Insomnia

[Authenticme]

I have been an utter insomniac for the last 3 months or so. I know that it is stress related. The insomnia corresponds to when I started my new job. Was just wondering if anyone has come upon some good remedies to resolve insomnia? Please, I'm desperate!

My friend gave me some of her sleeping pills prescribed by her doctor. I don't want to take them but at the same time, I can't go on like this. It's been a solid week and I haven't slept.

[Sparklie]

Oh, do I have experience with insomnia. I've been where you are. Lots of stress and no sleep, a happy me do not make. Anyway, to the solution. I have a yoga nidra dvd that puts me to sleep every night, without fail. This is a person that tried everything. I got it on ebay. I believe there are a lot of options to choose from.
The other thing I do is take melatonin. All natural as far as I'm aware. Our bodies have this in them. Some have less and it is what makes us sleepy. I get mine at the grocery store or health food store. There is also Valerian root in capsule form. I do not take this often for it is stronger than the Melatonin.
I hope this helps. It will get better!!:)

[Authenticme]

Oh, do I have experience with insomnia. I've been where you are. Lots of stress and no sleep, a happy me do not make. Anyway, to the solution. I have a yoga nidra dvd that puts me to sleep every night, without fail. This is a person that tried everything. I got it on ebay. I believe there are a lot of options to choose from.
The other thing I do is take melatonin. All natural as far as I'm aware. Our bodies have this in them. Some have less and it is what makes us sleepy. I get mine at the grocery store or health food store. There is also Valerian root in capsule form. I do not take this often for it is stronger than the Melatonin.
I hope this helps. It will get better!!:)

Yoga would be an AWESOME way to end the day> I've never heard of yoga nidra. Would you recommend any particular dvd? Thanks so much!

[aliciamatheson]

Authenticme, there is also a good yoga nidra download available on itunes (if you have it). If this isn't an option, let me know and I can have a think about it. Also, another woman, Mona Wind (Stoneham, MA) has a sleep cd which is very good - kind of like sleep hyponotherapy). Her website is Life Integrity.com

Also, not sure where you live in Boston, but my yoga studio offers a restorative yoga class once a month on sunday evenings which the students say is wonderful for sleep that night. Feel free to email me directly.

Alicia

[Zaphirah]

LISTEN UP GIRL!!! I MUST WARN YOU AGAINST SLEEPING PILLS!!! Let me tell you my story. I have struggled with insomnia on and on for approx 10 years. 2 Years ago I had HAD it, so I asked the dr for a Rx. She gave me Ambien. Each morning I woke up with the worst stomach pains like my food from the day before wasn't digesting. After a week or two I woke up with the same stomach trouble and INCREDIBLE sore ribs. :confused: When I went to make my bed that morning I found an empty Pringles container and 2L bottle of rootbeer. I don't even LIKE rootbeer! Apparently I had been waking up at night and raiding the kitchen. I must have fallen on the stairs and whacked my ribs pretty good. I called the dr and got the go ahead to quit taking them. I was then awake for 39 hours straight. :eek: it was INSANE.

Now, if I feel really revved up at the end of the day I take up to 6mg of melatonin. I usu only need 3mg and if I take more I occasionally feel groggy the next day. My 60lb 10 yo ds takes up to 6 mg too-per order of his natural-healings doctor (a DAN! dr).

Just wanted to share my exp in hopes of saving you the trouble I went thru.
Many Blessing for a peaceful night,
Zaphirah

[EZ rider]

Caffeine can interfere with sleep. There are many sources of caffeine including coffee, tea, chocolate, soft drinks and probably others besides these that I'm not aware of. If your using caffeine try eliminating it as an experiment.

[Authenticme]

When I went to make my bed that morning I found an empty Pringles container and 2L bottle of rootbeer. I don't even LIKE rootbeer! Apparently I had been waking up at night and raiding the kitchen. I must have fallen on the stairs and whacked my ribs pretty good. I called the dr and got the go ahead to quit taking them. I was then awake for 39 hours straight. :eek: it was INSANE.

Zaphirah

Omg! Are you serious??? I heard about the sleep walking side effect that has been on of the things that has given me pause. But honestly, I thought "oh, it's probably one of those rare things. Probably 1 out of a million." Thank you so much for letting me know it's real! Wow! Someone else said Melatonin too. I've been taking something for serotonin production prescribed by a naturopath. I'll see what she says about melatonin too. I actually have suggested that to the parents of the children I work with.

[Authenticme]

Authenticme, there is also a good yoga nidra download available on itunes (if you have it). If this isn't an option, let me know and I can have a think about it. Also, another woman, Mona Wind (Stoneham, MA) has a sleep cd which is very good - kind of like sleep hyponotherapy). Her website is Life Integrity.com

Also, not sure where you live in Boston, but my yoga studio offers a restorative yoga class once a month on sunday evenings which the students say is wonderful for sleep that night. Feel free to email me directly.

Alicia

You know, I've just never heard of a yoga nidra. Is there a dvd I can go out and buy? I will email you about the class. I've been wanting to get back into yoga. I'm in JP,Alicia. Is that near your studio?

I did get up last night at 5:30am which isn't so bad. Only I had just gone to bed at 12:00am. Good thing, I didn't have to work today. But what I did was meditate after I woke up and that made me restful enough to go back to sleep. I then got up at 10am feeling rested. So,I'm very glad for that. Seems I need to meditate as part of my bedtime routine.

[Zaphirah]

Alicia-I went to itunes and there were over 25 choices under "yoga nidra". could you be more specific about which one you like? Also-I think you, me and authenticme should meet up at Grezzo....just an idea. :p

[Authenticme]

Alicia-I went to itunes and there were over 25 choices under "yoga nidra". could you be more specific about which one you like? Also-I think you, me and authenticme should meet up at Grezzo....just an idea. :p

I think that's an excellent idea, Zaph! Anytime,girls. I'm up for it.

I purchased some melatonin today. I'm hoping this will help too. I'll you all know.

[Authenticme]

I took 4mg of Melatonin and I'm still up. Its 3:44am. Later, I buy benedryl. I can't keep doing this.

[Zaphirah]

no no! dont try benedryl yet...if you can stand it...Up it to 6 mg and give it a few nights. Think about your day-is there anything that you are doing that might be adding to the problem? Like I can't eat cacao later in teh day or I still have buckets of energy at bedtime. Green tea? Do relax breathing/meditation to some cook music. I like Nakai (native american flute-it ROCKS!) I used to use it on the babies to make them fall asleep. LOL! When you detox the benedryl it most likely will be BRUTAL and you *might* end up regretting it. Do you hae to work today? It's supposed to be about 40 degrees (well, out here in WMASS-I'm guessing you got a similar weather report?) Maybe sit in the sun for awhile, drink lots of chammomile tea, eat a light supper and take the melatonin 30 minutes before bed. I find that after 30 min I do feel more relaxed, tho I may not fall asleep for another hour or so. Take it early like 7:30 or 8pm. You should stay away from the computer and the TV. Easier said than done for some of us. :o

Do you use a computer at work? I've heard that cell phones and computers mess up our melatonin levels and can contribute to insomnia. My bro works with computers all day and talks on his cell CONSTANTLY-and guess what? he can't sleep either.

Okay-I hope my post doesn't sound bossy. I'm not telling you what you HAVE to do, only you know you the very best. I'm just throwing out any and all ideas I have for you. I know first hand how much this stinks!

[aliciamatheson]

I was thinking about his yesterday authenticme - how long have you been raw? The reason I ask is that oftentimes when the body is really cleaned out and detoxed from raw, alot of people get this amazing high and don't sleep more than a few hours a night.

Could it be that you are on a raw high, which is a positive thing and not necessarily suffering from stress induced insomnia? A thought.

About the yoga nidra - the download I was thinking of was not at itunes (sorry) but at www.ihanuman.com. Search in their catalog for yoga nidra by a woman named Betsey Downing. You can listen to a sample to see if her voice jives with you. If you can't download, I'll check out cds.

Alicia

[Care4raw]

I went to an accupuncturist to change my 'body clock', couldn't sleep. It worked miracles for me.

Good luck!

[Vivafree2]

I do not experience dramatic inosomnia - i can manage to sleep few hours and have some rest. I don't know great remedies - i know what helps me - get quiet inside: I listen to the beautiful music or just simply sea waves, have a warm bath, don't eat 2-3 hours before bed time, have a lemon water with honey or agave, sometimes passiflora herbal tea or few tablets of valerian. It also helps to get long walk in the evening - clear my head, get lots of oxygen and get tired from walking itself. I know that when i am super stressed out or excited nothing will work. Last October i completely "cut" most of the sources of stress - i just walked away from yelling friends, demanding jobs, ambitions - i can not do it.
I can not sleep much and deep recently - i have that in the winter - 5HTP is my last resource remedy - and i am going to have it again. Maybe it can help you too.

[Sparklie]

Authenticme,
Sorry it has been a few days since I wrote you, but it appears others have been really helpful as well. This is the yoga nidra cd I listen to every night while lying in bed. It is for sale on ebay, along with 3 other sleep cd's. I hope you find relief. Hang in there, it WILL get better.:)

Yoga Nidra Meditation: Extreme Relaxation of Conscious Deep Sleep by Swami Jnaneshvara Bharati. The voice will systematically guide you to explore your physical body, then move through 61 specific points within the body, and then practice ascending breath awareness along the body and spine. 5 tracks: 1. Survey of Body, 2. 61 points of Relaxation, 4. Ascending Breath, 5. Yoga Nidra

[Tootsie]

I love brainsync.com CD's. I have both the Deep Sleep and Sound Sleep disks, and they really work for me.

[elinka999]

Have the same problem. Recently asked about natural remedies, someone recommended me Ionic Fizz, it is a combination Ionic Calcium + Magnesia. Amazingly, it works for me, Thank God!:)

[Cinammon]

Don't know if this is you, but I recently heard that using your mobile phone up to an hour before you go to bed/having your phone in your bedside table, can interfere with your sleep patterns, due to the radiation.

I've started putting my mobile away from my bed, and it seems to be making a difference.

I'd agree with the idea that going raw probably affects your sleep patterns. If you get desperate due to lack of sleep, I'd say have something pretty carb-loaded before going to bed - lots of toast or something.

Insomnia's a nightmare(!)

Hope it's better/gets better soon.

Love

Cinammon x

[hacktorious]

I've always had serious issue's with insomnia. Some things that work for me are:
Martial Arts, or other rigorous exercise
meditation (there are many audio programs to help)
hot tub
don't eat two hours before bed
cut out processed junk
go to bed early and get up early
don't do anything 1 hour before bed that requires you to think much

STAY AWAY FROM THE DRUGS!!!! It is just more toxic garbage that disrupts your system and your body doesn't need.

[Authenticme]

Some things that work for me are:
Martial Arts, or other rigorous exercise
meditation (there are many audio programs to help)
hot tub
don't eat two hours before bed
cut out processed junk
go to bed early and get up early
don't do anything 1 hour before bed that requires you to think much


Yes, I need to get back to the gym! But it's been difficult cause I've been to tired to go! But now that I am feeling more rested, I think I can make it a routine again.

I hae been meditating and turning off all electronics about an 1.5 before bed. No more Sex in the City reruns! <sigh. LOL

I'm high raw so junk food isn't a problem. In fact, I credit raw for helping me functional these last 2wks.

Thank you all for your comments and suggestions. Thanks for helping keep a rawbie sane!

[lydias]

I have had the insomnia problem on and off too.

What helps is Serenite Lt from nativeremedies.com- homeopathic

b12 shots, taking b6

enemas/colonics

magnesium called Calm

hope that helps. I know its terrible!

[Care4raw]

, I need to get back to the gym!

No more Sex in the City reruns! <sigh. LOL



I work out to those Sex In The City Reruns, love 'em!Love tivo..
They just aired the very first one, did you see that..or were you sleeping?

Good luck!

[GlimR]

You've had some great suggestions. I use Dream Ease from Avena Botanicals. It's an herbal tincture of chamomile, lemon balm,motherwort,rosemary, and skullcap. They also have a valerian root tincture which works great for insomnia. I always found the melatonin gave me bad dreams, almost every time I used it but no ill effects using the herbs.
Bach's rescue remedy had a sleep formual. I use that sometimes too. Wishing you sweet dreams~

[rain_or_shine]

thanks guys, needed this :)

[Humanist]

I took 4mg of Melatonin and I'm still up. Its 3:44am. Later, I buy benedryl. I can't keep doing this.

Don't take melatonin every night or your pineal gland will shut down. And never take more than 1 mg. Sublingual is best. I take Source Naturals brand, but NOT every night.

Second best thing for insomnia is hatha yoga and pranayama. Best is to cut down stress, if you can.

There are also hydrotherapies. Applying cold water to your midsection or extremities to draw blood away from the brain.

[ShantiLove]

Yes I agree with Humanis about the melatonin. Take if for a short period (like 5-6) days and then take a break for about a week a.s.o. If you take big doses for longer periods of time your own bodys ability to produce melatonin will be damagde. You dont want that to happend :)

Lot of good advise. I would say for the long run that you should work on the underlying causes of you stress. First of all slow down. Then use meditation or relaxsation everyday to help your body and mind stress down. When you are up there it will take some time for your body and mind to really calm down, so do it everyday. Take a hot bath before sleep and treat your body to a nice warming oil massage. Go to bed no later than 11pm and all lights out (it has to be dark so your body produces melatonin).

Flower remedies can be a great help too: In most healthfood shops you can buy Bach flower remedies. Get rescue remedie for the stress and White Chestnut flower for mind chatter and worring. There might be others that might be usefull for you aswell, get a list at the store and read about them.

Valerian/hops is a great choice, so is magnesium for relaxation. There might be some homeopathis remedies to use aswell. Nice relaxing herbalthe.....

Best of luck :D