What do you take to help you sleep?

[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/

 

[Vincenzo Corleone]

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.

 

[Montecfo]

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/

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.

 

[razztazz]

I have no advice but boy, will I be monitoring this thread!

 

[The Cosmic Avenger]

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.

 

[disneysteve]

I take half a pill of doxylamine. Brand name is unisom but I buy the cvs version.

 

[Bamaman]

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.

 

[UtahSkier]

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/produ...=cpc&utm_source=google&utm_term=zhou+driftoff

 

[braumeister]

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.

 

[MichaelB]

Tried melatonin and that works too, but it gives me weird dreams.

That’s not a bug, it’s a feature. . Some people pay lots of money for weird dreams ...

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.

I also find a little white noise helps, especially when on the road.

 

[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.

 

[Yoheadden]

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.

 

[The Cosmic Avenger]

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.

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.

 

[MTB4me]

For me: exercise. I sleep much better on days when I exercise. Cycling is my "drug" of choice.

 

[Amethyst]

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.

 

[Marita40]

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.

 

[pacergal]

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.

 

[UtahSkier]

For me: exercise. I sleep much better on days when I exercise. Cycling is my "drug" of choice.

Exercise used to work for me. But now, Exercise increases my metabolism which interferes with my sleep.

 

[JT90505]

Major League Baseball or NASCAR races put me to sleep. Same with Cable TV News.

Great post. But *any* news source does nothing but raise my blood pressure.

 

[UtahSkier]

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.

 

[MRG]

I spent years not sleeping. Tried about everything legal or not. I sleep well now. Zero alcohol some cannibis, mainly indicia at night, and once a month I'll take a benadryl. I find white noise and deep breathing are better than benzos.

 

[bloom2708]

Avoid caffeine and exercise most days. I don't sleep in and don't nap. Sleep like a baby, but I do go to bed 9:30 to 10:30 most nights.

 

[braumeister]

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.

I think that's good advice.
Peter Attia had a session a couple of years ago with Matthew Walker, a well known sleep expert. His take was that taking too high a dose of melatonin

may actually shut down your body's own production of natural melatonin.

He says to start with a half milligram and don't go over 3 mg. I've read the same thing from other sources as well.
There is also the issue that the amount in many OTC formulations can vary widely from what's on the label.

 

[tmm99]

Exercise used to work for me. But now, Exercise increases my metabolism which interferes with my sleep.

I think what time of day you exercise matters too. Exercises later in the day makes me hard to go to sleep.

 

[tmm99]

I think that's good advice.

Peter Attia had a session a couple of years ago with Matthew Walker, a well known sleep expert. His take was that taking too high a dose of melatonin



He says to start with a half milligram and don't go over 3 mg. I've read the same thing from other sources as well.

There is also the issue that the amount in many OTC formulations can vary widely from what's on the label.

Personally, I can't take more than 0.25mg, or I get vivid and nightmarish dreams. DH takes 5mg and he's fine.