Melatonin is habit forming... Just because it's "natural" doesn't mean it's safe. You need to pay attention to what its doing to you just like any other drug. I have a friend that used melatonin for a couple years. Worked great at first, but it started messing with him. You could try weed, too. That's natural ya'know...

I only get 3-4hrs of sleep a night during the week. Doesn't seem to bother me, tho. I make good use of my insomnia. Cleaning guns, working on the car, reading a book, etc... On the weekends I can usually get in a 6-8hrs of sleep, tho.

I know you said you relax before bed, but try 30 minutes of deep breathing exercises before bed to really help shut down. Just because you are sitting around doesn't mean your brain is relaxed.

Read.

Humidifier. Got one recently, but that's mostly due to having a cold and it keeping me up.

I'm surprised no one said sex...

quote:

Originally posted by TheDan:
You could try weed, too. That's natural ya'know...

Melatonin is naturally produced by the body. I'm pretty sure THC isn't.

quote:

Originally posted by Aeteocles:
I'm surprised no one said sex...

I think he implied that didnt work.

quote:

Originally posted by Aeteocles:
I'm surprised no one said sex...

Yeah, that would be "hide the weiner". Didn't work but, I plan on giving that a good trial run.

The Scotch gave me a bloody migraine, but it was nice to have a little nip.

I think a king size bed would help so a guy kinda has his own space but the damn room is to small. maybe just a change of bed would be good.

Benadryl, did work. Just a little concerned on become dependent on any sleep aids. But it did the trick.

I was gonna give ear plugs a try, even went and bought some, then I remembered that my wife uses them and both of us with ear plugs in could be spooky re fire alarms, burglers etc

Exercise is probably the ticket but man its tough committing to that. Bought a stationary trainer for my mountain bike, so we'll see how that goes. Pricy buggers

Doc appoint has been made.

Ambien is supposed to be good, as well as a couple others mentioned, just haven't run across them yet

Getting up at 4AM to exercise. HO-LY fck fau, do you actually do that? Wow man.

Caffeine is now toast.

May be hard to beleive, but I drink 6 litres of water a day, every day, and have for the last 10 years. Topped out there

Chamomile tea, excellent idea.

Yoga sounds like it may work. Just scared if I get into that, I may have the urge to buy a pair of crocs or something.

So, thanks for the input, some goo ideas, except for that 4AM one. man do I give you kudos for that, if you were serious.

What what you eat for supper. Some exercise(a long walk) in the evening, but not to close to bed time. A mug of Celestial Seasonings Sleepy Time tea.

I was tired all the time. My wife finally got me to go to see the Doc and I had sleep apnea really bad. Started using the CPAP machine and I also was bouncing off the wall. It helps if you get oxygen in the blood stream. Hope you find some help.

My girlfriend takes Ambien when she can't sleep. I could probably punch her in the stomach and shoot my gun in the house and she wouldn't wake up. She hooked me up with some one night because I couldn't sleep...works great. For the people saying you feel all groggy in the morning...you HAVE to make sure you can commit to a full night's sleep. If you don't, the medicine is still active.

Been through years of sleep problems (falling asleep AND staying asleep). If it weren't for Ambien I wouldn't get any sleep. Ambien CR works even better for keeping you asleep longer. Best of luck to you.

we always "rule out" the potential medical causes first; so do see your physician. there may be a medical cause for this, including side effects of medications you may be taking. if this is not the case stress can be a precipitant to chronic problems with sleep; it can be tied in with the mind's refusal to close up shop at the end of the business day, so to speak. like a business sign that says "closed-sorry we missed you" one needs to "let go" at a certain point of waking hours. when we feel that we have unresolved issues we may refuse to let it all go. acute stress and chronic stress both can take their toll. take a look at your life and assess your situation; are there things you can do or change to make your life more simple? our country's recession can have an effect on how we feel as well; you may have a secure job but the shakiness of our economic and foreign affairs issues may be attacking your feelings of security. i'm sorry to throw so much into the mix here, but your sleep problems may be caused by a medical problem or stressors in your life. so check it all out and try to put it all in perspective. i think that's a good start to deal more effectively with your sleep problem. i would be cautious regarding sleep medication. good luck with everything.

I just started working night shifts(7p-7a) and I have a wife and 2 year old daughter that stay home all day. I'm an extremely light sleeper and it has to be dark in the bedroom, and I have a noise maker to help wash out the bg noise.

I was eating Tylenol PM every night for about two nights and just using it to help me sleep for fear of not being able to get any.

While my wife tries to keep the house quiet, we live with the in-laws and for the most part, everyone just makes noise throughout the day.

I finally just stopped taking pills and decided it would be better to just eat well, and exercise on a regular basis. As a result, I'm not poisoning my body with un-needed chemicals, and I'm sleeping just fine.

When the dogs go crazy I still reach for the ear muffs from the gun range.

Invest in black-out curtains, and exercise when you can. Wear yourself out, and when your body needs it, you will get good sleep.

quote:

Originally posted by macky54:
...The Scotch gave me a bloody migraine, but it was nice to have a little nip...

I said have "a moderate amount," dude!

By the way, it's called having a "wee nip."

-BK

Sounds like sleep apnea to me. Nothing to mess with. Get to a doctor and get a sleep study.

quote:

Originally posted by roberth:

quote:

LH2 wrote: exercise?

That's what I thought, more exercise. Then I thought about some other things. Is there any stability in your life from day to day or is it chaos all the time? Is there something on your mind, some problem you can't resolve, people stress over alot of things and that prevents a person from getting good sleep.

See a doctor. Sleep Apnea isn't any joke.

Not breathing while sleeping could be bad for your health.

Exercise will keep you up at night if you do it right before bed. It energizes your body, not wears you out. (Mentally)

quote:

I'm surprised no one said sex...

They did above

ETA:

quote:

Getting up at 4AM to exercise. HO-LY fck fau, do you actually do that? Wow man.

When I used to do it I loved it. As I said above, exercising gives a you an energy boost. It will help you during they day, and may help your sleep at night. Try going to bed a little earlier too.

I have never once, in my entire life, slept an entire night all the way through.

But doing somethings, I've limited my waking to a minimum.

quote:

Originally posted by macky54:
... Benadryl, did work. Just a little concerned on become dependent on any sleep aids. But it did the trick. ...

Benadryl knocks me out, too but it's not restful sleep. I feel tired the next day.

quote:

Originally posted by macky54:
I was gonna give ear plugs a try, even went and bought some, then I remembered that my wife uses them and both of us with ear plugs in could be spooky re fire alarms, burglers etc ...

Worry affects sleep.

Sometimes I do drink some Chamomile tea and it does seem to calm me. The taste leaves a whole lot to be desired but if it helps, who cares.

Another thing I've tried is running a humidifier in my bedroom. Not only do I get the benefits of not drying out my mouth, nose and lungs but it also makes a constant sound that drowns out any distraction from outside noises.

quote:

Originally posted by badkarma56:

quote:

Originally posted by macky54:
...The Scotch gave me a bloody migraine, but it was nice to have a little nip...

I said have "a moderate amount," dude!

By the way, it's called having a "wee nip."

-BK

Moderate is a relative term. Ok, twist my arm, I'll try just one more time, and that's it.

I would have to say stress would be the major factor, but it's not easy to just resolve all lifes issues. Some stress issues just won't go away and when they do, another rears its ugly fkn head. Stress can be a tough resolve