Favorite insomnia fixes? (1 Viewer)

[Cardinal]

This thread is not for "situational" insomniacs. By situational, I mean anything with a clear and obvious cause, including but not limited to
a. not eating right
b. not exercising
c. dehydration
d. obvious life stressors

I mean where you're technically doing everything right, you're not even especially stressed out (at least no more so than the average schlub who's got to earn a check and pay the rent). In other words, a real, chronic insomniac.

What are your favorite fixes?

First person to say "yoga" or "meditation" gets punched in the groin.

 

[RabidAlpaca]

This thread is not for "situational" insomniacs. By situational, I mean anything with a clear and obvious cause, including but not limited to
a. not eating right
b. not exercising
c. dehydration
d. obvious life stressors

I mean where you're technically doing everything right, you're not even especially stressed out (at least no more so than the average schlub who's got to earn a check and pay the rent). In other words, a real, chronic insomniac.

What are your favorite fixes?

First person to say "yoga" or "meditation" gets punched in the groin.

I prefer an all natural solution. One that is guaranteed to calm your nerves and mind and let you drift off into sleep's loving embrace.

 

[Cardinal]

I prefer an all natural solution. One that is guaranteed to calm your nerves and mind and let you drift off into sleep's loving embrace.

Thanks, but I'm not compatible with weed -- I'm one of the types weed will send into crippling panic attacks. And I know there's a difference between sativa and indica. I've tried 'em all, and let me tell you: indica, sativa and hybrid panic attacks are all remarkably similar.

 

[joG]

This thread is not for "situational" insomniacs. By situational, I mean anything with a clear and obvious cause, including but not limited to
a. not eating right
b. not exercising
c. dehydration
d. obvious life stressors

I mean where you're technically doing everything right, you're not even especially stressed out (at least no more so than the average schlub who's got to earn a check and pay the rent). In other words, a real, chronic insomniac.

What are your favorite fixes?

First person to say "yoga" or "meditation" gets punched in the groin.

Play a game, do some work, read a book, switch on BBC world.

 

[Cardinal]

Play a game, do some work, read a book, switch on BBC world.

Sorry for the confusion, but I intended this thread to be for chronic insomniacs.

 

[OrphanSlug]

Reading or art. Either way it is calming and distracting enough so I can get some sleep.

I've been dealing with insomnia for years, and am avoiding as best I can taking medications for it.

 

[MaggieD]

This thread is not for "situational" insomniacs. By situational, I mean anything with a clear and obvious cause, including but not limited to
a. not eating right
b. not exercising
c. dehydration
d. obvious life stressors

I mean where you're technically doing everything right, you're not even especially stressed out (at least no more so than the average schlub who's got to earn a check and pay the rent). In other words, a real, chronic insomniac.

What are your favorite fixes?

First person to say "yoga" or "meditation" gets punched in the groin.

Wal-Sleep Z caplets from Walgreen's. Active ingredient diphenhydramine HO, 25 mg. non-habit forming. Works like a charm.

 

[joG]

Sorry for the confusion, but I intended this thread to be for chronic insomniacs.

Paul Samuelson once said of a colleague, I think it was Robert Solow, that he had an unfair advantage. As an insomniac he could work all night.

But maybe hash is better, if you need to sleep.

 

[Northern Light]

Sleep hygiene:
- bed is reserved for sleep and sex, nothing else, in order to build the association of bed being about sleep
- no light sources in the room at night
- reduce noise levels, use ear plugs
- no TV or computer screens 1 hour before bedtime; all other lighting should be indirect and pointing downward (lamps and candles, no overhead lighting)
- no huge meals within 3 hours of bedtime; light, carby snacks only
- no strenuous physical exercise within 3 hours of bed
- no strenuous mental activities within 3 hours of bed
- in bed by 11pm, the body releases cortisol (a stress hormone) after midnight if you're still awake in order to promote endurance
- no stimulants after 2pm (coffee, etc.)
- make sure there's sources of fresh air feeding your sleeping area

I learned a long time ago that when I went camping my sleep was amazing. I figured out that sleeping and waking with natural sunlight really fixed things for me, which I know we can't all do in the modern world. Also, having plants in your room improves air quality a lot, as long as they can get adequate sunlight.

 

[USViking]

I am a chronic insomniac.

Now retired, but during my working life I would often have to go through the working day in a state of 9-5 exhaustion. It really sucked. I never took sleep medication because I was afraid its effects would be worse on job performance than sleep deprivation.

I retired from work in 2003, and the insomnia problem got no better. Since I did not have to work I often slept well past dawn, and far into the afternoon. Some of you clods may ask: "What's the problem- you don't have to work!" The problem, you idiots, is that I would really like to be on the same schedule as most of the rest of the world, including all, repeat: all the people I know: family, friends, and so forth.

In the last few years the perscription medication Ambien/Zolpidem has taken care of everything to my complete satisfaction.

When I reach the point when I cannot get to sleep before 2am I take 1 Ambien/Zolpidem for 3-4 straight nights running, and that gets me to the point, for several days, where I can get a decent night's sleep, asleep before midnight, and out of bed by around 9am.

In the last several years I have taken the following amounts of Ambien/Zolpidem (yes, I do keep track of every single pill I take, and so should everyone):

2012: 20
2013: 33
2014: 49
2015: 40
2016: 19 to date

That is well under the doctor's prescribed allowance of 60 doses per year. Thank God for Zolpidem is all I have to say!

 

[Southern Dad]

During my 21 years in the military, I often served at remote duty assignments where there were a limited number of officers to pull what is known as A side duty. (Decoded messages at weird hours) This caused me to have very strange sleep patterns and to become an insomniac. I actually some times went two or three days without sleeping. This caused me problems in life. Health and relationship wise. I tried drugs. (When someone you love can't sleep, Sominex.) The final answer? My iComfort mattress. I didn't spend five grand on a mattress. I spent five grand buying sleep.

I sleep like a rock now. My bedroom also now has an independent air conditioning system. 65º is the optimal sleeping temperature. And don't forget the pillows. I use Comfort Revolution.

 

[Hawkeye10]

Now that I am retired I just roll with it. My body has always wanted to stay up till 2-3am, sometimes I cant get to sleep till 6am which kinda sucks but this is not a problem since most of the people I hang out with are not available in the morning anyways. We dont usually get together till 2 in the afternoon at the earliest. Some weed strains help me to sleep, some dont, something that I dont understand because I would expect all indicas to help.

My program is that I try to sleep for 20 minutes, if I am still awake I get up because not sleeping will just piss me off, and that will keep me up for hours for sure. I either get on the internet or read till I feel like sleeping.

 

[shagg]

This thread is not for "situational" insomniacs. By situational, I mean anything with a clear and obvious cause, including but not limited to
a. not eating right
b. not exercising
c. dehydration
d. obvious life stressors

I mean where you're technically doing everything right, you're not even especially stressed out (at least no more so than the average schlub who's got to earn a check and pay the rent). In other words, a real, chronic insomniac.

What are your favorite fixes?

First person to say "yoga" or "meditation" gets punched in the groin.

Most of the people who work overnight regularly in my department take Melatonin. I don't know that much about it, but apparently it helps for those who have trouble adjusting their sleep cycle, or just can't get enough sleep with the sun up. All my other Ideas have been mentioned already. Unless you want to try yoga or meditat....... *OOF*

 

[justabubba]

Wal-Sleep Z caplets from Walgreen's. Active ingredient diphenhydramine HO, 25 mg. non-habit forming. Works like a charm.

my wife says this is the same active ingredient as benedryl ... probably not a good thing to ingest with regularity

 

[beefheart]

This thread is not for "situational" insomniacs. By situational, I mean anything with a clear and obvious cause, including but not limited to
a. not eating right
b. not exercising
c. dehydration
d. obvious life stressors

I mean where you're technically doing everything right, you're not even especially stressed out (at least no more so than the average schlub who's got to earn a check and pay the rent). In other words, a real, chronic insomniac.

What are your favorite fixes?

First person to say "yoga" or "meditation" gets punched in the groin.

Sex...either with someone, or by yourself. I am lucky, I fall asleep in seconds, sometimes in the middle of a conversation...

 

[MaggieD]

my wife says this is the same active ingredient as benedryl ... probably not a good thing to ingest with regularity

Your wife is right. It is not habit forming. I probably use it a couple times a week. Doc said its no problem.

 

[Aunt Spiker]

This thread is not for "situational" insomniacs. By situational, I mean anything with a clear and obvious cause, including but not limited to
a. not eating right
b. not exercising
c. dehydration
d. obvious life stressors

I mean where you're technically doing everything right, you're not even especially stressed out (at least no more so than the average schlub who's got to earn a check and pay the rent). In other words, a real, chronic insomniac.

What are your favorite fixes?

First person to say "yoga" or "meditation" gets punched in the groin.

Porn. Plotting stories. Writing. Researching.

If I can't sleep there's absolutely no point in wasting my time not working or having a good time up at night. I cannot stand laying in bed awake for a long time or sitting around doing all sorts of tricks to 'get tired' - including forcing myself to yawn. I'm impatient. Work Calls.

 

[Cardinal]

Porn. Plotting stories. Writing. Researching.

If I can't sleep there's absolutely no point in wasting my time not working or having a good time up at night. I cannot stand laying in bed awake for a long time or sitting around doing all sorts of tricks to 'get tired' - including forcing myself to yawn. I'm impatient. Work Calls.

Not a bad philosophy, really.

 

[PoS]

I dont think there is a cure for insomnia unless you take drugs. I'm a night owl and I wake up and sleep whenever I want to, Ive adjusted my life so that it revolves around me rather than the other way around. If you do a set schedule every evening your body will adjust and you will feel drowsy naturally.

 

[jamesrage]

This thread is not for "situational" insomniacs. By situational, I mean anything with a clear and obvious cause, including but not limited to
a. not eating right
b. not exercising
c. dehydration
d. obvious life stressors

I mean where you're technically doing everything right, you're not even especially stressed out (at least no more so than the average schlub who's got to earn a check and pay the rent). In other words, a real, chronic insomniac.

What are your favorite fixes?

First person to say "yoga" or "meditation" gets punched in the groin.

If you have a tv in your room with a sleep timer then turn the volume down low, put on a boring program and set the sleep timer for 15 to 30 minutes. You could also download a audio book or some soft music and play it on your MP3 player of if your TV or bluray player plays files of a USB drive.

 

[Cardinal]

I dont think there is a cure for insomnia unless you take drugs. I'm a night owl and I wake up and sleep whenever I want to, Ive adjusted my life so that it revolves around me rather than the other way around. If you do a set schedule every evening your body will adjust and you will feel drowsy naturally.

After a lifetime of insomnia I'm a yuuuuge fan of the drugs route. It's just that all the ones that work are crazy addictive. Also, going through the different ones is an arduous (and expensive) trial and error process. So I know that ambien (dizzyingly addictive) works, but I don't dare use that more than once or twice a week. One common method is to alternate, and that's where the expensive trial and error comes into play. So I already know trazadone doesn't work for me because it dries my mouth up and clogs my nose (good one, trazadone).

My insomnia laughs in the face of all non-drug fixes. My insomnia is on a somewhat some form of time cycle, and when I'm in an insomnia phase, nothing will get me to sleep. I can follow all the schedules and rules I want, it isn't going to make a damn bit of difference.

I liked Aunt Spiker's take because even though it doesn't contain a solution to the insomnia itself, I like the world view that at least I shouldn't have to tolerate lying in bed helplessly. Last night after waking up after a solid two hours of sleep, I just got up and watched tv. No, it's not an epic thing, but it's still better than lying in bed wide awake until sunrise.

 

[Winchester]

Not an insomniac, but routine, routine, routine. Also I fall asleep reading almost every night, and have done so since I learned to read. What I'm finding troubling over the last year or so is I need less sleep and sometimes find myself awake for the day at 4am.

 

[Cardinal]

Not an insomniac, but routine, routine, routine. Also I fall asleep reading almost every night, and have done so since I learned to read. What I'm finding troubling over the last year or so is I need less sleep and sometimes find myself awake for the day at 4am.

Needing less sleep doesn't sound so bad. I mean, if you're rested you're rested.

 

[Winchester]

Needing less sleep doesn't sound so bad. I mean, if you're rested you're rested.

I am well rested, it's just weird after decades of sleeping 8hrs/night (10pm-6am) uninterrupted I now find myself waking up between 4am-5am more often than not. Drives my wife nuts on weekends because when I get up the dogs have to get up and while we try to be quite, none of us are very good at it, lol.

 

[AlbqOwl]

Wal-Sleep Z caplets from Walgreen's. Active ingredient diphenhydramine HO, 25 mg. non-habit forming. Works like a charm.

It does tend to become less effective with prolonged use though. Diphenhydramine hcl is the plain old Benadryl we took as an allergy med for kids. But it is plentiful, non prescription, and cheap and is an effective sleep aid. If aches and pains are part of your life, you can buy a NSAID with the diphenhydramine in it too--I think both Advil and Alleve provide such a product, again OTC. But to keep it working at maximum efficiency we alternate it with Melatonin. Do not take the two meds together though.