This is a guest blog submitted by Sleepyhead I’ve been reading and watching lot of news reports lately about increase stressed due to the economy and holidays, which is leading to insomnia. The buildup of stress is causing many to have sleepless nights.
One of the common suggestions seems to be the use of sleeping pills to relax and relieve the stress. I don’t think sleeping pills are harmful if the correct doses are taken. My mom takes them when she can’t sleep for a few days.
I’ve thought about taking them since lately I find myself stressed about various things, ranging from work to personal even though I’m not affected by the economy so much. But everyday I’m constantly thinking about how to improve certain areas of my job or planning to do things for the week.
Some days I stay up till 2 or 3 a.m. going over numbers trying to figure out what went wrong or what went right. It’s a part of the job, I know, but it can lead to stress and lack of sleep.
I should probably go talk to my doctor about the possibility of sleeping pills or maybe I should just not worry so much at 3 a.m.
What are some things I can take before I consider sleeping pills? Have you ever taken sleeping pills? Did it help or make things worse?
Comments (20)
I've had difficulty sleeping since early middle school because I can never stop my brain from jumping around endlessly for hours every night. I've asked my mom on many occasions to let me take sleeping pills. She is [understandably] terrified that I'll become dependant on them and thus has never let me. So I've just learned to function with little sleep. I'm turning 18 soon though so I might look into something if I don't start sleeping better [which I don't think I will].
I also can't sleep latley..
I think it may be because I am stressed
I can't fall asleep to about one..
anyone coming in my room wakes me up..
and ive been waking up at like 5 am?
It's weird..
I really don't want to try and take sleeping pills..
maybe something herbal? and no i don't mean pot lol
there are some basic things you can do... which i would def recommend... before taking pills which can be addictive.
drink nice soothing decaf tea, take a lavender scented bath, have a set bedtime routine each night. exercise at least 1 hour before you want to conk out... etc. I am sure you can find articles on this in Women's Health or Prevention
If you're considering taking a sleep aide, I would suggest first trying an herbal sleep aide, such as Calmes Forte. This is also used for stress relief, and it advertises that you wake without feeling groggy unlike a lot of other sleep aides on the market. The herbal aides are also non habit forming, which is definitely a good thing.
NyQuil.
Benadryl. Puts me right out. I'd recommend some exercise to work out the stress, maybe adding in some stretching or yoga routines. If you are religious in any way, prayer can help as well.
oh wow, you post this up right when i've been having trouble sleeping. like yesterday I had to count sheep...
try exercising. that defiently works. so does yoga. i would try out all the ways to release stress and to fall asleep before going to the pills option. i mean, that is def more risky.
i've had sleeping problems since the 4th grade. i've had night terrors the past few years, too. the only time i sleep is when i haven't for four nights, and my body's so exhausted, it lets go.
i'm not big on pills, though. so if you find another way, let me know.
Sleeping pills are only a temporary fix, because you're not dealing with why you're not sleeping.
I've taken them in the past, until I ran out. And then I had a tough time getting to sleep without them for a while!
I make sure to take magnesium before bed (it can help you relax).
masturbate the hormones an orgasm releases lets make you sleepy
drink chamomile teawork outi go to bed at 3 wake up at 630 then when i get home i take a nap you should try that if you can taking an pill is never good so id try more natural alternatives and if you still cant sleep try pillbut im no doctor so you probably should talk to him
Try chamomile tea. Works wonders. A warm glass of milk does too as it has enzymes that put you to sleep. I read that if you take a really hot shower, when you get out into the colder temperature, it mimics your natural sleep cycle as your body naturally cools down as you go to sleep. I heard yoga helps alot, but haven't tried it. If all fails, I highly recommend taking a simple, non- habit forming sleeping aid from the drugstore. I use one from rite aid sometimes and it works wonders without any side effects or addictions to it. Good luck!
1. Take calcium & magnesium supplements (they can help with different types of muscle tension that can be aggravating your sleeping problems)
2. Only use your bed for sleeping! And make sure your room is cool, dark, and quiet when you go to bed.
3. Buy some lavender essential oil and spritz it on your pillowcase and sheets.
4. Try an herbal sleep aid that has valerian & kava kava. (If you can't find a mixture with them, you can take them separately.) Be sure to follow the directions! Valerian shouldn't be taken long term.
5. Try taking a bath with epsom salts.
6. Both warm milk and chamomile tea before bedtime will help you calm down.
7. (This is my personal tip!) Borrow a law textbook or biochemistry textbook or Spectrometer manual, etc. from a friend. They will make you pass out fast.
Due to the massive personal problems that have assaulted me this year, I sometimes get insomnia too. These things work for me, and I don't have to use any sleeping pills :3
@Venicestar@xanga - I use that too, lol.
Benadryl is safe and nonaddictive plus it gets rid of allergens.
i feel sorry to hear that you are so stressed and having difficulty falling asleep. i know how it feels, that happens to me once in awhile. i find working out help me releasing stress and to have better sleep. cause persoanlly i dont believe in pills or anything that's not natural. i also tried a herbal tea called sleepytime a few months ago and it seemed to help, but i just had it once.
Insomnia is restlessness. There's plenty of foods and beverages you can have that have calming effect. An alternative to sleeping pills I'd recommend is catnip.
Try to reduce your activity at night. Some people are stimulated by background noise while others need it to drift off more easily.
Try a hot bath before bed, maybe some meditation?
or some other soothing, calming, and relaxing activity that you enjoy.
i haven't slept since i was 17 and i'm 23 now...i have been on every pill on the market...now i can't sleep without medicine period...but i have found that over the counter stuff is much less addictive and less likely to screw with your body...unisom is very effective and is basically just benadryl, which is completely harmless and non habit forming...although if you can figure out how to sleep on your own i highly suggest doing that. if stress is keeping you up you haven't lost the ability to sleep so taking care of what keeps you up at night is really the answer. go to a sleep clinic get it figured out. not sleeping really screws you up. its bad for you, bad for your body, and just makes everything worse. i don't have the ability to sleep. so if you don't have an actual neurological sleeping disorder you are lucky take care of yourself before you screw with the sleeping cycle. valarien root is also a great way to calm down. lots of natural supplements help even melatonin. so if you don't have to resort to pills. i suggest trying everything else out first before you start with the perscriptions.
i feel your pain.
Train your body (and mind) to sleep. Take some time before bed, put your work and your worries away (yes, easier said than done, but do it). Also, don't do anything in your bedroom except sleep and have sex. Relax and avoid stimulating activities (like movies or the computer) before you go to bed. Head off to bed at the same time every night (early enough to get a solid nights sleep, about 8 hours). After a while, your body will automatically shut down around this time.
Step up your workout (and if you don't have one, start one). This will not only help you sleep, but will help relieve some stress too. Remember that it takes a few hours after a workout for your body to calm back down, so don't work out right before you should be asleep.
Eat healthy. It's amazing what impact your diet has on not only your weight, but your stress relief, sleep schedules, and mental health. Take some time to prepare a good, healthy meal (again, easier said than done, but do it).
Use lavender scents in your bedroom. It helps.
Lastly, don't take sleeping pills. They say there's no risk of dependancy, but I beg to differ. Your body might not need them, but you end up training your mind to depend on help to get to sleep.
In any case, good luck, and remember... relax!
i have problems sleeping. till today. eventually i had migraine. to the point where i was suspected having brain infection and till now i still didnt get my CT Scan done. along the way i consumed all the prescribed medication by my neuroscience specialist, he cautiously look out for signs of depression. a lil symptoms here and there occurred and he p[prescribed me some tablets which contain a minimal amount of anti-depressant. it made me feel lively and happier when i consumed it. however on and off i ate it because i started to worry it might result in an immune state to my health, which no other medicines eventually could help. i had valium before, but eating it didnt make me sleep either. my brain kind of stop thinking, but i became a zombie or walking vampire.
if you would like to try on sleeping pill, do take note that you must not be over dependent on it. the next level of sleeping pill would be domacum, a controlled drug only to be prescribed by psychologist doctor. all these are temporal. i have huge stress in my life. yea, but i cant escape it anyway.
try exercising and taking some vitamins or supplements.
perhaps those which boost your metabolism rate and gives you energy all way out in the day while you are working, then drains you out by night time to sleep. :)
For me, sleeping pill is the last resort, and thats only if I suffered from insomnia for a few days and I find myself unable to concentrate during the day doing stupid and dangerous things. By insomnia I mean pretty much staying up until 5 or 6 am, and sleeping an hour or two....
There are tons of things to do before you go for the pills.
I use melatonin, and I think all it does is force your body to physically sleep, but if you're stressed and thinking about stuff, you'll still think about it, and it doesn't really give you good sleep at the end of the day.
Before sleep:
- no tv
- no heavy snacks
- camomile tea like the others said
- no heavy exercise
- meditate
PS. If you do hot yoga - i find that is the best way to relax me and give me an awesome night sleep.
sometimes it's emotional stress. what i'm going through right now is that my mind and body are exhausted but do to many life changes i'm so stressed my cortisol is what's keeping me up. in my case...i pass out eventually, dont remember that nice comfortable feeling of drifting off. every little thing wakes me up and than it takes me 2 hours to get back to sleep again for an hour or so. i have taken several natural insomnia sleep aids and bach flower essences. i am into natural medicines but at this point if i dont clock out for eight hours and let my body rest..i'm going to just get worse. so i plan to take one or two sleeping pills perscription grade. just for two days and let my body rest. than i'm going back to the natural stuff. but honestly your brain is seperate from your mind body and soul. if your soul is calling out to something or someone that can impact upon your emotional health and thus your physical. mentally i've kinda shut down almost. if i get really upset i cant even cry. so i'm going the easy way out as it's been 12 days since i've slept more than 3 hours at a shot IF i slept at all. i remember dreaming sometimes. so i had to have slept for a little while.