Insomnia

[fasstrack]

On ‎3‎/‎25‎/‎2016 at 4:08 PM, Tim McG said:

Sadly, yes.

There is no cure for Multiple Myeloma. All they can do is treat it. So, when my numbers spike, I have to go back for more chemo. It will be a for-life struggle. The new "normal" for me. But I'm still here...that is the most important thing.

Very, very sorry to hear this...

I've been sleeping OK, but last night succumbed and took Lorazepam again, b/c I woke up at 5 AM after going to bed at 1:30. This is not good, since I made my mind up to quit all prescription drugs, replacing them with natural substances, healthy eating, meditation, and exercise. Lorazepam is also risky to withdraw from. Withdrawal can even cause convulsions if one is not careful. I want to, though. I don't take it every night. When I do, the next day I am logy and need another drug, caffeine, to get up for it.

But I am sleeping well---despite my mind being very active with a recording project and other goings on. I'm just so tired at the end of my busy days that I conk out. Waking up after a few hours is the problem.

 Good luck to my fellow insomniacs. Here's to good sleep!

 

[page]

Cheers, fasstrack, to good sleep indeed! So far I haven't taken any medication I'll have to take meds for other health problems, so that's preventing me from adding more. Also for side effects that might appear.

I've found an article (in Dutch) about what nutrition can help with sleeping. If any of you guys would be interested to read, I can try to translate it to English. I will need some time for it though, just let me know and I'll get started as soon as I can.

[fasstrack]

19 hours ago, page said:

Cheers, fasstrack, to good sleep indeed! So far I haven't taken any medication I'll have to take meds for other health problems, so that's preventing me from adding more. Also for side effects that might appear.

I've found an article (in Dutch) about what nutrition can help with sleeping. If any of you guys would be interested to read, I can try to translate it to English. I will need some time for it though, just let me know and I'll get started as soon as I can.

I didn't take anything last night, and didn't wake up. Got maybe 6 hours sleep. BTW I hope I'm not boring people with this sleep diary.

[Scott Dolan]

Aside from the zero minutes of sleep I got Sunday night, I've been sleeping like a log! Worst part of that being that I'm super tired when I wake up. And it takes me a long time TO actually wake up. And I'm the type that usually hits the ground running the second I get out of bed. 

Weird. 

[Brad]

Your body is trying to play catch up but the experts say you really can't catch up. 

[Scott Dolan]

Yeah, and that makes perfect sense. The "catching up" thing seems to be making me more tired! 

[bluenoter]

My insomnia (too) takes the form of waking up far too soon. If any insomnia sufferers here are smokers, as I am: It kills me to admit it, but when I don't smoke for the last couple of hours before bedtime (generally because I've run out of cigarettes), I sleep for 8 or 10 hours.

I've read only the most recent page of this thread, so forgive any duplication, but over-the-counter diphenhydramine is commonly taken for insomnia and is pretty benign. I've tried taking two 25mg capsules of it half an hour before bedtime, and . . . it didn't keep me from waking up too soon, but YMMV.

(Diphenhydramine is the active ingredient in Benadryl in the United States, but Benadryl elsewhere apparently has different active ingredients. It's also the active ingredient in Nytol, Sominex, et al. in the United States, but not necessarily elsewhere.)

Edited April 1, 2016 by bluenoter

[rostasi]

 

[fasstrack]

I stopped all prescription medications, replacing them with natural substances. Also eating healthy, a lot of organic vegetables. Next I want to cut out coffee. I am sleeping OK without the help of Lorazepam. I'll see how long that lasts...

[Scott Dolan]

I've found that if I combine Melatonin with L-Theanine I usually get pretty decent results. Sometimes not, but I'd say 8 times out of 10. 

[rostasi]

Ambient Sci-fi Sleep Sounds Playlist

[Scott Dolan]

Too cool! 

[fasstrack]

19 hours ago, Scott Dolan said:

I've found that if I combine Melatonin with L-Theanine I usually get pretty decent results. Sometimes not, but I'd say 8 times out of 10. 

I tried Melatonin, but woke up after about 3 hours and couldn't get back to sleep. But that was a while ago. I will give it another go. I am sleeping well without the Lorazepam, but am not as focused as I would like yet when awake. I guess it will take a little time. 

I just ordered L-Theanine for use as a natural tranquilizer more than a sleep aid. Thank you, Scott, for the recommendation.

Edited April 2, 2016 by fasstrack

[fasstrack]

I just ordered a Brasilian herb called  Mulungu also. Anyone ever hear of this?

[Tim McG]

On 3/30/2016 at 10:38 AM, fasstrack said:

Very, very sorry to hear this...

Thanks, Fasstrack.

I honestly appreciate it.

Edited April 4, 2016 by Tim McG

[fasstrack]

It's my 2nd week using herbs instead of pharmaceuticals, and I am doing well sleep-wise most nights. L-theanine, ashwagandha, valerian, and melatonin at bedtime seem to be working pretty well.  

[Scott Dolan]

Excellent news, Joel! The L-Theanine works wonders for me as well. 

[Brad]

After not having it for awhile, insomnia seems to be back.  Getting some sleep but not enough.  May try some Melatonin tonight.

[Scott Dolan]

Brad, try to throw some L-Theanine into the mix. 

[fasstrack]

On ‎4‎/‎14‎/‎2016 at 1:16 PM, Scott Dolan said:

Excellent news, Joel! The L-Theanine works wonders for me as well. 

I added ashwagandha, valerian root, and melatonin to the mix, and my friend Tania just gave me Holy Basil Leaf as a gift. These things build up in the bloodstream, and that's a good thing. Better than drugs and supporting their evil purveyors any day. One caveat: there are snake oil salesmen aplenty in the natural supplements market, so one has to be vigilant, keep one's guard up, and especially do one's homework---especially when one is spending one's hard-earned cash...

[Scott Dolan]

I never had much luck with Valerian, but I never did a mixture like what you've outlined. I'll have to give that a try. 

[jazzbo]

That's a lot of stuff to mix, I hope it's safe. I would check with a professional myself before I'd do that. Luckily, I sleep great, night after night. My next youngest brother says it's because I don't drink. Who knows, I know it's a lucky thing.

There was a time in my working career where my agency was being reduced in force over the course of three years from 850 employees to 475. That was three years I didn't sleep as well. . . . Luckily that was now more than a decade ago.

[fasstrack]

17 hours ago, jazzbo said:

That's a lot of stuff to mix, I hope it's safe. I would check with a professional myself before I'd do that. Luckily, I sleep great, night after night. My next youngest brother says it's because I don't drink. Who knows, I know it's a lucky thing.

There was a time in my working career where my agency was being reduced in force over the course of three years from 850 employees to 475. That was three years I didn't sleep as well. . . . Luckily that was now more than a decade ago.

Maybe you are right. Self-medication is risky, even with herbs. Anyway, the trick so far is to take them at night, so I'm not logy throughout the day. (I don't only use these to sleep, but to be calm and focused).

[fasstrack]

I find that the herbs don't work at all. I think a lot of this is expectation and belief. If you believe something will work, the placebo effect kicks in. 

I also tried meditating with Zen Buddhists, only to ask myself in the middle 'who am I kidding?'.

Now it's red wine and watching comedians on youtube. You gotta keep trying...

[fasstrack]

I am still waking up after a few hours sleep, despite ingesting a plethora of herbs plus Melatonin. Sometimes I get back to sleep (as last night), but it's very choppy, and I don't feel rested the next day. Last week I had to cancel a regular appointment for the first time because I was just wasted from not sleeping enough.

Sigh. I wonder what to try next, or if anything will ever work...