Can't Sleep? Why Insomnia Shouldn't Be Ignored

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drink lots of beer.thanks for making ak look dumb.

denise anthony of AK 9:04PM March 10, 2010

drink lots of beer until you pass out...you'll be sure to get your recommended 8 hours of sleep!

007 of AK 4:28PM March 05, 2010

Try acupuncture to improve circullation and readjust your body to more healthy energy and sleep cycles. A little chinese herbal pill called "Jia Wei Xiao Yao Wan" is herbal and gentle unlike western pharmaceutical drugs that have long term side effects or dependency. It improves mood and liver. Acupuncture makes me feel refreshed and clear thinking. Poor sleep is a symptom of another problem. Treat the cause not the symptom when the underlying root cause is the bigger problem. I'm drug free and feel great! As we get old, try acupuncture and diet not drugs as the way to longevity.

s the full time mom and worker of MD 9:18AM February 23, 2010

Diabetes, fibromyalgia, major depression, oh, name it, it's there. It doesn't matter, as I've had trouble sleeping for a very long time.
I have been taking Ambien for about three years now, and it helps. Although it says be close to a bed when you take it, it doesn't impact me for about 3 hours! The first night I don't take it, I get rebound insomnia and don't sleep for 24 hours!
The one thing new I have started, however, is taking a 5 mcg of melatonin a night along with the Ambien. I have found a cure--or at least a treatment I can trust--in the meltonin! I take it along with the Ambien, and it's closer to 1-2 hours when I'm out for the night. It's a full 8-9 hour sleep after that.
I hate to depend on medications to sleep, but I won't knock the melatonin at all. Of course, with some people, your results will be different. Ask your doctor if it's okay to take it as well. Some people might not be able to take it.

hyphenate of MA 11:28PM February 10, 2010

Other things that have helped me: Stop excercising at least 6 hrs before bed (hard, I know). DON'T watch violent or tense-type movies, tv shows or the news, same with books. If you can, find something funny (Craig Ferguson worked great for me but I can no longer stay up that late).
I also find doing something rather mindless but repetitive, like hand-sewing or knitting, helps calm my mind enough to turn off at bed time.
Also, try meditation. Pick a nonsense word(sharaling or some such) as a mantra. Sit comfortable. Say it out loud, softly, over and over for ten to 20 minutes, while clearing your head. Trust me, this takes practice to clear the head, but don't give up. It might take a week or two to get it, but still do it every night. Eventually you don't have to say it out loud but that helps me more. It helps me fall asleep.
I have found on the days I skip my long walk I am must more restless.
None of this is a 100% fix for me, but definitely help.

ToSleepPerchance of NC 6:35PM February 10, 2010

Quitting a bad job, getting rid of the bad husband, the kids leaving home, and alking at least 4 miles/day has all helped my perpetual sleep problems but but I still have trouble falling asleep, so I take two benadryl caplets every night. No side effects like ambien and it also has acted as a migraine prophylactic (for other people I know, too). Ambien had terrible side effects; when I stopped taking it, I slept nonstop for a week.

ToSleepPerChance of NC 6:26PM February 10, 2010

Diag with PTSD, Bi-Polar Affective II with Depression, Diabetes T2, Chronic Pain from complete fractures of spine and sacrum. I sleep about 3 hrs every 4th day. Only thing that can knock me down is Trazadone 400mg daily. On occasion it fails as well. Also the Traz gives me unwanted erections/ priapism. Go life!

Anthony of OK 5:25PM February 10, 2010

I've been on ambien for 4yrs and now trying Restoril/ambien combo. At this point I've been to several doctors (all types) and so far all they can say is I have anxiety. I know plenty of other people with anxiety and they fall asleep every night. If anybody has any suggestions, please share. Getting sleep shouldn't be so hard.

Jazzyrose of GA 3:43PM February 09, 2010

Chronic pain is very, very stressful. Prolonged stress results in depression. All of this makes sleeping a rarity for me. Sleep medications either don't work, or work only for very short periods. For instance, Ambien gives me about two hours the I have to repeat the dosage to get another two hours. Ironically, when you stop taking ambien, it causes the very thing it's supposed to correct -- insomnia.

Samuel Adams of NY 2:40PM February 03, 2010

I have gone through every sleep aid with my Dr., and now I am on Restoril 60mg and Ambien10mg. They give me about 2.5 hrs of sleep, and then I can fall asleep for maybe another 2 hrs at most. I went to a sleep center and they had me wear this watch the monitors your movement during sleep. Ther results of the sleep study demonstrated that I could not be helped by a sleep study. So now, I'm not sure what to do. I do have to take another medication that will help me primarily with another health problem, and it helps to sleep a little. I'm frustrated because I think the only solution is for me to have intense physical exercise at the gym. Like cardio and weights.

Cameron of IL 1:34AM January 30, 2010