Calling All Insomniacs....

I was a busy headed insomniac for more than 6 years after the birth of my kids. I felt like I lied awake every night - everything from stupid songs running in my head, to worry, to waiting for someone to need me.
1. Look at your sleep habits - no computer or TV late at night. No TV in bedroom. Wind down. Go to bed when sleepy versus getting a second wind. Keep a notepad near the bed so you can write down anything you need to remember and not agonize about remembering it all night.
2. Get all electronics out of your bedroom or at least far away from your bed - TVs, alarm clocks, cell phones, electric blankets and cordless phones. Electromagnetic radiation can mess with your sleep cycles. There are additional things you can do to minimize your exposure to electropollution as well. Did a TV show in Dec and have loaded it to my website livinghealthiernow.com.
3. The Nikken sleep system saved my life. It is endorsed by the Worldwide Federation of Chiropractics and the system includes magnetics, infrared and negative ions. I was a huge skeptic, but found I was starting to sleep solidly for longer periods during the night and was waking with some energy. I can send you some more info, research studies and testimonials on it as well. nikken.com/sleepcenter will explain the technologies.
4. Make the room as dark as possible.
5. Consider natural supplements - calcium/magnesium, melatonin, etc.
6. Lavendar is also suppose to help.
7. Get enough exercise earlier in the day.
Just know there is hope. Deep restorative sleep is critical for your health. Happy to get you more info on any of the above.
Good luck and good sleep.
S.

I am so sorry, insomnia is horrid. When I have my phases I find its because my mind is revved up. I find that I get only more frustrated so if I dont fall asleep in an hour I will leave the bed and go slump on the couch. In the past it has helped when I meditate before bed. Even if its only a visualization that has helped. I listen to soft music and concentrate on a light within or on my breath to help slow down my thoughts. I also find I begin to dread the thought of sleep because of the nightly fight to fall asleep so I try to physic myself up saying how sleepy I am and tonight will be a good night. Most of the time it doesn't work, so I have recorded shows that are not very intense and found this great one called Sunrise Earth( the only problem is you have to have the HD Theater channel) also I have a fish tank and the white noise helps. I dont know if any of these might help it took years for me to figure out these tactics for myself. My MIL says that the rescue remedy for sleep works well. They have it at places like Whole Foods.
The days after I am kind to myself and permit the house to go astray, lots of caffeine, although its a double edge sword if I dont cut it off early enough. Is your 3 year old a cuddler? I could get my daughter at that age to sit and play next to me on the couch if I put on a cartoon (PBS or Playhouse Disney rules in this house) I could then catnap and that helped. You could also see about hiring a young girl to come over and play so you can catnap. I really feel for you, best of wishes.

Hi C.,
It sound like you are heading in the right direction wanting to dig deeper and look at your endocrine system. I went about 15-20 years trying to get a doctor to take me seriously and help me figure out what was going on with me!

Last June I saw a Chiropractor who not only works with the spine, (this was a major part of my recovery), but also tests all the major systems in the body with biomeridian testing to discover the SOURCE of the problem. Results for me...a non fuctioning endocrine system. My endocrine was not working properly because I have an allergy to gluten and dairy and all of your hormones come from your gut, so one thing lead to another. I sleep so good now and I even dream!

Advanced Healthcare
Dr Bolan
18090 E Dartmouth Ave #6
Aurora, CO 80014
###-###-####

This book helped me also,
Adrenal Fatigue, The 21st Century Stress Syndrome. I cried when I read this book because it totally explained my health condition and it had taken so long for me to find the right help!

Grateful to have answers and sleeping!
Please feel free to call me if you want to talk.

L.
###-###-####

Hi C.,
My sister has also been an insomniac for years and I tell you what worked for her, running! She does a marathon every year and runs daily, she spends about half they year training for the marathon, so she gradually builds up her distance. I personally suffered from chronic headaches and recently started exercising at a gym I do the classes( where you REALLY work up a sweat and lots of deep breathing), this has really helped the headaches, and I also noticed my PMS symptoms were less this month, in fact I usually get SUPER crabby right before and this month my period came and I had actually forgotten it was due. So my suggestion is exersize, that really works your body hard. Dr.s just want to prescribe meds. And alot of those sound like they could be addictive. I also reccomend a book called women's bodies womens wisdom , it is amazing.Also I have heard meditation works as well. Good luck!

Hey C.! I have been a sleep tech for about 8 years. Have you considered a sleep study? They do focus mostly on sleep apnea. Other things can be determined by a study as well. Most docs say insomnia is psychological but it could be a number of issues causing the insomnia. Undiagnosed apnea, delayed sleep phase, stress etc. Keep in mind also that medications can cause interruptions in your sleep. You should make a appointment and have a sleep study done. Good luck! Being a graveyard shift worker I can totally understand how important any sleep is!!!

C.:
I have had insomnia for over 20 years now. I have also tried everything, from otc, herbal, prescription medication, meditation, relaxation tapes...If I'm not going to sleep none of these work.

BUT, I tried Rozerem and it works. A doctor told me that it is biomedical melatonin, which means it is partially human meltonin, but manufanctured in the lab. He said that the recommended dose of melatonin is never enough, and that most require 2 Rozerem tablets. But now I have run out! It's a long story. The short story is try Rozerem if you haven't already, and start with one, but try to convince your physician that people like you and I, who have suffered insomnia for years, are so depleted of melatonin (and you cannot trust the dosage of supplement/herbal remedies - even melatonin they have found to be off from what the bottle says).

My doctor understands this, but because he is not a medicare provider, he cannot really "see" me, and can't prescribe many medications. But he is so good, and says all the health problems I have are attributable to pituitary gland dysfunction, which is only remedied by replacing the hormones and Thyroid factor that is not being produced by the body. It was very interesting - and melatonin is a byproduct of one of these...

I don't know if this is helpful or not. I hope so!

K.

Have you ever tried Isotonix Calcium? It is in a powder state and when mixed with water it becomes the same pressure as your blood, sweat, and tears. Your body thinks it is your natural fluid. By taking it in an Isotonix state you obtain maximum absorbancy of 90-98%. It takes alot of work for your body to break down pills because of the fillers, binders, and coatings. Typically you only take in less than 20% absorbancy with pills.
If your calcium is in pill form, you're probably not absorbing much of it to make a significant difference. You could also try something called head reast. It helps with relaxation and head discomfort. These both can be found at www.marketamerica.com/aih

Hi C.,

I went through a period of insomnia a few years ago. Do you read or watch tv in bed? The doc told me that when I am in bed and cannot get to sleep (try for a while, but don't let yourself get upset) then I need to get out of bed and go somewhere else to read, watch tv, take a bath, etc. You just need to train your body and brain that the bed is for sleeping only. I also agree with the post that said to keep a notebook and pen by your bed. Sometimes I can't get my brain to shut down until I have written down whatever is bothering me. Good luck - - I know this is miserable!!

When I was going through my divorce I could not sleep at all, laying awake and stressed out. My Dr gave me Ambien. For two weeks, it worked wonders, it has adverse side effects on some people but I loved it. I was coherant, still felt okay if my kids woke up in the middle of the night. However I didn't want to ever depend on any drugs.

Get sunlight, try unprotected sunlight on your skin for at least 10 minutes during the day, that sets your internal clock. Then get some sleeptime Celestial Seasonings tea with valarian, which is natural. I don't care for hot tea so I put it over ice with some lemon. Then go to Bath and Body and try their sleep lotion. Not crazy, this stuff is amazing, the chammomile and lavendar is awesome.
I crash hard when I go to bed out of exhaustion, however wake a lot at times and cannot go back to sleep, those days the next are brutal and fueled up with coffee.

I got the tea four weeks ago, got some lotion and slather it on before bed, I sleep all night. I freaked out when the alarm went off and I hadn't been up a few times!!!
Maybe it is crazy, maybe just by chance but it worked.
I will take ambien if a really stressful day or I am worrying to close to bedtime however rarely do it anymore.

I sent some of these things to my ex mother in law who was having problems sleeping and she swears the tea did wonders for her, hee hee.
I find if I get sunshine, walk at least get some exercise during the day, the tea and the lotion I am guaranteed a good nights sleep!
I hope something helps, with kids and just lack of sleep it is so hard on your body. If nothing does, try talking to your Dr about referring you to a sleep clinic, see if it is an underlying problem like sleep apnea or something else..
Good luck God Bless

I have a terrible time sleeping when I am pregnant, and recently tried a combo of valerian and lemon balm. I would continue with the calcium pill regularly, and make sure it has magnesium and vitamin D as well. Also, wishgarden herbs makes a sleepy nights product that was helpful for me for awhile....

Good luck. It is really tough! Hope you find something that works soon.

I am just wondering if you have ever had your thyroid tested. My bloodtest came back in the normal range for thyroid levels but I told the dr. a few of my symptoms and he went ahead and put me on the thyroid hormone. I sleep like a baby now.

my husband tried otc melatonin and felt no effects, but a doctor gave him a prescription and the dose is like 300 times the otc dose. that worked.

I want to support Angie's suggestion of seeing what underlying emotional/psychological issues might be in play here. I too highly recommend journaling. I used it especially for some anger stuff I had to work through and it made a huge difference. Also, my insomnia was the worst while I was going through intensive work on childhood issues, dealing with severe depression, and becoming aware of old, destructive belief systems.

What happens is that we get all this information, anxiety, worrying, fears, negative thoughts, etc. going through our minds and it can be very chaotic. Often, as strange as it sounds, we aren't even aware of the amount of chaos going on in our minds. The journaling allows us to tune in, become aware, and to start pulling it out of our heads. This allows for the thoughts and fears to dissipate and then we can start to reset our physical systems.

Also, I went to a naturopath and he was incredibly helpful. One of the things he educated me about was how light it was in my bedroom. Light inhibits the creation of the natural production of melatonin at night. I now have blackout curtains in all of our bedrooms.

I hope this information helps in some way. Best wishes, T.

Hi C....
Have you tried or considered hypnotherapy. I have an awesome person who helps with all sorts of things. His name is James Klingensmith at ###-###-####. Check out his website at www.askyourhypnotist.com

Good luck
J.

A drug that is not commonly used, but is effective, is Zyprexa. I think it's for schizophrenia, but the difference is that for insomnia you only use it for a week or so and it can reset your pattern of sleep. Then when/if you get in a bad pattern again, you use it for a week again.

I've had that problem for YEARS as well. I took ambien, but had the worst time getting up in the morning. I just read. The library has become my best friend. During the day (are you a SAHM?) I sometimes am able to take a nap with my little guy, but most of the time I don't really have to. Beyond that, I don't have any suggestions, but I will be watching your replies, in case I can benefit from them as well!

Good luck!

I know this sounds funny, but try counseling. I finally went when I was having the same problem and it ended up being high anxiety. I learned to keep paper and pen by my bed and write down what was keeping me up (if I knew) or journal until I would get to sleep again. I was given some medication at the time that helped, but after a while was able to get of the medication. It comes back occasionally, but I'm able to control it better. It could be something else as well, but if a medical doctor is not working it may be something you can't get off your mind.

Ask your doctor about Trazadone. I have been an insomniac my entire life and Trazadone has changed that. It's been around for years. I am now pregnant and secheduled for a C-Section in a week, so I got off it when I found out, some doctors will let their pregnant patients stay on it, but I was conservative. Before I was pregnant I was on 50mg of Trazadone every night for about 4 years. Not addictive at all, easy to get off. Doesn't knock you out, but starts a really natural sleep pattern. I will sleep all night. I can still wake up and not be groggy, but when I need to go back to sleep, I drift right off. I love it! You need to take it for 2 or 3 nights before it really starts to work like clockwork. Like I said it won't knock you out unless you take 100mg, then it will. That was too much for me, but if I knew it would be a rough night, I would take 100mg. Give it a try, it's cheap too! Less than $4.00 with my insurance for a month supply. When it worked so well for me, I asked my doctor how long I could stay on it, and he said it's completely safe to stay on the rest of my life. I know a lot of people don't like the idea and taking a drug everyday, but I can tell you I am so much healthier getting a good nights sleep everynight. Since I have been pregnant, I take a half a Unisom everynight, that every doctor at my clinic says is completely safe to take the entire pregnancy. It works pretty well, but I have to say I am looking forward to taking my Trazadone again.