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Jessallie you really have a complex balancing act – I guess insomniacs have to develop complex strategies to get adequate sleep. The problem, as you state, is that all these pills and liquid solutions lose effectiveness over time. I've heard a lot about Tart Cherries lately and have started taking Tart Cherry capsules from Swanson Health Products called “HiActivesTartCherry”; too early to know if it helps or if there are any negative side effects (one capsule per night, 465 mg of tart cherry powder). I also drink a small glass of Tart Cherry Juice about 4 hours before bedtime, but I can't drink a big glass closer to bedtime because I would be up urinating all night. I also eat some canned tart cherries closer to bedtime but I haven't tried or seen the Dried Tart Cherries you mention – I'll have to look around. I also eat some almonds closer to bedtime. Will all this make a difference with sleep – who knows? Apparently it has helped you sometime. Don't know what experience others may have had.
I get about 30% of my daily magnesium requirement from my multi-vitamin and should be getting the rest from food, since I try to eat a balanced diet. If you don't eat enough magnesium rich foods then you may need a supplement. Stillawake you mentioned you used “cherry active” for a month but it didn't work. I have just started using tartcherry extract capsules to promote sleep and was wondering if this is the same as “cherry active”, or something different.
Last night I got about 3 1/4 to 3 1/2 hours sleep in one block – I would have liked at least 4 hours. As I have indicated earlier I have used some aspects of CBT, like keeping a set time to go to bed, exercise, get sunlight, cool dark bedroom, no TV or computer use in the bedroom after dark, etc. I also eat foods that help sleep. So CBT techniques help but only to a certain extent; some nights you do everything right and you still can't sleep or get enough. The problem with the various sleeping pills is that they gradually lose their effectiveness. Helen if you have been taking Ambien since March, I would have to assume it has worked for 3 to 4 months so far (not clear if you are using the time release or non-time release version). I wonder how much sleep you get from it on the average. You know it will gradually lose it's effectiveness but feel you have no choice. When it loses its effectiveness, I guess you will look for another type of pill (and hope it works) or deal with insomnia without pills – not an easy thing to do. So CBT techniques are good but don't work 100% for everyone. Sleeping pills can help for awhile but lose effectiveness over time. “Sleep” CDs help some people to a limited extent, but it seems to me rarely get you through a night on a consistent basis. Melatonin and “sleep cocktail” products containing melatonin seem to have limited effect if any. So a lot of us are stranded with insomnia to varying degrees; continual lack of adequate sleep is a serious health issue. How many heart attacks, strokes, suicides, etc. really go back to insomnia? The medical profession and the media don't take this issue seriously enough.
I find also with sleep CDs that they may help you get a little sleep but don't get you through the night. I also exercise a lot by walking, but basically I wait for the “sleep deficit” to build up to my regular sleep time in order to get a night with 4 or 5 hours sleep. I live for that, but it is not a sustainable way to live over the long term so for now I just live from day to day and try to hang on to life.
Jessallie mentions time release Ambien as a last resort she uses that gets her through the night. I was wondering how long you have been using it, since someone claimed elsewhere that Ambien loses it's effectiveness after 4- 6 weeks but I have heard of other people using it for a year or more. How long have you been using it?
I am more like Jessallie in that I feel really awful and depressed the next day if I don't get enough sleep. After a two hour sleep night the previous night, I am OK today because I got about 5 1/2 hours sleep last night (very good for me). I have tried a number of things to get to sleep, when it seems I can't or when I wake up too soon – sleeptracks, walking around the room a number of times, reading, even cleaning in the kitchen once but none of these help much. It almost seems like there are nights I'm destined not to sleep much (if at all). The only medication I have used, is the over-the-counter sleep aide Unasom, but I have found it lost it's effectiveness fairly quickly; I rarely use it now – it only gives about 2 hours sleep these days. I find that walking a lot during the day helps tire me out, I don't go to sleep until a certain set time, and I try to eat foods that help with sleep. However, it just seems if I don't feel sleepy a particular night there is not much I can do about it. More power to those who can adjust to their insomnia, but all I can do now is be thankful for nights when I get a decent amount of sleep – I dread the little or no sleep nights and the aftermath the next day.
I also have been diagnosed with sleep apnea and found I could not tolerate the CPAP. Interestingly enough, I know two people who have sleep apnea, can't tolerate CPAP, but yet sleep a lot. Although the quality of their sleep may not be good they are not insomniacs like you and me who have difficulty sleeping (although I have only had chronic insomnia the last two months). Would be interested in hearing about how you make out with Provent; can you tolerate it and does it really do anything to help your insomnia.
I have been using aspects of CBT in dealing with my insomnia. Basically CBT calls for changed behaviors that enhance your ability to sleep. This means sleeping only within certain times so you have regular sleep hours, using the bed for sleep and sex only, eliminating bedroom distractions, going to bed only when sleepy, don't lie in bed if you can't sleep – get up and do something, get enough exercise, get sunlight, etc. It has helped to an extent but it has its limitations. For example, it is nice to say go to bed only when sleepy, but last night I didn't feel sleepy in my normal “sleep block” and couldn't get to sleep no matter what – an awful night. I'm sure there are others who can explain it better, but basically it involves behavioral and attitude changes. Just out of curiosity, how are you dealing with your insomnia presently?
Interestingly enough I am 65 but also get a maximum of 4 hours sleep a night like you; last night I only got 2 hours and I feel like a zombie. I had an overnight sleep study over the weekend and was told I had sleep apnea by the monitoring technician (I will get a full evaluation in a week). He had me try a CPAP machine mask, but after an hour I couldn't tolerate it anymore (many people give up on it after trying for a few weeks – not the most comfortable thing to sleep in). Yet some tolerate it. Luckily I'm retired and don't have to worry about a job the next day but functioning on 2 hours sleep is awful. So I, and many of the people on this web site, really understand your problem. Hope you benfit from the sleep study.
Yes it seems to have a novel approach by targeting wakefulness but while it may work for some people others may not be helped. Not clear when it may hit the market assuming the FDA follows the advisory panel recommendation. Also how long can you take it before it begins to lose its effectiveness? Hopeful but stay tuned. Also wonder what is happening with the drug UCM765 which targets melatonin receptors. Last I heard it was being tested in Italy; does anyone have an update?
I have only been seeing the sleep therapist a few weeks. When I first met her she went over various problems that could lead to insomnia and then asked me to do a sleep log. The next time I met with her, she reviewed the sleep log, and then recommended sleep restriction as my sleep tended to be scattered (I sometimes fall asleep for an hour in front of the TV). She wanted my sleep time to be more consolidated. I am currently keeping another sleep log and have had mixed success with sleep restriction (I don't fall asleep in front of the TV anymore; getting up is another story).
I am currently using Unisom which gives me a groggy 4-5 hours of sleep. I don't use it every night but when it is 3 or 4 in the morning and I can't sleep I use it. The night before last I got 4 hours sleep without it but last night I only got about 1 hour of sleep without it as I decided not to use it. If I have problems getting to sleep tonight I will probably have to use it.
