posted on August 23, 2001 01:37:15 AM
Any suggestions to help with Insomnia? I have only been sleeping a few hours a night. I dont want to go the Tylenol PM route. Any natural suggestions?
posted on August 23, 2001 02:58:40 AM
Have you thought that it may be that you don't need more than a few hours sleep a night?
If not sleeping right through the night is not affecting you too much don't worry about it.
If on the other hand your lack of sleep is having a detrimental effect on your well being then the first thing you should do is to see your doctor and establish the reason that you aren't sleeping properly.
Until you do that trying various drugs willy-nilly is a foolish thing to do.
Bob, Downunder but never down.
posted on August 23, 2001 05:18:08 AM
I've had bouts of insomnia since I was a teenager. When I don't have a 9-5 job, I just go with the flow, and either read, watch tv, or work while I'm awake. I've learned to enjoy my extra hours of wakefulness.
If you do have a schedule you have to meet, I've read (and it sort of works) that you can try to establish a set time each night to go to bed and each day to awaken. Some have suggested a book for teaching babies to sleep through the night and applying those suggestions to insomnia.
-Turn off the tv.
-A new exercise plan can trigger insomnia (particularly serious weight training).
-Warm milk helps.
-Turkey helps.
-If you're not sleeping because you're obsessing about money, spousal problems, etc., give yourself 15min-an hour each day to worry about these, then put it away until the next day.
-Don't disrupt your sleeping schedule by more than an hour or two on the weekends - you'll spend all week "catching up."
-Lay quietly in the dark - rest, though not as good as sleep, still helps.
And lastly, don't freak. If you're sedentary, you might not need as much sleep as you think.
