[littlespy]

Hey guys, sorry I've been a bit absent. This time of year is pretty much the most hectic for a school teacher, exams, coursework etc.

Anyway on to my main point, I'm having a really bad bout of insomnia at the moment. I got prescribed Zopiclone by my GP but to be honest it's far to heavy to allow me to take it and be up and capable for work the next day. Even a half does leaves me with the hangovery feeling the next morning. It also seems to have somewhat of a negative impact on my bipolar and I have had a rough day the day or two after taking it. I had far less problems on valium but for obvious reasons my GP is reluctant to give me more.

My occupational health doctor has suggested herbal or natural approaches and recommended Vitamin B12. I wondered if anyone else has tried it or has recommendations. I try to maintain good 'sleep hygiene' etc and I do yoga early evening when I can, which helps somewhat. Just looking for alternatives to the heavy duty drugs really.

[Martin Reed]

Unfortunately I can't offer you any feedback on the Vitamin B12 – hopefully someone else can chime in on that one. You might find this thread helpful.

Also, I've mentioned a few different natural insomnia solutions on the blog; you might want to try the search function there. Again, hopefully some other members will contribute to this discussion and offer some better 'first-hand' advice.

—

If you are ready to stop struggling with insomnia you can enroll in the online insomnia coaching course right now! If you would prefer ongoing phone or video coaching calls as part of a powerful three month program that will help you reclaim your life from insomnia, consider applying for the Insomnia Mastery program.

The content of this post is provided for informational and educational purposes only. It is not medical advice and is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease, disorder, or medical condition. It should never replace any advice given to you by your physician or any other licensed healthcare provider. Insomnia Coach LLC offers coaching services only and does not provide therapy, counseling, medical advice, or medical treatment. All content is provided “as is” and without warranties, either express or implied.

[Hedwig]

Hi..I know I'm new but thought I could offer my insight…

There has been quite a bit of research into the value of Vitamin B12 and it has been shown that it causes an earlier release of melatonin at night which supports the sleep-wake cycle. B12 acts directly on the pineal gland to provoke a faster release of melatonin, which as we know is part of the body's natural “body clock” that regulates our sleep cycle (part of our circadian rhythm)…..if you have melatonin levels that are depressed then sleep disturbance might occur…

The pineal gland stores melatonin during the day then releases it towards night…..this release is triggered naturally by lowering of light levels, Vitamin B12 can also help you get to sleep earlier although it may also wake you up earlier, especially if you leave a curtain open to the morning sun as vitamin B12 sensitizes you to morning light…..

However, it may not work for everyone…..

Apparently the effective dose of oral B12 supplements for sleep support is 3000 mcg (3mg) a day, also it took up to four weeks for sleep support to take effect so if your going to try this be patient……

Hope this helps….

🙂 🙂 🙂

[emmaree]

Thanks heddy I will certainly give it a try , Ive been having shocking sleep of late, and need to go back to my old sleep technics , This is certainly informative

[littlespy]

that's really useful, thank you. 🙂 I'm desperate to find alternatives to Zopiclone, it just messes with my moods too much and it's far too heavy duty.

[seenafterscene]

That was very informative, thanks for the info Hedwig.

I've suffered some serious problems from vitamin deficiencies before, so it would not surprise me if something like B12 was also lacking.

Also related: I need to take my multi-vitamin/mineral. I don't think I've taken one in like a month.

[Snowangels11]

Thought I'd add this to the natural solutions thread. So far for the past 1 1/2 weeks Magnesium Citrate has been working for me (with my luck now that I've said it, it'll stop working).

Cherry Juice (not tart) worked for a couple days then stopped (suppose to contain melatonin).

5-htp works for me for about a week, and then stops and has the opposite effect.

I was doing the Mucinex protocol (Guaifenesin) which is used for fibromyalgia – that was making insomnia worse (I reintroduced this alone without the magnesium).

I was also using vitamin A cream + drinking alot of carrot juice. I don't know if that was exacerbating insomnia, but I did read too much Vit. A can cause insomnia.

And to top it off, I was using echinacea, which apparently recycles cortisol, so that can keep you up as well!

But I did notice after cutting all that other stuff out, if I don't take magnesium before bed (separately from vitamins) I'll stay up an extra 2 hours.

[Martin Reed]

'Snowangels11' wrote on '06:

Thought I'd add this to the natural solutions thread. So far for the past 1 1/2 weeks Magnesium Citrate has been working for me (with my luck now that I've said it, it'll stop working).

Cherry Juice (not tart) worked for a couple days then stopped (suppose to contain melatonin).

5-htp works for me for about a week, and then stops and has the opposite effect.

I was doing the Mucinex protocol (Guaifenesin) which is used for fibromyalgia – that was making insomnia worse (I reintroduced this alone without the magnesium).

I was also using vitamin A cream + drinking alot of carrot juice. I don't know if that was exacerbating insomnia, but I did read too much Vit. A can cause insomnia.

And to top it off, I was using echinacea, which apparently recycles cortisol, so that can keep you up as well!

But I did notice after cutting all that other stuff out, if I don't take magnesium before bed (separately from vitamins) I'll stay up an extra 2 hours.

Thank you so much for sharing – this will definitely be of help to other members. Do keep us updated on the Magnesium Citrate. If it works, I want more details so I can post about it on the blog.

—

If you are ready to stop struggling with insomnia you can enroll in the online insomnia coaching course right now! If you would prefer ongoing phone or video coaching calls as part of a powerful three month program that will help you reclaim your life from insomnia, consider applying for the Insomnia Mastery program.

The content of this post is provided for informational and educational purposes only. It is not medical advice and is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease, disorder, or medical condition. It should never replace any advice given to you by your physician or any other licensed healthcare provider. Insomnia Coach LLC offers coaching services only and does not provide therapy, counseling, medical advice, or medical treatment. All content is provided “as is” and without warranties, either express or implied.

[Snowangels11]

'Martin' wrote on '06:

Thank you so much for sharing – this will definitely be of help to other members. Do keep us updated on the Magnesium Citrate. If it works, I want more details so I can post about it on the blog.

I'll keep you updated. I did stumple upon this article of a multitude of vitamin deficienies that can cause insomnia including magnesium: http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0ISW/is_249/ai_114820705/

Also I should add that L-carnitine & L-arginine cause insomnia for me as well. I might have said that on another thread, but I know the arginine can increase growth hormone (and I think carnitine) – which can cause sudden awakenings – an adrenaline rush sort of feeling, and it did exactly that for me. Many people, from reading supplement forums I belong to, have no problem with it though. I have tried taking it over & over, and it does the same thing everytime.

[Snowangels11]

P.S. I'm dreaming again (albeit crazy dreams)! Even before this bout of insomnia, I don't ever recall any dreams. I'm sure I have them, but they're not vivid enough to remember. Maybe has something to do with getting more REM sleep.

[Martin Reed]

'Snowangels11' wrote on '06:

I'll keep you updated. I did stumple upon this article of a multitude of vitamin deficienies that can cause insomnia including magnesium: http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0ISW/is_249/ai_114820705/

Thank you so much for sharing this link – I've included it in today's blog post:

http://www.insomnialand.com/blog/vitamin-deficiencies-that-cause-insomnia-and-natural-supplements-that-may-help/

—

If you are ready to stop struggling with insomnia you can enroll in the online insomnia coaching course right now! If you would prefer ongoing phone or video coaching calls as part of a powerful three month program that will help you reclaim your life from insomnia, consider applying for the Insomnia Mastery program.

The content of this post is provided for informational and educational purposes only. It is not medical advice and is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease, disorder, or medical condition. It should never replace any advice given to you by your physician or any other licensed healthcare provider. Insomnia Coach LLC offers coaching services only and does not provide therapy, counseling, medical advice, or medical treatment. All content is provided “as is” and without warranties, either express or implied.

[Snowangels11]

'Martin' wrote on '10:

Thank you so much for sharing this link – I've included it in today's blog post:

http://www.insomnialand.com/blog/vitamin-deficiencies-that-cause-insomnia-and-natural-supplements-that-may-help/

My pleasure! 😀

An update on the magnesium – still working, though I had to switch from taking it at night to taking it in the morning. It does not sit well with my stomach at night, regardless of whether I eat something with it or not. I read magnesium should be taken in morning anyway because it has something to do with the liver circadian rythm. Which I know from doing acupuncture – the liver is an important organ if insomnia is due to anxiety.

Also, re-reading that article about supplements, it does mention chromium causing interrupted sleep, and that was my experience with chromium as well (you can tell I've used every supplement under the sun). Chromium causes a drop in blood sugar for me at night, which is a problem I have had in the past along with the adrenal problem. Which is another possible cause for insomnia (but not my issue now). Think I have mentioned that too on another thread, but low blood sugar during sleep can cause you to awaken often because of safety mechanisms in the body to counteract that – such as increasing cortisol, increased adrenaline and I think Norephinephrine (I know I'm spelling that wrong). So eating a little something such as protein/fat/carb (i.e. wheat bread with peanut butter) before bed can help if that's the problem.

Going slightly off topic, I was also doing a neurotransmitter test (not sure of it's accuracy & I think the doctor might be a little controversial – but supposedly he's popular in NYC), but insomnia was one of the symptoms of either low Dopamine, GABA, Acetylcholine and Serotonin. I was severely deficient on all supposedly to the point that it says one should be on meds, but don't know if I believe it, as I feel as if I'm a relatively normal functioning person with exception of fatigue issues, the insomnia thing and lack of motivation. But I guess one could use it as a guideline, and find supplements that may help those neurotransmitters – Choline, Tyrosine, SAMe, Rhodiola, St. John's Wort, 5htp, etc., etc. Some of those supplements could have long term side effects though. Here's the test: http://www.longevity-and-antiaging-secrets.com/support-files/the_braverman_nature_assessment.pdf

[Snowangels11]

As if I haven't said enough, lol, here's where I got the info about magnesium in the morning, and more info on the use of magnesium (and also calcium) – this is an article on Chronic Fatigue Syndrome – another supposed possible cause of insomnia:

Quote:

Magnesium works best if taken in the morning when it is pumped into the liver's circadian cycle and most needed. The magnesium/malic acid combination should be taken for several weeks to give it a fair trial.

Since proper magnesium metabolism is dependent on calcium, a magnesium supplement taken in the morning should be balanced with a calcium supplement in the evening. The best time to take calcium is an hour or two before bedtime (500 to 1000 mg), perhaps with a small snack. Calcium is taken up by the body during periods of inactivity and can be helpful for insomnia, a common problem among CFS sufferers. Calcium citrate is a soluble form easily absorbed.

Link: http://www.immunesupport.com/95fal004.htm

[Tommy ToXen]

Isn't Vitamin B12 that stuff they put on energy drinks such as Monster & Rockstar that turns your pee green?

[Snowangels11]

'Tommy wrote on '10:

Isn't Vitamin B12 that stuff they put on energy drinks such as Monster & Rockstar that turns your pee green?

I had to look those drinks up, because I had never heard of them – they use b12 under the name CYANOCOBOAMIN. B12 is an innocuous substance, and you can't really OD on the stuff. Most people are deficient especially if they are under stress.

The more controversial ingredient in energy drinks is usually Taurine. I believe Taurine does not mix well with caffeine.

[Author]

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