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Interesting thread! 58 and dealing with this for years. Natural Progesterone cream (OTC) has worked very well for me.
I recently finished reading the Diet Cure and it recommends GABA. I asked my doctor about it and he said it can get addictive. He recommended something with Taurine, that triggers the GABA receptors in the brain. (all OTC)
I did try the GABA and it worked very well. Some also use it for anxiety. I tried a low dose of the Taurine he recommended and it did not work as well. Will try it again soon to see how it works.
For those that haven't read up on healthy sleep habits, please do. They are important too. Things like eliminating all blue light in the hours before sleep (phones, tablets, computers, TVs). Sleeping in a pitch dark room. Getting bright light early in the morning. ...all help.
For those that haven't read up on healthy sleep habits, please do. They are important too. Things like eliminating all blue light in the hours before sleep (phones, tablets, computers, TVs). Sleeping in a pitch dark room. Getting bright light early in the morning. ...all help.
Very good point, Jaybirddie. Bad habits can sabotage sleep. My husband wants to stay up until all hours reading in bed, so I use a sleep mask to block the light, and that helps. I've heard they make special glasses to block blue light that you can use while watching TV or using your electronic devices.
I agree with others that you should look into the cause (hormones, habits, etc)
BUT
if you're really desperate, there is 1 herbal that will knock you out, and it's legal. It's called Lady Slipper, and it's endangered so few places have it. I did see it on amazon and all you'd have to do is add a 8-10 drops in a capsule and drink it down. You'll be out til the morning.
Interesting thread! 58 and dealing with this for years. Natural Progesterone cream (OTC) has worked very well for me.
I recently finished reading the Diet Cure and it recommends GABA. I asked my doctor about it and he said it can get addictive. He recommended something with Taurine, that triggers the GABA receptors in the brain. (all OTC)
I did try the GABA and it worked very well. Some also use it for anxiety. I tried a low dose of the Taurine he recommended and it did not work as well. Will try it again soon to see how it works.
For those that haven't read up on healthy sleep habits, please do. They are important too. Things like eliminating all blue light in the hours before sleep (phones, tablets, computers, TVs). Sleeping in a pitch dark room. Getting bright light early in the morning. ...all help.
Most studies say GABA doesn't cross the blood/brain barrier. It didn't do anything for my insomnia but it seems to help some people. I tried Rx gabapentin--it helped the first night or two. Taurine, taken at bedtime with magnesium, helps a little bit too. What helps most is L-Glycine but it helps with quality of sleep more than getting you to sleep. There's a Japanese study about how it helps with sleep. I've been taking a few capsules every night and have been able to lower my prescription pill dose.
You need to get a check-up. Repeated waking in the middle of the night can be an early symptom of couple of different issues like congestive heart failure, GERD, Parkinson's, and thyroid disorder etc. Rule out the serious before you assume it's an age thing. Also,it can also be a sign of severe stress, like battling a life threatening illness, death of a loved one, or bankruptcy.
If it turns out to be an age/menopause, try some of the suggestions given. My personal favorites are magnesium and Melatonin to help me fall asleep and progesterone to help me stay asleep.
I hated Melatonin the first time I tried it at the suggested 3 mg and so did my daughter. It kept us awake until the wee hours of the morning. It was like having three coffees at bedtime. I read an article a few months ago that said the commonly recommended dose is way too high so I tried it again - one 500 mcg pill at bedtime and I was out like a light. For comparison sake, the 3 mg I had originally tried was equal to 3000 mcg or one pill instead of six.
For Magnesium I recommend ReMag (Dr. Dean). For Progesterone I've used Emerita's Pro-Gest.
Also, CBD oil is most definitely illegal under Federal law. The DEA came out with a clarification in December 2016. It is considered a Schedule I substance (right up there with heroin and LSD!). There had been a grey area that sellers were using but the DEA put an end to it. It can be legal in the state you live in and in the state you purchase it from and you will still be violating Federal law if you bought it, and more laws if you have it shipped to you. That is probably more an issue for the seller than the buyer, but there are instances when the DEA goes after the little guy. Also, the current administration has vowed to crack down on marijuana so enforcement could become much more aggressive. Just be careful if you go this route.
There are different forms of GABA.
There is regular GABA. I do feel an effect in my brain but it is mild and does not last too long.
There is PharmaGABA. To me this is stronger and works better at bedtime/night.
There is a product called Kavinace which is a GABA derivative. This is the most potent to me and lasts the longest but I have not used it to help with sleep.
Additionally, there are natural GABA agonists like taurine, niacin/niacinamide, inositol, and 5-htp (to a degree).
5-htp can also help with sleep in addition to being a natural anti-depressant because it is the precursor to serotonin.
If you are having methylation problems or are low in some of the B vitamins, those will affect sleep as well. Methylation reactions are what produce neurotransmitters like serotonin, melatonin, and GABA. Methylation has many moving parts, so to speak, and B vitamins are required in many of the steps. All the B's are needed but B12 can be a problem for many because we tend to not absorb or utilize it as well when we get older. B12 is especially needed for melatonin production.
To tie this in with menopause and aging, supplementing with boron can help in a number of ways.
Boron is used by the body to make an enzyme which prevents the breakdown of estrogen, thus prolonging estrogen's effects in the body. The effects can be comparable to being on HRT. Dosage is typically 3 mg but can be higher. Maintaining higher and more stable levels of estrogen can help with sleep.
Boron helps with osteoporosis as it stops loss of calcium and magnesium, and helps with bone growth.
Boron is also very helpful for arthritis. Parts of the world with high boron levels have low incidence of arthritis and vice versa.
OP,
Also, CBD oil is most definitely illegal under Federal law. The DEA came out with a clarification in December 2016. It is considered a Schedule I substance (right up there with heroin and LSD!). There had been a grey area that sellers were using but the DEA put an end to it. It can be legal in the state you live in and in the state you purchase it from and you will still be violating Federal law if you bought it, and more laws if you have it shipped to you. That is probably more an issue for the seller than the buyer, but there are instances when the DEA goes after the little guy. Also, the current administration has vowed to crack down on marijuana so enforcement could become much more aggressive. Just be careful if you go this route.
This ruling has since been amended, per Leafly.com:
Quote:
Although the DEA considers CBD oil to be a federally illegal Schedule I drug, there are temporary safeguards in place that protect patients in many states from federal prosecution over possession of the oil. The Rohrabacher-Farr amendment is the most important of those protections. Originally passed in 2014, the amendment to a Congressional appropriations bill prohibits the Justice Department from spending funds to interfere with the implementation of state medical cannabis laws. (It is silent on adult-use laws.) In August, the federal 9th US Circuit Court upheld Rohrabacher-Farr in the face of a challenge brought by federal prosecutors.
The amendment is the chief piece of legislation preventing federal law enforcement officials from prosecuting patients for possessing CBD products in the 28 legal medical cannabis states, and the District of Columbia. In addition, 16 states have passed so-called CBD-only laws that allow patients and caregivers to possess non-psychoactive CBD products. Those CBD-only laws usually allow no legal avenue to produce or obtain the products, however.
Rohrabacher-Farr must be renewed every year. If it’s not, its safeguards disappear. The amendment was most recently renewed last Friday, Dec. 9, [2016], as part of the continuing House resolution known as HR 2028, which funds the federal government through April 28, 2017. When that resolution expires next April, so does the protections afforded by Rohrabacher-Farr. Unless it’s renewed once again.
So it appears that the Feds are not going to break your door down and arrest you for buying CBD oil, at least not until the end of the month!
I just found this forum. I would like to get feedback on this to see if anyone else has my symptoms regarding insomnia. I am a 58 year old post menopausal female. Most nights I fall asleep with no problem. The issue is I wake up EVERY 2 HOURS 3, 4 or 5 times a night; just wake up. Not gasping for air, no heart pounding. I just open my eyes and wake up. I usually fall back to sleep within a few minutes. Sometimes it takes up to an hour to fall back to sleep. All I get back from Doctors and the Internet is that I possibly have sleep apnea; however, this is not the case. I have tried ALL over the counter sleep aides, Benadryl & Z-Quill. I still wake up every two hours. I even tried Belsamra and other prescribed sleep aides. My last attempts were Melatonin (gave me bad dreams) & bananas. Currently I am using Vilarium Root at night. Still nothing works! Is there someone else out there that has this same problem with sleeping????
Not every night, but probably 3-4 night/weekly I'm like you. It is SO frustrating and I never feel like I've gotten enough sleep because of so many interruptions. If I get 6 hours of solid sleep on the very RARE occasion, I am so happy and surprised.
I'm still having hot flashes on top of waking up for no reason at all. I started them at 48 and I'm almost 60. What fun being a woman eh?
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