5htp & herbal medicine-natural sleep

[bmwzw]

So, I have had chronic insomnia that has lasted for over a year and I have been taking Ativan 2mg to knock me out which gives me about 5 hours of sleep. I can't fall asleep even if I'm exhausted otherwise. It's one of the reasons my body is shaking all day long because of the lack of restorative sleep and rem so I can restore my body, that's why the tremors don't stop. So I have just started taking 5 http 200mg to restore my slee cycle and help with anxiety and depression. I wanted to know how long it will take to help me start falling asleep again? And if it's better to take it in the morning or night?  I also picked up herbal medicine-sleep aid from whole foods. Which is a natural way of falling asleep. I just want to be able to fall asleep when I'm tired and feel like a normal person and not shaky all the time!!!! If anyone can help me, I would really appreciate it!

[allmymarbles]

You might also try a modest iodine supplement. That's what worked with me after 30 years of soul-destroying insomnia. If you a a light-weight the usual dosage is 2 drops of 5 per cent Lugol's solution a week (the drops to be taken on separate days). If you are on the large side (I see you are a male), raise that amount to three or four drops (on separate days). If you find it helps, but not enough, you may need a larger dose. But don't do that on your own. Have yourself checked for hypothyroidism.

[hava]

This relaxation technique will help you sleep naturally. Do it with concentration and with eyes closed.
Build up your timing gradually.If you feel tired or dizzy, stop and resume after one minute.
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 10 to 30  minutes twice a day.
Children under 15 years – do 5 to 10 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.

[M4Y0U]

5-HTP in combination with melatonin is great. Serotonin have a calming effect and melatonin is using serotonin to be synthesized... Well there it goes: Tryptophan into serotonin and serotonin converted into melatonin FROM serotonin.

Trytophan is an amino acid found in many food. Supplement with it might help if you don't have a good diet. 5-HTP supplement will help and work in combination with melatonin to maximize the effects.

Valarian and passionflower are good but it's just that I would rather use supplements before trying herbal remedies. (I have great experience with 5-HTP and melatonin at the moment and me too I'm a benzodiazepines user. I'm addicted to diazepam (mainly due to chronic muscle spasms) and it's a nightmare to quit these. I ran out of them for 3-4 days and it was a nightmare. I also tried Valerian and it is quite calming I must say! If you mix it with a benzo you can really knock yourself which I don't encourage.

M4

[jdb7560]

I had a lot of success in this area with L-tryptophan and Relaxing Sleep Tonic by HerbPharm. Of course, I don't think I would take it with other meds.

[peggy64]

Something else you might want to look into is holy basil. It is helping to lower the high cortisol that is waking me up with adrenaline surges.

[Paxiled]

First, you're taking a lot of Ativan, which isn't a sleep remedy, it's an anti-anxiety remedy that gets harder to stop taking the more frequently you take it.  It is an addictive drug used generally on an as needed basis for panic.  Just because something is sedating doesn't make it a good sleep aid, because anti-depressants and anti-anxiety meds also can interfere with the quality of sleep.  5-HTP, while it may help with depression and anxiety by allowing the body to manufacture serotonin more efficiently, isn't really a sleep aid either, though, again, lowering anxiety can surely help with sleep.  On the other hand, melatonin directly deals with the sleep cycle.  .5 or 1mg is a good dose, and it's what I would try first for the sleep issue.  Calm's Forte, a homeopathic remedy, also can be helpful.  Valerian and California Poppy are herbs for sleep, but do leave some people drowsy, whereas the other two remedies don't.  Of course, it's all trial and error.  You might also try some relaxation exercises, such as meditation, to get your body relaxed even if your mind isn't, and exercise is great for sleep.  No guarantees, though -- a serious anxiety problem can be hard to fix, if that's the cause.