sleep

[narla]

Does anyone know what the best natural product on the market to help regulate sleep patterns is,I'm only sleeping 3 to 5 hrs at night

[allmymarbles]

I had serious insomnia for 30 years and no one could figure out why. The cure in my case was iodine. Now I sleep normally, although it took me a couple of years to develop a consistent pattern.

[M4Y0U]

Dimming down the light pass 6pm in the house will help. It will increase your body's own melatonin production and tell your body your are going to sleep soon ( even if you go sleep at 10 or 11pm , it is considered soon for your body. Avoid stimulating activity that emits light like watching TV before going to bed and try your drops of Valerian in hot water. You can buy a special eyes band to maximize melatonin production while in bed. Melatonin works with light, the more light, the less melatonin and vice versa. It is an hormone that promotes sleep so you want to increase the production of it. About the melatonin supplement, well, i know some people take very little dose and get the effect but at very high dose it is likely to increase REM sleep which means your melatonin production is to the roof so maybe you can try higher dose. You can go up to 30mg. Melatonin production is reduced as you age so, well, try higher dose and plus the above advices and let's see...

[therese83]

I tried all these things, Melatonin I only went up to 3mg, i didn't realize you could take more than that.

I have tried Valerian (smelly) and passionflower, hops, baldrian. 5htp etc, you wouldn't believe how vigilant i am about taking supplements and really trying them out, but no....

I ended up in a severe state and went for the Zyprexa 5mg in the end.  If the high Dose Melatonin works for you please tell us.

I was able to give up the zyprexa after some time by gradually cutting it down.
I wish i knew the answer, i feel i would never have got depression if i could have slept. but it is a chicken and egg situation, which came first?

[margypops]

I havent actually tried Valerian I have tried Melatonin and I have a lot of dreams and headaches ...but I will try again ..

[peggy64]

Have you had your thryoid and adrenals checked? with all the stressors in your life these could have been affected as well. And when these are out of balance, no matter what you take, you will not sleep.  

Blessings on your journey.

[M4Y0U]

Are you still talking about sleep issue? Did you actually tried melatonin and Valerian? Even Passion Flower? I would consider the 3 before getting into 5-HTP for sleep...

Best regards,
M4

[respirate]

Hello margypops,  Do you have  CFS and fibromyalgia?
DR. Jacob Teitelbaum has a book called Fatigued to fantastic & Pain Free 1-2-3

[margypops]

I have been trying 5HTP again and I am getting the morning headaches back... I just do not seem to be able to assimilate many supplements , I get side effects ..Darn it ...I know I need to take them ..

[sick and tired 47]

5 htp and l-theanine have helped me when no other thing did. I have tried alot, but it worked better than melatonin, passion flower, calm forte, ect.
I too had to get my hypothyroid within normal levels AND get my hormones checked. I now take bioidentical  hormone supplements ( I am perimenopausal). I usually get to sleep with just a little help from the above supplements after 3 LONG years of no or very little sleep.
Good luck.

[Paxiled]

Just noticed something above in thread about eating turkey.  The substance is called L-Tryptophan, and it's not banned anymore.  The 5-HTP Margy mentioned, however, is a metabolite of tryptophan and is better absorbed.

[broknbck]

i am also free of an opiad addiction. i wake up like every 5 hours or less. i have figured it out. it is to smoke a ciggerette and than i can go back to sleep. do you smoke?

[M4Y0U]

Valerian and Kava are your best bet. Melatonin will help regulate your internal clock and has mild sedative effect.

Valerian have sedative effect and will affect the GABA receptor in the brain ( like the benzodiapines like Valium, Xanax, Clonazepam ). Valeric acid found in Valerian is proven to have anti-convulsive propriety. Valerian also contains isovaltrate, which has been shown to be an agonist for adenosine A1 receptor sites. This action may contribute to the herb's sedative effects.

Kava is about the same as Valerian but it can increase dopamine level and inhibits the reuptake of norepinephrine due to the Kavain found in Kava.

Best regards,
M4

[margypops]

Hava..... sorry, read her post above ...

[margypops]

Tell you what guys my experience as an insomniac of a few years I found 5HTP helped with the sleep but I did have a lot of nightmares ...I didnt find Melatonin any good .but I do know it works for others ..I use visulalisation to help me go off to sleep , kind of mind over matter and have has some good techniques I am trying ...

[peggy64]

my thyroid is messed up, so nothing works until it is balanced or something.

[slee56]

ESteem makes a product called sandmans sleep and it is all herbal stuff that helps... but Valarian works  too.

[Paxiled]

Can't say -- since we're all individuals, nothing works for all of us.  It might have been too high a dosage.  I tried it years ago when most available was 3mg, and it did nothing.  Then I tried it again after research showed it worked better at lower doses, and it worked better.  But if you're problem isn't body clock related, melatonin isn't a sedative and it might not work for you.  It's all trial and error whether you're using meds or remedies.  So if at first you don't succeed,  well, you know.  There are some good valerian combinations that might help, and a good homeopathic remedy that works well is Calm's Forte.  But again, it's all trial and error for what works for you.

[opus88]

Hi reading all this info on sleep aids with alot of interest.
Worked shift work most of my life and thus alot of sleep problems, just interested to know if you've ever run across my problem with melatonin where it did absolutely the opposite and made me extremely hyper...to the extent of not a minutes sleep..tried it 3 nights in a row because I wasn't putting the connection together at first. interestingly my son said it did the same for him...I couldn't even guess what mg. I was taking this was a few years ago.

[Paxiled]

White tea contains caffeine, so really, it isn't much of a sleep aid.  Both white and green tea contain theanine, which is the relaxant agent, and you can take that as a separate supplement for relaxing anxiety, but I don't too many people who have had much success with it.  Some have.  As for melatonin, it sounds like the best place to start for what you're experiencing.  Valerian will help make you drowsy, but you're already falling asleep, you're just not staying asleep.  Melatonin sets the body clock.  But the dosage should be one half or one mg.  Lower dosages have proven to be more effective.  It was originally studied at high dosages, and didn't work, so for a long time it was disregarded.  Then someone decided to try it at lower doses, and it worked.  Most of the supplements were 2.5 mg when it first hit the market big time several years ago, but now it's pretty much recommended at the dosages I mentioned.  If you need more, you can move up, or down, since either may make it work better.  It's available sublingually, which gets absorbed more quickly and goes to work faster.  Good luck with whatever you try.  

[jdb7560]

I have found A LOT of success with eating an ounce of walnuts about a 1/2 hour before bed. It works! I also sometimes supplement with L-theanine and valerian root if I am really anxious.

[Cherie762]

Oh another big tip forgot...keep thermostat at about 65 we actually sleep better w several warm blankets in a cold room...and try the hot bath soak for atleast 20 ,in one hour before bed it helps.

[respirate]

I'm in my mid sixties,when I was about 18 I was suicidal and I went to a therapist for some time and I have to say it helped. to die is easy to live life to the fullest is what you have to do
I have a great wife two wonderful children and three great little grandkids. I never had any meds. for my depression. I never wanted children because I was frightened that I would do
to them what was done to me, that never happened and never thought of doing it.
Take the melatonin as for warm milk I hate it but that's me. I only wish all the best to you!

[narla]

I go to the gym,I do 8 sessions in 5 day,twice a day on Mon,Wed,Fri.Once on Tue and Thu.I do 4 personal training sessions a week,2 cardio circuit sessions,1 boxing session and 1 weight session.I don't think I can do any more than that,I love hot milk before bed as well.And tomorrow I'm getting the melatonin,Thanks for your reply  Denise

[Cherie762]

exercise 5 hrs before sleep..take a HOT bath 1 hr before sleep..this rasies your core temp and body works hard to get it back to normal,,inducing sleep...eat turkey  or tuna as evening snack has L-Typhroine ( this is why everyone gets tired after Thanksgiving dinner) also warm milk does help.

Meds otc/homeopathic..L tyrphroine was taken off market several years ago...next best choice is Melatonin.