sleep

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

[M4Y0U]

Hello there,

Melatonin is what you are looking for. Melatonin is a natural hormone produced in the pineal gland in the brain. As you get older your melatonin production drops which might lead to disturbed sleep patterns.

You can look for melatonin at you local food supplement store. They usually sell 3mg pills but you can take to as much as 30mg with no harm so if you think 3 or 6mg is not enough for you try looking for a brand that offers a higher dose.

Melatonin have many other benefits, it is a powerful antioxidant, it boost your immune system and is currently studied for cancer treatment.

All the reasons are good to take it to regulate your sleep patterns and improve your sleep quality.

You should take it 30 to 90min before going to bed and you should see a sedative effect.

Here's some information about melatonin from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Melatonin

''Circadian rhythm

In humans, melatonin is produced by the pineal gland, a gland about the size of a pea, located in the center of the brain but outside of the blood-brain barrier. The melatonin signal forms part of the system that regulates the sleep-wake cycle by chemically causing drowsiness and lowering the body temperature, but it is the central nervous system (more specifically, the suprachiasmatic nuclei, SCN) that controls the daily cycle in most components of the paracrine and endocrine systems rather than the melatonin signal.

Treatment of circadian rhythm disorders

Exogenous melatonin taken in the evening is, together with light therapy upon awakening, the standard treatment for delayed sleep phase syndrome and non-24-hour sleep-wake syndrome. It appears to have some use against other circadian rhythm sleep disorders as well, such as jet lag and the problems of people who work rotating or night shifts.

Taken 30 to 90 minutes before bedtime, melatonin supplementation acts as a mild hypnotic. It causes melatonin levels in the blood to rise earlier than the brain's own production accomplishes.

A very small dose taken several hours before bedtime in accordance with the phase response curve for melatonin in humans (PRC) doesn't cause sleepiness but, acting as a chronobiotic (affecting aspects of biological time structure),[50] advances the phase slightly and is additive to the effect of using light therapy upon awakening. Light therapy may advance the phase about one to two-and-a-half hours and a small oral dose melatonin, timed correctly some hours before bedtime, can add about 30 minutes to the advance achieved with light therapy.''

Anyway i encourage you to read the whole article and try melatonin before trying any other sleeping pills since melatonin is safe and have no side effects other than good effects.

Best regards,
M4

[hava]

The alternative therapy you need for sleep problem is described here.
The Yoga Pranayam (breathing exercises) will relax you and help with sleep problem.These exercises help the body to work on the underlying problem and help to keep the body healthy.When the body's software starts to work well, it will make you sleep, so that it can continue to do body maintenance work in the night. You will see the benefits in a few days.
Build up your timing gradually. If you feel tired or dizzy, stop and resume after 1 minute.

Bhastrika - Take a long deep breath into the lungs(chest not tummy) via the nose and then completely breathe out through the nose. Duration upto 5 minutes.

Kapalbhati -(Do it before eating) Push air forcefully out through the nose about once per second. Stomach will itself go in(contract in). The breathing in(through the nose) will happen automatically. Establish a rhythm and do for 10 to 20 minutes twice a day. Not for pregnant women. Seriously ill people do it gently.

Anulom Vilom –
Close your right nostril with thumb and deep breath-in through left nostril  
then – close left nostril with two fingers and breath-out through right nostril  
then -keeping the left nostril closed  deep breath-in through right nostril
then - close your right nostril with thumb and breath-out through left nostril.
This is one cycle of anulom vilom.
Repeat this cycle for 20 to 30  minutes twice a day.
You can do this before breakfast/lunch/dinner or before bedtime or in bed.Remember to take deep long breaths into the lungs.You can do this while sitting on floor or chair or lying in bed.

Bhramri Pranayam -Close eyes. Close ears with thumb, index finger on forehead, and rest three fingers on base of nose touching eyes. Breathe in through nose. And now breathe out through nose while humming like a bee.
Duration : 5 to 12  times

Once you are better, continue the pranayam once a day.
Be patient, as the benefits will show over a period of weeks.Only by doing you will benefit and feel good because you are helping your body.
Anulom vilom and Bhramri will help with occasional sleep problem, but if it is a regular problem, then doing all the yog pranayams will help to fix the underlying problems.Bananas also help.

[respirate]

Magnesium is the body’s natural calmative agent. It reduces excitotoxicity and when taken at bedtime, it aids sleep. It also reduces the immune
over-reactivity seen with anxiety disorders. In addition, it reduces your risk of heart disease, stroke and type-2 diabetes (and metabolic syndrome).
White tea contains a flavonoid called epigallocatechin gallate. This flavonoid has
recently been shown to calm the brain and reduce anxiety. It works by activating the organ’s most protective system against anxiety — the gammaaminobutyric
acid (GABA) receptor. This aids sleep as well. White tea has a higher level of this
flavonoid and much less fluoride than green tea. For those who do not want to take a
pharmaceutical drug, the herb valerian has been shown to activate the same calming brain GABA receptor. It has been used to induce sleep
but also calms anxiety during the day. It should not be mixed with medications that act as sedatives or tranquilizers. Another useful product is called Relora.
It is a blend of two extracts — Phellodendron amurense and Magnolia officinalis. In a number of tests, Relora has been shown to reduce excess
cortisol levels associated with stress while improving mood and reducing stress. It acts via the brain’s GABA and serotonin systems, which are both important in controlling anxiety.

[respirate]

has your thyroid been checked and do you have chronic fatigue  

[narla]

My thyroid is fine and I don't have chronic fatigue,my sleep problems stem from child sexual abuse (which I'm working on) and addictions to alcohol and opiates I've been clean 119 Days.

[M4Y0U]

I do think that melatonin will help with getting a normal circadian rhythm and it also induces a smooth sedative effect which promotes sleep. Relaxation techniques like the ones said above will get you the best results when combined with melatonin which is a natural product you can get at your local food supplement store.

Normally they suggest using benzodiazepines kind of drug to ease the alcohol withdrawal but since it's been 119 days i guess the natural way is your best option.

Are you in therapy when you say you are working on your abuse problem?

M4

[narla]

Yes,I'm using a personal growth coach who works on dealing with the abuse,and growing from the experience to be the best you can be.I also use mindfulness meditation by Jon Kabat-Zinn which is very helpful,So I'm going to try the melatonin as well and hopefully everything will come together.I've only been doing the therapy for 3 months but It's going well even though It's very hard at times.  Thanks for your info  Denise  

[respirate]

Hello Denise,
I wish you all the best, I know what you're talking about. As a child I was abused
sexually and physically.you must keep going for help it will take time but you will
succeed.  

[narla]

Thank You for your reply,A lot of people just don't understand how deep and long lasting the effects of child abuse can be,but I'm working really hard at dealing with everything,I didn't want to see a psyche this time because I've had counselling twice before in my 20s and all they want to do is medicate you,I'm on Zoloft for long term depression 200mg a day then I went to my Dr after a hard session with my growth coach,and yes I was upset but straight away she wanted to add another drug to the mix zyprexa an anti-psychotic used for schizophrenics and Bi-polar patients(I'm neither) I took half a 5mg tablet and felt like a zombie,it was horrible so I'm not taking it I see her next week so I don't know what she'll say.  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.

[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

[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!

[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.

[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.

[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.  

[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]

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.

[slee56]

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

[peggy64]

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

[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 ...

[margypops]

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

[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

[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?

[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.

[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.

[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 ..

[respirate]

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

[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

[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.

[margypops]

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

[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?

[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...

[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.