Quick question about sleeping pills
- Thread starter Bill.K
- Start date
There's a lot of negatives to taking prescription sleeping pills, so I always use a more natural alternative. What works good for me is "Solaray Sleep Blend SP-17". It's a blend of various herbs like Valerian, Hops, Skullcap, Passion Flower, Dandelion, Chamomile, Marshmallow and Hawthorn...all good for relaxation and sleep. I get mine at a local vitamin store, but you can get it cheaper online.
Another supplement that works for sleep in older people is Melatonin, it's found naturally in our bodies, but decreases with age. There are other benefits to it also besides sleep. I'm using "Schiff Melatonin Plus" with Theanine (amino acid)
they're 3mg Melatonin, and I use a pill splitter and only take half, the amount needed is very often a small one. When stressed I take a herbal sleep cap and 1/2 of the melatonin pill together, works great. My husband like to use the "Source Naturals Melatonin", they're 1mg tabs that are sublingual, they dissolve under the tongue for quicker absorption. The thing to remember with melatonin, is that it will not work if you're walking around in lighted rooms, better to be in the dark for it to be most effective. Here's some info...http://www.natmedtalk.com/wiki/Insomnia
If you want you can just begin with taking 25mg of Benadryl or generic diphenhydramine before bedtime. This is usually does the trick. The melatonin will work but this should be used with caution because as stated above your body makes this naturally and if it senses an external source it will begin to produce less. Some people take too much and blunt out the receptors in the brain which respond to Melatonin. I'd start with just cutting caffeine, sleeping in a quite dark room, get on a schedule, ect.
melatonin is really good, most doses start from 1-3 mg, but I have seen as high as 90 mg (yup). Current literature suggests it helps protect against the big A (Alzheimer's) by helping the regulation of the Circadian rhythm cycle. If you are waking up like a bolt, due do the epinephrine rush, (dump from the adrenals) your are in adrenal stress, and need to take steps to adjust your cortisol. Adding 5-HTP will also help a great deal. Depending on how far into health stuff your are, you could do a gut cleansing with Monolaurin so that natural serotonin your stomach helps restore the body cycle as a whole
While Benadryl and other over the counter stuff works, they are really no better than a shot of scotch, and both are CNS depressants, and liver enzyme inducers as well, and you don't even get to enjoy it. Over dosing by Melatonin from a toxic level doesn't happen, but can make you groggy the next day.
the increase or decrease of hormones is called feedback inhibition, and is much more complicated than a simple receptor shut down.
While Benadryl and other over the counter stuff works, they are really no better than a shot of scotch, and both are CNS depressants, and liver enzyme inducers as well, and you don't even get to enjoy it. Over dosing by Melatonin from a toxic level doesn't happen, but can make you groggy the next day.
the increase or decrease of hormones is called feedback inhibition, and is much more complicated than a simple receptor shut down.
That Guy
Homegrown Unknown
- Location
- Monterey Bay
gar
New Member
- Location
- Miss. Ont. Canada
I take 1mg of Lorazepam it helps me.
charlotta
Member
- Location
- montgomery alabama
My PC Doctor said that as we get older to avoid taking Benadryl or anything with diphenhydramine as it tends to stay in our system and
causes memory problems. I avoid anything that has diphenhydramine in it.
causes memory problems. I avoid anything that has diphenhydramine in it.
Butterfly
SF VIP
- Location
- Albuquerque, New Mexico USA
For some reason, melatonin causes me to have very weird, vivid, upsetting dreams. I quit taking it -- didn't really help much with sleep, anyway.
90 mgs. of Melatonin? HOLY COW!! When I flew, I would take one or two mgs. to help me fall asleep. It would always work, but I would feel drowsy in the morning, which is not good for a pilot. So, then I tried Tylenol PM. That did the same thing, as did Advil PM. I went to GNC and they recommended that I try Valarian Root. It really didn't do much. I guess you just have to shop around and try different things that work best for you. I know the Advil PM will put you to sleep. I think that stuff would put a horse to sleep.
Lon
Well-known Member
- Location
- Central California
None of the non prescription remedies work for me and neither do the prescription meds like Ambien work either, so I just do with less sleep.
I believe that for an over the counter helper...Unisom is the best... far better than Benedryl and even the drs seem to prefer its use to Benedryl. Herbal products are good, so is Melatonin if that is all you need... but I usually take 1/2 of a Unisom per night...I too have had sleep problems for so many years, but this does the trick.
Me too. The non prescription stuff is like taking nothing at all. Ambien made me almost hallucinate which was weird. Ativan is a great "prescription only" sleep aid. If gets into the bloodstream fast and makes you fall asleep, but doesn't stay in your bloodstream all day as some other benzos do wich causes them to be so rapidly addicting.
It's still addictive though so discuss it with your doc if you have one.
QuickSilver
SF VIP
- Location
- Midwest
Whenever I think to have a cup of warm milk (with Ovaltine) at bedtime, I fall right to sleep. .. good peaceful sleep.
Debby
Well-known Member
- Location
- East coast of Canada
Melatonin is available in Canada Vivjen. Just have to look in the vitamin section of the supermarket or drug store. I use it every night and it helps a lot.