Sleepless in Lawrenceville

Hey Beth, Looks like you're getting TONS of advice. One thing that came to mind. Have you been getting as much exercise as in the past? I remember that you've not been able to swim nearly as much as you were last year or so b/c of your shoulder injuries and such. I saw that when I missed just one or two swim practices, I literally could not sleep that night - just tossed and turned for hours. Has your physical activity been up to what you've been used to? Ugh. After reading some of these posts - my take home message for myself is Just Say No. 'Course, who am I to talk. Got my surgery coming up and they will be pumping me full of drugs. Ick.

Drugs are never the answer! Like I said (you'll just have to believe me) I have reasons to never sleep; so if, I can anyone can. I don't know how you can say this without being a doctor or knowing anything about Beth's issues. The last person who I heard say something like this was jumping on Oprah's couch and has been roundly discredited.

Hi there. I'm in my late 20's and have had problems in this area for years. I have not read over the previous comments, so I apologize if my reply is repetitive. I have found absolutely no non-drug way of helping me get to sleep (well, other than reading a really boring book in bed). I have used Benadryl and Melatonin (not together) - and sometimes I don't even fall asleep after I've taken those! I have not used any other drugs to fall asleep.

If you believe a doctors has a clue about Rx, then you do nit understand how the system works. I'm afraid that you're generalizations are going to get you in trouble again. Maybe the physicians that you work with overprescribe medications. Maybe they are getting paid by drug companies to listen to marketing that is billed as science. And maybe their patients have bought into the expectations that pills are the best solution. But as a physician who never accepts anything from drug companies and never gives away "free" samples, I can assure you that many physicians are quite unlike those you are working with. We know a lot about both drugs and people and the problems they have. There has really been a lot of good advice on this thread. From my perspective, for the person without depression or anxiety (which about 20-30% of us have), medication is usually not the best solution, but can help in some very difficult situations. But there are a number of different causes of insomnia, and to make it sound like one solution fits all is either naive, boastful, or just plain wrong.

Do any of you have trouble with insomnia? .... Any suggestions on how to overcome insomnia without drugs? I like to drink relaxing herb teas, and will do so on a regular basis when I have extended periods (days/weeks) having trouble going to sleep. I will frequently listen to music too. Sometimes with lyrics, sometimes not, it just depends on my mood at the time. I believe for me this ties in with the comment made about “go someplace in your mind that you want to be” (good point). Music sometimes helps me shift my mental focus and rest. If I avoid the TV and computer at least 2 hours before bedtime I find it is much easier to go to sleep. Reading is much better. The routine thingy is good too. I love my pre and post bedtime rituals. Avoid stimulating foods. The Yogic term for this is “rajistic food” if you care to research that angle. Sometimes it is disturbing, irregular noises that don’t allow me to relax enough to sleep. I frequently run an inexpensive 20” box fan all night to get the pleasant drone/hum to distract me so I can sleep. (You can also buy “white noise” generators and CD’s.) This typically can take some getting used to, but once hooked it can also be somewhat addictive. I’ve no doubt that it is stress that most often keeps me up. So if your problem is chemical, etc. then maybe these things won’t help. I had a period of over a year (around 1994) where chronic pain kept me up, which was really destructive to me at the time, but eventually I got over it. “It all works out in the end. If it hasn’t worked out, then it isn’t the end.”

Not true! Sorry Bill. Sometimes drugs are needed for various reasons. Here I am defending the medical profession again ... Thank god I am not currently defending the legal profession. Everyone in my family but me is in the medical profession, including psychiatry. I've had an earful my whole life. Fort: I politely disagree. I have years of experience as a Licensed Nursing Home Administrator. I have seen the damage done by too quickly running for drugs. This include all levels of medical (nursing) and psychiatric care. Granted there have been advances but I have yet to see a sleep aid that didn't have side-effects that were worse. Our usual routine on receive a sub-acute care patient was to re-baseline the drugs. Most patients came with as low as 4 Rx to a high of 15-20. Each was to treat the side-effect of another. Geek: If you believe a doctors has a clue about Rx, then you do nit understand how the system works. The fail-safe professional is the Pharmacist and they are woefully under-paid for the life/death judgements they make. OK "never" was too strong a word but the intent to deviate from our cultures obsession with drugs and the quick fix. For that I apologize. There are some great non-drug suggestions here.

Do any of you have trouble with insomnia? .... Any suggestions on how to overcome insomnia. without drugs? :frustrated: Then again too, you could always follow the advice of Natty Dread (of the infamous radio show “Dear Natty”), which was always: (as in your case) “Dear Frustrated... Be Mellow! Roll up a big spliff! Put on a Bob Marley album*. PRAISE JAH!” (*The Reggae artist changed with each nugget of advice given, but otherwise the advice for every problem was always the same.) :-D (And HEY! Wait a minute! It is just another herb! NOT a "drug"! And it DID help me fix MY problem back in 1994. But now I just use diet and exercise, and a bit of meditation.) Have Fun! Praise Jah!

Slowswim, Wow. I'm a bit stunned at your blanket negative response to medicines. Your beliefs are obviously steeped in your experiences, and I respect your right to choose for yourself. I personally find the "drugs are evil" refrain overly simplistic and tiresome. It is usually comes from people who have had the good fortune not to be in a position to need them. It is often highly insulting, not to mention condescending and patronizing, to people who do not share in that same good fortune. It is borderline cruelty to tell people who might benefit from drugs that they should be able to resolve their situation themselves or that they should not trust their physician to assess their situation. I take meds every day for a chronic and potentially life-threatening condition and am happy to take them as long as they work for me. I take a med at night to ease the insomnia effects of the main drugs. Time has proven this the best treatment plan for me. I'm healthy, living life well and grateful for it. Drugs aren't the answer to everything, nor should they be the first response in many cases. I think people should be allowed to work out what works best for them without our judgment.

I just read today in the doctor's office (annual eye check) that, according to a recent National Sleep Foundation survey, 7 out of 10 Americans have trouble sleeping for myriad reasons. 40% or more have experienced or suffer from insomnia. Some people can't sleep because of pregnancy or "old lady" stuff -- this would be the chemicals/hormones messing with us. (Yeah, I didn't dream this up.) Many women also can't sleep because of the "rushing-ness" of their lives. (That's a real surprise too.) I had two other thoughts, Beth. Do you have a good mattress? Do you have allergies, like to dust mites that hide in beds and pillows?

Beth, it's a FAF sistah trait ... Lots of good advice here (and honestly I haven't read it all) but ... Have a routine, try melatonin (it occurs naturally in your body and helps to regulate those circadian rhythms), NO caffiene after about 10am, only use your bed for nookie & sleeping (no reading or tv), try tensing then relaxing all of your muscles, start at your toes and work your way up ...