Aid For Insomnia |

OTC medication: Diphenhydramine
Herbs: Valerian
Dietary supplement: Melatonin

You may also try Aromatherapy, Acupuncture, Relaxation and Meditation or Yoga

My Dr said I am suffering chronic insomnia likely to be linked to a few health problems I had last year regarding stress.

It’s almost 3:30am in the UK where I am now.

I went to sleep at around 11pm, but woke up at 11:30pm, after spending an hour trying to get back to sleep, I gave up and have been cleaning ever since then.

I’ve tried all sorts of products on the market, to that drink that says it helps you get a good night sleep to pills to doing lots of exercise throughout the day – nothing works!

At the most I have got 4 hours disrupted sleep per night (ie: waking up after 45 minutes usually).

When I do go to sleep, I often wake up since I have been “jerking”, that is the only way I can describe it, like my whole body jumps for no apparent reason.

I am also a very light sleeper (when I do manage to sleep) which means the slightest noise wakes me up, I can’t sleep wearing any jewellery and have to wear baggy night dresses so I can’t feel waistbands or necklines on me as I sleep.

I don’t know what else to try, I am paranoid about having a boyfriend (I am 20) since I have such a weird problem and I really do not think I would ever get to sleep with someone moving and snoring right next to me!

Has anyone ever had a similar experience?
What else can I ask my doctor to give me?
Anyone got any general advice to give me that may be useful, or even kind words would be great!!

Also, since I don’t get a lot of sleep, I have horrible bags under my eyes, but can’t use anything on them because I have allergies to most skin products, my body hates me!!!

Thanks for any help.

I have some of the same issues. My doctor and I have tried a few things and arrived at a medication regimen that works well. I take antidepressants in the morning (Wellbutrin and Celexa) and drug called Seroquel, which is an antipsychotic, at night. I also have a prescription for Ativan and Ambien to take as needed. It sounds like a lot, but it has done wonders for me.

Another thing to watch out for is good “sleep hygiene,” like having a set bedtime and only being in bed when you intend to sleep.

In the past week I've developed both a severe cold and I guess what one might call mild insomnia (for the past three nights, despite much effort, I have only been able to log approximately 2-3 hours of sleep).

As weightlifter, I realize that these are both symptoms of overtraining. However, I am reluctant to concede without some further advise that I am experiencing overtraining syndrome considering 1) I have not been experiencing abnormal muscle soreness, and 2) have made some pretty solid gains on my bench and other exercises during this past week.

Now, I'm wondering if it could possible by 1) The protein shake I ingest before bed acting as an accelerant (just like caffeine) that's keeping me awake, or 2) my debilitated breathing from my cold is disturbing my sleep.

Any thoughts are much appreciated.

When I faced symptoms of over training the worst ones of all was trouble sleeping, loss of appetite and lethargy.

if you can still fall asleep easily you should be fine.

in the end, if you work out 3-4 times a week and take a week off every 3 months you shouldnt ever worry about overtraining.

if you're still making gains on the bench and all then youre fine and doing it right!!

I want a natural approach. my boyfriend is suffering he isn’t on any medication and will not take anything he has mild depression from the detoxing stages and insomnia and just a blah weak feeling. what can he eat or take as a supplement. to speed the recovery he is 30 days clean

First off, let me say that I give your boyfriend a lot of credit for what he is doing. Not many people can go through a hard drug withdrawal without supplemental medicine. However, I do think that professional help would be in his best interest. There’s this site called recovery connection.org that has a whole section on wholistic drug rehab. Check it out and hopefully that will be able to help your boyfriend even more. He should try taking a multivitamin and drink lots and lots and LOTS of water. The most important thing for him is to stay hydrated.

i've read that it is thought that insomnia is a contributing factor in the cause of obesity, but does it also work the other way round? I've recently lost a fair amount of weight and have noticed that I am now sleeping like a normal person rather than just an hour or two a night if I'm lucky.

Yes, by causing sleep apnea, joint pain, and general discomfort from carrying and shifting the weight.
Congrats on your loss!