Can't sleep? Go online for insomnia therapy

Wish I had some tips - for ME! Ha. I have an awful time getting to sleep and when I get to sleep, staying asleep. I hope somebody posts some ideas. I do take Melatonin and that helps fall asleep a little faster but it doesn't help to stay asleep.

Avoid Lunesta. I tried this and it gave me the most haneous dreams. They were so bad, I intentionally waked myself from the dreams.

My problem is not going to sleep but staying asleep past 3am, especially with a baby. Currently taking Restavit (Doxylamine Succinate) which helps me get back to sleep but if I stop taking it the insomnia comes back.

I am CEO of a startup so stress and overwork are the key contributors IMO.

I also am a manager and have back pain too.  I take Trazadone and Temazapan along with Soma and it seems to work for me.

One of the biggest things for a person to remember is what is IN sleeping pills.

All over the counter sleep aids (except melatonin) have one thing in common, (they use

antihistamines for a primary ingredient).

For most people this works,, (makes them drowsy), for those of you like me,. antihistamines

have the reverse effect.

Also, if your mind is constantly in overdrive (like mine),.. this website thing will probably

only make it worse.

If you have the antihistamine problem, about the only relief is Ambien, or another narcotic

sleep aid like it.

See your doctor,

(have a good night).

Zzzzzzz!

Like James, I take Trazodone for chronic insomnia. It's non-addictive, and you can experiment to figure out the best dosage for you. I think that most doctors don't mind prescribing it over the longer term.

Insomnia is being treated with more respect and taken more seriously than it was a few years ago,as more documentation becomes available about the serious implications of sleep deprivation.

Now we have a few medications that are FDA approved for long-term insomnia.Sadly though there are still physicians out there whose knuckles probably bleed when they walk,who either dismiss complaints of insomnia-or even accuse people who don't want to put up with crappy sleep and want to take the recommended dose of a medication,under a physician's supervision,as the manufacturer recommends so they can get enough sleep to function normally-of being drug seekers.With today's technology giving us so many options to find a good physician who specializes in sleep disorders,nobody should stand for not getting adequate treatment.

Having said that though,insomnia that is not situational usually has at least one underlying medical problem causing it.We should be insiting upon being treated by a physician who finds the reason for the problem and treats the underlying problem, as well as treating insomnia, the symptom.

I use trazedone when I believe I will have trouble... but often don't know til 3AM. At that point, if I take it, I'll feel drugged for hours into the morning. And don't want to take it unless I NEED it... ugh. (and... gives weird dreams!). My insomnia is cyclical - comes for a week or so, then goes away for a few weeks.

I have a 45-minute-rule. If I lie awake for at least 45 minutes, I just get up and do something boring (like solitaire on computer) and maybe drink milk. Otherwise I would just lie there, waiting for hours for sleep, adding frustration to my insomnia.

Its usually my thoughts that keep me awake. I take a word like FLOWERS & use each letter for the particular flower. Or I say "sleep, sleep, sleep" as a mantra. Or a take 1/2 of Ambien if my heart is racing and I know I won't fall asleep.

There's something similar to this I read about recently called the Zeo personal sleep coach. Looks like it does what shuti does along with providing a way to measure success by measuring your sleep each night. Their site is myzeo dot com

GOOD LUCK!!!!!

Most of my problems falling asleep come from something I call "internal dialogue".  I will lay down, and my thoughts just seem to come out in a flood.  Sometimes it's something I did at work, sometimes it's something I will do at work tomorrow, and sometimes it's just a song that my brain just wont quit playing.  I dont take any meds at all (I wont even take Tylenol if I have a headache...).  I have used the herb Valerian root - 2 capsules about an hour before bedtime will shut my brain off most of the time.  However, recently I have discovered that if I just lay down on my back and focus on relaxing all my muscles, my brain appears to "relax" also, and within about 10 minutes, I'm ready to roll over on my side and I fall right to sleep.  Something else that helps me is not eating or drinking anything with sugar in it at least 2 houirs before bedtime (I'm really missing my bedtime ice cream!).  Alcohol in the evenings is a bad idea also.  You may get drunk and pass out, but your quality of sleep is poor, and no matter how long you sleep, you wont feel rested in the morning.