INSOMNIA!!!

Epicurus

Okay so I seem to have developed an insomniac habit the last couple of weeks. I can't sleep!!!What do you guys do to sleep?

I don'y want to take any pills though.

Mountains

Warm milk really works. Melatonin (which, while a pill, isn't a man-made chemical) works. There are several herbal teas that work for some people.

Absolutely NO caffeine, no other stimulants during the day. Try to get on a regular schedule of wake/sleep. Work out. Walk. Eat well.

Sadly, other than not doing caffeine, all the other stuff I mentioned is kind of out the window for me at the moment, so I'm relying on far more pills than I like to. I try to keep it to a screaming minimum, but I can't do without sleep.

Epicurus

Yeah, I can't really exercise. I'm still recovering from an operation. I've thought of melatonin pills, but I wonder if they are in any way addictive.

SherabDorje

Melatonin is not addictive. It's actually naturally produced by the brain. It's only a supplement. Follow the directions.

I'm a Registered Nurse of 30 years and took it for a long time when I worked night shifts. No problem.

Mountains is a Registered Nurse too, but he's a youngster.:eek2:

Try to avoid having many lights on in the room too.

dorje

Try to be in total darkness. Melatonin production is inhibited by light, particularly in the blue wavelengths.

tess

Yeah, I can't really exercise. I'm still recovering from an operation. I've thought of melatonin pills, but I wonder if they are in any way addictive.

In the end of the day the melatonin is a natural human hormone produced by the pineal gland located at the back of your brain.

Since melatonin is a hormone, it can affect many internal body processes.

Melatonin can worsen your depression People with liver disease, seizure disorders and high blood pressure should avoid it too.

Melatonin may interact with various medications, including:
Blood-thinning medications
Immunosuppressant
Diabetes medications
Birth control pills


If you decide to take it - remember:

If you take melatonin, make sure the supplements are made of artificial ingredients. Melatonin from animals can contain viruses or other contaminants.

zidangus

I had insomnia quite a while ago, I tried warm milk, exercise, melatonine, etc etc and none of it worked. The only thing that worked was just accepting that I could not sleep, Once I did this, after a week or so my insomnia was gone. This was a kinda verification of the four noble truths for me, as it was my desire to get rid of my insomnia that fueled it and made it worse, once I accepted it and abandoned this desire, the insomnia went. . So my advice is simple,
Stop worrying about not getting any sleep
Just accept it. Say to yourself if I get sleep thats great but if I dont get any sleep that is fine also. This way no matter what it won't faze you or trouble you, which in turn will make it easier for you to actually get a good night sleep.
Hope this helped anyway

Metta to all sentient beings

Mountains

Mountains is a Registered Nurse too, but he's a youngster.:eek2:

... who just turned 49, but thank you!

Mountains

The problem for many people with "just powering through it" zidangus, is that it often doesn't work. Stress, even if we try to deal with it, can be very insidious. And sometimes we don't have the luxury of not sleeping for a week, and then going face down from exhaustion when it finally catches up. Also, sleep deprivation is very damaging to both your mental and physical health. I think it's better to give in to the reality sometimes, and just take something to help you sleep. That's what I'm having to do while I'm in school. I've never had any trouble sleeping in my life, but I've also never been in such an ongoing stressful situation as graduate school either. I simply can't go without sleep (good quality sleep, at that) for days. My stress level waxes and wanes depending on what's happening in school, so I try not to take anything if I don't have to. I'd *love* to be able to "just relax" and go with it, but I'm not wired that way.

compassionate_warrior

Yeah, I can't really exercise. I'm still recovering from an operation. I've thought of melatonin pills, but I wonder if they are in any way addictive.

DIfferent people react differently to melatonin. Some people do well on it, but for some people, taking the supplements shuts off their body's natural production of melatonin. The input from the supplements sends a signal to the gland that it doesn't need to do its work. And it's not for long-term use, I'd say. All you can do is try it, and see how your body reacts.

You can try camomile tea before bedtime.
Any ideas what's the cause of your insomnia? Stress? How is your sleep coming along, anyway; it's been awhile since you started this thread. Any improvement?

Like Mountains said, no caffeine (including no black or green tea), and no sugar or alcohol. They are stimulants, like caffeine.

zidangus

The problem for many people with "just powering through it" zidangus, is that it often doesn't work. Stress, even if we try to deal with it, can be very insidious. And sometimes we don't have the luxury of not sleeping for a week, and then going face down from exhaustion when it finally catches up. Also, sleep deprivation is very damaging to both your mental and physical health. I think it's better to give in to the reality sometimes, and just take something to help you sleep. That's what I'm having to do while I'm in school. I've never had any trouble sleeping in my life, but I've also never been in such an ongoing stressful situation as graduate school either. I simply can't go without sleep (good quality sleep, at that) for days. My stress level waxes and wanes depending on what's happening in school, so I try not to take anything if I don't have to. I'd *love* to be able to "just relax" and go with it, but I'm not wired that way.

I am just telling people what worked for me.
I was a PhD student when I had insomnia, and like you had the belief that "I need sleep, I will go crazy if I do not get sleep" " I can't function without sleep" etc etc. Did this help me ? No it made me worse. It made me more stressed and made it harder to actually get a good nights sleep. It was not until I just accepted my situation without wishing to be out of it, that I started to de-stress about not getting any sleep. Then after a week or so, my sleeping pattern was back to normal.
So again speaking from my own experience, just go to bed as you usually would close your eyes and say to yourself "if I get to sleep thats fine, and if I don't get sleep that is also fine.
Give my advise a go for a week or so, you have nothing to lose have you, and you might be suprised at how letting go of your desire to sleep results in you actually getting sleep.

Also taking medication or supplements should be the very last resort in my opinion because for the majority of cases they don't really solve the problem of why you can't get to sleep in the first place.


Metta to all sentient beings