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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 4 of 4. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by Hugh on May 12, 2014, at 11:51:14
I've tried many insomnia remedies over the years, including benzos, trazodone, Remeron, melatonin. I've found a remedy that works far better than any of them. I bought an infrared heating pad for my sore back. When I would use it during the day, I would feel groggy for a few hours. So I decided to just use it at bedtime, so it wouldn't mar my waking hours, and I started to sleep much better. And it's a far deeper sleep than I ever got using drugs. I now use it 20-30 minutes every night.
This is my infrared heating pad:
http://www.amazon.com/Thermotex-Infrared-Heating-Pad-Gold/dp/B002L13DF0
I've also tried using a $20 heating pad from Walmart. It helps, but not as much as the infrared heating pad.
This might explain the effect heat is having on my sleep -- though using a heating pad before bed works far better for me than a warm bath ever did:
http://drcatherinedarley.wordpress.com/2012/05/24/does-a-hot-bath-help-sleep/
Another possible explanation:
http://bps-research-digest.blogspot.com/2008/02/good-bye-insomnia-hello-warming-body.html
Posted by Willful on May 15, 2014, at 10:18:20
In reply to Using heat to treat insomnia, posted by Hugh on May 12, 2014, at 11:51:14
For some people cold helps sleep too. I've read that the head is the most important organ (so to speak) for cooling and that many people who were too hot to sleep responded favorably to a cold pack wrapped around their heads. I've tried other locations and it's pretty soothing at times. The head wrap is a bit unwieldy, but it''s probably effective if you have a comfortable wrap. Body temperature tends to drop as people move toward sleep.
On the other hand, for certain muscles aches, heat is very soothing-- so it depends.
Posted by Hugh on May 15, 2014, at 12:52:33
In reply to Re: Using cold works too, posted by Willful on May 15, 2014, at 10:18:20
I've heard about people who take a cold shower before going to bed. Apparently it's the act of cooling off, rather than of being cool, that promotes deep sleep. If you're too cool, or too warm, you'll get very little deep sleep. But if you used a timer to turn on an electric blanket for twenty minutes every two hours, then the act of warming up and cooling off triggers the hypothalamus to produce more deep sleep. That's the hypothesis of the Dutch sleep researchers.
But just using an infrared heating pad for 20-30 minutes at bedtime is working fine for me.
Posted by Lamdage22 on August 2, 2015, at 14:07:57
In reply to Using heat to treat insomnia, posted by Hugh on May 12, 2014, at 11:51:14
Thats amazing you found something so non invasive to help your sleep.
This is the end of the thread.
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