Struggling with Sleep

[Bowhica]

Well crap that!!! I don't want to sleep that bad!

No leaky bowels sideeffects. You're good!!!!!

[Johnny]

Well crap that!!! I don't want to sleep that bad!

lol...gotta love those commercials with medications and about 3/4's of the commercial is about the side effects of the medication. Some of the side effects being kidney failure, liver failure and strokes. They end the commercial with (happy music playing in background), "see your physician to see if this medication is right for you."

[TxMachinist]

No doubt mine is work/stress related. I told my wife today that Friday after the football game I need something to knock me out since I have nothing going on Saturday early. Hope she doesn't think I meant for her to knock me out.

[flywise]

I have only gotten about 4 hours sleep in the last 48 hours. At the FD if we get a call during the night ( we typically do) I'm up from that point on.
I am tired !

[duckmanep]

Valerian Root pills

[JBT]

I struggle getting to sleep and staying asleep - when I'm eating healthy and exercising regularly it makes a huge difference and when all else fails two advil pm and a benadryl do the trick

[Kevin]

I had trouble too and here is what I did. It is MUCH better now..

Exercise!

It was that simple. Stop taking a nap when you get home and go exercise. Try to get in 45min to an hour. No naps!

[Tx.Fisher]

Stay away from prescription sleep aids! I had trouble sleeping in college. Got on Ambien and then Sonata. I became dependent on sleep aids and getting off of them was a long, miserable process.

It sounds like your naps are not letting you get a full night's rest. I know it's a vicious cycle. You're not sleeping enough at night so you want to nap ... but your naps are keeping you from getting enough sleep at night.

Try to skip the naps or set an alarm so you end up taking a beneficial "power nap" without the bad effects.

Just getting in to a better routine will probably help tremendously.

I've heard some crazy stories about taking ambien and other drugs. I rarely take any type of drug for anything. I don't smoke, am a casual drinker, and try not to have caffeine after lunch. The naps I take after work are maybe 10-15 minutes because it seems like I'm wasting my day if I'm sleeping. Sometimes I feel like I'm going insane when my mind is racing at 12:30 and I should be sleeping. Hopefully things will get better.

[Johnny]

Yea, I'm not too sure about the Ambien route. My son's friends dad used to take it and his stories had me rolling. Lots of stories about waking up in the morning and he is smeared in peanut butter, waking up in the back yard, waking up with cheese all over his face with cheetos all over the floor and on and on.

[Deer Tracks]

I've heard some crazy stories about taking ambien and other drugs. I rarely take any type of drug for anything. I don't smoke, am a casual drinker, and try not to have caffeine after lunch. The naps I take after work are maybe 10-15 minutes because it seems like I'm wasting my day if I'm sleeping. Sometimes I feel like I'm going insane when my mind is racing at 12:30 and I should be sleeping. Hopefully things will get better.

Well, it made for some interesting late night posts on TBH.

Insomnia is just awful. I feel for you!
I have to set aside time to relax when I go to bed. If I'm up and doing something and just go hop bed and turn lights out, I'll never fall asleep.

I have a small bedside lamp and I'll lay in bed and read or play Words with Friends. Regularity is very important if you want to sleep well. I try to go to bed and wake up at the same time every day and having a bed time routine helps my brain wind down.

[Patton]

Put a TV in your bedroom that has a Sleep mode function. Fall asleep watching TV or a movie and have it auto turn off

[RedArrow]

Noxitropin! It's sold thru GNC and online. It's an all natural Dietary supplement and sleep aid,( is what it's listed as). It says to mix a scoop of the powder with a glass of water and take at least an hour or so before ur planned bed time. I started with 1/2 a scoop and have settled at about 3/4. Mind doesn't race and you sleep hard. Next morning no sluggish side effects as long as you allow urself as close to 8 hours as possible. I avg about 6 1/2 to 7 hrs that's why I went with less than directed. After a few days of using it, I get back on track until something happens to either keep me up late or issues with family or work. Then back to the powder. Taste aint that bad either! Kinda berry flavored in a medicine kinda way! My wife chills it with ice first for her to drink it, but she loves it.
Just my 2cents!

[panhandlehunter]

6-8 beers after work will do the trick.

[equin]

"When you have insomnia, you're never really asleep... and you're never really awake."

And the most famous quote of that movie is:

"The first rule of fight club is...."

Seriously though, hope you get your sleep problem fixed. I noticed that as I get older, I sleep worse, and I sleep less. Long gone are the times when I could sleep past noon and not feel any worse for the extended slumber. Now, if I can get 8 hours of sleep, my body aches and my back starts hurting. And at my middle-age nearing 50, I managed to start over again with a 15-month old that doesn't help in the sleep department. As a few have mentioned, I also wake up in the middle of the night thinking about work, and find it hard to get back to sleep.

[metalmangeorge]

I had some of the same issues. I gave up all caffeine about three years ago. It sucked for the first three months, but it has been great since then. I fall asleep around
11 and wake up between 5-6 felling fully rested.