What's a good over-the-counter sleep aid?

[Droopy]

I cannot get to sleep before 3 or 4 AM. Sometimes later. I've made some lifestyle changes recently. I quit smoking and drinking. But it hasn't affected my sleep any. I've even cut back on the amount of caffiene I consume and usually do not have any past 4 PM. It doesn't seem to matter.

[Sannum]

1. simply sleep

[Droopy]

3. I wish it were that easy

[Sannum]

11. it is a kind of pill

[China_cat]

2. If you really feel you have to have something

try Tylenol PM.

[Droopy]

6. It sucks not being able to get to sleep at a reasonable hour

If I ever had anything to do early in the morning I would be screwed. I physically cannot get out of bed before 11 AM. I would have to stay up all night.

[trof]

9. Yep, swear by it.

Once in a while.
Not a steady solution.

[leftofthedial]

4. a fifth of Jim Beam

[Droopy]

7. That's a cool thing to say to somebody who just quit drinking

[leftofthedial]

24. I quit drinking in January

Since then, I've become an insomniac and I've gained about five pounds.

At least I didn't suggest nicotine . . .

[Doctor_J]

25. If you are recovering from problem drinking,

I would not recommend sleep aids. Benadryl works pretty well.

[babylonsister]

5. I occasionally use

generic doxylamine succinate tablets, 25mg, but only take half. Works for me and it is over-the-counter, so I'm not worried about side effects or getting addicted. I can't always 'just sleep' either.

[Droopy]

8. Is there a brand name for that?

[babylonsister]

28. No. They're called 'Sleep Aid Tablets';

Kroger, HEB, etc., make them generically; very common.

[Wapsie B]

10. Benadryl when used occasionally will work ok for that.

But that's occasionally, not every night. Most otc sleep aids and a lot of prescription ones lose their effectiveness with prolonged use.

[Droopy]

15. Well

Maybe if I just use it for a week or two my body will get used to getting sleepy earlier and will become naturally acclimated to fall asleep sooner.

[Wapsie B]

27. Or maybe for several days.

It might lose it's effectiveness after several days depending on your system. And regular exercise helps too.

[Joe Chi Minh]

12. I've found

an orthopedic pillow very helpful. It relaxes the muscles at the back of your neck, and you sleep particularly sweetly.

The one drawback I've found is that, sometimes, it's not easy to position it just right, and if you have a short fuse, you can become more tense!

The more naturally you sink down on it, usually, the better you position your neck on the ridge. I can sleep with my head to one side or straight ahead.

[Deja Q]

13. Your TV with the 'sleep timer' set to 30 minutes.

:evilgrin:


Just be sure to have something mindless being aired at the time - but that shouldn't be too difficult...

[LynneSin]

21. That is the worst thing for sleeping problems

The light from the TV can keep the brain active even "mindless" stuff. Plus the light isn't good for your melatonin levels. TVs should not be watched in the bedroom. Bedrooms are for sleep & sex only!

[skygazer]

14. Insomnia sucks

You have my sympathy - I've suffered terribly with it in the past.

I found that most sleep aids didn't do a lot for me - usually what happened was they made me feel really, really loopy but I still wouldn't sleep. So I was awake but feeling like crap. That sucked.

Tylenol nighttime might help but I don't really like taking those pain relievers unless I really need them - they do a job on your innards. Valerian is an herbal that can help induce sleep - I've never had a lot of luck with it as a hardcore insomniac but it's helped others.

For me, the only thing that truly works well is to lay in a totally dark room and play Pink Floyd. :shrug: But that's me........

[LynneSin]

16. Here's some things...

First, sleep sanitize your bedroom - it should be used for sleep only. Biggest culprit is watching TV while in the bedroom.

Try to stop eating, drinking and excercizing several hours before sleep time. These things stimulate your brain and can make you more restless at bedtime. Even excessive computer use right before bed can stimulate your brain.

Some suppliments I've used is Melatonin and GABA. Some will say use Tylenol PM but it's a crappy sleep aid plus you shouldn't take tylenol if you don't need it.

Melatonin is a natural substance in your body that regulates sleep and is an excellent sleep aid. I've found the best way to take melatonin is the sublingual tablets (under the tongue). Never take more than 3mg a night (might want to take 1mg when you first try it). There have been studies that show that light can inhibit the production of Melantonin by your body and even light such as staring at your computer screen could prevent you from getting a good night sleep. You can read more about Melantonin here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Melatonin.

I've also taken GABA in the evening to help with sleep. GABA is an amino acid and taking a supplement of it can help prevent "Busy Brain" which for me is when my mind keeps going even when I want to go to bed. (you know, where you're worrying about work, relationships and world peace) More about it here: http://www.wholehealthmd.com/refshelf/substances_view/1,1525,10027,00.html

[Droopy]

20. Thanks for the info and the links

About the only thing I'm guilty of as far as the culprits you listed is that many nights I will be on the computer before trying to go to sleep.

[LynneSin]

22. I know, I am too - but it's bad for you

First, if you're like me, you're doing something stimulating like having conversations here at DU or reading the news. Plus the light from the computer keeps your brain active. I have to admit that the computer is the worst vice I have with trying to get a good night sleep.

[theshadow]

17. Been there!

I've wrestled with sleep problems since I had to work the night shift 12 years ago. I went through the whole "sleep clinic" routine. I use a prescription medication, but only need it about once a week now. As for OTC, there are a lot of sedating products you can get but the carry-over into the morning can be problematic for some people. I experimented with a small dose of melatonin and it worked great. However, the stuff is a hormone and there's no scientific assurance of its safety or what a safe dose is.

Otherwise, may I give some tips that might help?

1. Turn the clock around so you don't keep looking at it.
2. Use a fan to generate "white noise" to block surrounding noise. There are also electronic devices that do the same thing.
3. If you don't fall asleep after 10 minutes, get out of bed and go to another room. Read a book or magazine, listen to music, watch something not too stimulating on the TV. When you start to feel sleepy, go back to bed. You may have to do this more than once before you finally sleep.
4. Follow the same protocol in #3 if you are bothered by "premature awakening"... waking in the middle of the night.
5. Don't exercise within several hours of bedtime.
6. ALLOW yourself to fall asleep, don't force it. I've had great luck visualizing the drugstore I worked at when I was a teenager; I'd imagine I entered the front door and would walk from the front of the store to the back. I always fell asleep before I made it to the end. I do the same thing using the house I grew up in.

Insomnia is a real curse. I wish you well.

[Droopy]

23. Thanks for the tips

[Old_Fart]

18. Down a dose of Night-quill

You should wake up on monday if you take it tonight. Feed your pets if you have any before taking it ;)

[aint_no_life_nowhere]

19. If you want to try a purely natural herbal approach

You could go to a healthfood store and try Scullcap, Kava Kava, Valerian, Hops and Passion Flower. And like previous posts have stated, melatonin can help regulate the sleep cycle. It's over-the-counter but a synthetic hormone. The body produces it naturally, but some studies have shown that it declines with age and therefore requires supplementation as you grow older. I've heard of some people taking melatonin to help them with jet lag, as it helps reset the body's own time clock. I'm not sure it actually induces sleep but it supposedly can help re-regulate the body's sleep cycle, especially when traumatic things like lifestyle changes or long-distance travel interrupt it.

[xultar]

26. Simply Sleep. I use it every once and a while. I love it.