Please tell us how you've been able to beat insomnia:

Melatonin in the ONE MILLIGRAM SUB LINGUALLY is fantastic. I use the peppermint; seems to work better than the orange flavored. Source Naturals melatonin , one mg, is the best. Higher doses do not work as well.

Yes, James, Kava kava can be used to help get to sleep, but as with medications, herbs can have different effects on different people.

To give you an example, some people use Tylenol as a pain reliever instead of Advil because they find it works better for them.

Kava kava is not a sleep inducer per se, actually it's excellent at reducing anxiety levels and so is better for people who are dealing with stress and having trouble sleeping because of that.

Think muscle relaxant and sedative. (Also, it can be used as a pain reliever in place of acetaminophen, aspirin and ibuprofen.)

The value of Kava comes from its ability to help one relax. With the exception of the opium poppy, it is the most relaxing of the botanical herbs!

For sleep, you might look into passion flower. Passion flower is a hypnotic, and can promote deep, restful and uninterrupted sleep without disturbing alertness the next morning.

It's been a great help for my husband!

And of course, because each person is different, you may have to try several different solutions before you find the one that really works for you. And you may find that it'll take more than one avenue of attack for your answer.

(For my husband, we use a combination of passion flower, melatonin and stimulus control therapy to help him deal with his Sleep Onset Insomnia.)

Best of luck to you!

I tried Kava Kava tea to help get some sleep the other night, but it didn't seem to help. I thought that Kava was a good sleep inducer?

Yes, 300 micrograms is roughly 1/3 of a 1 mg dose.

The body typically produces only .03 mg of melatonin per day. At a 3 mg dose, you're getting 100x what your body normally gives you, and so many healthcare pros recommend you begin with a much smaller dose.

If I can't find the smaller 300 mcg (microgram) dose, I will buy 1 mg tablets and them cut them in 1/4s or 1/3s. I find that the small dose works great for my husband.

Another side note, if my husband continues to use the melatonin day after day for more than a month, he seems to develop a tolerance to the melatonin and it doesn't seem to work as well. So he usually uses it for a few days and then stops until he feels the need to begin using it again.

Hope it works for you!

When you say 300 microgram of melatonin, is that smaller than the doses I find at the store? I think I see 1 mg, or sometimes 3 mg -

Been battling sleep problem for my whole life. I have found that a combination of the things mentioned in the SatinSleep Ebook work well. I am now to the point that I only use Passionflower, Kava, or

Melatonin about 2 or 3 times a month, when I feel that I need an extra boost. Like last night, I took a 300 microgram Melatonin, and slept very well, till about 6:00 AM and felt refreshed.

I do use, of all things Hogan's Heroes DVD's to go to sleep to. They are a comfort to me, not so interesting that I need to stay awake to see the end (I think I have them all Memorized), but they take my mind off of the concerns and worries of life. I have also used MP3's of Old Time Radio shows.

My 2 cents

David

Yeah, I had really freaky dreams when I was on Ambien, and in the morning I had a real tough time waking up. The dreams made me toss and turn all night. Definitely did not work for me.

I've tried Ambien a few times, but I seem to have really weird dreams. Has anyone else experienced that with this drug?

I've been on Ambien a few times, but I always wooke up with a headache and felt almost "hungover". Couldnt seem to get going in the morning. I like chamomile tea, it seems to help me get to sleep. And no problems getting up in the morning. Karen

I got an email today asking about the potential side effects of Ambien, a popular sleeping pill. I thought I'd post my answer here, in case others are also wondering.

Side effects for Ambien (Ambien is the brand name for the drug Zolpidem)? Here are just a few:

Abnormal thinking and behavior (including sleepwalking, activities like driving or eating but not remembering doing so), feelings of anxiety, sleepiness during the day, headache (very common complaint), dizziness and sometimes vomiting, queasiness, trouble with concentration.

Some particularly severe reactions have included depression and suicidal thoughts and feelings. When patients have discontinued taking Ambien, many have experienced severe withdrawal symptoms.

Ambien is a drug that REQUIRES EXTREME CARE!

It is similar to the benzodiazepine drugs, and is usually prescribed by doctors for people dealing with insomnia. It is designed to get the patient "over the hump" so they can fall asleep, usually within 15-30 minutes.

The bad news is that Ambien can be addictive and habit-forming, as well as interfering with your very precious Stage 3 and 4 (the deep, restorative stages of sleep) and REM sleep.

Sleeping pills "knock you out." Used very briefly - only a few days - Ambien can get you to sleep. But it works like anesthesia! Sleeping pills SUPPRESS the restorative stages of sleep. This is why so many people report having nightmares or restless nights when using Ambien, or feeling "wiped out" when they get up in the morning.

Dr. Malcolm Lader states: "All sleeping pills affect persons adversely for a minimum of 18 hours."

There are several other alternatives to sleeping pills that can help - in previous comments others have talked about Chamomile Tea, Passion Flower (one of my personal favorites!), Kava Kava (used responsibly!) and Valerian Root.

Hope that answers your questions!

Beer doesn't work for me. Actually, it gives me freaky dreams and I wake up alot. And in the morning I feel wiped out.

beer works for me

Tony, try Kava Kava, mentioned in more detail below in this forum.

It's very good for stress, some people tell me that it actually makes them feel very good, almost a feeling of euphoria. And it's really great at relieving stress levels.

Hope that helps. Anyone else?

Tony, I drink Chamomile Tea about an hour before bed, it really works for me when I'm stressed!

i have a lot of stress in my life right now, and i cant seem to get to sleep at night because of all the things crowding into my mind. can you give me some ideas on how to get to sleep even when youre stressed? thanks, tony

I've heard that Kava KAva is an aphrodisiac :)

Thanks !

Actually, Kava kava is not a sleep aid, per se. It is, though, excellent at reducing anxiety levels, which then allows the sleep sufferer to drop off to sleep naturally.

In its past history, Kava kava has been used as a pain reliever and anti-inflammatory. Many use it today in place of acetaminophen, aspirin and ibuprofen. I've read that Kava is the most relaxing of the botanical herbs (with the exception of the opium poppy!)

You don't need a large dose for Kava to work well, 25-30 mg. or so should be plenty. Never go beyond 100 mg.

Kava kava is an herb that deserves respect, large doses can bring on queasiness and dizziness.

Try taking Kava for a few days, and not so much as a continuous sleep aid, but more to "get you over the hump", where you may be experiencing a period of time where you feel tense and anxious. Kava for a few days should be used only to get you over the crisis and back into your regular sleep routine.

Small doses (like listed above) bring on a feeling of well-being and peace. Studies have shown that Kava is just as effective at reducing anxiety levels as the benzodiazepine drugs (you probably know them better as Valium, Dalmane, Halcion, etc.!)

Which may be just what you need to get you beyond your current sleep crisis! Take Kava about an hour before bed.

Someone here said that Kava Kava helps them -

Can you tell me a little more about the kava? Does it make you feel hungover in the morning? how much do you take? TIA --

Passion Flower (also known as Passionflower, one word) is really a neat herb.

It's been around for ages, and actually grows wild on fence posts and in ditches in the southern states. The flower is really quite beautiful. (www.GlobalHerbalSupplies.com has a good photo.)

Passion Flower works as a motor depressant, similar to a narcotic. It is calming, and has been seen to promote deep, restful and uninterrupted sleep without disturbing your alertness the next morning (so no "hangover" affect).

We've found that the liquid supplement (1 ounce bottle, comes with a dropper) works best for my husband. David takes about 1/2 dropperful in a glass of water about 30 minutes before bedtime, and it helps him to relax.

There seem to be no side affects, at least not for my husband. One study I found in India had the participants stop taking Passion Flower "cold turkey," and found that they did not have any dependence or withdrawal symptoms.

Maybe it will be good for you!

You would think that sleep problems wouldn't exist in this day and age, but I wonder if this day and age isn't the reason for the sleep problems that I an so many others have. I am doing my best to get into a sleep preparation mode at night so that my body expects to sleep when the time comes, rather than be fired up and going strong when I need to sleep. It seems to help, as for Ambien, and sleep drugs, I don't like the idea. what alway had me puzzled was that they, the doctors or whoever, can't tell us how the Sleep drugs work. Hmmm, if they don't know how they work what else don't they know about them, like detrimental side effect.

My 2 cents

John

Can you tell me how the Passion Flower works for you/ your husband?

I've heard of it, but I don't know what it really is.

Can you tell me how the Passion Flower works for you/ your husband?

I've heard of it, but I don't know what it really is.

Kava kava really helps me relax so I can sleep.

Carrie,

Your experience with Ambien is very common; many people find that after a few days or weeks, the sleeping pills stop working.

Actually, science backs this up. What sleeping pills really do is "knock you out." If you're caught in a cycle where you can't fall asleep, then sleeping pills can help you break that habit. Used for a few nights to get you "over the hump", sleeping pills can serve a useful purpose.

But what happens is that sleeping pills lose their effectiveness over a period of time (often just a month). Your body develops a tolerance to the pills, and when that happens, many people start "upping" their dose. Bad idea!

Sleeping pills are addictive and habit-forming. Even worse, research has shown that sleeping pills can actually suppress the deep, restorative phases of sleep. Instead of getting restful slumber, you're actually under anesthesia! (And what kind of hangover do people have when they come out of anesthesia?)

OK, try Chamomile Tea, mentioned earlier. Or look into Passion Flower, Valerian Root and/or Kava Kava. These natural remedies have been around for centuries, with very beneficial results! (My husband uses a combination of Stimulus Control Therapy, Passion Flower and Melatonin for his Sleep Onset Insomnia.)

Experiment. It may take you a few days or even weeks to find a happy solution for yourself. Don't give up. And check back here, maybe some others will have some suggestions that might work for you.

I've been taking Ambien for about 4 months now, and even though I've upped my dose, it just doesn't seem to be working like it did the first few days. Are there other sleeping pills that people have found works?

I can sleep for an hour or two and then I wake up and start staring at the clock, hoping I'll go to sleep. Every hour that goes by I get more and more frustrated. (I know I'm making it worse, but I don't know what else to do.)

Something natural sounds good, I try to eat healthy. Does anyone have any suggestions?

Hi Fred,

I appreciate your struggles - sometimes what works for one person may not work for another.

Yes, Chamomile Tea has been very beneficial for some to help them get to sleep. In an experiment done by a doctor (he was actually studying whether the Chamomile would lower blood pressure during a surgical procedure), 12 patients were given a cup of the tea before the procedure. (It was a heart catherization where the patients were not put to sleep with anesthesia, but were kept awake.) Out of those 12 people, 10 of them actually fell asleep when they were on the operating table! (Imagine the stress they were dealing with waiting for their procedure, and they still fell asleep!)

Try a cup of the tea 60-90 minutes before bedtime. Give it a good 7 -10 days to make it a real test. It's a simple fix, and may work wonders for you. If not, come back. Maybe others have had good experiences they will share!

I have had the same experiences with Ambien. I would like to be able to sleep better. Are there any natural remedies that actually work? I would really love to learn more about that.

I have seem information on Kava Kava, Passion Flower, Chamomiole, But do they really help. I do have to say that Chamomiole tea tasted bad. Of course if it works I would give it a real effort, but on just the chance, I don't want to deal with the taste.

Anyway, what really does work?

Fred

Carrie, It's difficult to see where you're having trouble. Do you have a tough time falling asleep? Or do you wake up a lot once you get to sleep? Many other people have told me that Ambien doesn't work for them, too.

You might look into some minor lifestyle changes, and Fred, you might look into these as well: Lower your salt intake. Don't drink any caffeinated drinks after 12 o'clock noon (so no coffee or soda). No alcohol after 6 o'clock. Try eating foods with more B vitamins, magnesium, calcium and tryptophan. (Poultry is a good choice, milk, walnuts, almonds, chocolate, eggs, fish, green leafy vegetables.)

See if those give you a bit of help, and check back here regularly - other people may have suggestions too! Best wishes for a good night's sleep!

I would like to learn more about what is talked about above. I have always had sleep trouble. I have tried all of the medicines, and nothing helps.

I enjoyed reading the intro - am looking forward to seeing what else people have tried to help get to sleep.

I've been taking Ambien, but it isn't helping me, even though the doctor tells me it's great. I toss and turn. Does anyone have any suggestions?

I just can't seem to get to sleep. I'm going nuts. Please help!

I have had a terrible time sleeping for years.