Join Early Retirement Today
Reply
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
Old 08-30-2016, 07:57 PM   #21
Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso)
Give me a forum ...
ivinsfan's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2007
Posts: 9,951
I recently switched to a timed release 5 mg dose of melatonin and its an improvement for me, but I don't think 5mgs is a high dose..I've taken it for years.
ivinsfan is online now   Reply With Quote
Join the #1 Early Retirement and Financial Independence Forum Today - It's Totally Free!

Are you planning to be financially independent as early as possible so you can live life on your own terms? Discuss successful investing strategies, asset allocation models, tax strategies and other related topics in our online forum community. Our members range from young folks just starting their journey to financial independence, military retirees and even multimillionaires. No matter where you fit in you'll find that Early-Retirement.org is a great community to join. Best of all it's totally FREE!

You are currently viewing our boards as a guest so you have limited access to our community. Please take the time to register and you will gain a lot of great new features including; the ability to participate in discussions, network with our members, see fewer ads, upload photographs, create a retirement blog, send private messages and so much, much more!

Old 08-30-2016, 08:58 PM   #22
Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
 
Join Date: May 2007
Posts: 1,250
Quote:
Originally Posted by mamadogmamacat View Post
Have had insomnia since menopause began two years ago have tried most all the suggestions Lunesta help sometimes but only for 5 or 6 hours then wide awake but at least more or less rested Do not want dependency however so I mostly put up with it which is much easier to do now that Ive been retired a little while....sometimes high dose of melatonin works 5 mg...but again do not want to become dependent so use it rarely one thing thing i have not yet tried is that unisom that I think Car Guy suggested in an older thread...the type with Doxylamine Succinate.if it is still available might try it good to have several "aids" and only use them on those occasions when lack of sleep is really annoying me.... after two yrs most of the time i put up with whatever restless "rest" I may get each night

Or you can try HRT if you're a good candidate for it. Will solve your menopause problems including insomnia and anxiety if caused by estrogen depletion.


Sent from my iPad using Early Retirement Forum
Letj is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-30-2016, 09:49 PM   #23
Full time employment: Posting here.
mamadogmamacat's Avatar
 
Join Date: Dec 2012
Posts: 751
I'm on HRT.....it has been no help with insomnia....gyno doc put me on it when i was in my initial panic about no sleep.......per same doc anything over 3 mg of melatonin is a very high dose.....but i really don't care if it works...even if only sometimes......it stays in my repertoire
mamadogmamacat is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-30-2016, 10:04 PM   #24
Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
 
Join Date: Feb 2014
Location: South central PA
Posts: 3,469
Google "biphasic sleep cycle" Middle of the night awakening appears to be a normal pattern. I usually wake up in the wee hours. When I was working it was stressful, since my day typically started at 5AM.

Avoid screen time in the middle of the night. This is a mistake I am making right now.😉

I do best when I get to bed early, then wake up and get out of bed and do something quiet, then go back to sleep.

I'm nowhere near where I should be with this, but oh well. Don't let the pharmaceutical companies convince ou that it's bad to wake up at night.


Sent from my iPhone using Early Retirement Forum
EastWest Gal is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-31-2016, 05:17 AM   #25
Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
 
Join Date: Dec 2015
Posts: 2,232
Quote:
Originally Posted by EastWest Gal View Post
Google "biphasic sleep cycle" Middle of the night awakening appears to be a normal pattern. I usually wake up in the wee hours. When I was working it was stressful, since my day typically started at 5AM.

Avoid screen time in the middle of the night. This is a mistake I am making right now.😉

I do best when I get to bed early, then wake up and get out of bed and do something quiet, then go back to sleep.

I'm nowhere near where I should be with this, but oh well. Don't let the pharmaceutical companies convince ou that it's bad to wake up at night.


Sent from my iPhone using Early Retirement Forum
Between an old man's hypertrophic prostate (needing to pee a lot), and achy joints, there is no way I'm sleeping more than a few hours in a row. A good night for me is one where I may wake up a few times, do my thing which is visit bathroom AND while doing that I'm getting some of the kinks out of my back, hips, shoulders etc. and then (again this is a good night) finding a comfortable position back in bed and get a few more hours in before I have to repeat the process.

Generally, if I can get comfy, I can and will fall asleep. If not, just resting in bed comfortably, and deep breathing will get you about 90% of the physiologic benefit of actual sleep (or so Deepak Chopra claimed on an episode of Dr. Oz).
HadEnuff is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-31-2016, 05:20 AM   #26
Recycles dryer sheets
 
Join Date: Apr 2013
Location: Humble
Posts: 188
My sleep has been a bit worse the past few weeks, as I wind down my work life. I'm not anxious or unhappy, but I can't seem to get the brain to shut down when I wake WAY too early. Yesterday was my last day in the office and I didn't sleep much past 1:30am. Ugh - long day with that little sleep.

Hoping it gets better as I ease into the ER lifestyle.
Turn_the_Page is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-31-2016, 08:20 AM   #27
Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso)
Give me a forum ...
ivinsfan's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2007
Posts: 9,951
Quote:
Originally Posted by mamadogmamacat View Post
I'm on HRT.....it has been no help with insomnia....gyno doc put me on it when i was in my initial panic about no sleep.......per same doc anything over 3 mg of melatonin is a very high dose.....but i really don't care if it works...even if only sometimes......it stays in my repertoire
Actually up to 5mg is considered a okay amount according to the reading that I have done, it may interact with certain meds. For a doc to call that a "very high" dose is inaccurate IMO.
ivinsfan is online now   Reply With Quote
Old 08-31-2016, 08:43 AM   #28
Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso)
Give me a forum ...
MRG's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 2013
Posts: 11,078
I've had insomnia all my life, at least since grade school.

Things that work:
Careful with caffeine and other stimulus

Routines have one and follow it

Self hypnosis is great as is white noise

Indicia

Things that work for a while:

OTC pills for short term (benedryl, melatonin..)

Prescription drugs:

I became dependant on zolipidam, if you didn't sleep before you'll be amazed when your body rejects these types of meds. I didn't sleep more than 3 hours for 90+ days.

Trazadone is probably better than the modern prescriptions but use it as little as possible.


In general mom's advice is the best. Eat well, drink nothing and exercise. Remember no one's died from lack of sleep.
MRG is online now   Reply With Quote
Old 08-31-2016, 11:13 AM   #29
Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
bmcgonig's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2009
Posts: 1,577
Quote:
Originally Posted by ivinsfan View Post
Actually up to 5mg is considered a okay amount according to the reading that I have done, it may interact with certain meds. For a doc to call that a "very high" dose is inaccurate IMO.
My doc said that less is more with melatonin. He recommended 1mg or less.

Sent from my Nexus 6P using Early Retirement Forum mobile app
bmcgonig is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-31-2016, 11:29 AM   #30
Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
 
Join Date: Jun 2002
Posts: 1,633
I've never had any particular problem sleeping. But there are 2 things that hasten my falling asleep. First I read for 20-30 minutes (in bed) and that makes me very drowsy. Then I listen to something quiet/meditative on my iPod shuffle and I swear I am zonked out within 5 minutes. (My iPod Shuffle has no screen, hence no glow. I don't know for sure whether or not the newer ones have screens.)
__________________
friar1610
friar1610 is online now   Reply With Quote
Old 08-31-2016, 11:30 AM   #31
Recycles dryer sheets
 
Join Date: Jul 2016
Location: New Hampshire
Posts: 381
I started taking 5mg melatonin back in May, when my work life turned upside down, and it helped a lot. I'm now sleeping a lot better with no drowsiness in the morning. Curiously, I find that not all brands are equivalent. After starting out on a small bottle from Walgreens (Nature's Bounty brand), I bought a big bottle of a different brand at Costco. (Unlike another one Costco sold, this claimed to be just melatonin and not mixed with random herbs.) It did nothing for me at all, so I returned it and went back to Nature's Bounty. My wife started taking it as well and she finds it very helpful.

You may need to experiment with dosage to see what's the lowest that works for you. The literature is all over the map on this, but 3-5 seems to be a popular choice.
__________________
Steve
jonat is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-31-2016, 11:56 AM   #32
Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso)
Give me a forum ...
ivinsfan's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2007
Posts: 9,951
Quote:
Originally Posted by bmcgonig View Post
My doc said that less is more with melatonin. He recommended 1mg or less.

Sent from my Nexus 6P using Early Retirement Forum mobile app
If you want to go with your doc, that's fine, but I don't agree with his opinion. Most docs generally have a bias against natural remedies in my experience.Yet when the 1mg or less doesn't work, he most likely will be happy to write you a script for a "better" sleep aid.
ivinsfan is online now   Reply With Quote
Old 08-31-2016, 11:57 AM   #33
Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso)
Give me a forum ...
ivinsfan's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2007
Posts: 9,951
Quote:
Originally Posted by jonat View Post
I started taking 5mg melatonin back in May, when my work life turned upside down, and it helped a lot. I'm now sleeping a lot better with no drowsiness in the morning. Curiously, I find that not all brands are equivalent. After starting out on a small bottle from Walgreens (Nature's Bounty brand), I bought a big bottle of a different brand at Costco. (Unlike another one Costco sold, this claimed to be just melatonin and not mixed with random herbs.) It did nothing for me at all, so I returned it and went back to Nature's Bounty. My wife started taking it as well and she finds it very helpful.

You may need to experiment with dosage to see what's the lowest that works for you. The literature is all over the map on this, but 3-5 seems to be a popular choice.
Agree and I do recommend time release for those middle of the night wakers.
ivinsfan is online now   Reply With Quote
Old 08-31-2016, 12:32 PM   #34
Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso)
Give me a forum ...
ExFlyBoy5's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2013
Location: ATL --> Flyover Country
Posts: 6,649
I have issues with this on occasion and when I have gone a few days in a row without restful sleep, I hit up one (or two) of these. Nothing else has worked as well for me.

https://www.amazon.com/Kirkland-Sign.../dp/B000UIEIBY
__________________
FIRE'd in 2014 @ 40 Years Old
Professional Retiree
ExFlyBoy5 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-31-2016, 12:36 PM   #35
Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso)
Give me a forum ...
 
Join Date: Dec 2014
Location: Huntsville, AL/Helen, GA
Posts: 6,002
See if melatonin helps you. It knocks our grandkids out, and it's not a drug.

Tylenol PM does the job for many.

Stay away from Ambien--a product of the Devil. My father was in a haze on it. The doorbell rang while he was taking a nap, he jumped up, fell down and broke a hip.

I work very hard most days in retirement, and I go to sleep easy. My problem is I'll sleep 5 hours and get up for 2-3 hours, and then go back to sleep for another 2 hours.
Bamaman is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-31-2016, 12:51 PM   #36
Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso)
Give me a forum ...
 
Join Date: Feb 2013
Posts: 9,358
Chamomile, mint or a combination tea before bedtime always work for me. Or a little Milk of Magnesia (magnesium) with a glass of water chaser. When I can't sleep it seems to usually coincide with an over acid stomach.
__________________
Even clouds seem bright and breezy, 'Cause the livin' is free and easy, See the rat race in a new way, Like you're wakin' up to a new day (Dr. Tarr and Professor Fether lyrics, Alan Parsons Project, based on an EA Poe story)
daylatedollarshort is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-31-2016, 01:16 PM   #37
Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso)
Give me a forum ...
Dash man's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2013
Location: Limerick
Posts: 5,637
Ambien works for me well without any side effects, but my doctor is stingy and doesn't allow me to take it for an extended period of time. I use melatonin to fill in the blanks, but it doesn't work as well and I'm a bit groggy during the day.
I've tried just about everything people have mentioned with little success other than Ambien. But I will dispute the post about lack of sleep never having killed anybody. It contributes to heart disease.


Enjoying life!
Dash man is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-31-2016, 01:40 PM   #38
Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso)
Give me a forum ...
ivinsfan's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2007
Posts: 9,951
And stress and falling asleep while driving or using heavy machinery. It can shorten your life in more then a few ways.
ivinsfan is online now   Reply With Quote
Old 08-31-2016, 05:03 PM   #39
Recycles dryer sheets
 
Join Date: Jul 2016
Location: New Hampshire
Posts: 381
Quote:
Originally Posted by Bamaman View Post
See if melatonin helps you. It knocks our grandkids out, and it's not a drug.
Regulators in every country other than the US and New Zealand would disagree with you. Outside of those two countries, melatonin is considered a prescription-only drug, so be careful if you pack it for travel outside the US. My wife and I had our doctor write us a prescription for it. Here in the US, the "supplements" industry convinced regulators to not classify it as a drug because it was a "natural hormone".
__________________
Steve
jonat is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-31-2016, 05:51 PM   #40
Recycles dryer sheets
redshift's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2015
Location: Kamuela
Posts: 101
Quote:
Originally Posted by bmcgonig View Post
My doc said that less is more with melatonin. He recommended 1mg or less.

Sent from my Nexus 6P using Early Retirement Forum mobile app
+1. I often take 1/2 of a 0.5mg chewable tab and that works well. YMMV

Sent from my VS986 using Early Retirement Forum mobile app
__________________
________________________
Musicians don't retire; they stop when there's no more music in them.
— Louis Armstrong
redshift is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply


Currently Active Users Viewing This Thread: 1 (0 members and 1 guests)
 
Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Trackbacks are Off
Pingbacks are Off
Refbacks are Off


Similar Threads
Thread Thread Starter Forum Replies Last Post
Insomnia! Ugh! irishgal Health and Early Retirement 81 01-10-2016 09:34 AM
Insomnia Cure with 80%+ Success Rate for Me ItDontMeanAThing Health and Early Retirement 72 02-22-2015 05:14 PM
Insomnia tangomonster Health and Early Retirement 51 11-05-2007 07:57 PM
please help me help my folks gravesend FIRE and Money 16 06-02-2005 08:56 PM
Help, help, help Lee FIRE and Money 10 02-20-2005 04:47 PM

» Quick Links

 
All times are GMT -6. The time now is 10:33 AM.
 
Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.8 Beta 1
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.