sleep

[xbethie]

Does anyone have any suggestions for something all natural that really works for sleep???? HELP!!!

[xbethie]

All these reviews, no replies????????

[2themommie]

the only thing I have found is the hot tub. It relaxes me enough to help me get some sleep. hope this helps.

[burningSong]

valerian root is an herbal remedy that works quite well for me

chamomile tea is another one, although i find it to be weak, and best used in conjunction with valerian or other calming herbs (kava, etc.)

5-HTP is a third choice, and i particularly am fond of the valerian root/5-HTP combo pills (i know you can get them at Puritans Pride website)

[Shari]

I drink herbal tea before I go to bed. It's soothing. Also, some light stretching helps too.

Unfortunately, I finally had to take a low dose of an antidepressant just for my seratonin levels. When I got an uninterrupted night of sleep, even my muscle pain became very manageable. I'm starting to wean myself off of them right now. I only take one every 3 days. I absolutely HATED the idea of any medication, but it worked better than anything else.

[the-cats-whiskers]

i find using relaxation tapes and guided imagery helps me sleep and pillows to keep your body in a comfortable position but in the end i had to resort to medication but that was after many years i got so bad i couldnt even remember my own name let alone what day it was etc x

[sleepy]

Chronic Fatigue Syndrom is a serious problem and it should be treated very careful, cause it can provoque also a lot of other sleep problems.
I had this problem an year ago and it was getting very bad, cause i couldn't sleep for more than a week and I was looking like a zombie, not to mention the fact that my skin was dead white and I was dizzy all the time. During that period, i was trying to find out more about the chronic fatigue, because a friend of mine was teeling me that I might have it. i found out a lot of things about it and finally i realised that my problem was more related to a stressful period i was passing through than to chronic fatigue.
Hope this will help you a bit. Keep in touch!

[annehillebrand]

Fibros perceive light and sound as being more important than they are. Any stimulation can keep us from falling asleep or staying asleep. It can keep our minds "racing".

It's so important to get to deep, restorative sleep. "White noise" like a tv or fan may help get you to sleep, but actually keep you from deep sleep.

There is a trick that works. Wear an eye mask and ear plugs that block out ALL light and ALL sound - at your head.

You will drop to deep sleep in under 3 minutes and stay there all night. If you wake up to go to the bathroom, be sure to put them back on.

Anne Hillebrand
FibroFix

[swissalps]

Hi there,

I am no expert in this field but have suffered the symptoms of chronic fatigue syndrome which are similar to fibromyalgia. I have found relief through chinese medicine. In traditional chinese medicine a disharmony in an organ of the body can have undesired effects on us. Insomnia is concerned with the heart, and the heart is believed to house our spirit! I can't go into more depth than that as i am not a physician but i would recommend seeing a doctor who is expert in this field. It could reeally help you.

[Michele]

Hello,
I as well could not sleep, my Dr. started me on Ambien CR just to get me sleeping. I had to take two doses the 12 and 6mg to sleep. I was still waking up, so they gave me Gabitrol as well, that was getting me into deep sleep. I as well hate medicine, but my accupuncturist just kept telling me it is temporary.

I find out about tryptophan (you know the amino acid in turkey) - it is only recently back on the market, so a little hard to find, but you can find it online. I started taking 1500mg and 1.5mg of Melatonin, (both of these are all natural) I sleep great now, I am out in about 5 minutes. I don't even have to take them every night now that I am regulated.

I started the ambien last year March or April I think, it took me awhile to start taking it, (I was scared) but I realize now that it really helped and I think it helped my body to readjust. I try to go to sleep at the same time every night, and get up at the same time. In addition I no longer take naps during the day.

Take care and wish you good sleep.

[ksosborn]

I had insomnia which lasted decades that ended a few years ago. these are the tricks that got rid of it. have just been diagnosed with FM and now find myself facing sleepnessness again. argh! here are the best things I found:

Sunlight. NO sunglasses, windows or barriers of ANY sort. direct. preferably when it is out from the clouds, not hiding behind. There is a certain sun wave length which cant go through clouds, plastic, glass etc etc, that changes our hormones and brain pattern. about 40 minutes a day is great. the start of the day is great. i used to try and get at least 2 x 20minute sessions a day. Also, i live in australia and permanently have gallons of suncream on me, but found if i created a little bit of skin without it (any place besides the face neck hands etc where i was concerned about ageing) helps too.

mental stimulation - compoletely rethink your concept of this, and avoid it!. I used to watch tv in the evenings to relax - turns out this causes a certain stimulation within your brain, which totally destroys sleep. I had to avoid crossword puzzles, book reading - the exact things I thought were 'relaxing' me! Life has its jokes thats for sure. I found the best way to 'change the brain waves' to a sleep inducing alpha state were to choose other activites that where intrinsically simple and happy. for me that was things like patting the pets, talking with a happy and chilled out friend (easy going happy stuff, not issues, problems, things to do etc etc), sex, doing the dishes, enjoying going outside and breathing the lovely night air/looking at the stars, rubbing my fingers through the dirt, (interacting with nature was definately a number one), singing and laughing, enjoying the fluffy warmth of my doona - things like that. simple, calming and very natural stuff.

Mental relief. this could be in the form of councelling/adressing issues, having a discussion during the day with any issue that concerned me at the time, mediation, breathing/visualization exercises, having fun etc. having this during the day really helped the night time process.


Some of the other things that helped included:

creating a good environment in the bedroom which didnt have noise or light that disturbs/distracts you. And getting rid of the clutter and 'electrical' stuff.

avoiding/limiting caffeine, alcohol or any other sort of drugs.

having your evening/last meal early.

eating a wholefood/rawfood diet. at least getting rid of the sugary/wheaty/animally/MSG/drug tainted processed stuff.

accept that the last part of the day is purely about your pleasure and peace - not organising, thinking, tv etc etc. I used to be a chronically busy person who needed to fill every moment and do things rather then just 'be'.

stretching (not the 'stimulating' poses though) around bed time.

and of course, a very big cuddle from the one you love who loves you back. (man, pet, whoever).




hope something above helps, these are all the ones that worked for me.

[tarantula17]

Make sure to practice good sleeping habits. Don't eat or drink caffeine a few hours before bed. Practice going to bed the same time every night, and making the room as dark as you can. Make sure the bed is not facing the door and that you have the room as cool as you can stand it, we sleep better in cooler weather than hot.

A thing I use to sleep, which you would want to clear with your doctor first, is melatonin. It's a natural thing your brain makes to maintain sleep. By that I mean, I take Lyrica to put me to sleep, melatonin to keep me sleeping.

[ksosborn]

hey davidwilliam, thanks for that ignorant little comment there. why on earth are you on this site?, clearly you dont know what it meants to have sleep disorders etc - not something a simple good day of work fixes! - moron. Get a life and contribute to something you actually know about, redneck.

thanks but no thanks!