When there's trouble sleeping

I don't always have trouble falling asleep but it upsets me when it happens. I'd like to get a list going from whoever has found help. I'm relying on klonopin, ambien, Benadryl, Bach flower essence, hot shower, lavendar aromatherapy, exercise, breathing, acupressure on lung meridians. But I'm still sometimes laying awake for way too long. Genetic mentioned omega 3's I'm going to try that. I have t really tried melatonin and I'd like to get back to natural as much as possible. Thanks all.

i use earplugs and an eyemask. also b complex and magnesium. fish oil has helped me, but not as an immediate fix--it helps for long term brain health.

Melatonin is good for about 3 months only, according to my psychiatrist. Magnesium, potassium citrate, calcium supplements may help, also. Take a high quality mulitple vitamin daily (ask your pharmacist if you need to know which one is good). 5htpTryptophan is helpful for sleep, as well. Avoid plain tryptophan; it can't cross the blood-brain barrier and is not helpful for sleep.

Light is especially detrimental when it gets close to bedtime. It slows down the production of melatonin, so I'd suggest that we cut off our tv earlier in the evening
and lower the light on the computer screen as well if we're online anywhere near
bedtime. Melatonin is manufactured in the pineal gland in the brain and is produced
at highest levels when darkness arrives.

Please try to stop drinking water from the faucet at home. I use strictly purified water and often supplement with an enhanced electrolyte water --available almost everywhere. It's the chlorine in water that's not good for us.

Those things calm the system very nicely, along (most importantly) with the
Omega 3's which are of significant benefit in bipolar illness.

One very good paperback for letting you know what benefits depression, bipolar illness, etc.,(and other illnesses) is What You Must Know About Vitamins, Minerals, Herbs & More, Choosing The Nutrients That Are Right For You by Pamela Wartian Smith, MD, MPH.

I go back from time to time to read her work just to update myself on what I need to purchase at Vitamin Shoppe or another specialty store for vitamins.

The psychotropic meds take so much from our nutritional storage. It's good to replace those things if we learn what we need.

I think the problem with most sleep medications is that they don't address the underlying disorder. It's not that you just have a sleep disorder. When the bipolar disorder or anxiety disorder is being treated, I think that you would sleep much more naturally.

When I began taking Lamictal that is when I finally began to experience natural sleep that I did not have to take anything else to achieve (and Lamictal has not been sedating for me, I take it in the morning.) Unfortunately, it seems like that effect isn't cutting it enough anymore.

I've never found a great cure for insomnia. Anti-histamines are hardly effective, Ambien and Lunesta have no effect, and melatonin and valerian barely touches the insomnia but makes me feel weird. Currently Trazodone is working but not consistently, once Mirtazapine was overly effective but during an extremely anxious period it only helped me sleep for 3 hours.

Make sure that you read about Melatonin. It will effect serotonin levels and can alter your sleep in an unpleasant way. Furthermore, you want to read about dosages, because higher dosages aren't always the best.

Light therapy in this case is definitely something that might help you. (Get sunshine right when you wake up, reduce light before you go to sleep.)

I'm not saying that this program is a cure, but I have always found the concept interesting: f.lux: software to make your life better (everyone else should check this out too!)

Genetic> years ago i was warned about taking 5htp and antidepressants together. any comment? recently the clinicians gave me Rozerem saying it was an amplified type of melatonin -chemically. i found it ineffective and made me feel off the next day.

i agree that if we address the underlying chemical imbalance, (depression, anxiety, bipolar, etc. , then our sleep is restored. however if we go without sleep, then the underlying issue gets worse.

i agree too that these meds. really deplete our vitamin/mineral stores so we need to eat healthily and take supplements.

did any one mention NOT exercising late in the day, and no stimulants like caffeine, etc. ?

Please try to stop drinking water from the faucet at home. I use strictly purified water and often supplement with an enhanced electrolyte water --available almost everywhere. It's the chlorine in water that's not good for us.

Those things calm the system very nicely, along (most importantly) with the
Omega 3's which are of significant benefit in bipolar illness.

One very good paperback for letting you know what benefits depression, bipolar illness, etc.,(and other illnesses) is What You Must Know About Vitamins, Minerals, Herbs & More, Choosing The Nutrients That Are Right For You by Pamela Wartian Smith, MD, MPH.

I go back from time to time to read her work just to update myself on what I need to purchase at Vitamin Shoppe or another specialty store for vitamins.

The psychotropic meds take so much from our nutritional storage. It's good to replace those things if we learn what we need.[/quote]

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Hello, Mary, yes I've heard that 5htp Tryptophan should not be used with SSRI's, but on occasion when sleep is really long overdue, I will add 5htp Tryptophan and have never had any bad reactions. I don't use it frequently, however.

I also use an antihistamine, called Zyxal, 5 mg. on occasion. I agree definitely that we build up histamine (that's why I suspect a lot of bipolar illness is related to genetic inheritance of an allergy gene along with whatever else is the problem---which I suspect is partly an exorphin sensitivity at this time).

Zyxal is a medically prescribed antihistamine, a much stronger and concentrated version of Zyrtec, and it really puts me to sleep, and it's restful sleep. My allergy specialist prescribed it. Your psychiatrist might do so, as well, I hope.

The whole B series is excellent for nerve conditions; however, it's best not to take it at bedtime because it can interrupt sleep. An excellent multiple vitamin once daily is the way to go, in my view.

I've referred the following article to people about caffeine many times: http://www.DoctorYourself.com/caffeineallergy Ruth Whalen, the writer, is a former
laboratory technician, and she tells the situation exactly the way it is about the dangers of caffeine. It's well worth anyone's reading, as is the new book by Dr. David Williams called Wheat Belly.

Anything else? (I hope I'm able to help; you gals and guys are smart and really know your helpful methods to correct things in your own diets.

Sometimes I think it's related, in part, to circadium rhythms. I know they play a large part in our feeling tone, including insomnia. So many have complaints in spring and winter with feeling tones. S.A.D. may be implicated in winter drop in feeling tone.

Two things have been outstanding for me: addition of Omega 3's and
stopping the use of wheat. I noticed improvement with feeling tone within 7 days of stopping it, and there were really no cravings for me after the 3rd day. I even attribute Omega 3's for helping with that. The major change was in having such a positive outlook on everything. Worry seemed to melt, nature seemed so beautiful, and people seemed so friendly and kind, etc.; you know the feelings.

I've looked at so many surveys regarding bipolar conditions and have almost smiled at some of them, when it seems so obvious now to me that exorphins play such a
large part of both schizophrenia recovery and bipolar improvement. All this
business about exorphins was known years ago in the 1970's.

One of the best published bits of information concerns two missing enzymes (a genetically inherited condition) in the metabolism of folic acid into folate (the vitamin B9 form which can cross the blood-brain barrier and is so helpful in depression). Usually, genetic testing is done to determine if one is missing the enzymes, but my psychiatrist felt that since it was a food med, we should try it and if it worked there was no need for genetic testing. For me, it is excellent; I wouldn't be without it. It's called Deplin and available in 7.5 and 15 mg. tabs, one daily (About $20.00 for a one-month supply).

Here's an interesting statement regarding all that: research studies that tend to suggest cutting out a food rather than using a medication for symptom relief don't often get serious consideration by the pharmaceutical industry. (The logic is that they want to sell medications, not have people change their diets. Obviously, it's the money thing.)

Genetic> thank you

i was also advised by my pharmacist not to take the vitamin mineral supplements within 2 hours of the psychotropics as they may impede absorbtion.