Sleep. For a nightcap, which is healthier: alcohol or marijuana? if you need chemical

[RonBoyd]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Caskem I like ZQuil. The same stuff as Nyquil without the medicine. Works great and non-habit-forming.

https://www.livescience.com/41999-an...allergies.html

Seems to me if you take the "medicine" out of Nyquil, what you would have left is alcohol. I suspect that I would prefer the taste of a good single-malt.

[copyright1997reloaded]

This thread has me intrigued simply by the number of people posting that they need something to help them sleep. Is it because as people age, ailments make it harder to sleep comfortably? Is it because there is a lack of physical activity and movement during the day?

I ask because by whatever time I decide to go to bed, I am *ready*. Lay down, and in a couple minutes I am out. I also get up and make sure I do a decent amount of physical activity every day (it is very, very rare that I would have less than 10k steps on my Fitbit in any day and try to walk/run at least two miles a day). That plus outdoors stuff (moving wood, skiing, walks, even w*rk) and I wish I had more hours to sleep (sometimes I don't get enough).

I have nothing against pot or alcohol, but would have concerns about having to take anything every day to induce sleep.

[Offgrid Organic Farmer]

Quote:

Originally Posted by copyright1997reloaded This thread has me intrigued simply by the number of people posting that they need something to help them sleep. Is it because as people age, ailments make it harder to sleep comfortably? Is it because there is a lack of physical activity and movement during the day? I ask because by whatever time I decide to go to bed, I am *ready*. Lay down, and in a couple minutes I am out. I also get up and make sure I do a decent amount of physical activity every day (it is very, very rare that I would have less than 10k steps on my Fitbit in any day and try to walk/run at least two miles a day). That plus outdoors stuff (moving wood, skiing, walks, even w*rk) and I wish I had more hours to sleep (sometimes I don't get enough). I have nothing against pot or alcohol, but would have concerns about having to take anything every day to induce sleep.

3 of my neighbors have told me that they use marijuana to help them to sleep. These are older men, diabetics with hearts problems [zipper club members]. They are not very physically active, they need a steady daily routine for their insulin, any day-to-day changes upsets their blood sugar levels. Without marijuana their nights are restless and they would get up multiple times through the night. They rave about CBD tinctures helping a wide assortment of their aches and pains, and that smoking a small amount helps them to get a full night of sleep.

I am younger, though catching up. I have had prostate cancer, it was removed 4 years ago, and then it came back this year. So this summer I went through radiation and hormone therapy. My hormone therapy will continue for 2 years, it is wrecking my life [night sweats, hot flashes, emotional swings, loss of energy, loss of strength/muscle mass, etc]. In combination with my hernia, a couple torn ligament injuries, and I thought that I had put my ptsd behind me but recently my highschool buddies have began dying, which seems to have triggered some emotions.

Over all as we get older, things can get harder.

[Teacher Terry]

My husband had prostrate cancer at 49 and at 52 needed treatment. He did the radiation seeds. It left him with difficulty totally emptying his bladder, sudden urge to go with leakage and no control over his emotions. In movies he cries over stuff that doesn't make me sad at all. The side effects really suck. Many older people that had never had issues find it harder to sleep or stay asleep as they age. My Mom got so she could only sleep 5 hours/night. I get 10k or more steps everyday and still wake up numerous times a night. Sometimes hip, back, neck or knee pain interfere with my sleep.

[splitwdw]

Quote:

Originally Posted by copyright1997reloaded This thread has me intrigued simply by the number of people posting that they need something to help them sleep. Is it because as people age, ailments make it harder to sleep comfortably? Is it because there is a lack of physical activity and movement during the day? I ask because by whatever time I decide to go to bed, I am *ready*. Lay down, and in a couple minutes I am out. I also get up and make sure I do a decent amount of physical activity every day (it is very, very rare that I would have less than 10k steps on my Fitbit in any day and try to walk/run at least two miles a day). That plus outdoors stuff (moving wood, skiing, walks, even w*rk) and I wish I had more hours to sleep (sometimes I don't get enough). I have nothing against pot or alcohol, but would have concerns about having to take anything every day to induce sleep.

Was wondering the same thing myself. Is it age related for some people? I asked my parents or grand parents when I first saw this thread and they don't have this problem. We have a ton of engineers and introverts on this forum, maybe it only effects them. I can't image what some of you are going through to get a good nights sleep.

[iloveyoga]

I listen to my favorite podcast to help turn off my brain and get to sleep. I put the timer on 30 minutes and many times I don;t make it more than 5-10 minutes. Once in a while I take an OTC sleep aid.

[imoldernu]

Age related. Yeah, the three hour sleep started about 7 years ago. Except for marijuana, I have tried every single suggestion mentioned here. My Doctor won't prescribe Ambien, and the Trazadone did nothing. I wouldn't use MJ ... was just kidding about that.

Daylight, exercise, Melatonin and all of the OTC medicines mentioned have had no effect. Even stopping my 4P.M. martini did nothing.

Sleep doctors... sleep sessions... could not get to sleep. Four hours three tries. Polysomnography... nothing. No sleep apnea, no RLS.

So, sleep goes in short 20 minute dozes... a half awake state, with active brain remembering, solving problems, looking ahead, worry, or often pleasant dreamlike states. Not much continuity or association with current events.

Have used benzodiazepams with some success, but at this age, possibilities of long term brain effects.

One would think that sheer exhaustion and long term ... 36 to 48 hours of no sleep would cause some extended sleep, but not so.

Have come to the conclusion that bed--- time, with resting heart and muscles fills in with physical rest, even though not restful sleep, compensates for the kind of sleep that we usually associate with being "out".

Acceptance.

[MRG]

Quote:

Originally Posted by splitwdw Was wondering the same thing myself. Is it age related for some people? I asked my parents or grand parents when I first saw this thread and they don't have this problem. We have a ton of engineers and introverts on this forum, maybe it only effects them. [emoji23] I can't image what some of you are going through to get a good nights sleep.

Age? I've had sleep problems since I was 6 years old. Most of my childhood I didn't sleep more than 3-4 hours nightly.

When I discovered the "devil's lettuce" I finally slept. Such a great experience to go to sleep and not wake up in a nightmare.

[Morricol61]

I occasionally use a herbal sleeping pill which contains Valerian 2000mg. One tablet 1/2 hour before going to bed works a treat for me. A few drops of lavender oil on the pillow helps me to relax so that I can fall asleep easily too.

[splitwdw]

Quote:

Originally Posted by MRG Age? I've had sleep problems since I was 6 years old. Most of my childhood I didn't sleep more than 3-4 hours nightly. When I discovered the "devil's lettuce" I finally slept. Such a great experience to go to sleep and not wake up in a nightmare.

Only 2 people have posted on this thread that it was a life long problem.

[HadEnuff]

Quote:

Originally Posted by copyright1997reloaded This thread has me intrigued simply by the number of people posting that they need something to help them sleep. Is it because as people age, ailments make it harder to sleep comfortably? Is it because there is a lack of physical activity and movement during the day? I ask because by whatever time I decide to go to bed, I am *ready*. Lay down, and in a couple minutes I am out. I also get up and make sure I do a decent amount of physical activity every day (it is very, very rare that I would have less than 10k steps on my Fitbit in any day and try to walk/run at least two miles a day). That plus outdoors stuff (moving wood, skiing, walks, even w*rk) and I wish I had more hours to sleep (sometimes I don't get enough). I have nothing against pot or alcohol, but would have concerns about having to take anything every day to induce sleep.

For me, definitely age related. Stuff that keeps me up, or wakes me up, like my sciatica, restless leg issues, chronic post-nasal drip, urge to urinate (BPH), just weren't issues in my youth.

Stuff that helps me sleep, like ibuprofen and neurontin ( a miracle drug for me when it comes to sleep), come with side effects and long term concerns, so I have given them up.
I consider myself lucky because most nights, like 9 out of 10, I get what I consider a good night's rest, which is typically a series of 2 to 4 hour deep cycles, interrupted by a brief wakefulness, caused by discomfort in back, legs, or bladder or most commonly, all of the above. I get up, walk around, usually to the john, come back and I'm good for another deep cycle.

What don't keep me up, anymore, as I've aged are concerns about work, or erotic fantasies. So there is that.

[iloveyoga]

I wanted to add on.....I do sleep so much better than when I was doing the full time working grind.

[misanman]

No sleep problems for me at 72. DW gets aggravated with me 'cause she says I'm asleep soon after my head hits the pillow. I'd definitely recommend the book "Why We Sleep" if you'd like to understand more about how sleep and how it affects us.

[db79]

Quote:

Originally Posted by splitwdw Only 2 people have posted on this thread that it was a life long problem.

Now 3. I've also had various sleep issues since childhood.

[Ronstar]

No sleep problems for me also. I sometimes sleep 10 hours straight and almost always at least 8.

MIL is a different story. Only a few hours a night. Probably age related. Nothing helps her get more sleep. DW wants to pick up some mj in Colorado to give her mom.

[MRG]

Quote:

Originally Posted by splitwdw Only 2 people have posted on this thread that it was a life long problem.

The question wasn't asked.

[haha]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Offgrid Organic Farmer I agree. I think that before the 'Industrial Revolution and Protestant Work Ethic', people would be winding down at sunset. They would tend a fire for an hour, and then go off to bed. That means that by 5pm in the winter all was quite and they were on their way to bed. They would wake up somewhere around midnight, for an hour or two, before going back to sleep. By the 'first light' they would actually be restless and ready to get up.

I tend to sleep this way myself. It is a bit unhandy since so much social life is at night, but I feel like I really have only a small amount of play here. Thank heavens for modern call blocking on cell phones. People for whom I always want to be available can call me anytime and the call will come through. Others, I can switch off at any time. I am very happy that my building is quiet, I have only one short shared wall, and the sound transmission is well controlled.

No way could I afford my neighborhood if I had to buy a single family for sleep. Anyway, having been in the suburbs from time to time, I think that thanks to lawnmowers, weed trimmers and snow blowers the suburbs are about as quiet as I-5 at noon.

Ha

[Livefree]

If I have problems staying asleep I take half a Tylenol PM. but not often as Tylenol can be bad for your liver. I've been told Benadryl is the same thing without the Tylenol.

[happy2bretired]

Quote:

Originally Posted by HadEnuff If Mj were legal in my state, I'd definitely give it a try. I wonder though if the human animal is really wired to get 6 or 7 or 8 hours of deep continuous sleep per night. I wonder if it's not a product of the Industrial Revolution, and the Protestant Work Ethic, making us work 8 or 10 hours/day at a job, without a "siesta" that makes it such a necessity to be able to fit our rest into a specific, concentrated period of the day. Now that I don't have to answer any particular bell at any particular time, I don't sweat it as much as I used to.

Same here. If it was legal I would like some CBD oil with a bit of THC.

Second sleep. That’s probably my regular sleeping pattern.

https://www.sciencealert.com/humans-...e-should-again

[NoiseBoy]

I've had trouble falling, but not necessarily staying, asleep all of my life. I have not tried all of the OTC remedies, but things like Benadryl have no effect on me. Generally speaking, I sleep the best when I follow a set routine that includes some daily exercise and going to be bed at the same time. However, I too wonder if our natural sleep cycle might be something different from what we follow for the sake of the PWE. For example, I can quickly fall into a deep sleep on the couch after a good meal and perhaps one alcoholic drink (and miss the second half of the football game) This week, after returning from a week in Spain, I've been falling asleep around 8:00 pm, getting up around 2:30 am for an hour or so, then going back to bed until it's time to get up for work. I feel fine, and I'm not almost falling asleep at the wheel on my commute home!

For those with restless leg syndrome, have you tried taking a Magnesium supplement? I take one 500mg tablet per day and I believe that it helps.