Insomnia.....

[c_rex]

I've been a light sleeper and chronic insomniac my entire life.  I used to have to sneak shots of bourbon as a kid to get to sleep sometimes.  It also helped to turn on the clothes dryer because the laundry room was close to my bedroom.  Now I use Tylenol PM, Nyquil, or any number of other sleep aides to get to sleep.  Doesn't guarantee I'll stay asleep though and if I wake up while under the influence I'm hosed because I usually can't get back to sleep.  One thing I found does work really well at putting me down is the Costco generic brand "Sleep Aide"; just one tiny pill about an hour before bed and I can only read for about 13.5 minutes before things get "swimmy".  They're like taking 2 Tylenol PM's though so the next day takes a lot of coffee/Monster drinks to get going.

I feel/live your pain brother.

[vonkeswick]

melatonin

supposed to regulate your sleep pattern

my gf has been giving me these things she got from some broad at work. theyre natural herbal supplements that help you get to sleep quick and wake up refreshed, worked for me so far! wt:

[c_rex]

melatonin

didn't work for me unfortunately 

[KnightofNi]

one of the guys on our local board would post under the influence of ambien. it got pretty funny...when you could read what he typed.

[vonkeswick]

didn't work for me unfortunately 

let me get the name of that stuff my gf's been giving me. you can get it at trader joe's i think

[triangleforge]

If it's not chronic insomnia, the best thing I've found is not to fight it; for me at least, laying there in bed for hours not being asleep just makes it worse. If I've been awake for more than half an hour, I'll get up & do filing, surf the net, read, whatever until I start to feel drowsy again. Usually takes 45 minutes or so.

Bourbon works too.

Good luck -- Chronic is a whole different story, and if that's the case, listen to somebody who knows what they're talking about instead of me. Or just start with that step!

[ducpainter]

Since I have become an old fart I find alcohol will only help me sleep for the period the alcohol works.

Yup

[silentbob]

I had insomnia for years.  I couldn't sleep without Ambien.  Once I started taking calcium and magnesium, my insomnia and teeth grinding went away completely.

[NAKID]

Hydrocodone is a painkiller narcotic used to subdue pain; not allow you to sleep.

Nope, Hydrocodone is an opiate, not a narcotic...

[c_rex]

let me get the name of that stuff my gf's been giving me. you can get it at trader joe's i think

I think that's where my wife got mine.  But I'm all for trying it if it's different. 

FWIW The Costco Sleep Aide works like elephant tranquilizers- which is to say overly effective.  The box says Doxylamine Succinate, 25mg.

[Manny]

silentbob: fine avatar  wt:

[Timmy Tucker]

I had insomnia for years.  I couldn't sleep without Ambien.  Once I started taking calcium and magnesium, my insomnia and teeth grinding went away completely.

I'm a really, really bad teeth grinder. In my case, I found that it's mostly related to my current stress level. I clench and grind so bad that after a really bad night, I'll have headaches for a day or two. Unfortunately, I haven't found a whole lot to relieve it, especially w/ my current work/family situation. And I can't really take sleep aids cause I get dependent on them too easily. I've been hooked on NyQuil, xanax, percoset (oops), codeine (big oops) and alcohol, all in the name of sleep.

The only thing that ever really helped was kicking caffeine. I kicked it for about 6 months, and it was the best sleep I've had in my life. The only problem was, I was asleep by 8-9 PM every night. No thanks. I'm not that damn old yet. And it was too hard to stay motivated during the day.

Nowadays, I just deal with it. I've gotten so used to living of 3-5 hours of sleep and feeling like shit in the AM that I don't think anything of it anymore.

[silentbob]

I'm a really, really bad teeth grinder. In my case, I found that it's mostly related to my current stress level. I clench and grind so bad that after a really bad night, I'll have headaches for a day or two. Unfortunately, I haven't found a whole lot to relieve it, especially w/ my current work/family situation. And I can't really take sleep aids cause I get dependent on them too easily. I've been hooked on NyQuil, xanax, percoset (oops), codeine (big oops) and alcohol, all in the name of sleep.

The only thing that ever really helped was kicking caffeine. I kicked it for about 6 months, and it was the best sleep I've had in my life. The only problem was, I was asleep by 8-9 PM every night. No thanks. I'm not that damn old yet. And it was too hard to stay motivated during the day.

Nowadays, I just deal with it. I've gotten so used to living of 3-5 hours of sleep and feeling like shit in the AM that I don't think anything of it anymore.

High stress levels will deplete your body of certain nutrients.  Try a good cal/mag supplement in a 2:1 ratio, preferably with trace minerals too.  I bet within a week your symptoms will go away.  I have cured insomnia and teeth grinding in a lot of people by simply taking these supplements.

[c_rex]

I'll try this calcium/magnesium supplement you guys are talking about.  Sounds like it'd taste great in my coffee!vv ;:|

[mstevens]

Insomnia and I go way back. I never was a good sleeper, then medical school got rid of whatever sleep hygiene I had at the time. Then my daughter got sick and for a couple of years I had little diurnal rhythm at all. Now I've got obstructive sleep apnea. Oh, well. It leaves time for DMF after the family have gone to sleep, since I rarely have a chance to log on during the day.

Folks, there's very little available over-the-counter that works for sleep unless you respond to melatonin (and you have to give that a couple of weeks to work while using it nightly) or to diphenhydramine (which makes many people feel and function the next morning as if a concrete mixer ran over their brain. Alcohol makes it easier to fall asleep, but will then make you much more prone to wake up and prevent you from getting deep or restorative sleep.

For most people, "sleep hygiene" (Google it) is the best answer. If you really have lousy sleep for a while, you should consider a polysomnographic (sleep) study. It's the ONLY way to diagnose the most common (and treatable) sleep disorders.