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What do you take to help you sleep?
10-28-2021, 07:14 AM
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#1
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Recycles dryer sheets
Join Date: Sep 2020
Location: Tampa, FL
Posts: 173
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What do you take to help you sleep?
My problem is not falling asleep. I fall asleep as soon as my head hits the pillow. My problem is staying asleep. I always wake up around 2am and it literally takes hours for me to fall back to sleep. I do not have breathing problems, do not have to go to the bathroom, etc. Years ago, my doctor gave me time released sleeping pills in the hope they would last the night, but they had no affect. I currently take the natural version of ZzzQuil which is drug free. It works to some degree. I drink little coffee and only in the morning, nor do I drink any alcohol. Any suggestions/
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10-28-2021, 07:20 AM
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#2
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Full time employment: Posting here.
Join Date: Jul 2005
Posts: 617
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I'm exactly like you in that I fall asleep as soon as my head hits the pillow, but up at 2am. My wife, on the other hand, has trouble falling asleep, but once asleep usually sleeps through the night. She's generally a light sleeper.
Over-the-counter melatonin - one 5mg tablet before bed does wonders for both of us. The brand we use is Nature Made (I have no affiliation with them). If one brand doesn't work for you, try another. The additives they use may make the difference.
Edit to add: We don't take it every night - we try to minimize the amount we take. I'm not sure if there are any medical studies done on the effects of long-term daily usage. Also note - for me at least - if I take it one night, I'll not only sleep through the night, but will also sleep well the night after as well without it. A two-fer, if you will.
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10-28-2021, 07:25 AM
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#3
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Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso) Give me a forum ...
Join Date: Aug 2016
Location: Northern Virginia
Posts: 7,591
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Quote:
Originally Posted by FloridaJim57
My problem is not falling asleep. I fall asleep as soon as my head hits the pillow. My problem is staying asleep. I always wake up around 2am and it literally takes hours for me to fall back to sleep. I do not have breathing problems, do not have to go to the bathroom, etc. Years ago, my doctor gave me time released sleeping pills in the hope they would last the night, but they had no affect. I currently take the natural version of ZzzQuil which is drug free. It works to some degree. I drink little coffee and only in the morning, nor do I drink any alcohol. Any suggestions/
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Any sense of what is keeping you up?
I begin thinking and get distracted by thoughts. I will listen to a podcast at low volumn, where I can barely hear it. Seems to not distract but crowds out other thoughts.
Works for me.
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10-28-2021, 07:32 AM
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#4
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Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
Join Date: Apr 2005
Location: Midwest
Posts: 2,972
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I have no advice but boy, will I be monitoring this thread!
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10-28-2021, 08:49 AM
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#5
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Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
Join Date: May 2016
Location: Mid-Atlantic
Posts: 2,676
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I wake up a few times a night but usually don't have trouble falling back asleep. When I do, it's usually either stress or a lack of physical activity. I've noticed I sleep better when I exercise hard. In addition to trying melatonin, I'd try meditating or reading something light before bed for at least a week or two, and taking a brisk walk/jog in the afternoon. When I'm trying out new routines, I usually change only one thing at a time and try it for at least 2 weeks to see if there's a measurable difference, but of course YMMV.
__________________
-Looking to FIRE in the mid-2020s, which would be our mid-50s.
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10-28-2021, 08:52 AM
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#6
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Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
Join Date: Feb 2021
Posts: 2,351
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I take half a pill of doxylamine. Brand name is unisom but I buy the cvs version.
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10-28-2021, 08:52 AM
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#7
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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
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Major League Baseball or NASCAR races put me to sleep. Same with Cable TV News.
I often wake up very early--around 3:00 a.m. My best sleep is 6:00-8:00 a.m. since I don't have anyplace to go in ER.
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10-28-2021, 08:55 AM
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#8
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Recycles dryer sheets
Join Date: Oct 2012
Location: Salt Lake City, UT
Posts: 329
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I have had this issue for years. Feeding the gut bacteria with resistant starch generally helps. A daily serving of black beans . Also, Hoppy beers (iPa, double ipa) promotes sleep. To avoid the calories from beer, I have recently started taking "drift off" and hour before I want to fall asleep. It contains hops.
https://www.zhounutrition.com/produc...=zhou+driftoff
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10-28-2021, 08:57 AM
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#9
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Moderator
Join Date: Feb 2010
Location: Flyover country
Posts: 25,362
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I seldom have trouble getting to sleep, but when I do I take a half dose of Advil PM and that works very well for me.
Tried melatonin and that works too, but it gives me weird dreams.
__________________
I thought growing old would take longer.
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10-28-2021, 08:59 AM
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#10
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Administrator
Join Date: Jan 2008
Location: Chicagoland
Posts: 40,726
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Quote:
Originally Posted by braumeister
Tried melatonin and that works too, but it gives me weird dreams.
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That’s not a bug, it’s a feature. . Some people pay lots of money for weird dreams ...
Quote:
Originally Posted by Montecfo
Any sense of what is keeping you up?
I begin thinking and get distracted by thoughts. I will listen to a podcast at low volumn, where I can barely hear it. Seems to not distract but crowds out other thoughts.
Works for me.
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I also find a little white noise helps, especially when on the road.
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10-28-2021, 09:00 AM
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#11
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Recycles dryer sheets
Join Date: Oct 2012
Location: Salt Lake City, UT
Posts: 329
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One more thing. Recently, I have been avoiding blue light starting about 5 hrs before bedtime. Put computers and phones in display sleep mode. Dim led lighting . Be aware of watching tv.
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10-28-2021, 09:07 AM
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#12
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Recycles dryer sheets
Join Date: Jul 2019
Posts: 415
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I have used Melatonin as well, but 10mg. It is supposed to help you stay asleep and I believe it works to some extent. I take a week off every 2 months.
Sometimes I have a hard time falling asleep. My mind just bounces around to all kinds of things. I think they call this monkey brain in yoga.
The thing that helps me settle down and eventually fall asleep is rhythmic breathing. I breathe in for 4 seconds, hold it for 7 seconds, then exhale for 7 seconds. By focusing on the breathing, it takes my mind off of what was jumping through my head. It gets me relaxed and I find myself falling asleep pretty quickly.
Maybe this can help you fall back asleep.
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10-28-2021, 09:08 AM
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#13
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Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
Join Date: May 2016
Location: Mid-Atlantic
Posts: 2,676
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Quote:
Originally Posted by UtahSkier
One more thing. Recently, I have been avoiding blue light starting about 5 hrs before bedtime. Put computers and phones in display sleep mode. Dim led lighting . Be aware of watching tv.
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Good point! Windows has a "night light setting", with schedule, but I also like f.lux, which you can have calculate sundown for your location and gradually make your screen more orange.
__________________
-Looking to FIRE in the mid-2020s, which would be our mid-50s.
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10-28-2021, 09:16 AM
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#14
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Dryer sheet aficionado
Join Date: Mar 2021
Posts: 42
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For me: exercise. I sleep much better on days when I exercise. Cycling is my "drug" of choice.
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10-28-2021, 09:34 AM
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#15
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Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso) Give me a forum ...
Join Date: Dec 2008
Posts: 12,660
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If worries keep me awake, I go jogging on the beach and look at the stars. Shower on my return and go back to sleep.
__________________
If you understood everything I say, you'd be me ~ Miles Davis
'There is only one success – to be able to spend your life in your own way.’ Christopher Morley.
Even a blind clock finds an acorn twice a day.
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10-28-2021, 09:34 AM
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#16
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Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
Join Date: May 2011
Location: St. Paul
Posts: 1,847
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One Tylenol PM on those few occasions I need it does the trick. I sleep very well and don't wake up groggy at all.
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10-28-2021, 09:50 AM
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#17
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Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso) Give me a forum ...
Join Date: Apr 2015
Posts: 5,867
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Focused deep breathing
relaxing music (love the Calm app!)
Melatonin 3mg quick dissolve
This three most often do it for me, although I still wake up, I can go back to sleep usually without a problem.
Occasionally will use Valarian.
If none of those work, I bring out the big guns:
Xanax (take 1/2 tablet maybe once a week, (my prescription of 30 pills lasts 6 months+!) OR
CBD/THC gummy (take about 2 hours before bed--helps sleep without the weird dreams, which I don't like)
If I take Xanax or the Gummy I sleep through the night. I only take them if I have not been sleeping well at all for several nights.
I don't like many of the other OTC meds as they usually contain Benadryl, which makes me groggy the next day and dries me out, since it is an antihistamine.
__________________
Give a Man a fish, he will eat for a day.
Teach a Man to fish, he will eat for a lifetime.
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10-28-2021, 10:27 AM
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#18
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Recycles dryer sheets
Join Date: Oct 2012
Location: Salt Lake City, UT
Posts: 329
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Quote:
Originally Posted by MTB4me
For me: exercise. I sleep much better on days when I exercise. Cycling is my "drug" of choice.
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Exercise used to work for me. But now, Exercise increases my metabolism which interferes with my sleep.
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10-28-2021, 10:30 AM
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#19
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Recycles dryer sheets
Join Date: Dec 2012
Posts: 93
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Bamaman
Major League Baseball or NASCAR races put me to sleep. Same with Cable TV News.
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Great post. But *any* news source does nothing but raise my blood pressure.
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10-28-2021, 10:32 AM
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#20
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Recycles dryer sheets
Join Date: Oct 2012
Location: Salt Lake City, UT
Posts: 329
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For those taking melatonin, be aware of what you are taking. Melatonin is a hormone. It sets the time when sleep starts. Large doses, greater than 1mg, for sustained time frames is generally not recommended. As Always , everyone is different.
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