Anyone else have trouble sleeping?

[MetalMat]

Steadily over the past 5 years I have had more and more trouble sleeping. It usually takes me 30 mins to an hour ( sometimes longer) to get to sleep and I often wake up 3-5 times a night. I almost always wake up way before I need to as well, like 30 mins before I set my alarm. I do stay in hotels quite a bit and have just as hard a time, I often need to turn the clocks around because I find myself waking up just to stare at the clock.

And before people start throwing out recomendations I have tried a few things. I usually dont go to bed till at least midnight, I have tried forcing myself to go to bed at 10 but I just stay up thinking about stuff. I do excercise. I have tried tylenol PM & melatonin, they help a little bit but I end up just feeling groggy for a while the next day no matter how early I take em.

I just feel like my mind starts racing when I try to get some sleep, I just constantly think of stuff. I just wish I was one of those people who could sleep stone cold for 8 hours straight.

 

[xanis]

Don't force yourself to go to bed at a certain time. It won't help.

Maybe you have insomnia? I would talk to your doctor.

 

[bignateyk]

Do you drink alcohol or caffeine? How soon before bed do you eat/drink?

I've found that any alcohol will have me tossing and turning most of the night. Likewise, eating after around 7pm will keep me up. Also, drinking any water or anything at all past about 8pm will have me up to piss in the middle of the night.

 

[BlahBlahYouToo]

rub one out before bed.

 

[Titan]

Exercise helps.

Also, 5-HTP worked wonders for me. I take 100mg before bed with a P5P B6 and I slept so much better. You have to take them on an empty stomach. I used to toss and turn a lot and not get restful sleep, now the 5-HTP helps so much I sleep in one place and wake up that way. Work it in in 50mg increments, you can take too much, but 100mg should be ok to start.

 

[MetalMat]

Do you drink alcohol or caffeine? How soon before bed do you eat/drink?

I've found that any alcohol will have me tossing and turning most of the night. Likewise, eating after around 7pm will keep me up. Also, drinking any water or anything at all past about 8pm will have me up to piss in the middle of the night.

I usually try not to eat a couple hours before I go to bed and I do not drink caffine after 5. I dont really drink on weekdays, on weekends I go out and I usually sleep very good if I get drunk.

And of course I rub one out, who doesn't?

 

[MetalMat]

Exercise helps.

Also, 5-HTP worked wonders for me. I take 100mg before bed with a P5P B6 and I slept so much better. You have to take them on an empty stomach. I used to toss and turn a lot and not get restful sleep, now the 5-HTP helps so much I sleep in one place and wake up that way. Work it in in 50mg increments, you can take too much, but 100mg should be ok to start.

I never heard of that, Im guessing you can get it at a drug store over the counter?

 

[destrekor]

I have discovered a new wonder sleep drug.

Unisom. Not the previous unisom I've been using, but their Sleep Tab version, the one with Doxylamine Succinate. It really helps knock me out once I crawl into bed half an hour after taking it. I love the diphenhydramine hcl in standard Unisom, but this version just seems so much more potent. Whereas the other one is just the same active ingredient in Benadryl, with a different labeled purpose.

Forcing yourself to sleep at a certain time won't work if it hasn't worked before, unless you force yourself to stay awake longer than usual or wake up really early one day to make the nighttime easier. Once you do that a few times the body can start adjusting to the new schedule.

If not, sleep aids are great for that purpose.

 

[Koing]

Never when I'm training.

I was traveling around eastern europe and I could only sleep 5hrs tops at a time it was savage. I had to nap later afternoon. I walked about 4-6miles a day but I found sleeping hard still , well weird.

Koing

 

[Titan]

I never heard of that, Im guessing you can get it at a drug store over the counter?

Yep, any supplement section. It works best with P5P B6 to activate it (or get a regular B6 supp).

Your body makes 5-HTP from L-Tryptophan, an amino acid. So you could try getting Tryptophan tablets and chewing them instead of the 5-HTP, so your body will make what it needs. But some people, I seem to be one, can't break down Tryptophan into 5-HTP probably from a genetic polymorphism. It's also better to take the tryptophan isolated and not say, a whey powder or amino comination, since your body can only do so much.

I would give the 5-HTP a try. If it works, switch it with Tryptophan after a month, and if in one week the problems come back, you have what I have and need the 5-HTP.

Edit: oh and you're not supposed to mix 5-HTP and alcohol. So when I drink, I skip it.

 

[Titan]

Oh, also, if you can, try to get to bed by 10. It is more natural for your body's built-in stress cycle. I get up before 7 without my alarm now that I take 5-HTP and am in bed by 10 sharp. But if that's not possible I understand.

 

[MetalMat]

Thanks for the help. A year ago I did go to the doctor and he did not want me to start off on anything like Ambien. He gave me a perscription to Trazadone, it did work if I took a large enough dose but at that point I would be very very groggy till noon and it affected my sales calls.

 

[bignateyk]

Oh, also, if you can, try to get to bed by 10. It is more natural for your body's built-in stress cycle. I get up before 7 without my alarm now that I take 5-HTP and am in bed by 10 sharp. But if that's not possible I understand.

When do you take the 5-HTP? Morning?

I am wary of using any triptophan related suppliments due to their link (no matter how weak) to EMS (Eosinophilia Myalgia Syndrome).

 

[bignateyk]

I usually try not to eat a couple hours before I go to bed and I do not drink caffine after 5. I dont really drink on weekdays, on weekends I go out and I usually sleep very good if I get drunk.

And of course I rub one out, who doesn't?

5 is pretty late to be drinking caffeine. Noon is the absolute latest I will have any, but normally I just have one cup of coffee or tea in the morning to get me up and that's it.

 

[Titan]

Thanks for the help. A year ago I did go to the doctor and he did not want me to start off on anything like Ambien. He gave me a perscription to Trazadone, it did work if I took a large enough dose but at that point I would be very very groggy till noon and it affected my sales calls.

Screw prescription meds, too many side effects. Either genetics or diet conditioning has probably prevented your body from making enough serotonin and sending it to your brain. 5-HTP is just direct serotonin. You may need more than 100mg but start there and build up. I am up to 150, 100 before bed and 50 upon awaking. I used to have racing thoughts and an anxiety problem and that has kept it in check. Along with good diet and exercise.

Your daily diet can play a large role as well. If you post your typical diet we can critique it. At least avoid fast and processed foods, things like MSG can mess with your brain. Avoiding stimulants like caffeine is good too.

Do an hour of cardio one night and see if you can get to bed sooner, an evening workout by 7PM should be able to get you to bed by 10.

You can try 5-HTP tonight, let us know how it goes.

 

[rcpratt]

I sleep muuuch better after I completely removed caffeine and excess sugar from my diet.

 

[bignateyk]

http://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT00001918

EMS doesn't seem all that bad until you find out that it is incurable.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eosinophilia%E2%80%93myalgia_syndrome

 

[911paramedic]

I have discovered a new wonder sleep drug.

Unisom. Not the previous unisom I've been using, but their Sleep Tab version, the one with Doxylamine Succinate. It really helps knock me out once I crawl into bed half an hour after taking it. I love the diphenhydramine hcl in standard Unisom, but this version just seems so much more potent. Whereas the other one is just the same active ingredient in Benadryl, with a different labeled purpose.

Forcing yourself to sleep at a certain time won't work if it hasn't worked before, unless you force yourself to stay awake longer than usual or wake up really early one day to make the nighttime easier. Once you do that a few times the body can start adjusting to the new schedule.

If not, sleep aids are great for that purpose.

LMAO, diphenhydramine HCL is the same in anything, it's a chemical compound. It's exactly what Banadryl is (active ingredient). It doesn't change, perhaps compounds added to it may help you, but it's all the same.

Personally, Benadryl makes me jumpy and keeps me awake. Sure, it makes me drowsy, but jumpy drowsy.

I have chronic insomnia, have trouble falling asleep, wake up more times than I can count, and ALWAYS wake up early. (Like 4-5:00) Tried everything and nothing works, doctors cant even help me. I usually do this pattern for about five days, and then I (still waking during the night) will remain in bed for around 7 hours, more than my normal 5.

Insomnia sucks.

 

[MetalMat]

Screw prescription meds, too many side effects. Either genetics or diet conditioning has probably prevented your body from making enough serotonin and sending it to your brain. 5-HTP is just direct serotonin. You may need more than 100mg but start there and build up. I am up to 150, 100 before bed and 50 upon awaking. I used to have racing thoughts and an anxiety problem and that has kept it in check. Along with good diet and exercise.

Your daily diet can play a large role as well. If you post your typical diet we can critique it. At least avoid fast and processed foods, things like MSG can mess with your brain. Avoiding stimulants like caffeine is good too.

Do an hour of cardio one night and see if you can get to bed sooner, an evening workout by 7PM should be able to get you to bed by 10.

You can try 5-HTP tonight, let us know how it goes.

As far as diet goes, it really varies. I do travel overnight quite a bit so on the road I try to eat as healthy as I can (subway and such). At home I tend to eat pretty good, I slip up but who doesn't? Mornings I stick to protein and plain oatmeal at night usually chicken or turkey with whole grains, fruits and vegetables. Luckily when I move to Austin I will be doing less overnight travel.

 

[69Mach1]

Steadily over the past 5 years I have had more and more trouble sleeping. It usually takes me 30 mins to an hour ( sometimes longer) to get to sleep and I often wake up 3-5 times a night. I almost always wake up way before I need to as well, like 30 mins before I set my alarm. I do stay in hotels quite a bit and have just as hard a time, I often need to turn the clocks around because I find myself waking up just to stare at the clock.

And before people start throwing out recomendations I have tried a few things. I usually dont go to bed till at least midnight, I have tried forcing myself to go to bed at 10 but I just stay up thinking about stuff. I do excercise. I have tried tylenol PM & melatonin, they help a little bit but I end up just feeling groggy for a while the next day no matter how early I take em.

I just feel like my mind starts racing when I try to get some sleep, I just constantly think of stuff. I just wish I was one of those people who could sleep stone cold for 8 hours straight.

This is pretty much what I went through for many years. I do recommend the Unisom for weekends, but it pretty much zombifies me for the whole next day after I use it. As I've gotten older I sleep a lot more than I ever have before, I'm up to about a 6 hour average now. There are many nights I actually get 8 hours of solid sleep, something I never was able to do until lately. I live alone, so I don't have much home drama to get me fired up anymore. I don't think that was my problem, my mind just seemed to kick into overdrive whenever I was trying to sleep. Picking a fixed bedtime helps a lot for me, a routine keeps me from going off now. Still if I stay up past my normal bedtime, or if something keeps me from my normal routine from after work until bedtime, I'll be awake until 3-4 a.m.

 

[Titan]

I also realized from your OP that you wake up a lot in the middle of the night. Do you wake up sweating? That can be a sign of parasites as they have the reverse sleep cycle from us, their day is our night. The 5-HTP might help but it could be other problems. The bottom line is sleep problems come from some kind of stress in your life, and you need to find and correct the problem. I would recommend you find a good holistic doctor near you who can diagnose things like parasites, fungal infections, tissue mineral analysis, and maybe even genetic poylmorphisms. Keep a detailed journal so you can tell a doc what the story is. If it has been getting worse for 5 years it could be extended exposure to something like a parasite. I would check it out.

For diet, just drink a lot of water, avoid sugar and fake sugars and you should be good. Sounds like you keep it in check. I slip here and there too and am ok once I got on track.

 

[BurnItDwn]

ouch man that sucks ...

I've got the problem of "falling asleep" taking anywhere from 1/2 an hour up to around three hours, but once I'm asleep ... I don't wake up until my alarm clock rings, or until I've gotten enough sleep (at least 6-7 hours.)


This has seemed to help me ..
1.) Go to sleep at the same time every day. Get used to the same time, don't stay up late or sleep in any day of the week, as it'll screw up your sleep schedule. (I don't follow this nearly as well as I should ... But when I do, I generally fall asleep in under an hour)
2.) Don't go to bed until you are tired. What's the point in going to bed early if you aren't going to fall asleep early .... instead do what you want to do, and go to bed after you are actually tired.
3.) Stop drinking caffeine a good 12 hours before bedtime ...

I've pretty much tried to do these, and usually sleep from about 2am through 8am on have been falling asleep in around 30-45 mins usually instead of the 2-3 it used to take me ....

 

[sdifox]

this is what you need

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dYmcD2HLs8A

 

[fb02521]

"Cause and Cure" of Insomnia:

20 years chronic insomnia, and then 20 years sleeping like a baby. i stumbled by accident onto cause and cure.

Cause: mild distress
Cure: read on

definition of mild distress: mild systemic distress. best way to describe it--when this distress operates you are unable e.g. to count sheep to 10. if the distress is removed you are easily able to carry through mental operations. This is the same distress that is keeping you "awake" or keeping you from falling back to sleep.

As it turns out, once you understand what the physical process is that keeps you awake, it is relatively easy to remove, without drugs or any of the other worthless recommends that you get.

Try the following, and if you follow the steps, I will come close to a personal guarantee of a good night's sleep:
1. Eat only two meals.
2. For this experimental day, do not eat after 3:00 pm.
3. repeat the next day, BUT, before you eat anything the morning of the next day, take a regular strength laxative, drink a little water, and wait 30 minutes before eating anything.
4. Again, eat nothing after 3pm. as part of this experiment.
5. Before you go to bed, go to your bathroom and "completely" empty yourself out. This is the purpose of the laxative, on this day only. If you have trouble, drink some water, but leave the toilet only after you have completely emptied out.

If you will follow the above, my guess is that you will sleep very well. Some explanation:
I have discovered that the "mild distress" seems to be caused by fecal material in the lower intestine. Even the smallest amount will cause distress and keep you awake. If you remove the material the distress is gone, and you can sleep. May sound stupid, but, it works, guaranteed.

On subsequent days, since you want to avoid laxatives, you will find that you may empty out by drinking lots of water in the bathroom. experiment with this, and you will figure out how to empty out. It is not necessary to avoid eating after 3 p.m. It is necessary to pay close attention to your diet and bathroom habits with a view to completely emptying out each night before bed.

Some misc. info: i have also stumbled into the fact that 1000 mg. asprin(2 arthritis strengths aspirins) before bed is very helpful. I am suspecting the "mild distress" emanating from the intestines to the brain sleep centers possibly results from inflamation which is reduced by asprin. Melatonin helps you stay asleep longer, but will not help you fall asleep.

 

[Xcobra]

No and I am thankful that once 11 pm roles around, I can go to bed and be pratically dead until I wake up. See a doctor maybe?