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Re: Emma/Taylor18-How to sleep through the night

Posted by Patient on August 27, 2004, at 13:18:24

In reply to How to sleep through the night, posted by Emme on August 27, 2004, at 8:29:53

Hello to the both of you,

After reading both of your posts I found similar problems I have with sleeping through the night. Before I ever started on behavioural medicines I had problems sleeping soundly through the night. If I had to pee or let a cat out I would find myself going back to bed beginning to feel my adrenaline rise as I began to concentrate on worry thoughts. It's as if this time of the night is made just for this to occur-nothing else to do since you're supposed to be sleeping, right? Then my stomach would start to act up-wrenching ulcer-like pangs. I'd lay on my stomach to try and shut it off. Frustration would kick in as my stomach would not stop wrenching, and I would find myself thinking of another negative string of thoughts. I'd tell myself "NO", or "STOP", but this only seemed to make it worse, that I was fighting back-more adrenaline kicking in by now. Sometimes I'd finally settle down by thinking of the ocean, the sound of the waves on the beach. This would work for a bit, but I'd already gotten my adrenaline up, so to fall back asleep was impossible until after about two hours passed.

On most occassions I find .75mg melatonin taken before bedtime very helpful, as well as valerian, hops, chammomile, calcium with vit. D and magnesium, as well as l-glutamine. Taking medicine makes a big difference in one's sleep cycles. I found insomnia worse with Zoloft, Wellbutrin, or Prozac, and sleep quality much improved with trazodone and Lexapro. On Celexa I tended to need a nap during the day, and would awaken at 2, 3, or 4 a.m. unable to go back to sleep. Actually most of these medicines would make me sleepy during the day after I'd been on them for a while-is this because they were disrupting my sleep cycles at night-possibly.

One suggestion I found helpful is that as soon as I felt that I wasn't groggy or sleepy enough to fall asleep after awakening in the middle of the night, I'd get up and take a combination of calcium, vit. D, and magnesium, (other choices would be l-glutamine, colostrum, magnesium, B-12 lozenge, or a herbal sleep aid). This way I would find myself falling asleep within an hour or less; unlike the two plus or minus terrible hours I'd spend tossing and turning waiting for my body to finally rid itself of the shot of adrenaline. I believe part of why this was helpful was the fact that I felt "I'd done something" to help me get back to sleep-which would get rid of some of that frustration that arises when one tells oneself, "Oh great, not ANOTHER sleepless night, argghh!" . I've often wondered if a stroll on the exercise bicylce (if we had one) would work-getting rid of some of the adrenaline hormones so I could once again feel sleepy, cozy, relaxed enough to doze off into dreamland. Other suggestions if you are sensitive to glare and noise, as I am, is to darken the room with the use of heavy curtain on a window, or a bed pillow to cuddle up to-yeah one's mate is great to cuddle up to, but sometimes their arms get in the way as well as their body heat can make you hot and sweaty. I like a body pillow that I can rest my arm atop (I like to lay on my side). White noise machines are very helpful as well.

Regards, Lisa


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poster:Patient thread:382842
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/alter/20040815/msgs/383008.html