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Old August 6th, 2005, 02:25 AM
Prin Prin is offline
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Talking Anybody here have insomnia sometimes?

I don't know if it's the thyroid garbage or what, but I just can't sleep. Lately I've been up till 5 every day. And then I'm tired all day. It's Friday night and all my dishes are done. I must be ill.

So anybody an insomniac? Do you take something for it? I never do. I just wait it out. Sleeping pills supposedly are incredibly addictive. What do you do if you're up? (I come here... and do dishes )

Last edited by Prin; August 6th, 2005 at 02:27 AM.
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Old August 6th, 2005, 05:12 AM
Karin Karin is offline
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All the time. If you wake up at the same time or roll around all night, try changing your routine a little. Also, try putting fresh warm sheets right out of the dryer on the bed, take a long soothing bath and a glass of warm milk right before bedtime. If you are a heavy caffiene drinker, stop it now.
If all the above fails, drugs.
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Old August 6th, 2005, 06:16 AM
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I take Nytol Herbal, for example, they are "natural" sleeping tablets, usually work a treat, don't know if you have it over there, but there must be something similar - with these I don't get the hangover I get from medicated tablets -
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Old August 6th, 2005, 06:27 AM
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Talking books, or the radio. A sleep expert I heard once said people talking was much more effective than music for sending you bye-bye.
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Old August 6th, 2005, 07:51 AM
SnowDancer SnowDancer is offline
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Yes, I am a diagnosed insomniac - have been to sleep disorder clinic. Can't take sleeping pills - either prescription meds or herbal as they seriously speed up my heart - have same problem with anti-histamines and decongestants. Even a local at the doctor that should keep the area frozen for 2 hours is gone in 5 minutes. One thing though - never look at the clock when you wake up - you may not go to sleep or back to sleep anyway, but looking at the clock and seeing that it is 4:00 a.m. is a sure fire way to ensure you don't. Re the hyperthyroid, when I went through a 2 year period suffering from this - which fortunately corrected itself - my insomnia was about the same as it has always been. It is hard to plan things because you know how tired you will feel and look - and people just love to point out how tired you look.
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Old August 6th, 2005, 09:05 AM
Rick C Rick C is offline
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I take an aspirin before going to bed.

It keeps my nasal from clogging up, which wakes me up through the night, and aspirin also just puts me to sleep for longer periods.

Other things that might keep me awake are a diet that might have a lot of sugar in it, more than one Diet Coke in a day or some sort of event triggering tension in my life, all of which can be addressed and eliminated without a pill.

I tend to wake up many times through a night in any event. Only about two or three times in a year will I sleep straight through from 10 p.m. to six a.m. . . . . but an aspirin earlier in the evening will put me back to sleep pretty quickly.

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Old August 6th, 2005, 09:14 AM
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I'm a member of the audio-books camp, that way if you wake up in the middle of the night you can keep listening
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Old August 6th, 2005, 10:48 AM
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Prin the best thing you can do for yourself is eliminate anything that is stimulating you to keep you awake (minds out of the gutter now!)

Give yourself a time to be OFF the computer and stick to it!
Make sure it's 1 hour atleast before you go to bed
No sugars, caffeine or processed foods with msg in it
Have a nice glass of milk warmed up before you go to bed
No eating atleast 1/2 hours before retiring
NO TV in your bedroom. No action packed killing machine tv programs or NEWS close to bedtime.
Make sure it is dark in your room, buy a mask for your eyes it really HELPS
If you are in bed and can't sleep try doing some pressure point massage on yourself, on the bottoms of your feet and around the back of your neck and shoulders.
A ritual of a relaxing epsom salts bath in the evening close to your bedtime will help set your bodies natural rhythm into sleep mode. Just don't add any scented products to it that will cause you to be 'stimulated' again LOL

Ok thats all I got to say for now!
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Old August 6th, 2005, 01:10 PM
Prin Prin is offline
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Yeah, for me it's more that I just don't go to bed rather than waking up and staying up.

I do allow at least an hour of down time before I attempt to fall asleep. I don't eat anything late at night. I'm not a caffeine fiend. And I never had a tv in my room-- I figure I'd be lying in bed getting fat all day... I need a new bathtub before I can have a relaxing bath. Ours is pretty nasty. I can't wait to get a new one. It's gonna be huge! Christmas is coming.

I think it's this thyroid issue. Just because no matter what I do, either I'm far over-tired or far under-tired. Never in the middle. I thought I was developing narcolepsy for a bit because I would just pop in and out of sleep all day. It was weird. I guess I just have to wait to see the endocrinologist (hopefully my appt will be this year...).
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Old August 6th, 2005, 01:44 PM
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I know you're a student and all but have you considered seeing a naturopath?
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Old August 6th, 2005, 01:47 PM
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Can natural stuff help hyperthyroidism? I'm a cynic when it comes to herbal remedies.
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Old August 6th, 2005, 02:22 PM
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Prin- here's a pretty useful website: http://www.umm.edu/altmed/ConsCondit...ml#Alternative
Do they work? who knows really.... but worth a try
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Old August 6th, 2005, 03:57 PM
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I can't ever seem to sleep properly. Almost a year ago I was diagnosed with Fibromyalgia, added to the many other problems that I have had for many years. One of the things that frequently is added is chronic fatigue syndrome. You would think that means I would be sleeping all the time but unfortunately it doesn't work that way. I go to sleep but just as I begin to enter a deep sleep a signal is sent to the brain to wake me up so I never seem to enter that deep sleep that we all need. So even though I try to sleep a lot, I never get the right sleep. I consider it a good night when I wake up 2-3 times a night. It just plain sucks.
Warm milk, yuk. I love milk but it has to be ice cold. Try to read a very boring book.
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Old August 6th, 2005, 04:02 PM
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Ah insomnia! Normally I"m okay - but right now I am the queen of pregnancy induced insomnia! The only thing that has worked for me lately is good ol' fashioned white noise. Yep. They tell those of us with cranky infants to run the vacuum cleaner or put static on the TV to lull the baby into a deep sleep...
It works for us grown ups too.

I got a cheap box fan and set it up in the bedroom a couple days ago... Couldn't take the lack of sleep anymore. And it worked wonders. I still woke up at the usual times but not enough to stay awake -- and was able to fall right back to sleep. My husband was VERY skeptical because he said he can't sleep with any noise whatsoever. He made the sacrifice for me -- and has been sleeping like a BABY for the last few days. I have to wake him up in the morning by turning off the fan.
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Old August 6th, 2005, 04:19 PM
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My recipy for a good nights sleep..
Read a good book for at least 1/2 hour.
Absolutely no TV in the bed-room!
Have a snoring cat,next to you,two more by your feet.
If it's cool outside,open your window,nothing nicer than listening to the crickets.
I tend to wake up a few times almost every night,but I cannot get up,even for a wee-wee,the cats will think it's brekki-time even if it is 2 am..
The PC is usually off limits for me at night,time flies when you're on the puter and I am usually in bed by 11pm.
Having had to keep the a/c on most of the summer,also bothers me...I am going to try an asprin like Rick suggested.
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Old August 6th, 2005, 04:38 PM
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StaceyB, my mother had fibromyalgia, and the only medication she took was chloratrypline (not sure of the spelling) which really helped with her sleep problems and hastened her recovery (yes, you will recover!)
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Old August 6th, 2005, 04:39 PM
Karin Karin is offline
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The one aspirin trick works for me most of the time. Stress is my worse friend when I cannot sleep or stay asleep, nothing seems to work when I'm overstressed.

I cannot take antihistamines or any like drug either. The rapid heartbeat scares the mud out of me. Thanks for tip about the clock SnowDancer, it makes sense...if I check the time during the night, my sleep is doomed. Same as turning on a bright light, it can "activate" an awake period in your brain that is already tired. I am going to put some tape over the led display on my clock next to my bed. (It's too bright anyways..) I looked at it at least 6 times last night and I slept for only 1 & 1/2 hours.
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Old August 6th, 2005, 05:13 PM
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prin naturopathy is not about herbal remedies, its about complimentry alternative medicines, and its been proven time and again to work. where do you think modern medicine came from....

i was insomniac as a kid, the only thing that helped was my darlin daddy slapping my chin, i kid you not. he would pat my chin very softly,. and it would always get me there, even now when he does it i turn into a puppy
if i coudl i woudl send him over, hes great and also fixes thing and kills spiders, now hes very useful
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Old August 6th, 2005, 07:12 PM
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Badger, you must be thinking of amitriptyline. I take that but it doesn't seem to do much. Chlortriplon is an allergy med. The pk's are the only thing that allows me to function. Seventeen years, tests, different meds, incredable pain etc. The fibromyalgia is just the newest addition to the mix. Ten years of that time was spent trying to find something that worked and finding out the exact cause of the pain. After that everything was under control, until a year ago when I began to experience many symptoms of the fm. The pain I was used to but being tired all the time is very hard to deal with.
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Old August 6th, 2005, 07:25 PM
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Quote:
prin naturopathy is not about herbal remedies, its about complimentry alternative medicines, and its been proven time and again to work. where do you think modern medicine came from....
dittos to dat
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Old August 6th, 2005, 07:31 PM
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Joey.E.CockersMommy Joey.E.CockersMommy is offline
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I am currently on these natural vitamins I take 6 a day 3 and 3. Once in a while I forget if I have taken them and then take them again. I am usually up all night. It is not fun especially when i know I need to get up at 5am.

I also cant sleep if I am excited or worried about something.
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Old August 6th, 2005, 07:56 PM
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I take ativan... not that i reccomend it, and I wish I didn't but it's what I take
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Old August 6th, 2005, 09:09 PM
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Luba Luba is offline
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Pls be very careful with Ativan it's several times stronger then valium and much more addictive.

If you take it to help you sleep I suggest you get off of it VERY slowly and consider something else.

Ativan is a benzodiazapene and the docs always tell you it's safe but it's not. It is a 'short' term use drug that ends up being used long term and it's not right.

If you need any more advise on that pm me
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Old August 6th, 2005, 09:23 PM
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thanks for the concern Luba :love:
I am under dr supervision for it, and (Hopefully) will be weaned off of it at the end of the summer
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Old August 6th, 2005, 09:53 PM
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One trick that worked for me when I was pregnant, and couldn't take anything for it:

Excercise your long term memory.

The trick is to "go back" for something that won't come easy--like first and last names of old classmates, or my fav--your old locker lock combonation!!!
(still can't remember that--but sleeping like a baby.

make that MOst babies

not mine
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Old August 6th, 2005, 10:27 PM
Prin Prin is offline
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Uh oh. I hope I didn't open a can of worms. I hope nobody is seriously addicted to sleeping pills here. We're all ok. Right?
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Old August 6th, 2005, 10:34 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Prin
We're all ok. Right?
Ha ha well that's certainly debatable
but yes!
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  #28  
Old August 7th, 2005, 01:15 AM
Prin Prin is offline
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LOL, If you need someone to put you to sleep, call me! I have a nasal monotone voice that literally puts people to sleep. It also makes their bladder muscles contract too- I can't explain that though. How many people has your voice put to sleep on the phone? I have around 4. All different people. I started at a young age (lol I've always had this voice...)

I was all proud of myself because it was looking like I was going to be in bed before 1... Ah, well. What can you do, eh? I'm going to reread Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator. I likes me light reedin b'fore bed time. Roald Dahl is the best.

Another reason why I put people to sleep is because I ramble on and on.
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Old August 7th, 2005, 08:48 AM
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Hi Prin,
I'll tell you that i've never slept a whole night yet! Even as a child! Some times there is nothing you can do but wait it out and get a nap in a quiet place at work (Assuming you do).

Right now I'm on disability and away from work for just this, I have 4 kids, worked 11am to 7pm, consider at least 40 mins drive each way. Then doing all the house chores gosh! Making school lunches and dinners, I broke! I became super depressed and the insomnia got worse.

I tried all kinds of natural sleep aids (some from the U.S), tried many over the counters, prescriptions, and right now I have a prescription for a drug that is given to people who have seizures but a side affect is severe drowsyness.
IMAGINE that! I use it very sparingly.

I have followed a sleep study and it could simply be something like your blood pressure fluctuates during the night waking you up and keeping you up. I never found out why but I am used to it. I don't want to take meds so I tried excersize, even tried a crazy thing- standing on the ground (cement ot asphalt) barefoot to release trapped energy from my body. It is a holistic treatment. Since we wear rubber soled shoes all day, we need to ground the electrical activity in our bodies by standing barefoot on the gound at night. weird but it could work, but for me it didn't.

Take care, you're not alone,
Laurie
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Old August 7th, 2005, 09:09 AM
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Has anyboy tried melatonin? My sister swears by it but recent studies say it's useless.
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