Ideas to Help Me Sleep Better

I have always had trouble getting back to sleep when I wake in the middle of the night. A friend suggested taking one Tylenol if I wake and can't get back to sleep (not Tylenol PM, just regular) I have tried it and it really seems to work.

I take Eleviv - I sleep like a baby and wake up feeling rested.
It's for people who are tired...stressed...or depressed (who isn't?!)
It balances your hormones and metabolism. Works great.

You can go to www.ktlosee.mymangosteen.com - find Eleviv.
Take the Vigor Survey, too. Those who try it usually improve greatly in a couple of weeks.

Hope that helps!

I wake up early also. I stay up and get stuff done,(like this), I take a nap when they do about 2:30. Then we are all happy people when Daddy comes home. Train yourself to turn with him. My husband and I are like dancers when one turns so does the other.
As for the dreams. try making comedies, it is easier to go back to sleep so you can see some more. Looney tunes help.
Count from 300 backward to 0.(self hypnosis).
Hope this helps.

So great your kids sleep well!!! It can be so frustrating lying awake when you want and need! to be sleeping. That alone can cause more frustration which just exacerbates the problem and it just keeps feeding on itself. There's an approach I use that helps balance the hormonal system (no drugs!!) which plays a big part in sleep. Emotional unrest also creates underlying currents that feed into the cycle. Let me know if you'd like more about this and I'll be glad to share. - A bit too much to write about here. --- Sleeping is soooo important!!

I've not gotten 1 good night sleep in about 10 years. I've done sleep studies, taken medications, etc. Somehow, I'm not a good sleeper, and, like you, I have a hard time falling asleep.

There are several things you can do, but I'd strongly encourage you to have a conversation with your doctor first.

Some people recommend melatonin. I've heard mixed reviews from physicians (I used to be a pharmaceutical sales rep and had access to many doctors/nurse practitioners, etc. through the week). You have to be very careful with the quality of the source of melatonin. It is a natural hormone that your brain produces.

It sounds like you're doing all the right behavioral things, and you may just need help with something like diphenhydramine (active ingredient in Benadryl, Tylenol PM, Unisom, etc) to help lull you to sleep.

I personally have to take something much stronger, not Ambien, to help quiet my mind otherwise, I could stay up all night sleeping. I do not have the ability, as one person mentioned, to wipe my mind clean of thought. I've gotten accustomed to waking 3-4 times/night to deal with kids' needs, etc.

Good luck - if you are nursing, you'll want to verify anything with the pediatrician (even naturally-based products that can transfer into breast milk in inappropriate quantities for a baby).

My husband and I both take Melatonin for sleep. Since we have been taking it, we have both noticed that our quality of sleep have greatly improved. I bought it at a health food store in my area, and have no adverse affects at all. Only wonderful, full nights sleep.

Be very careful taking herbal products that others are recommending. They often cause more harm than good. My friend took some things she thought were safe because they were "all natural" - hops and valeria root and something else. She had a massive reaction, her heart stopped, and so on. She was taken by ambulance to the hospital, and after a few hours, it happened again. They transferred her to a trauma center. Her cardiologist just about had a fit - turns out these remedies had caused the problem by causing a rapid loss in blood pressure to zero. Now she has stopped all that, and has started doing what I do - patented nutrition from a company that does follow-up with you with nutritional consultants. I have sleep apnea and although it isn't gone, it's much better. I mention it because you say you wake so easily - people with apnea do not go into REM sleep (deep and restful sleep). Also, my friend had restless leg syndrome which interfered with her sleep, and it's now gone. I don't know if you have that going on - just mention it as a possibility.

You could change your nutrition (I can help you with that), you could get a sleep study (overnight in a hospital sleep center), and/or you could get one of those expensive mattresses that let one person roll over without the other feeling it. However, I don't think the bed is the whole issue since you say other things (dreams) wake you too.

I wouldn't let it go though - persistent loss of sleep causes chronic exhaustion as well as more illnesses, and you can become unsafe to drive.

I don't know if you are breastfeeding, because that can limit what you might be able to take to help your sleep. I googled Sleep Remedies and the first website that popped up was for 8 natural remedies http://www.health.com/health/gallery/0,,20306715_1,00.html
maybe there would be something there that could help.
Is your husband a restless sleeper? If that is one of the things that is keeping you from being able to sleep, you might consider moving to a spare bedroom for a while to see if you can at least get a couple of good nights of sleep. I know it isn't an ideal situation, but your sleep is SO important!!! My daughter,her husband and our 33 month old grandson all co-sleep and they recently purchased one of the beds that does not transfer the motion of the others in the bed. There are some out there that cost a LOT of money but they purchased one at Costco that was, I think, less than $500 for a king sized bed and they LOVE it!!!
I use Melatonin at night before I go to bed, it is a substance that is naturally released by the body when you sleep, and it does seem to help me sleep better at night. But, again, if you are breastfeeding, please find out if it is safe to take when breastfeeding!!!
Good luck to you...I Know how frustrating this can be!!!

my hubby and I have been taking liquid vitamin/minerals and I have really noticed a difference in being able to sleep better. I have 3 kids so I'm a light sleeper as well since I get up several times at night to go to the bathroom and check on the kids. Check out the website and look at the free 3 minute video: http://www.YummyLiquidVitamins.com Good luck!

J., thanks for ask!
I was thinking about this last night. Both of my kids are in the bed around 9-10pm (on vacations). My husband, well he stay late because he is also back in collage and working. I start some classes and working out, you would think that by 10pm I will be so tired and sleeping, but I just can't. For some reason I can't make my brain stop thinking, is awful. I lay down and I am tired and then my head just keep going, sometimes over things that are not even that important. I don't want/like take any medication to sleep because I am afraid that I will be all drowsy the next morning.
I can't wait to see some advice for the other moms.

My husband wakes me too when he flips and flops. We had to upgrade from our queen to a King Simmons beauty rest and it has helped but I still feel it sometimes. I also sleep with ear plugs in to drown out the outside noises. We have young kids who RARELY wake up during the night and if they do, he hears them and wakes me up to go to them, which works fine for all of us. Those and exercise, which you're already doing, help me.

I have the answer to your question. really. I am a breastfeeding mother of 2 and although my kids sleep fine and my "baby" has been sleeping through the night for a year - I am the lightest sleeper and it sucks. A few months after my second was born I started taking valerian root. It's an herbal supplement. there are no side effects or addiction risks. It takes the edge off sleeplessness without knocking you out . I did become more of a wake up and have a cup of coffee to get going kind of person, but I think that's just from actually deep sleeping and having kids wake me up every morning.
It is used homeopathically for stress during waking hours, or to help with sleeplessness at night. It is safe for breastfeeding.
It is cheap and easy to find and the bottle usually says to take 3 capsules.
Experiment. Start with 1 then take 2 if it doesn't seem effective.
I had to start with 2 and after a few weeks went down to 1.

This supplement has SAVED me from sleep deprivation and I'm throwing so much info and opinion at you, b/c I think it's the best stuff! I tell everyone about it if a reason comes up.
Seriously.
I don't know what anyone else told you, but this is what you're looking for.

AND I did a ton of research before taking it and consulted, Dr.'s, homeopathic physicians, whole foods clerks, lactation consultants....

go for it.

I always had trouble sleeping up until about 2 years ago. It was thinking that kept me awake! I would lie there and think about all kinds of things, sometimes remembering something important and having to get up and go do it. I found a way to completely blank out my mind (it has actually gotten very easy now), and I have no problem going to sleep. When I wake up, I do the same thing, and fall right back to sleep. I don't know if it would work for everyone, but I'm getting the best sleep I've had in forty years!