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Thanks. I have the same problem with falling asleep due to an active brain; once asleep, I'm good. I assume you could take two (6 mg) if necessary?
I would alternate with doxylamine since diphenhydramine wires me - paradoxical effect - and I do think it's wise to alternate so you don't develop a tolerance for either. If I could find two OTC remedies that work, I'd be a happy/sleepy camper.
Has anyone here had success with Sundown Naturals Melatonin Gummies (strawberry flavor)? I found an old jar of these that expired in 2016 and do remember them being yummy, but not working particularly well for me, yet the Amazon reviews are over-the-top favorable. Hope that doesn't mean I'm immune to it. Another question: would the melatonin be inactive by now? If so, I'll just eat them as candy, because so yummy...
Last edited by otterhere; 07-13-2020 at 08:56 AM..
Nature Made is good. I use Midnite (1.5 mg. melatonin plus ”calming herbs”) or Alteril, which is pricier but I only take half the recommended dose of two tablets (2 mg. melatonin per tablet plus more “calming herbs”).
Nature Made is good. I use Midnite (1.5 mg. melatonin plus ”calming herbs”) or Alteril, which is pricier but I only take half the recommended dose of two tablets (2 mg. melatonin per tablet plus more “calming herbs”).
I've heard the "calming herbs" (Calm Forte) can go either way; some are wired, others don't get any benefit.
OP, you say you've had insomnia since you were young? So age isn't a factor, I gather. Because if you're in middle age, you could try over-the-counter progesterone cream before bed. But you should get your hormone levels checked by a doc, anyway. And ideally, you should check your evening cortisol levels. This can be done via a saliva test, called an Adrenal Stress Index Test. If you have too much cortisol in your system in the evening, it impedes sleep. And it does sound like you're low in progesterone (the main sleep hormone, which prepares your body for sleep, by coming into the system starting at 9 pm, and increasing to midnight, when it peaks, and triggers a release of melatonin, then drops off gradually), and your cortisol is keeping you awake with a "busy mind". You may have to look for a holistic MD or a naturopath to get the adrenal stress/cortisol test. It charts out your cortisol levels over a 24-hr. period via 4 vials of saliva you collect throughout the day.
Moving on: trazodone is actually an SSRI, a type of anti-depressant. That may work for some people, not for others.
CBD works for some ppl, not for others. But over time if used regularly long-term, it can burn out your receptors for it. Short term or used intermittently, it's supposed to have some useful side effects, good side effects.
There's a magnesium product sold in health food grocers, herb stores, etc., called "natural Calm", "anti-stress drink". It's magnesium powder that fizzes when you put it in water. It makes a fizzy drink to take at bedtime. Magnesium is a relaxant, and calms the nervous system. You could try that. It can't hurt, and experts say, that we all could use more magnesium.
I recently got a product from an outfit called "ResultsDNA", that was for insomnia. It's called "Resteva", and has a combo of herbs, several important amino acids for sleep, and melatonin, I think. You can look it up on the ResultsDNA website and read the ingredients. It worked well the first 2-3 nights, then stopped working, but that's just me. I have wonky brain chemistry due to underlying thyroid disease. And melatonin by itself doesn't work for me, so I think that was probably the problem. So anyway, you could give it a try.
A product I do use fairly regularly with good results is another amino-acid combo product, called Theanine Serene, by Source Naturals. Pharmaca pharmacies carry it, or you can get it from Source Naturals' website. If you're deficient in progesterone, your parasympathetic nervous system (the calming side of the nervous system) isn't giving you enough calming agents to help you sleep, so supplements like this are aimed at addressing that deficiency.
Also: avoid using screens within 1 hr. of bedtime: TV or computer. Something about the light emitted triggers wakefulness in the brain. Read something relaxing instead, or take up a meditation practice. (And/or have a nice relaxing warm bath, as someone else suggested.) Meditation, when done with diaphragmatic breathing (I call it "yoga breathing"), has been proven to turn off the sympathetic nervous system (those stress hormones), and switch on the parasympathetic system, which calms you. Just the ticket to get ready for sleep. You can find youtube demos on meditation and that breathing technique, which is key. It turns off the "busy mind" phenom. Doing this on your lunch hour, or in the morning, as well as in evening, can help maintain healthy calming hormone levels.
So there you go. Lots of info, lots of things to study and take for a trial run. Best wishes, and let us know how you do.
I actually take HRT due to debilitating hot flashes if I don't, so hormones should be good.
Your reference to magnesium jogged a memory of my grandmother keeping a big blue bottle of Milk of Magnesia on her bedside table! I wonder if that was used as a sleep aid way back when? Maybe my insomnia is hereditary...
I actually take HRT due to debilitating hot flashes if I don't, so hormones should be good.
Your reference to magnesium jogged a memory of my grandmother keeping a big blue bottle of Milk of Magnesia on her bedside table! I wonder if that was used as a sleep aid way back when? Maybe my insomnia is hereditary...
What does your HRT consist of? These days, most doctors are pushing an estrogen product: Bi-Est. They're saying progesterone is an obsolete strategy. But progesterone is your main sleep hormone; it's the one that helps you get to sleep when you first go to bed. Estrogen helps you STAY asleep, to prevent that 3 a.m. wake-up. So you should have both.
Yes, some underlying causes of insomnia can be hereditary. I went to a dentist, who advertised that he evaluates apnea patients for dental appliances that prevent apnea, and medical insurance pays for it. First he x-rays the air passage. I found out, that I have a hereditary condition, that narrows the air passage, and some kind of structural issue, that means the appliance won't benefit me. That explains why my dad snored horrifically all his life, lol, to the point where my mom eventually started sleeping in a separate room, after the kids were out of the house.
I've also discovered another oddball hereditary condition, the absence of an important liver enzyme, which causes excess estrogen to build up in my system. Fortunately, there's a supplement that helps flush that out of the system, otherwise it's potentially carcinogenic.
So you never know what little surprises lurk in your DNA chain, until you start working with alternative medical providers, who scrutinize often-overlooked aspects of one's physiology.
Anyway, try the magnesium fizz, then. Maybe it will help you.
Well, I'm probably not going to delve deeply into my physiology/DNA; just looking for things to try that have helped other chronic insomniacs. Thanks for your input!
Well, I'm probably not going to delve deeply into my physiology/DNA; just looking for things to try that have helped other chronic insomniacs. Thanks for your input!
Yes, same here - but thanks for all the helpful information, Ruth4Truth. Speaking of magnesium, it works as a mild laxative, too, which is why it's used in Milk of Magnesia.
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