Sleep Aids, Do You Use Any That Are Not Prescription Sleeping Pills?

SeaBreeze

SeaBreeze

Endlessly Groovin'
Location
USA
Mainly for sleep in the past several years, I've been using one of the following:

- one half tablet of Costco's version of Unisom. That's really only an antihistamine, but still, it's not good to take too often.

- Liquid herbal tincture of Valerian Root, a few drops

- Liquid herbal tincture of Passionflower, a few drops

- Liquid Melatonin 1mg

- Vicks ZzzQuil (without melatonin). Contains herbs Hops, Valerian and Passionflower in a small pill

Do you use any sleep aids that are not prescription drugs?
 

Sassycakes said:
I haven't taken any sleep aids before but now I really need something to help me sleep. I am going to ask my doctor on my next visit it would be safe for me to take Melatonin with the medications I take.
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I asked my doctor if I could take another 5mg when I wake up in the middle of the night and can’t get back to sleep after only 2 to 3 hours of sleep. She said yes. I sleep a lot better now. 5 to 7 hours a night usually. Only an occasional night of 2-3 hours.
 
After I read the book, Melatonin Miracle, by Dr. Pierpaoli, and it explained all of the great benefits from this hormone, I started taking it before bed at night. I started over 20 years ago with 3 mg at night, and have gradually increased my dose over the years. Each person reacts differently, so starting with a low dose like 3 mg is a good idea, and then increase as needed.
I take mine about a half hour before bedtime, and seldom have any problems falling right asleep.

https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/The-Melatonin-Miracle/Walter-Pierpaoli/
 
Years ago, I started drinking about a shot of flavored Vodka, about an hour before bedtime. That seems to relax me such that by bedtime, I usually fall asleep within minutes, and get a solid 7 or 8 hours of sleep. A .750ML bottle usually lasts me 4 or 5 weeks....pretty cheap sleeping pill. That's about the only "booze" I drink, anymore.
 
Aneeda72 said:
I asked my doctor if I could take another 5mg when I wake up in the middle of the night and can’t get back to sleep after only 2 to 3 hours of sleep. She said yes. I sleep a lot better now. 5 to 7 hours a night usually. Only an occasional night of 2-3 hours.
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My husband will usually take a half milligram at night, then another half in the middle of the night if he needs it. Many years back when I first started using it I was using 3mg and sometimes 6. I stopped even using 3mg because I felt hungover the next day and had some headaches, which I rarely have. Now, 1mg once before bed is all I use.
 
I take a 400Mg valerian root capsule before bed, which gives me just a little sleepiness to stop my mind from racing and help me fall asleep. I also meditate in bed, which combined with the valerian root usually results in sleep within a few minutes.

I used to take half a Xanax tablet when I couldn't sleep, which knocked me out, but left me with a bit of a hangover the next day. That was before I adapted my current method.
 
Remy said:
Valerian. I use more than a few drops though. And some herbal teas. I've yet to try melatonin.
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Melatonin is a hormone whereas valerian root is an herb. I'd rather take an herb than a hormone to help me sleep, although doctors often recommend melatonin. I guess they're both safe, but valerian works for me, so I'm sticking with it.
 
Sassycakes said:
I haven't taken any sleep aids before but now I really need something to help me sleep. I am going to ask my doctor on my next visit it would be safe for me to take Melatonin with the medications I take.
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Google is your friend! I just keyed in the names of my meds and asked if melatonin was contraindicated. Nope. 5 mg was okay for sleeping a couple of hours, 10 mg a couple more. Finally settled on two 10 mg and sleep 7-8 hours. Doc told me that taking 20 mg was fine. No hangover from it...so far🛌

@SeaBreeze 1 mg? Gosh, a child's dose is 3 mg.
 
Irwin said:
Melatonin is a hormone whereas valerian root is an herb. I'd rather take an herb than a hormone to help me sleep, although doctors often recommend melatonin. I guess they're both safe, but valerian works for me, so I'm sticking with it.
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That's a good point. I've got a large 120ml Valerian bottle in my fridge. I prefer this brand (Herb Pharm) and I think the one with alcohol works better. But they do make alcohol free for those that prefer it.
 
I take the equivalent of Benadryl as a tablet (diphenhydramine HCL), generally 1/2 of a tablet, but try to take it as seldom as possible since there may be a link to dementia. Maybe once a week at the most. This is marketed as a sleep aid in tablet form, available over the counter.

Otherwise, I eat a lot of walnuts, dark cherries, and take a melatonin tablet in the middle of the night.
 
I walk everyday now after retiring and with a morning puff of a joint (sometimes afternoon and sometimes not at all) and how busy I am nowadays, I don't usually have any trouble falling asleep at night. No naps during the day! If I am restless and can't go to sleep, a small amount of 2% milk warmed in the microwave will usually have me asleep in 10-15 min. I am fortunate that I don't need any over-the-counter sleep aids or alcohol.
 
I take the Walmart brand of sleep aid which I think is equivalent to half a benedryl. And also Melatonin, I start with plain melatonin a few hours before I actually go to sleep in the hope that it will make me want to go to bed, then after I've been in bed awhile and have finished half my bedtime snacks I take the sleep aid and another melatonin (this one with L-Theanine because it gives me lots of dreams), then I finish my snacks (including some cherries), read some of a book, and play some games on my kindle, then finally I set my kindle to play an educational video (not too interesting tho - just interesting enough to keep me from thinking about other stuff), turn out the light, and if I'm worried I won't fall asleep I also count my breathing with breathing in to a count of 4 and breathing out to a count of 7.
Its weird that I frequently keep falling asleep while reading or even while playing games, but when I try to actually go to sleep I'll start to feel like I'm falling asleep but then boom I'm awake, that's where the education video and counting-breathing helps and I'll usually poof off to sleep within a couple minutes.
I'm not sure I really need it all, I might just enjoy the routine. From past experience if I really want to sleep well and long enough, I have to wait until 3 or 4 AM to go to bed, then I have no trouble falling asleep and sleeping until noon. Unfortunately that doesn't work with my job schedule, ha ha.
 
GeorgiaXplant said:
Beware of Benadryl or allergy meds that contain Benadryl (diphenhydramine). Seriously. It's absolutely not recommended for regular use and not for use by anyone over the age of 65. If you're going to take it, now and then won't hurt. "Now and then" being not more than once a week.
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It's odd that you brought that up because I have a couple of teacher friends back home who take Benadryl at nighttime.
 
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I bought about 180 Nature's Bounty Melatonin 1 mg. awhile back. I take from 2 of them to 2.5. That is if after I've taken it and I still don't sleep I take another. So, I was taking 1.5 and now up to 2.5. My doctor told me that's not a lot. I don't think it is either because at one time before years ago I was taking 10 mg. I think Nature's Bounty is a good brand and I got them at a real good price, too.

I do think, too, that if I got a lot more exercise I wouldn't have the sleep problems I do. I'm working on getting into more exercise but still in Lazy Mode!!:LOL:;)

Oh yeah, I take another 2 pills at evening and before sleep, too. They are for anxiety and mood.
 
Oh Yes, I was advised long ago not to take Valerian Root as it has had some bad effects on liver. You can see it in this study:

https://journals.lww.com/ajg/fullte...ot__is_it_safe_for_the_liver___2941.2942.aspx

They did not specify that VR is bad but showed how it affected one woman's ALT lab test. The lab test is for showing if anything is going on adversely for the liver.
 

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