Any Insomniacs Out There? We Need Help.

[anonymous6]

my wife hardly ever sleeps and we have tried EVERYTHING. we went to the doctors yesterday ( The Third ) and asked for help and all he could do was prescribe Ambien. we have already tried that on 2 occasions. it my work for an hour or so but that's all. plus last time she got up and started cooking and left stove on.

she has spent hours researching on interent and has tried a lot of possible solutions like going to bed at same time, no tv in bed, warm milk, massage, and on and on and on.

now we are considering herbs or other natural methods instead of more doctors and being a guinea pig for drugs. we have also tried all the other the counter medicines plus benedryl and Tylenol pm. almost everything may help her get to sleep but after an hour she is up the rest of the night.

has anyone here found something natural that works for him or her?

 

[over9five]

I'm sure you've already considered this, but seeing you didn't mention it:

What's her caffeine intake like? Coffee? Cola?
How about sugar, sweets?

 

[Jones]

Join a gym.
Eat right, work out hard, sleep like a baby.

 

[Catatonic]

Join a gym.
Eat right, work out hard, sleep like a baby.

That does not work for women after going through menopause.

 

[Jones]

That does not work for women after going through menopause.

I didn't see where the op mentioned that as an issue. I was responding to this:

has anyone here found something natural that works for him or her?

 

[rod]

You didn't mention how old she is. Insomnia and age go hand in hand.

 

[Catatonic]

You didn't mention how old she is. Insomnia and age go hand in hand.

Anxiety issues tend to get worse as one ages and anxiety can cause or contribute to insomnia.

 

[cachsux]

My wife has always had sleep problems and has just come to accept that she will get sleep when her body says to. When it wants to be awake she just does something around the house, goes to the gym,takes a walk,etc.

 

[rod]

My wife has always had sleep problems and has just come to accept that she will get sleep when her body says to. When it wants to be awake she just does something around the house, goes to the gym,takes a walk,etc.

That how I learned to live with it. Insomnia isn't hard to deal with IF you're retired.

 

[anonymous6]

Join a gym.
Eat right, work out hard, sleep like a baby.

she's in a wheelchair recovering from a stroke last year.

 

[cachsux]

she's in a wheelchair recovering from a stroke last year.

Does she have a schedule she HAS to stick to? If not or there's flexibility in it are there things that interest her that she could do till she's tired enough to fall asleep? Read, something on the puter, even therapy?
Instead of trying to stick to a "normal" schedule maybe try doing things and filling it in with quality naps.

 

[Jones]

she's in a wheelchair recovering from a stroke last year.

I'm very sorry to hear that bro, but that's a pretty big detail that you left out of your initial post. I would probably be doing the same thing your wife is doing, searching around on the internet for solutions that are more specific to her situation. Maybe look for some online support groups/forums for stroke victims where you can find folks dealing with the same issue (if you haven't done this already). Tough situation to be in, I hope she makes a full recovery.

 

[gingerkat]

I have had insomnia for years. I have had been prescribed everything and taken OTC's as well and I still can't get a good night sleep.

I've been through sleep hygiene classes and all that crap and nothing works. Mine is "psychological insomnia" combined with pain that wakes me up. I take Benedryl to fall asleep and occasionally take my Valium to help, but it doesn't do anything to help me from waking every two hours or so.

My doctor has suggested that I try something called valerian root, which you can get in a health food store or it comes in tea. Try Celestial Seasonings "sleepytime extra" and maybe it will help. Also a good relaxing warm bath or shower can help, just not too close to bed time. White noise can be good, no tv, no reading in bed and if she can't sleep for more than 15 minutes, get up and go to another room.

 

[anonymous6]

thanks all. believe me , we are taking every suggestion seriously.

 

[gingerkat]

thanks all. believe me , we are taking every suggestion seriously.

Good. It's a tough thing when you can't sleep. Sleep is soooooooo important! I wish you wife the best with her health and yours too!

 

[pretender]

I have had insomnia for years. I have had been prescribed everything and taken OTC's as well and I still can't get a good night sleep.

I've been through sleep hygiene classes and all that crap and nothing works. Mine is "psychological insomnia" combined with pain that wakes me up. I take Benedryl to fall asleep and occasionally take my Valium to help, but it doesn't do anything to help me from waking every two hours or so.

My doctor has suggested that I try something called valerian root, which you can get in a health food store or it comes in tea. Try Celestial Seasonings "sleepytime extra" and maybe it will help. Also a good relaxing warm bath or shower can help, just not too close to bed time. White noise can be good, no tv, no reading in bed and if she can't sleep for more than 15 minutes, get up and go to another room.

That is interesting regarding reading--If I take a book to bed, I am out in five minutes...

 

[pretender]

My wife doesn't necessarily have insomnia, but she has a hard time sleeping because of back pain. This is not ideal, but is there a recliner or couch in the house where she feels more relaxed? My wife has a few spots in the house where she can get a couple of hours of sleep at a time.

 

[gingerkat]

The reason I said that no reading, etc., is because it keeps your brain stimulated (same as TV) and you might not put it down. All of my doctors and sleep hygiene classes say that we need to train our brain to associate" the bed" for sex and sleep.

Most people do way too many things and therefore we don't recognize the bed as that place to go nighty nighty. I know that is probably true for me. I still prefer to watch tv from the bed.

 

[Waste Manager]

We all know it's illegal..but..have a friend..who is post-menopausal..has had pain issues in recent years..

She took a cue from her elderly mother in law..who has terrible intestinal problems..

She has a toke!!!...just one...from a small pipe...if she has trouble sleeping..she swears by it..
My friend turns any bright lights off in the evening..no computer after dinner...the house (to me) always seems too dark..but it is part of the process..convincing your brain that it is night,and it's time to sleep..

Of course..if you're going to smoke something not ''legal''..you have to read up on it too..as there is a difference between the 2 different types...indica vs sativa..indica is the one for insomnia..whereas sativa is the more cerebral/stimulating one..
I know this is a very unorthodox ''cure''..but..as I said..friend has been doing this for years..as has the elderly mother inlaw..

 

[jumpman23]

Medical Mary Jane ill send you a bill for fixing her problem. Just need a self addressed envelope with postage on it lol.