Sleep aid's that work, Kalm's Nytol,, etc
Discussion
Don't use a medicine for more then 2 nights.
Work on your sleep pattern, behaviour, environment, stress etc. Humans have been sleeping for a long long time before their were narcotics, although undoubtedly there were cave men eating poppy seeds!
If you need a chemical to get you sleep on a mid to long term basis, then the foundations are wrong.
Work on your sleep pattern, behaviour, environment, stress etc. Humans have been sleeping for a long long time before their were narcotics, although undoubtedly there were cave men eating poppy seeds!
If you need a chemical to get you sleep on a mid to long term basis, then the foundations are wrong.
Megaflow said:
Hi
Has anyone got any experience of a sleep aid that actually works?
Went to bed at 11pm last night, was still away at 1am, woke up 4am for some unknown reason, and was awake and again, and that was the end of it, at 6am...
I used to take loads back in the day. Prescription ones too. I don t anymore.Has anyone got any experience of a sleep aid that actually works?
Went to bed at 11pm last night, was still away at 1am, woke up 4am for some unknown reason, and was awake and again, and that was the end of it, at 6am...
The problem with them is, you come to rely upon them and cannot sleep without them. Most of which is psychological, but it s a real problem. You are just saving up worse problems for later.
Personally I use sleep hygiene strategies, take magnesium, use ear plugs, know some techniques.
So, I don t drink caffeinated drinks late in the day.
I don t use screens after 10.
No electronic devices in the bedroom.
My problem is early waking. I deal with it now by:
Deal with any pain (hangover included)
Put in ear plugs
Relax everything.
Empty my mind.
Repeat the last two continuously.
If I still cannot sleep I don t get up, I just focus on relaxing. Which often results in the sleep I have just given up on. It s because going to sleep has ceased to be compulsory.
Now I sleep enough 99% of the time. When I don t it s usually caused by alcohol, a specific stressful situation or an early alarm that I know is coming.
The biggest single barrier to sleep is, IME, fear of not sleeping.
Good luck!
Furbo said:
I used to take loads back in the day. Prescription ones too. I don t anymore.
The problem with them is, you come to rely upon them and cannot sleep without them. Most of which is psychological, but it s a real problem. You are just saving up worse problems for later.
Personally I use sleep hygiene strategies, take magnesium, use ear plugs, know some techniques.
So, I don t drink caffeinated drinks late in the day.
I don t use screens after 10.
No electronic devices in the bedroom.
My problem is early waking. I deal with it now by:
Deal with any pain (hangover included)
Put in ear plugs
Relax everything.
Empty my mind.
Repeat the last two continuously.
If I still cannot sleep I don t get up, I just focus on relaxing. Which often results in the sleep I have just given up on. It s because going to sleep has ceased to be compulsory.
Now I sleep enough 99% of the time. When I don t it s usually caused by alcohol, a specific stressful situation or an early alarm that I know is coming.
The biggest single barrier to sleep is, IME, fear of not sleeping.
Good luck!
I don't drink caffeine after 3pm, no phone after ~8/9pm, the TV is normally on until I go to bed and there are no electronics in the bedroom.The problem with them is, you come to rely upon them and cannot sleep without them. Most of which is psychological, but it s a real problem. You are just saving up worse problems for later.
Personally I use sleep hygiene strategies, take magnesium, use ear plugs, know some techniques.
So, I don t drink caffeinated drinks late in the day.
I don t use screens after 10.
No electronic devices in the bedroom.
My problem is early waking. I deal with it now by:
Deal with any pain (hangover included)
Put in ear plugs
Relax everything.
Empty my mind.
Repeat the last two continuously.
If I still cannot sleep I don t get up, I just focus on relaxing. Which often results in the sleep I have just given up on. It s because going to sleep has ceased to be compulsory.
Now I sleep enough 99% of the time. When I don t it s usually caused by alcohol, a specific stressful situation or an early alarm that I know is coming.
The biggest single barrier to sleep is, IME, fear of not sleeping.
Good luck!
I've tried all the over the counter herbal type stuff. Makes no difference.
Of course there are probably other factors at play, but in my experience it's very difficult to address them when you are sleep deprived.
I had a friend get me some melatonin from the US. It's readily available off the shelf there. Works better than anything else I've found, although I have never had anything prescribed.
Of course there are probably other factors at play, but in my experience it's very difficult to address them when you are sleep deprived.
I had a friend get me some melatonin from the US. It's readily available off the shelf there. Works better than anything else I've found, although I have never had anything prescribed.
The herbal ones do sod all. The diphenhydramine based ones are very effective but don't, in my opinion, result in good sleep. Nor do the serious prescription meds like Zopiclone.
Melatonin is an interesting one - not only is it prescription-only in the UK when it's over the counter in the US and Europe, but the guidelines for prescribing it are really narrow. People over 55, and kids with certain neurodevelopmental conditions.
Melatonin is an interesting one - not only is it prescription-only in the UK when it's over the counter in the US and Europe, but the guidelines for prescribing it are really narrow. People over 55, and kids with certain neurodevelopmental conditions.
CSR Performance said:
I've tried all the over the counter herbal type stuff. Makes no difference.
Of course there are probably other factors at play, but in my experience it's very difficult to address them when you are sleep deprived.
I had a friend get me some melatonin from the US. It's readily available off the shelf there. Works better than anything else I've found, although I have never had anything prescribed.
My Mum gave me something from the US a few years ago, I think that might have been Melatonin, and it works, but my god, the sort of hang over effect of it the next day...Of course there are probably other factors at play, but in my experience it's very difficult to address them when you are sleep deprived.
I had a friend get me some melatonin from the US. It's readily available off the shelf there. Works better than anything else I've found, although I have never had anything prescribed.
I've suffered with chronic insomnia for nearly 30 years but have now got a firm grip on things. My problem stemmed from anxiety about sleep causing me not to sleep. Things only got turned around when I suggested to my GP back in Feb that I should try and resolve the anxiety and see where that led, so, I'm now on 75mg Venlafaxine and the anxiety has gone. I agree with everything that Furbo has suggested and I now take 2 Magnesium-Glycinate caps and 1 L-Theanine cap an hour before bed and I have not had a problem for months now.
WyrleyD said:
I've suffered with chronic insomnia for nearly 30 years but have now got a firm grip on things. My problem stemmed from anxiety about sleep causing me not to sleep. Things only got turned around when I suggested to my GP back in Feb that I should try and resolve the anxiety and see where that led, so, I'm now on 75mg Venlafaxine and the anxiety has gone. I agree with everything that Furbo has suggested and I now take 2 Magnesium-Glycinate caps and 1 L-Theanine cap an hour before bed and I have not had a problem for months now.
Is magnesium-glycinate different to regular magnesium in the supermarkets?I tried the later and it didn't help.
Megaflow said:
WyrleyD said:
I've suffered with chronic insomnia for nearly 30 years but have now got a firm grip on things. My problem stemmed from anxiety about sleep causing me not to sleep. Things only got turned around when I suggested to my GP back in Feb that I should try and resolve the anxiety and see where that led, so, I'm now on 75mg Venlafaxine and the anxiety has gone. I agree with everything that Furbo has suggested and I now take 2 Magnesium-Glycinate caps and 1 L-Theanine cap an hour before bed and I have not had a problem for months now.
Is magnesium-glycinate different to regular magnesium in the supermarkets?I tried the later and it didn't help.
If I can't get off to sleep..
I'll take a couple of original style Periton tablets...
They specifically say that they will make you drowsy..on the labelling.
I know they're supposed to be for hayfever but I find that they don't give me any nasty side effects and I don't think that they are addictive...to me at least ....
I now buy cheaper own brand tablets with the same active ingredient..same effect but works out much cheaper...
Might be worth a try...
I'll take a couple of original style Periton tablets...
They specifically say that they will make you drowsy..on the labelling.
I know they're supposed to be for hayfever but I find that they don't give me any nasty side effects and I don't think that they are addictive...to me at least ....
I now buy cheaper own brand tablets with the same active ingredient..same effect but works out much cheaper...
Might be worth a try...
Just a word of warning - long term frequent use of sedating antihistamines such as diphenhydramine (Nytol), chlorphenamine (Piriton), promethazine (Night Nurse) are associated with increased dementia risk. This isn't a risk with non-sedating ones which don't cross the blood-brain barrier (but for obvious reasons those are no use for insomnia).
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