Any suggestions for prostate-friendly, non-addictive sleep aids?
Although I have had some success with pelvic pain relief recently, I have not had a good night sleep in weeks (since I eliminated Valium).
I have tried relaxation tapes and they do help me relax, but not sleep. I have eliminated (almost all) stress, caffiene, and late night snacks. Ideas...
Matt
Off topic -- insomnia...
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MastCells
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Re: Off topic -- insomnia...
Older antihistamines make you drowsy, so I take Benadryl when I can't sleep. Tylenol makes me sleepy too. Valerian and melatonin are supplements that may help.
Don't watch television or listen to stimulating music shortly before hitting the hay.
I have also started wearing soft earplugs and a mask over my eyes (like the ones some airlines give you for free on a long flight). Less sensory stimulation seems to help me fall asleep faster and stay asleep longer.
Don't watch television or listen to stimulating music shortly before hitting the hay.
I have also started wearing soft earplugs and a mask over my eyes (like the ones some airlines give you for free on a long flight). Less sensory stimulation seems to help me fall asleep faster and stay asleep longer.
This is not medical advice. Please consult your physician.
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latte
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Interesting that you would say that about Tylenol, Mastcells. When I wake up in the middle of nite and can't go back to sleep two Tylenol put me right out. Must take the edge off. I am wondering about your use of valium MS. What does your doctor say about your insomnia regarding your stopping of the Valium. Is this like a withdrawal symptom?
Age: | Onset Age: | Symptoms: | Helped By: | Worsened By: | Other comments:
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NoMoPain
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I had a couple of weeks of insomnia about 4 months ago mostly because I was getting ready to start a new job and I had extreme fear that the stress on the new job was going to really flare up my pelvic pain. I am very happy and grateful as I now reflect that I have gotten very skilled at remaining calm and relaxed at work and thus what I was afraid of has not really happened to me.
At any rate what I found to be very helpful for sleep were the following:
1. Melatonin - I take the timed release and the sublingual form - both are excellent.
2. GABA - I have mentioned this before on the website that I am a big proponent of this supplement since numerous studies have found it to be comparable to valium in reducing anxiety and muscle tension and is found to be non-addictive with no side effects. I find that taking this product about 1 hour before I want to fall asleep is very helpful (both this and the melatonin an hour or so before I want to sleep seems to do the trick).
One of my favorite products is called "Natural Calm" which has GABA and many other herbs to promote sleep such as valerian root. I also take the sublingual GABA from the brand Source Naturals. For me I find GABA before bedtime to work better than Valium--that's right, better than Valium and no side effects nor addiction as I have gone over a month without it and no dependancy. I did not take the GABA during the day though as it does make one somewhat drowsy, but the good thing is that the day after taking the GABA I would feel much less anxiety and muscle tension and no drowsiness at all.
3) Paradoxical\Progressive Relaxation or Meditation - I believe you mentioned this one already.
4) White Noise Machine - these just create a constant noise that tends to block out external noises such as noisy neighborsl, etc. This helps me a lot.
5) Acceptance - I am far from a master at this but I found that not trying and wanting so much to fall asleep actually helped. If I would awake in the middle of the night I would try to just allow it and be okay with it and usually within an hour I would fall back asleep. This is in contrast to when I would wake in the middle of the night and get stressed out because I awoke and could not fall back asleep--this reaction only kept me awake longer though.
An important point here is that what is mentioned above are not prescription drugs, but over the counter supplements you can buy from a health food store.
Well you might want to try all mentioned above as I believe there is a synergistic effect.
Good luck to you and everyone else out there.
At any rate what I found to be very helpful for sleep were the following:
1. Melatonin - I take the timed release and the sublingual form - both are excellent.
2. GABA - I have mentioned this before on the website that I am a big proponent of this supplement since numerous studies have found it to be comparable to valium in reducing anxiety and muscle tension and is found to be non-addictive with no side effects. I find that taking this product about 1 hour before I want to fall asleep is very helpful (both this and the melatonin an hour or so before I want to sleep seems to do the trick).
One of my favorite products is called "Natural Calm" which has GABA and many other herbs to promote sleep such as valerian root. I also take the sublingual GABA from the brand Source Naturals. For me I find GABA before bedtime to work better than Valium--that's right, better than Valium and no side effects nor addiction as I have gone over a month without it and no dependancy. I did not take the GABA during the day though as it does make one somewhat drowsy, but the good thing is that the day after taking the GABA I would feel much less anxiety and muscle tension and no drowsiness at all.
3) Paradoxical\Progressive Relaxation or Meditation - I believe you mentioned this one already.
4) White Noise Machine - these just create a constant noise that tends to block out external noises such as noisy neighborsl, etc. This helps me a lot.
5) Acceptance - I am far from a master at this but I found that not trying and wanting so much to fall asleep actually helped. If I would awake in the middle of the night I would try to just allow it and be okay with it and usually within an hour I would fall back asleep. This is in contrast to when I would wake in the middle of the night and get stressed out because I awoke and could not fall back asleep--this reaction only kept me awake longer though.
An important point here is that what is mentioned above are not prescription drugs, but over the counter supplements you can buy from a health food store.
Well you might want to try all mentioned above as I believe there is a synergistic effect.
Good luck to you and everyone else out there.
Age: 41 | Onset Age: 24 | Symptoms: You name it, I had it. | Helped By: Wand, Theracane, Cognitive Enquiry (Byron Katie) Stretches, The right kind of excercise | Worsened By: Stress, The wrong kind of excercise,
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alphacentauri
Re: Off topic -- insomnia...
Depends on what you mean by 'stimulating'. What about Debbie Boone? Hmm... maybe not, you wanna go to sleep, not kill yourself.MastCells wrote:Older antihistamines make you drowsy, so I take Benadryl when I can't sleep. Tylenol makes me sleepy too. Valerian and melatonin are supplements that may help.
Don't watch television or listen to stimulating music shortly before hitting the hay.
Also, a TV can be a very useful sleep aid, though I do agree with you about valerian. I'd recommend a valerian-based sleep aid supplement based on personal experience.
And what about those ambient noise machines?
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MS
Thanks for the suggestions!
I took a 25mg of Hydroxizne last night and that seemed to help.
My Dr. prescribed Sonata (5mg), which I will try if all else fails. I plan to try Melatonin tonight, and I will look into the Valerian and Gaba too.
I took a 25mg of Hydroxizne last night and that seemed to help.
My Dr. prescribed Sonata (5mg), which I will try if all else fails. I plan to try Melatonin tonight, and I will look into the Valerian and Gaba too.
Yes. He said Valium is also used as a treament for insomnia, thus this is a withdrawal symptom.latte wrote: I am wondering about your use of valium MS. What does your doctor say about your insomnia regarding your stopping of the Valium. Is this like a withdrawal symptom?
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Northernspy
Re: Off topic -- insomnia...
Insomnia is a side-effect of the quinolones. I recovered mostly about a month after I stopped them.MS wrote:Any suggestions for prostate-friendly, non-addictive sleep aids?
- Charles