Insomnia

[Pico and ME]

I take trazodone. It puts me to sleep and enables me to fall back to sleep if/when I wake during the night...which happens all the time, unless my husband isn't sleeping in the bed. If I run out of pills, I suffer horribly.

[glatt]

Bright sunlight in the morning can help with insomnia. No screen time at night can also help, not that anyone is going to do that. Blue (and natural) light resets your clock. Dim your lights at night.

Getting up at the same (early) time each day, even on weekends.

Going to bed at the same reasonable time each night, even on weekends.

Getting plenty of exercise each day.

Eating health foods.

Don't drink a lot before bed time.

No caffeine after noon.

[katfiche]

Originally Posted by SamIam

I have been plagued by insomnia all my life. Lately it has gotten worse, and I'm up with the Aussies. Warm milk doesn't help. Valarian doesn't help. Counting sheep, cats, rats doesn't work. Any ideas?

Buy yourself some melatonin @ 3mg. It's cheap, and it's the same hormone your body naturally produces to induce sleep. It won't make you noticeably sleepy if you are involved in an activity, but if you observe a few steps when you take it, you will find sleep.

Take it on an empty stomach at least 2 hours after a meal. If heavy in fats, 4 hours. Take it 30 minutes to an hour before your bedtime. When you do go to bed, try to relax and avoid any movement. You'll find that easier to do than you normally would.

If you observe these steps, I think you'll find a quality, restful sleep. If not, you're only out a few dollars.