Insomnia - please help

[mackmama]

I have been having horrible insomnia for the past week. I have tried Benadryl, warm milk, warm bath, counting sheep, thinking about boring things, etc...

Does melatonin work and, if so, how much do I take?

Any other tips? I am soooo tired.

[Jupiter]

My suggestion is don't take a nap at all and try to get out and exercise even if its a walk. Then good to bed at your normal time. If you can not sleep I saw that NyQuil has a sleep aid but I'd probably ask you dr first.

[sntm]

Melatonin works great for some, not at all for others. Very idiosyncratic.
Take 1/2-1 mg 30 min before bed. Don't take a higher dose.

[nfceagles]

When I go through bouts of insomnia, I like to take a half a tablet of Unisom (the doxylamine succinate one). This is actually the same drug and amount that is in an adult dose of Nyquil. You're just skipping the antihistamine and pain reliever. I take it early in the evening, like 8:00, stay up until 9:30-10ish, and since I only take a half tablet I can function come morning time. Plus, I can function during the night if I absolutely had to. Usually one good night's rest gets me back on track. I also take it when I travel as I have a hard time sleeping in other places, especially if I'm sharing a room with kids. I've never had a problem with it being "habit-forming".

[kmkaull]

I'm getting ready to do a round of IVF and have been taking 3 mg of melatonin for the last couple of months. (Supposed to improve egg quality.) It does help with sleep . . . I'm a light sleeper and it does seem to help me sleep deeper and better.

In your situation, I would pull out the big guns and do 1 or 2 Tylenol PM's tonight to get caught up.

Exercise also helps.

[bisous]

I don't have experience with Melatonin. What have you tried? For me, the secret is to get on a rhythm and not deter. I totally agree with avoiding naps like the plague.

I've found that I don't need/cannot get 8 hours of sleep a day. It messes me up. Likewise, daytime naps prevent me from sleeping well at night. If I plan for 6 to 7 hours a night I can get to sleep easier and sleep deeper. (I know this flies in the face of Weissbluth and his "sleep begets sleep" approach but it works for me).

[hillview]

Do you have trouble falling asleep or staying asleep? Melatonin is supposed to help FALL asleep. I get insomnia where I have no issue falling asleep but wake up at 2 am for 2-3 hours. I find a Tylenol PM for 2-3 nights help me get back to a sleeping routine.

[sidmand]

I took 5 mg (I think? Or 3) of melatonin and a Tylenol PM...I was taking meds that gave me horrible insomnia. The melatonin alone made me tired but I still didn't sleep. I need a lot of sleep though! And I take everything no later than 9 pm. I just saw an ad for the zzquil sleep med a PP mentioned. I didn't want to get too reliant on the Tylenol but it was good to get some solid sleep!

[KLD313]

Valerian root worked for a few people I know. I think it was a tea they used but they have it in pill form as well. They said it knocked them out.

[Smillow]

I used Melatonin to get back into a normal sleeping pattern after DS started sleeping through the night (at 2 yo!). I didn't have to take it too many times - maybe for about 2 weeks, but not every night. I bought the straight Melatonin from Costco. The most I've ever taken is 2 tablets.

[mackmama]

Thanks so much, everyone. I don't take naps, and I have been making myself exercise every day in hopes that it will help me sleep. I have trouble falling asleep, not staying asleep. I had forgotten about Tylenol PM, so I'm going to try that. Thank you!!

[karstmama]

as far as i know, tylenol pm = benadryl + tylenol, so if benadryl hasn't been working... it won't hurt you at all, but might not help. i luuurve benadryl myself.

for trouble falling asleep, i usually read something dense that takes a bit of concentration. that often gets me sleepy.

another thought - if you keep thinking of things to do, do you have a pen & paper by the bed to jot them down & get them out of your head?

here's my 'big gun'. i read about it years ago and it truly seems to work. ok, so you're in bed, comfy temp, comfy position, tired but can't get to sleep. close your eyes, do a quick relaxation check of your body, then imagine a door. spend a little time imagining it in detail. now take a bucket of mental paint and imagine yourself painting '100' on the door. big wet strokes, imagine the paint drips, feel the brush in your hand. it clears, nothing on the door. do the same with '99', then '98', and paint big numbers on the door counting down, with some detail. i've never gotten past 82.

[nfceagles]

Tylenol is just acetaminophen with benadryl added. No need to take the acetaminophen if you don't have a headache too.

[Jupiter]

I have a hard time falling asleep too. Tricks I have used is quiet piano music. I have pandora on my phone and found the channel I like. Smells also help - this might sound strange but a little Vicks under my noise helps a lot. Try writting your thoughts down before bed if your mind tends to race when you are trying to sleep. Also a dark, quiet room helps. I personally am not a fan of taking medicine I don't absolutely need, so these tricks help me.

Keep us posted

[nfceagles]

Oh, another thing I've used with success is hypnosis downloads. I bought a couple tracks from a website, I think hypnosisdownloads.com but it's been a while. I listen to them on my ipod with my earbuds under my pillow so they don't wake DH. I also listen to a lot of audiobooks this way and sometimes I find having something to listen to quietly distracts my brain from the anxious thoughts and helps me drift back to sleep.

[roseyloxs]

I saw this on the Mentalist and since everything that happens on tv is true I am sure it will work. When you breathe in count 1. Breathe out and count 2. Repeat.

[Tondi G]

Try the Melatonin if you are having issues with falling asleep. Take it about an hour before you would like to be sleeping! My DH takes 3mg but some people only need 1 or 2 mg some take up to 6mg. Hope it does the trick for you!