If anyone has tips for insomnia relief, I would love the input. Because I will tell you, after months and months of chronic insomnia, I sometimes have a really hard time controlling my emotions . . .
hi. all good suggestions. i also have some very good music for healing which is Stephen Halpern's. I have it on my playlist and have it going softly when the room is dark and i plan for sleeping. This author /composer studied for many years about healing music and how certain sounds effect the brain for healing,relaxation and sleep.. If you are interested in checking him out .' Music for Sound Healing.' by Stephen Halpern.' all the best..HUGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGS
Suzie
Thanks, I will look into the Valerian Root. Melatonin does nothing for me but thanks. Hugs.
Thanks, my doctor wanted me to do the Melatonin which I have done now for over 30 days with NO help. He also wanted me to take an insomnia class offered by my HMO, which I did a couple weeks ago. The class was taught by a clinical psychologist who said Fibromyalgia is different and the typical things don't work often with insomnia. It felt really nice to be validated. One interesting think I learned is that caffeine has an 8 hour half life so even after 8 hours there is still half the caffeine in your system. So now I am trying not to drink any caffeine after 10am. I am going to try again with my doctor to see about getting a sleeping aid but years ago I went thru a bunch of sleep meds, none had any lasting effect (more than a day or two). So I am going to continue to try to find non med stuff to supplement. I do have an appointment with that clinical psychologist in a couple of weeks to talk about non med pain control as well. So I will just keep trying and trying and trying and hopefully something will help one of these days. HUGS.
Thanks Suzie, I will definitely check it out. HUGS.
avenk and auburnm. i had insomnia for at least 15 years. the addition of his music really helped me alot. you can sample his music but also read about his work and you will get an understanding of what kind of music and/or sounds are actually beneficial to the brain. HUGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGS
suzie
Hi,
Some very good advice on this, especially about the calming music fom Suzie.
I think it's important to have a calming bed time routine. I have a drink of Horlicks and read a book. Def no telly in the bedroom!
At times I have taken Temazapan. Since I was diagnosed with Fibro, I have been taking Amitriptylene, but you have to take it quite early in the evening. Hope this helps
Hi Auburn. I had some recent issues with insomnia and was prescribed amitriptylene. Although its an antidepressant, it has been shown to help fibro pain and insomnia. I started it last week and showed a huge improvement in my pain. Unlike AnneV I take it an hour before bedtime because it makes me pretty groggy, but that could also be from the Lyrica I am taking so use caution and talk to your doctor about it.
All the other suggestions help too. Music or a warm bath to relax you. I also do meditation where I relax each of my muscles from toes to scalp very slowly. Then I will repeat. Alsi, I recently took up occupation in the guest bedroom so I can sleep better since my bf tosses and turns. I also love sleeping with the light on - but that is because I used to work nights. I recently read that if you dont fall asleep within 15 minutes to get up and read something boring until you are tired, but that never worked for me.
Good luck! Hope you can get some zzzz s!
I suffered from insomnia for almost 2 years I finally said something to my doctor and he prescribed me Trazadone its an antidepressant that is used for its side affects, which is sleep. It works so awesome that I have become human again. I didn't know how to act the first week or two with actual sleep. You might mention it to your doctor and see if it is something he will let you try.
Kaseygirl
My doctor said that more than likely I will be on sleeping pills the rest of my life. If I don't take them, it takes me forever to fall asleep, and then I wake up a lot and also don't feel like I get a deep sleep.
Thanks for the suggestions. I was able to finally get a prescription today for Trazadone. I hope it helps tonight.
Hi everyone, this is my 1st post and I actually have something to contribute. I had insomnia for over a decade, going crazy from lack of sleep. Did relaxation, meditation, warm baths, soothing music, natural remedies, Amytryptaline (I'm a diabetic and it can and did raise my BG), Trazadone, Drs. didn't want to prescribe anything else like sleeping pills, went to those sliding scales clinics.
This year with insurance saw a Dr. and after a few more blood tests to rule out some things a couple of x-rays, dx'd me. I was put on Cymbalta, which she said may help with my sleep and if not we'll address it again the next visit, she also gave me Flexeril for muscle spasms in my neck and back (I have unrelated neck and back problems). One time, on my own, I tried 1 Flexeril 10mg and 1 Klonopin 1mg before bed and the rest is history, I sleep well EVERY night and have been since I started this several months ago. I take the Klonopin, as needed, for anxiety and have for years.
Welcome! Thanks for sharing. I look forward to getting to know you.
Yikes! I took just one pill and had horrible side effects. I got super antsy, very queasy, coughing, and had trouble getting a full breath. Now I have a fever. I will be contacting my doctor. I won't take this again.
Hi, what pill are you referring to?
I've had insomnia for years, I'm a horrible sleeper and it's taken ages for me to find something that works. And I have to stress this only works for me, but audiobooks are brilliant. It means that my highly over active brain stops thinking about everything that it shouldn't and just focuses on the book like when I am reading but I don't have to worry about taking glasses off, finding my bookmark, switching my light off; I can just drift off listening to the story and then pick it up the next night where I went to sleep. I've got my brain trained now so that it hears the start of the recordings and it just switches off. The mix of pregablin and topiramate helps too, as they both switch the electrical signals in the brain in a similar way.
Trazodone. Sorry I should have specified
I will look into that. Thanks!
I listen to audiobooks as well, while doing some activity, cooking, cleaning, etc., but I can't when I try to go to sleep, I want to continue listening and won't fall asleep. What works for me and I have been doing this since I was a kid, is reading before going to sleep. I got one of those holders that you can attach to the nightstand that will hold my eReader in whichever position I need it. This way I do not need to hold it up, which was killing my shoulders and elbows, and I only need to press the button to flip the pages.
That calms me down and I think about what I read and then fall asleep.
It seems interesting how different things work for different people.
Wow I think I’m a freak of nature. I’ve tried all these medications with no success. Since my seizures medications really don’t work. Sometimes I won’t sleep for a week and not even be tired. Should I go to a sleep study? I’m worried because the less I sleep the more I hurt and I increase my chance for having a seizure. I need some serious help. Aside from the other stuff I’m a young 29 yr old healthy person. I’m just worried about myself. I’ve tried everything you can think of to help, but I have an open mind. Please help this desperate insomniac.