Hi Sue ,
I had the same trouble could not sleep at night I got so tired of only sleeping a few hrs a night .I when to the Vitamin World and ask them something I could take naturally I did not want any drugs .She sold me Melatonin AND IT WORKS I BEEN SLEEPING EVERY NIGHT SINCE great stuff...I think Dr Oz talked about Melatonin .
Mary Ann

a decent nights sleep
 

Have had the flu for the last 3 days and sleeping during the day, and here is it 5:30am and now I'm awake. If I sit in hubbys comfy chair with an afghan, that'll put me to sleep. Thank goodness he has appointments later this morning so I can sleep in his chair and not feel guilty.

Sunshine, you're lucky it works for you. Some peeps have great success with Melatonin, but it doesn't work for me at all. I downloaded Sleep Apps on my iPad, and listened to them for an hour. Sigh. I'm still sleepless in Seattle.

yes, Melatonin works for some people and Valerian works for some people. Not all. Not me.

I was having the same problem a couple of yrs ago. My dr recommended I read the book entitled "No more sleepless nights". (cant remember the author) It had several suggestions that worked for me. Of course there are the usual ones...cut out caffeine, dont exercise right before bed etc but a couple I didn't know about that helped me were: don't take a hot bath or shower before bed...in fact make your bedroom as cold as you can tolerate. Heat stimulates the body, increasing heart rate etc, cold does the opposite And you do get sleepy. Move the clock so you can't see it, get up and out of bed if you haven't fallen a sleep after a few minutes. Don't toss and turn. Sit quietly and read, meditate or pray but no tv, commuters or housecleaning I went from sleeping 1-3 hrs/ night to 6-7 hrs. Still not back to my pre-menopause days of 8hrs/ ight but livable

wow I am lucky then .I been sleeping every night since I started Melatonin

After a horrible 20-month nightmare on a prescription drug for sleeping, the nurse practitioner at my doctor's office suggested Magnesium Citrate, two 200 mg tablets per day. The supplement has worked a miracle as far as I am concerned. I slept the very first night the best I had in years. In researching this supplement I have discovered that 3/4 of us do not get enough Magnesium in our diets. A big advantage of having enough Magnesium is that it makes our muscles relax. It's good for our heart, blood pressure, diabetes and migraines, to mention only a few of its benefits. I have read articles recently that recommend Magnesium to help with sleep. In the 7 months that I have been taking 400 mg of Magnesium Citrate per day, plus whatever is in my multivitamin, I have had possibly 5 nights where I had problems sleeping. Since chocolate, caffeine, and sugar/carbs all can keep us awake the issue on those nights may have been diet related. Magnesium is found in many foods, but from my research getting the recommended amount is very difficult if you depend on diet alone. I take one tablet with lunch and the other either with supper or in the evening with a snack. You will most likely have to go to a place like Lake Nutrition to find this form of Magnesium. (Citrate) Look for a 20% off coupon in the Clips magazine that just came recently.

VFlorida .... I'm interested in trying this. But when I google Magnesium Citrate, most websites suggest use as a laxative prior to surgery. I'm wondering if there are different types of Magnesium Citrate?

My book on supplements says that "in larger amounts it's a laxative in products like milk of magnesia and epsom salts." Try it for a week to see how you react. It seems to me if we need this recommended amount (400 mg per day) we should be able to tolerate it. As for me, I haven't had any problems while taking it but, believe me, I would rather make an extra trip or two to the bathroom if it means a good night's sleep!!! Now, with all of this said, I DO think that we HAVE to pay attention to other things we eat that could keep us awake at night. I do not consume caffeine after noon time. I stay away from chocolate from the afternoon on. I am diabetic so I also go light on sweets and carbs in the evening. I think the combination of adding the magnesium and watching what I put into my body has been key to me getting good sleep. By the way, before I started taking the Magnesium Citrate I had a terrible time with my left leg jumping all night. I thought it was related to some spinal stenosis that I have but I am convinced now that it was all nerve related and probably due to a deficiency of magnesium. I am wondering if all of the folks who suffer from restless leg syndrome might be helped by taking Magnesium Citrate. There are several other forms of magnesium that you can buy but the ones that are absorbed the best are the Magnesium Citrate, Magnesium Aspartate, Magnesium Glycinate. Here is a link to a very good article on this supplement.
http://www.nutritionalsupplementscen...umcitrate.html

In case anyone is still reading this, I'm surprised that not a single person mentioned Benadryl (diphenhydramine). I take 25mg most nights and it helps me sleep and helps my allergies. It's a win/win!

There are a lot of over-the-counter sleep aids that contain diphenhydramine. I think Nytol is one of them. When my allergies are acting up, I do take Benadryl, and it does put me to sleep. But I feel very sluggish the next morning.

DH has been doing some research on
 

adrenal support and since starting it, we have slept better, often both of us going through the night. However the diet is also a factor. I take magnesium citrate at night and during the day to get my 400 mgs. as well as Vit C.

Adrenasense (an herbal recipe for adrenal support) has been a really great supplement for us. DH got rid of a bone spur that he has had for over 2 years and orthotics didn't help. I also find that I sleep better if I get to bed before 11. Melatonin didn't work for us, but I think the adrenal fatigue has been the problem for many of our different symptoms, including my hypothyroid. And incidentally we figured out that the muscles that attach to the knee are related to the adrenals so we are hoping that his bum knee will get even stronger and we can dance more in TV.

LW888

Just a Thought
 

I don't have insomia but when I did have trouble sleeping at night and would lie awake for several hours until I thought of this:

It may be simplistic but I figured that whatever problem I had, they would be still there in the morning whether I slept or not. So I decided to put my mind at ease and sleep as I would be rested to face my problems in the morning.

I found that visualizing a relaxing envoronment like being on a tropical island listening to wave lapping on the beach helped.

There were a lot of great suggestions but everybody's body is different in that the same medications will not the same effect for all people so one has to do what's right for themselves.

Just sayin...... but then what do I know about this?

Visualization and meditation definitely do help. I have some wonderful Apps on my iPad that sometimes will put me to sleep.

In addition to a cool/cold bedroom, & covering up the clock so you can't see the time, Dr. Oz recommends removing all electronics (phone, iPad,etc) and sleeping in a totally dark bedroom; he even recommends black sheets! It's a scientific thing based on the effect of light on your brain. If your brain perceives light, it will put out some chemical to keep you awake. Before buying a set of black sheets, it might be worth trying one of those eye masks that the airlines give away?

PS: HoneyBoy was bothered with restless legs, expecially after flying, and I bought him some magnesium supplements at Walgreens, and they work great! On the other hand, according to the folks on this forum, it's not the right kind of magnesium. lol It just says Magnesium 250 mg on the label, and the ingredients list says magnesium oxide (rust?) and magnesium stearate. I hope I'm not killing him with the wrong kind of magnesium, but it sure helps him sleep. :icon_wink:

Forgot about the darkness.
 

That is a good suggestion. We use the masks at night and also paper tape across our mouth as it keeps DH from waking from his own snoring and me from shallow breathing. Seems that we breath better when we nose breathe rather than mouth breathe and by getting more oxygen in it seems to give us a sounder sleep. We always laugh when we think of anyone seeing us while we are asleep, but it works. It also has increased my lung capacity for singing.

DH also just read that if you have a little protein before you go to bed then it stablizes the blood sugar and improves sleep because the blood sugar levels drop during sleep as you are fasting. That is probably what the "sneaking into the kitchen for a midnight snack" syndrome is related to. Now I just have to figure out what to have available for a protein snack before bed.

LW888

Dr. Oz just did a show on things to make you sleep all natural. Just google his show for what his thoughts were on what to use. If you decide to try yoga do so at least three hours before sleep as it can keep you up. Meditation can be used at any time and works well. Some coached practice on meditation is well worth the cost.

I am sleeping better now that we are all settled in our new home. Better than I have ever slept in my life. I am playing golf four times a week and although that isn't an aerobic exercise and I do use a cart, it is more walking than I had been doing. I also am keeping our own house clean and I cook for the three of us. I am busy with activities every day and they are fun ones and my friends are sweet and enjoyable and my housemates are the best.

I still have our TV in our room and Sweetie falls asleep quickly and I watch shows like HGTV or the golf channel and I leave the news networks to the folks who don't mind staying awake at night. I can't solve the problems of the world and refuse to take them on.

A nice snack at night with some cold milk seems to help too.

That's it Gracie!
 

There's the protein thing that DH was reading about. Of course all the rest of the things are helping as well. Can't watch much TV myself. But do enjoy reading TOTV and playing wordscrapper and lexulous before I go to bed. Also I've taken to doing a Tai Chi set at the end of the day and that calms the mind for me.

LW888

I don't think you are doing anything wrong by giving HoneyBoy magnesium oxide! Magnesium Citrate will be better absorbed by his body so look for that the next time you buy it. I can not find it in places like Wal-mart, Walgreen's CVS, etc. I get mine at Lake Nutrition. The tablets are 200 mg and I take two per day. I still have an occasional restless night but, overall, my sleep has improved tremendously since I started taking the Magnesium Citrate about 9 mos. ago. I think I posted previously that my research indicates that around 3/4 of us are deficient.

I just saw something advertised on Television a couple nights ago. It is definitely a health store item. It includes 3 ingredients, one of which was melatonin, one was tryptophan and there was something else which doesn't seem to be a major ingredient. It is called Alteril. I have never tried it but you can google it. I just pop a few ibuprofen and it seems to put me back to sleep.

I bought some of the Alteril....it didn't help me sleep at all. It might work for someone else. I got tons more help from the Magnesium Citrate.

Ok! Thanks for the info. Glad to know the Magnesium I have is safe to give to HoneyBoy! It sure does seem to work.

Who has trouble sleeping? Here it is 1:30am and I am on the computer passing time. I usually average about 4 hours of sleep at night. The rest of the time I pace around the house. What a plague this is!

I DO!!!!!!

Suzanne

I just googled Alteril - I was curious about the ingredients. I found this site which has a lot of information about "natural" sleep aids. Some people have the mistaken idea that anything sold "over the counter" and not by prescription must be safe. Please be careful of anything you ingest, read the ingredient list carefully.

Alteril - Alteril All Natural Sleeping Pill Review

Good advice Barefoot

Dr Oz suggests Melatonin
 

Dr Oz suggests Melatonin
Watch This

I have read that staring at a computer screen (especially TOTV) can cause severe insomnia! I don't know the medical terms but apparently it scrambles our brain waves to the point if not being able to fall asleep! Now we aren't guilty of that are we?:22yikes:

I wasn't getting good rest at night so I went in for a sleep study,...I was thinking maybe I had apnea or something like that. They said my legs twitched and jerked all night long disturbing my sleep. Of course I didn't really know this because I thought I was sleeping but the leg jerking kept me from entering deep sleep,...I never felt rested. My wife told me that sometimes I run in my sleep if that makes sense, complete with leg movement. Needless to say we usually don't sleep in the same bed. Long story short they gave me a little white pill I take before bedtime each night and it settles the legs somehow, allowing me to sleep better. They say it's a medication that is used for early stage Parkinsons. How weird is that?:loco:

Is the medication "Gabapentin" or "Neurontin"? My husband's doctor prescribed this drug for him since he has the same sort of foot twitching at night. It has helped but hasn't completely stopped it. He has sleep apnea, also, and wears the CPAP mask. All in all, he sleeps better for the most part. MY question is this: Who is ever going to tell me that I have sleep apnea? !! My husband goes out like a light and would never know if I stopped breathing!

Old Geekzer, if you're interested in trying Melatonin, you might want to read the whole thread. If you look back on the thread you'll see a discussion about Malatonin ... it works for some people and not for others. Perhaps you'll be lucky.

I recalled a thread about difficulty sleeping and thought I'd post this link that I just got. Seems that waking in the middle of the night is VERY old and seems to have devolved in our social conscience over the years.

The Myth of the Eight-Hour Sleep


FYI

LW888

Thanks LW, I find that article very interesting. I can relate to the "cognitive popcorn". I didn't realize the idea of sleeping in blocks of time rather than for eight hours went back to ancient days.

I do use the iPad sometimes to play sleep Apps and I do find that helpful, but I have to be in the mood for meditation. A few years ago I started using my iPad for reading books before I go to sleep. Reading "old books" used to relax me before turning off the light, a way of quieting the cognitive popcorrn. But when I use the iPad, I seem to have more difficulty falling asleep. Duh, I didn't make the connection. Recently, as an experiment, I thought I'd revert back to reading "old books". I find I'm sleeping much better.

Have you ever tried saffron tablets. They didn't work for me, but my mother swears by them. Saffron has other health benefits too, and all natural.

It is really interesting how "modern" technology in many cases is really interfering with so many areas that are health related. Smart Meters, Higher HTZ phones, Cell phones, Microwaves all come to mind.

We keep forgetting that we are vibrational beings that need to keep our vibrations as "pure" as possible in order to maintain the optimum health of the body.

When I think about how porous the skin is, I shudder to think about all the "stuff" that gets through it both in concrete terms, like all the chemicals in the waters and vibrational terms, like the stuff in the airwaves. It really shows me how resilient we are, but I think that we take it so much for granted that we pay the price as we get older.

I fear for the younger generations who have been subjected to so much "stuff" from in utero and through their childhood. Only time will tell how much damage has been done especially in the next few years as they start to reproduce and reproduce.

It is hard to give up so many of our "conveniences" and for them they are considered necessities. Wish we could come up with better "mousetraps" that would be better over the long haul.

LW888

Here are some things I have used, Valarian root( stinky but works) Melitonin, l- tryptophan, camomile tea, sound cd from Brookstone. Try a new pillow, wear a face mask that allows eye lids to move,do not drink any caffeine after 7 pm.
Wearing yourself out by exercise before 3 pm. There are several over the counter MEDS in the drug store , try the ones that have the above mentioned ingredients. If all else fails talk to your MD for possible medical issues I.e. REM sleep problem, restless leg etc.