Natural Sleep Aids

[Midge61]

I have been having a difficult time sleeping occasionally for the last 6 months and especially for the last two weeks when I have been suffering from a sinus infection with hypertrophy of turbinates.  1mg of lorazepam has helped me to sleep (a smaller dose is not effective) but I understand this med. is addictive.  I am wondering about switching to one of the melatonin based natural sleep aids, specifically Restaid.  Is this medicine safe & effective as a sleep aid?  Can it be taken with antihistamines/decongestants which I take regularly for allergies?

[MJL627]

I have had trouble going to sleep most of my life (just like my father always did....heredity?).  The closer I got to menopause however, the more difficulty I have had with staying asleep and that's maybe even more frustrating!  I took Rx meds for a couple of years but hated the way I'd feel in the morning (groggy)..and also feared not being able to come fully awake in the night if there was an emergency.  So, I weined myself off the Rx sleep aids and began taking 3 mg Melatonin pills.  Over time this began to help; not to "knock me out" but to ease me to sleep.  Now I've discovered enlyten Melatonin strips and since they are absorbed directly into the bloodstream, they work more quickly and with double the absorption, so it's even better.  I wake up the next morning sometimes and find I'm in the same position that I fell asleep in the night before!

I do want to add though, not all sleep problems are caused by a lack of melatonin....so melatonin will not help everyone.  Simple as that!

[videoshopguy]

does melatonin actually helps with your insomnia??? if so how much melatonin do u take? im very skeptical about the effects of melatonin or any other alternatives on insomnia

[savetheworld1989]

Sometimes for insomnia I take melatonin (just one tablet) about an hour before bed. It's supposed to help with natural circadian rhythms so you should take it at the same time and go to bed at the same time each night. I only take it for two weeks and then i'm usually good.

[Gregg D Jacobs, Ph.D.]

There is no controlled research on Restaid or any other natural sleep aids so it is not possible to answer whether they are safe and effective. It is unlikely since no sleep medication, including all known precriptions and over the counters, have been shown to be safe and effective. Most have been shown to be ineffective and many prescription sleep aids are associated with potentially serious side effects.

Dr. Jacobs