help... i can't sleep at night

[1967]

today is day 10 and i am feeling better when awake but not when i'm supposed to be sleeping.
i have been going to sleep between 10-11... then wake around 12:30, 2:30 and then around 4.
i don't eat anything after 7:30 or drink (non-alcoholic) after 9.
i've been diagnosed over the years w/a sleep disorder.
another excuse to drink was so that i would sleep!

anyone else have similar trouble?
i don't expect to sleep all nite without waking at all but this is so tiring!
i have to work again starting next week.

somebody tell me, please, that it takes a while to get the sleeping on track?
i'm going for a nap.. which i haven't done all week.. am tired and cranky!

[Wally22]

help... i can't sleep at night

I have the same problem, and yes I started drinking at night to help me sleep.
Some people have good results with melatonin and other herbal remedies.
I take a prescription sleeping pill after a couple of nights of tossing and turning.
It's still better than drinking.
Maybe others will have more constructive suggestions, many people find they sleep better when they have been AF for an extended period of time, I have always had sleep problems so I haven't found that to be the case. One good thing though, is I don't snore anywhere near as much such I stopped drinking!!!
Hope you find a solution.

[tlrgs]

help... i can't sleep at night

HI THERE 67 yes i still have trouble sleep and i take 30mg of melatonin to help me sleep .. just take it one hour before you want to sleep and it does work ..hang in there good luck

[1967]

help... i can't sleep at night

thanks for your replies... i have a good melatonin that i take. they are 5 mg tablets and the bottle says do not take more than one per night ( i often take 2) unless recommended by a physician.
did ur doc tell you it's okay to take so much? i only weigh 118 lbs.. i guess no one has died from melatonin overdose. not sleeping makes me anxious and in the night i am anxious because i keep waking up!!
i would have to take 6 to make it up to 30 mg which seems like a lot tlrgs...
maybe i'll try 4 tonight?
my doc gives me xanex sometimes which is great but i don't want to take this for the long term.
too addictive!

[Boss.man]

help... i can't sleep at night

There are two main problems with sleep; not getting to sleep, and also not getting back to sleep halfway through the night. I have the second problem. It's called "Sleep Maintenance" disorder. You can google this for more notes.

1) If you are truly not drinking, Zolpidem (Prescription) is great. However, if you have even a tiny bit of AL this can cause your brain to get really angry and sometimes suicidal. So be careful.

2) Melatonin 3mg at bedtime is good to get your asleep. My spouse likes Melatonin 5mg time release, but for me the effect doesn't last until 2am. I sometimes use melatonin 1mg dropper, and do a half dose if I wake "early" like at midnight. Buy Natrol Liquid Melatonin, Supplement

3) I really like Theanine "relaxation" pills. Here's a brand I get. I'll take one or two of these an hour before bed. This doesn't -make- me sleep, but it helps to calm my mind so sleeping is easier.

Theanine Serene with Relora 120 tabs from SOURCE NATURALS

4) Deep breathing. Breathing: Three Exercises - Dr. Weil

5) Search "sleep meditation" videos from youtube. For me, it sometimes helps to find one I like. Here's one: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hkdac7A0RoU[/video]]YouTube - Guided Meditation - Relieve Sleep Problems

I've never found a pill I can take at 2am. Melatonin and other sleep aids all work over eight hours, not four hours or less. I used to take valerian, but the effect lasts 24 hours for me and I hate being groggy in the morning.

Good luck.

[tlrgs]

help... i can't sleep at night

yes i do take alot but im unusall.. it take alot to put me out for the night.. but i would just say go talk to your doc ..

[1967]

help... i can't sleep at night

thanks bossman!

i am already taking stablon for anxiety and depression and don't want to add any more prescription drugs to the soup! and i'm really not drinking, finally!

i will look at the utube video.. i do relaxation meditations but i didn't the last two nites.
i will also investigate the Theanine Serene. I don't like valerian either but i wasn't sure why? it just made me feel kinda loopy all the time! i didn't know the effects were 24 hrs. that explains a lot.
thanks!!!

[1967]

help... i can't sleep at night

oh by the way boss man... my problem is the same... staying asleep!

[JackieClaire]

help... i can't sleep at night

Hi 1967,
Just been in the kitchen to look at my 'stash' of sleep aids.
Valerian,sleep balm (courtesy of Avon),Nytol, some kind of over the counter sleep aid. I've even resorted to sick sickness tablets (it says on the packet - can cause drowsiness).
Obviously I don't take them all at once.
I think it's a side affect of being AF.
Hope you get some zzzzzzz soon.
Love Jackie xxx

AF since 7/7/2009

[Cinders]

help... i can't sleep at night

1967,

STOP, tlrgs did not mean 30 mgs, he meant 3 mgs. 6 mgs is the maximum dosage a day, so one of your 5 mgs should be plenty.

I also have a prescription I use very occasionally. It is called Trazodone. It is non-addictive, unlike Ambien and Lunesta, and is guaranteed to knock you out. However, even with that, I can sometimes wake up once in the night.

I would try the Melatonin you have on hand first. Then perhaps you can try the other things people recommend if that doesn't work.

And yes, sleep does get better the longer AF you stay. It really does and it is real sleep. Sleep from alcohol does not allow you to get into a true REM sleep.

Once you figure out how to get a good night's sleep, you will be so much better off than before when you were passing out.

Cindi

[1967]

help... i can't sleep at night

well cinders the funny thing is that i have pretty much been af all summer. i was up until 4am all the time on vacation and attributed it to jet lag. i think i was wrong. obviously i wasn't nervous about anything at my friends house in asia. sometimes i can't sleep in a new place because i'm scared.
she has full time security, cameras, dogs and armed guards on duty around the clock.
a professional cat burglar couldn't get in that house undetected.
usually at home i'm nervous about burglars though.
my point is i don't think my sleep problem has much to do w/alcohol, but it is one of the reasons i drank regularly.
now i have to deal w/the reasons i drank for so long. poor sleep is very frustrating!

[Cinders]

help... i can't sleep at night

1967,

I, too, have always suffered from sleep issues and it led me down the path of a couple of glasses of wine at night to relax me and get me to sleep.

Guess where that led?

That is why the doctor gave me Trazodone. It is approved by rehabs as a good sleep aid for alcoholics because it is not addictive.

Another one they prescribed was Seroquel, but I heard of horrible side effects from that.

I can take one Trazodone (50 mg) and be asleep within 15 minutes. I generally sleep about 4 hours before I wake up but that is usually to go to the bathroom, I can then go back to sleep.

Now that I am taking Baclofen, I sleep too well. So I haven't had to take a Trazodone in ages.

You might want to ask your doctor about Trazodone. I know several people on here take it and it works well for them, too.

hth,
Cindi

[Lavande]

help... i can't sleep at night

Hi 1967,

Just thought I'd toss in my .02.
I developed sudden, severe insomnia at age 42. Turned out to be one of my first perimenopausal symptoms. My drinking career started around 45 (hoping it would help me sleep). So now, at 55 I'm AF and still not sleeping, grrrr. I didn't want Rx sleeping pills, melatonin didn't help so I searched and found an herbal product called Mellodyn. It has melatonin in it along with valerian, lemon balm and more. It helps a lot, I find I still waken a few times per/night but go back to sleep right away. I buy it directly from their website: MELLODYN | Natural Sleep Remedy | Herbal Insomnia Cure
It's worth a look!
Good luck,
Lav

[1967]

help... i can't sleep at night

thanks all... lots of advice i need to look into!
i admit that i would prefer a natural remedy versus rx.
anyhow, thanks all !
as for vitamins i do take a multi vitamin plus extra C so I doubt more vitamins is gonna cut it.
my trouble isn't falling asleep... it is staying asleep for more than two-three hours.
a doctor told my parents i had a sleep disorder initially when i was about 10 years old... they told me later... when I went off to boarding school as I was causing an upset sleep walking.

so i really don't think it is alcohol related insomnia.

[RedThread12]

help... i can't sleep at night

Hi 1967: I have taught yoga and meditation my entire (rather lengthy) career, and I have great respect for the power of those practices. But . . . when my sleep cycle went wacky my drinking got way out of hand and I finally found humility and went to my doc. She gave me seroquel, which, for me, is a wonder drug. Really. I don't think I could ever have stopped drinking without first getting the sleep I so desperately needed. I take a relatively small dose (50mg) about an hour before I want to go to sleep. If i have less than 8 hours to sleep I have to push myself a bit in the morning to get around, but I've taken it when I only slept 3-4 hours (due to crazy work stuff) and could still get fully functional relatively quickly. So - I know it totally does not work for some people, but I am grateful that I am not one of them . . . I just wanted to write this so you won't be discouraged about trying it based on others' reports. First, let me say that I am not a pill-taker for the most part. Seroquel is the first medication I have ever taken on a regular basis and I',m 53 years old. But it's the silver bullet bullet for me - and it may have something for my own chemistry that is connected to alcohol cravings, because when I took myself down to 25mg/night I had a totally inexplicable relapse. Not fun. Anyway - I love the stuff and sleep like a baby every night. I'm pretty healthy, eat well and exercise, and I haven't had any side effects. Good luck finding what works for you.