Does anybody have any advice on geting a good nights sleep without the use of sleeping pills? I just cant turn off my mind ones it starts going.
I take Nortriptylene, which is an anti-depressant used to help prevent migraines--& helps me sleep a little better, too. My neurologist also told me to shut off the computer & television an hour before bedtime to help my mind wind down. She said that reading & listening to music are ok.
I also find that a mug of hot, herbal tea helps, too.
Hi Robert. Lots of members have trouble sleeping. Also, I can assure you that lots of Flight Attendants have the same problem. If you cross the pond(the Atlantic)enough or criss-cross the US…it will mess up your sleep schedule. Some meditate. I start by going on FB looking at I Love The Ocean pics or other beautiful FB pages. Then I play certain YouTube videos that I find relaxing. Then I go thru my prayer list. By the time I am finished…I am asleep.
This is an example of one of the videos…http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RQ5ljyGg-ig&feature=youtube_gdata_player
I also have trouble getting my mind to shut down so I can sleep. I suffer from anxiety/depression at times, and have been prescribed Bupropein. If I forget to take my evening dose, I often have the active mind going and no sleep.
My doc told me that bupropein allows my mind to slow down just enough that I don't flash from one thought to another (leading to no sleep).
Hope this helps.
Ron, KS
I have the same problem Robert and it is very frustrating. I've tried an over the counter sleep aid and it helps a little but not much. I'm not a big fan of pills but I'm desparate to sleep so I tried them. They're non-addictive which is why they probably don't work very well. For me, yoga helps. I do it usually in the morning and after about a week of it I find that I sleep better but still not great. I've struggled with sleep since my bleed. I'll be curious to see what other members do to help.
I take 0.5mg of xanax. I don't have a problem falling asleep, I just can't stay asleep. I tried the OTC meds but the benadryl in them made me groggy feeling in the morning, Ambien had no effect at all but the xanax works for me. Good luck finding what works best for you, I find if I don't get a good nights sleep my headaches are worse.
If you fall asleep but then awake in the middle of the night and can't fall back to sleep ( my problem at times) I can reccomend a new precription drug called Intermezzo. It is a pill disolved under your tongue and gives almost exactly 4 hours of uninterupted sleep. Quite amazing howr accurate the four hour think is- in fact thyey give you a little chart " if you mst be up at 8am do not take after 4am" etc.
Hi Robert-I’m a firm believer in trying to get enough sleep.
I’m not big on pills, but some non-pill things to try are:
-asleep ing mask
-if you have a TV in your bedroom and fall asleep to it, put it on a timer
-aim your clock away from your viewing of the time/how much time you have before your other obligations
-try to “black-out” any extracurricular lights like power button lights, street lights coming in from window, etc.
Good Luck.