Sleep where have you gone?

Can anyone recommend something over the counter or even through the doctor that’s a good sleep aid. I’ve tried a couple of prescribed sleeping pills but they have no affect. Two or three hours of sleep is starting to take it’s toll on my and I can’t afford to be sleep while I’m working. Anyone else have pain that keeps them from sleeping and if so have you found something to help you sleep? Thanks for any advice or ideas - Doug K

I always take a Tylenol P.M. At bedtime. Do you stop any caffeine intake after 12:00 noon–that really helps me…sometimes I’m antsy all night and then realize I drank a Diet Pepsi in the afternoon. Then the Tylenol P.M. doesn’t work!

Not being able to sleep is a killer, isn’t it?

I use melatonin. It’s not a pain reliever, but a sleep hormone that makes you sleepy, regulates sleep and can improve quality of sleep, so you are less likely to wake up.

For most people, the effectiveness increases after you have taken it regularly for a while at the same time before bed.

@Grandma_J I don’t drink anything but water now I cut out all soda which stinks I love Coke! I haven’t tried Tylenol PM yet. @Jen75 where do you get melatonin at? I can honestly say I’m not even sure I know what that is lol but I’ll try it!

Tylenol pm, or any of the pm pain meds, are good if antihistamines make you drowsy. For people like me, I can’t take them, as the antihistamine component keeps me awake.

Melatonin is available over the counter in the states, and I’m guessing elsewhere. We get it at CVS for my daughter.

Hi Doug,

Melatonin is a natural substance (classed as a hormone) that your body produces when the sun goes down that helps signal to your body and make you sleepy. I first used it to help with jetlag as there are some studies showing it reduces the length of time and effects.

There are some studies that show people with psoriasis often have disrupted melatonin systems. I haven’t found good randomized trials or similar that demonstrate benefit, so it really is just something you can try in a complementary way – if it works for you great, if it doesn’t, oh well. As well as not finding decent studies on its benefits, I’ve not found too many on the potential side effects. There aren’t really any I’m aware of recorded, but interestingly my box warns against using it long-term (but doesn’t explain why – presumably this is because there is no data on long term use).

In Australia you can get it prescribed, which is best because the “health supplement” form has far less regulations on them about making sure that a 3mg tablet of Melatonin actually has 3mg of Melatonin in it. The other reason to speak to your doc first, is that although I couldn’t really find any info on SEs or interactions, it is always best to check with them before adding any complementary medicines.

Interestingly, they are also doing trials on Melatonin supplementation and depression in Australia at the moment, with the theory that some people’s depressive mechanism is due to a faulty body clock. Cortisol is the strongest body clock regulator, but we all know about the SEs from that, so they are now looking at whether Melatonin can help. Its just an idea at this stage, but I’ll be interested to see what results the study comes out with.

We give 1/2 mg Melatonin to our 5-yr old granddaughter as she has issues falling asleep. I tried one of her pills ( 1 mg ) once and it really does make you drowsy. However, I thought I read somewhere that it doesn’t keep you asleep all night and you might still have problems staying asleep. Once our granddaughter falls asleep, she sleeps for the night. But she wasn’t an insomniac, she just happens to be all wound up at bedtime. It can’t hurt you, and it sure makes sense to give it a try.

But my doctor said you can take more if you wake up, it only lasts for a couple of hours. Had one doctor giving me large doses like 25 mg sustained release melatonin, it helped for a while. I am taking prescription hypnodrugd, but they have little effect now.

Wife takes the Nyquil ZZZZs.

I can usually get to sleep, I just can’t wake up. I think I hurt just enough during my sleep that I don’t get good sleep. I have tried to sleep in bed, that doesn’t work because I will roll onto my side and wake up and my shoulder an arm hurt terribly. I am sleeping in the recliner now, but that is hard on my back. Can’t win right now.

I also have a sleep problem…it’s actually now six am and I’ve been up 2hours. Too late for my usual remedy but if I wake at say 2 am, I take half a vaben (Oxazepam). It’s not a sleeping pill but it’s anti-anxiety and it does the trick without making me drowzy. It’s prescription but my GP doesn’t have a problem in prescribing it.

Hey all sorry works been busy so haven’t had a chance to reply so here I am. I want to say thank y’all for the feed back and different things to try. I have tryed NyQuil which just made me tired but still couldn’t sleep. So I’ll be trying everything everyone has suggested. I too have slept on the floor in a chair on a couch and even my cot. None of those places have given any added benefit. I’m gonna try the Melatonin next see if it helps. I don’t drink caffeine so I tend to stay exhausted all day but sleep just won’t come. I will say however I did eventually pass out from exhaustion and got a sold 6hrs one night which was welcomed. But obviously that’s the a good way to sleep but hey at the moment I’ll take what I can get. Thanks again to everyone for the different things to try. They are greatly appreciated and I will definitely be trying them all.

50mg of tramadol and 500mg of Tylenol. Pain gone, sleeping well. Just figured it out a few days ago.

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Be a bit cautious about something “as simple” as over the counter “natural” products. They are chemicals/drugs too. Melatonin has been found in some studies to have an adverse effect when taken with some other drugs. I don’t recall which one(s) I am taking, but I think it better to not try it. Next issue is Benadryl/diphenhydramine - it can be useful for a few nights sleep but is bad if you have any blood pressure issue and if you are male. It aggravates the prostate and contributes to enlargement and all of what that leads to. Best to get answers from a Pharm.D. level pharmacist who knows your age, diagnoses and medications/supplements.

I too suffer from interrupted sleep and very concerned about the typical sleep meds which are hypnotics and can cause bizarre behaviors and you not even recall you had done them. Myself and some others find essential oil of lavender to promote a more relaxed feeling - it is not consumed - it is put a little on your wrist or on pillow and sheet near your face. This is not a major improvement but may tip the scales in your favor to get to sleep or to return to sleep once interrupted.

Hope this helps,

I have started taking CBD oil, after a lot of research and reading twelve books. There a quite a few good companies to buy from online, just do your research. It’s legal in all fifty states as long as the THC content is .3% or less. No way to get high. I’m only a few days in and am on a very low dose. I’ll keep you posited on its help for sleep and pain. What I mentioned above is still working very well.