Since this 28 year old Aussie actor died yesterday in NYC - Heath Ledger - and now the news is saying they found sleeping pills (Prescription and non - prescription) as well as some other drugs (anti - anxiety) and para. in his room I started thinking how many people do I know that have an easy time getting to sleep night after night these days (This actor supposedly had been telling the press lately that he was having the hardest time getting to sleep).

I thought about my friends (from mid 20's to mid 50's) and ALMOST everybody is either taking Ambien (prescription sleeping pills) or some kind of non prescription over - the - counter sleeping pill (Tylenol PM, etc). If not that then it's either Wine, Beer, or Herb. I only know one guy for sure that doesn't ever use anything. It kinda hit me that it seems to be a very serious problem theses days with almost everyone......Was also wondering if it's more an American thing or more universal......

So how easy is it for you to get to sleep at night??? How often do you have to use something ???...... How about your friends ???



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2008-01-24 05:41 by HelterSkelter.

Never any trouble getting to sleep but sometimes trouble staying asleep.
I've noticed that as I get older, alcohol will help me fall asleep, but then I'll be wide awake during the night.
I try to limit my alcohol consumption to the weekends, but with Carnival coming up, I guess it'll be many sleepless nights.
Oh, and I never take sleep aids.

Quote
Edith Grove
Never any trouble getting to sleep but sometimes trouble staying asleep.
I've noticed that as I get older, alcohol will help me fall asleep, but then I'll be wide awake during the night.
I try to limit my alcohol consumption to the weekends, but with Carnival coming up, I guess it'll be many sleepless nights.
Oh, and I never take sleep aids.

Welcome to my world EG.

"It's just some friends of mine and they're busting down the door"

I've struggled with insomnia since I was 13 or so. There are various rituals to ward of the ugly spirits, and sometimes various chemicals - remeron is helpful, no side effects - which I carefully alternate so as to avoid tolerance.

Yes, insomnia is a growing world wide phenomena. Sleeping is a tricky business involving your brain and different chemicals..such as melatonin and seratonin. Sleeping pills work in the short term, but as John R remarks you build a tolerence, and when using over a long period of time if you suddenly stop you experience a nasty bit of rebound insomnia. So if you have been using sleeping pills for more than 14 consecutive days you should never abruptly stop taking them.
Remeron is an anti-depressent, commonly used with the elderly to help with depression and to help promote better sleep. Unfortunately, for some there are side effects, such as weight gain, tingles in the extremities, and bloating, and loss of sex drive and difficulty in ejaculating (the drug is also used with patients who experience premeture ejaculation). Remeron (Mirtazapine) is useful for anxiety, depression and some OCD issues as well. Interestingly, the lower the does you use the more the seditive effect. Ambien and Zipoclone are very good sleeping meds. however, there are now warnings about nocturnal eating and sleep walking. Recently, there has been a lot of press about people driving and cooking while on Ambien (Stilnox), and the FDA now has drug warnings related to Ambien and Zipoclone. Also using spleeping pills over a long period of time prevents you from getting Stage 4 REM sleep which your body needs to heal.
Insomnia is an insipid condition and there is a lot of research on how insomnia can cause anxiety and depression, and anxiety and depression can cause insomia. A vicious circle. People who don't have problem going to sleep, but wake up around 3am and cannot go back to sleep could be experiencing the phenomina of early morning wakefulness, which is a symptom of depression and Remeron works very well with this condition.
All in all, there is still a lot unknown about insomnia and a new class of less adictive drugs are on the cusp of being developed and released.
Some things that can help....GOOD SLEEP HYGENE. Don't sleep in in the morning. Keep a regular sleep schedule. Use your bedroom only for sleeping and sex. Remove the TV from the bedroom. If you cannot fall asleep after being in bed for more than 15 minutes then get up and do something, like writing, with minimal light. Do not try to "make up" for lost sleep during the week. Don't eat or drink anything with cafine after 12 noon as it can stay in your system for up to 10 hours and can heighten anxiety around bed time. Try using medetation on a regular basis for at least 10 to 15 minutes a day, and practice deep breathing relaxation techniques. And eat a small amount of carbs with turkey, or warm milk (both produce triptophane, a natural morophine derivative) about 30 minutes before bed.
If you are having bad bouts of insomnia you should also see your doctor to rule out any other medical conditions, a blood test for your thyroid, and a physical to see if you have heart disease, and/or sleep apnia, or restless leg syndrom.
Good luck and good sleep!



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2008-01-24 05:07 by whitem8.

Yeah, best to ween yourself off the over the counter stuff, it is highly addictive...

Other things that can help...a dose of Benedryl, or other antihystamines...

The early morning wakefullness can be symptomatic of depression...

Alcohol can be terrible for insomnia. Puts you to sleep but upsets your circadian rythym and causes you to wake early.
Red Wine before bed is the worst! It can really act as a stimulant.

for 20 odd yrs I knew how to pass out-not go to sleep. Now I just sleep when I can(but I havent slept more than 45-75 min w/o waking up in yrs)

If one suffers from insomnia, the anxiety and agitation is exacerbated by the fear that one won't sleep, especially if you have to get up at a certain time..."Damn, it's 3:00 AM, the alarm's set for 6:00...If I fall asleep in twenty minutes I'll still only get two and a half hours, I'll be a basket case at work, oh god..." etc

Yeah I hear you John R. That is classic situational anxiety insomnia. Many folks experience it right before going to bed as well. "Shit I hope I can sleep tonight, I know I won't...etc..."
Anti-depressants can work wonders for this type of insomnia. Remeron especially.

Someone I know very well takes Halcion and Xanex to sleep, she is also on Lithium and Luvox for her bi polar disorder. When she tries to cut down on the Xanex or Halcion, she is more successful at cutting back, or sometimes out the xanex. I think everyone reacts different. I personally only take Xanex when I fly (along with a few bloody marys) or after a gig when I am so hyper that I need to calm down before I go to sleep.

Tough falling asleep for fiftyamp. Staying asleep; all day if I want too. Too much shit going on in my head at bed time 4-5am EST.

i struggle too be honest...working shifts, i can often look at the clock at 1am\2am knowing i gotta be up for 5.15am and i still wide awake...

Had that problem this week....should be OK saturday morning as its my day off so will be trying some absolute vodka friday night ><

i heard thats quite good..

Doughboy

Watch a REM DVD while havin' ya feet massaged....



ROCKMAN

Yo Rockman, (amazing !!!) I heard the exact same thing but it was JET, not REM..... (Probably some KIWI just trying to spread bad vibes.....)

Yeah it must be them them bands with 3 letter names....



ROCKMAN

I suffer from the exact opposite. I have been known to spend 15-20 hours asleep at a time. I will sleep soundly until I'm called and find it nearly impossible to wake up in the mornings. I've asked my doctor about this and apparently it's nothing to worry about. I would say I'm a sleep addict.

I'm bringing up my two young daughters, work as a graphic designer full time and I'm starting my own business so sleeping aint a big problem...... getting to bed and waking up is a whole big other problem though.

really cant fall asleap most of the time, i have the problem of looking at the clock and thinking "if i fall asleap now i will only have 3hrs etc etc etc" sometimes a glass or two of whisky helps me but i dont like to do that every night cus then i would worry that i am depending on the drink which isnt good, i hate taking pills so havent tried anything like that, so i try some alternative aids occasionally which seem to help for a while,

cut out caffeine, avoid 'stressful' television before bed, grab the occasional early night, try drinking warm milk.
I wish you well.

Have an Uncle Doug...



ROCKMAN

I have no problems falling asleep and the only time I ever take anything is if I'm really sick then I'll take a swig of Nyquil. Once I'm out, I'm out - my family and I once stayed in a motel with train tracks right behind it and when the overnight freight came roaring by my mother thought that it was coming right thru the room. Woke she and my dad up, but me...naw I slept right thru it. I'm still the same way now when the kids wake up at night.

My wife though she's suffered from insomnia since she was a little girl, and she is often awake at night. She's been going to a chiropractor though and that does seem to have helped her some. She doesn't take anything either.

A nice doobie has always done it for me. Sleep like a baby!

I have no problem falling asleep. If I want to fall asleep, I open a book or do some sudoku. Looking at things while I'm horizontal makes my eyes tired and next thing i know, it's morning.

I also try not to drink Coke after 5:00, that helps.

I can drink a cup of coffee at 11pm and it has no effect on my ability to sleep.

Daily exercise - but not too close to bedtime - helps a lot. Spending too much evening time in front of the computer tends to stimulate our brain and keep us awake longer. We live in a 24-hour world and are working longer hours which doesn't help either.

herb keeps me awake, same with drinking

normally i have no trouble at all falling asleep and getting a full 7-8 hours every night, if i need to i will take melatonin it is all natural, works great, for me anyway

i have anti-anxiety scripts also xanax and buspar, not hard to get, im sure that what happen to him was a mixing of various kinds of scripts, you have to be very very very careful when it comes to pills alot of people dont realize that... so many have died this way, elvis, marilyn, river phoenix, anna nicole & her son, etc etc etc i dont think he was abusing scripts the way they all were but 6 is alot really

he didnt kill himself it was just an accidnet... fyi comment frm the 2nd coolest man on the planet (next ta keith) Jack Nicholson says he warned him...

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whitem8
Red Wine before bed is the worst! It can really act as a stimulant.

I can attest to that! I started drinking a glass of Pinot Noir every night because I heard it was good for cholesterol, something I have too much of.
I notice that I sleep better when I skip it.
And speaking of cholesterol, I've heard that Zocor (simvastatin) has been found to disrupt sleep in some people.

I am due to get up for work at 5.15am, but after laying in bed for a bit I just can't sleep, it's now 1.30 am... ferk!!!

My sleeping pattern is a mess!