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I suffered from vicious insomnia for years. I refuse to take prescription sleep aids and none of my doctors will prescribe them, anyway. I tried everything, and I mean everything. I got to the point where I laughed at articles that suggested things I had already been doing like setting a regular bedtime, exercising regularly, avoiding caffeine and alcohol, not using things like phones or Kindles with screens without blue-light blockers, etc. etc. I don't know why people think any of those things will actually help serious, protracted bouts of insomnia. I hate the smell of lavender. Melatonin gives me terrible nightmares so that was out. Benadryl puts me to sleep but I wake up feeling groggy and sloth-like.
I finally found something that helps me, but it's not legal everywhere in the US yet. CBD edibles; I use the 5 mg mints if I got two or three nights without sleeping well. No psychoactive effects and no morning grogginess. Just pure, blissful sleep. Most of my friends who have had insomnia say they are helped by them, too. I'm sensitive to drugs, so that dose might be too low for some, but it's perfect for me. The THC mints work, also; perhaps even better, but I prefer the CBD without the head effects. To say it's a life-saver is clearly hyperbole, but since 2012 I've been sleeping soundly and my entire mood has improved.
One size does not fit all with insomnia cures. Just tossing out what helped me and what didn't.
Me too. For a lot of medications that others take two pills of I cut one in half and I'm good to go.
Ambien (generic name: zolpidem tartrate) was designed to provide insomnia relief, without the side effects of barbiturate drugs. Ambien side effects include:
Rapid heartbeat
Nausea
Vomiting
Diarrhea
Loss of appetite
Impaired vision
Slow breathing rates
Muscle cramps
Allergic reactions
Memory loss
Inability to concentrate
Disorientation
Emotional blunting Depression and/or suicidal thoughts
Anxiety
Insomnia
Nightmares
Sedation
Confusion
Dizziness
Aggression Addiction
That is a mighty scary list of side effects... the bolded scared me away. I suffer from depression and as a result very inconsistent sleep schedule.
Go see your family doctor first, and ask for a recommendation for a sleep specialist. There are doctors which specialize in sleep. They have clinics just for that and do sleep studies. If you don't have success with one doctor, then find another until you do.
Posting here asking people what to do isn't going to help, because even if a sleep doctor were on C-D, he or she would still need to see you in-person and get your complete medical history to diagnose the root cause.
Do you drink alcohol in the evening, OP? We were accustomed to having 2 cocktails before dinner. I found that I had to stop, because I would wake up at 2-3:00 am and toss and turn for hours.
I know people who have good luck taking the supplement valerian root at night because it is a muscle relaxant & others who regalrly take magnesium to prevent insomnia.
A regular same schedule of wake up time even on days off & exercise seems be best long term fix once you break the insomnia cycle.
A recumbent exercise bike is easier on knees than jogging.
I only drink alcohol in the evening about twice a week. And those days I sleep better as long as I don't overdo it.
As to wake up on the same schedule every day, it's kind of tough to do that with my job schedule right now, where I have to allow time for shift changes and all.
I just don't want to spend money on an exercise bike as my money is a bit tight at the moment on some other comittments.
I only drink alcohol in the evening about twice a week. And those days I sleep better as long as I don't overdo it.
As to wake up on the same schedule every day, it's kind of tough to do that with my job schedule right now, where I have to allow time for shift changes and all.
I just don't want to spend money on an exercise bike as my money is a bit tight at the moment on some other comittments.
That is a mighty scary list of side effects... the bolded scared me away. I suffer from depression and as a result very inconsistent sleep schedule.
They all scare me, but memory issues stand out, for me, and at 80 my mind is good...
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