Does anyone have any good tips for sleep?

[JonnyB]

High-proof drink helps me! A couple before bed and I fall asleep quickly.

Without, I often lay awake for an hour or more. Do not like!

Beer, though, makes it worse, except in large quantities. I have to metabolize all the carbs if I drink beer before bed; defeats the purpose.

jb

[Lee]

Reading before bed, I had a prescription for some kind of drug...ambien ?? I cant remember the name of it, when I had knee surgery in 2004 they gave me some, it worked great for a week then tolerance kicked in.

Not trying to push Ambien...but I had the same issue at first.  I've been alternating between a half dose (5mg) and full (10mg) with great success for ~ 5 years now.  It's not without side effects (especially the 10 mg dose) but not sleeping for days has more than it's fair share of those as well.   

[erictank]

I have not heard this before. Does anyone have a good source on this info?

Have heard it before, but can't remember the source - "half-life" of caffiene is supposed to be something like 3 hours.  After 3 hours or so, there's no effective stimulant effect for most, but your body doesn't get rid of it all until 9-12 hours after ingestion, so it can disrupt sleep. YMMV, naturally.

Terpsichore - have you tried melatonin?  It can help as long as you don't rely on it regularly. (reads rest of thread.)  Ah, you have.  Well, sorry, that's about all I've got.

[Jim147]

I'm going to sleep well tonight, but I wouldn't call drinking a bunch of whiskey a good tip.

I've heard several good reports on Ambien. I take a Benadryl if I need to get to sleep. Doesn't always work.

jim

[lee n. field]

"What makes you think you need more sleep?"

I have been a rotten sleeper for a few years now.  Never could fall asleep and stay asleep, awake every hour or so then asleep again for maaaaaybe another hour/half hour.  Dreams wake me up, too, sometimes I can fall back asleep, other times, not a snowball's chance in heck.  I try letting my body just fall asleep naturally, but that ends up being awake from 5am to 2am, repeat.  Napping so I can function when I have a day off helps, but not great help. 

Any chance of sleep apnea?

[seeker_two]

Any chance of sleep apnea?

Very good question....I had a lot of difficulty sleeping & staying awake....enough so that I couldn't drive longer than 10 minutes without drifting off at the wheel. A sleep study and a CPAP later....and I'm doing great. Even trained myself not to sleep unless the mask is on.

Olde phart checking in.  What makes you think you need more sleep?

Well, if you don't get enough sleep, you become grumpy & crochety and grumble & gripe when other people start talking about their problems on forums and......

....oh.....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V3FnpaWQJO0



 

[Gowen]

Valerian root.  It is an herb, you can get it at the health food store or aisle at the grocery store. 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Valerian_root

I used to take it in order to sleep for my double back shifts.  I've never had any adverse effects and slept like a baby. 

[coppertales]

I sleep really well after being with a woman...............or.................now in my elder years, a couple martinis.........chris3

[BridgeRunner]

Ambien.

[Jim147]

Nothing works if a little one decides to get sick all over the place multiple times after 11:00 PM.

jim

I was planning on going to sleep early tonight.

[Terpsichore]

Valerian root.  It is an herb, you can get it at the health food store or aisle at the grocery store. 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Valerian_root

I used to take it in order to sleep for my double back shifts.  I've never had any adverse effects and slept like a baby. 

I'm currently trying it with varied....I don't want to call it success, but it does get me to a calmer state where I can at least doze.

[Zardozimo Oprah Bannedalas]

I'm currently trying it with varied....I don't want to call it success, but it does get me to a calmer state where I can at least doze.

Have you tried meditation?

[bedlamite]

Detcord

[Terpsichore]

"Any chance of sleep apnea?"

No idea.  It may be something I should look into having a sleep study done for.

[erictank]

"Any chance of sleep apnea?"

No idea.  It may be something I should look into having a sleep study done for.

If you are tired all the time, no matter how long you slept, if you're told by your significant other that you snore loudly and maybe even stop breathing during the night - go get your sleep study done ASAP.  You'll likely need to do two, one without a CPAP for a baseline and the next with a machine, in order to be properly diagnosed (the doctor will tell you what he requires, of course), and I'm given to understand that CPAPs don't actually work for everyone.  They worked wonders for me, though - even after only half a night on one for the test, I woke up far more refreshed than I had from a full night's sleep without one, to the point that my wife literally asked who I was and what I'd done with her husband when I got home from the sleep center that morning and was awake, alert, and cheery. I found it relatively easy to adapt to wearing the mask, though it is and always will be an annoyance - but I sleep so much better wearing it.  If you think you might be apneic, go get checked out, don't delay for a few years like I did!

[230RN]

People, people, watch what you're eating, please.

Anything with glutamate-related compounds in it will keep you tossing and turning most of the night.  Glutamates = "hydrolyzed vegetable protein," flavor enhancers, etc, and the good old monosodium glutamate (MSG.)

The FDA has no real authority to regulate how these compounds are named, so the foodmakers can call it a lot of differnt things.

I hate to harp on this, and it is by no means the only stuff that can keep you awake (caffiene, Vitamin C for me, kids throwing up all night, etc.), but I believe it may be a major if largely unrecognized factor in sleep disruption.

Scientific?  I don't know.  Anecdotal?  Sure.  Highly significant to me after years of "anecdotes?"  Yep.

Significant for you?  Maybe, maybe not, but you ought to watch that ingredient list in prepared foods to find out.

You might just be, like me, a natural-born nightowl, forcing yourself into society's diurnal schedule, but for me it sure paid to keep an eye on those darned ingredients.

Terry, 230RN

 

[Viking]

Cup of hot cocoa with a splash of whiskey added to it. Helps me occasionally .

[De Selby]

"Sleeping is no mean art: for its sake one must stay awake all day."

[RoadKingLarry]

I've found a good energetic round of sex helps with a good nights sleep as well.

[Boomhauer]

For me, my issue is having the right sleeping conditions so that I get a full nights rest after a normal day (as opposed to a completely exhausting day, when I can go to sleep just about anywhere). I've got to have complete darkness, a cool (but not too cold...say around 65 deg is great for me) room, a good firm mattress and good pillows to support my head. If you've changed your sleeping environment in the past few years and had issues shortly after the change, that could be a clue...