a great place to start if you want to take the RX sleep aid route. Another good idea is to see a sleep doctor, there are doctors who run sleep centers, try contacting a major medical university, they can usually direct you to a Good doctor that will be able to help you, as opposed to one that just flings Ambien scripts at everyone with endless refills...not a good path.

I think its important to get yourself in the frame of mind for sleep. Right before bed is not the time to dive into a novel, try something amusing but not engrossing, like a magazine. Get the computer, TV, work, anything not related to sleep or being comfortable out of your bedroom. All of those things help distract you, or get your mind worked up. Have your bedroom be just for sleep, or sex.

 

[Huskerboy]

I used to have that problem, until my naturopathic physician suggested that I take Melatonin. It's primarily used to boost your immune system, but making you sleepy is a great so-called side effect.

My NP suggested taking 20mg - anything less just isn't enough. You should be able to find it in a store that has quality supplements and vitamins. Be sure to get the 20mg - don't take 4 of the 5mg (etc.) - not sure why, just passing on what my NP said. Take the capsule about 30 minutes before bedtime... sweet dreams!

 

[metman]

I fly a lot and often cross many time zones (sound like Dr Who!!!). To try to reduce the effects of jet lag I bought some Melatonin (3mg) from a US supermarket. Its wonderful and helps me get my sleep patterns back to normal in 24 hours. I believe you can't buy it in many countries but you can get it online.

 

[PaulRenegar]

Thanks everyone for your help. I haven't yet consulted a physician about anything (I am thinking about going and getting a regular physical anyways since it's been almost 2 years).

I don't like to take medicine if I can help it, so I will try some of the alternatives that were posted above. Thanks all for the advice!

As for my lifestyle, I try to eat pretty healthy although my partner and I will sometimes get that craving and eat a huge juicy burger or steak! Soft drinks are limited to one or two per week, and most of the other time I drink water. Occasionally for lunch I'll drink a glass of sweet tea (I am in the South... it's almost a requirement lol), but rarely consume caffeine after 2 or 3 pm.

I try to exercise at least once a day. I'm not huge into lifting weights, but I do run and swim quite often.

The sleep schedule is something that *could* use a little work. I usually go to bed around midnight during the week and get up around 730 - 830am (late morning classes are awesome!) and on the weekends both times get shift back by about 30 minutes to an hour. In the future I'll try to keep it as consistent as possible.

I also want to get checked out medically to make sure something isn't wrong. It seems that if I've been having bad sleep problems for about 2 months now with no sign of it getting better itself, that it might be best to contact a doctor.

Paul