I've talked to a few women who have a really hard time sleeping.

[babylonsister]

I've had those issues myself. I'm drinking a beer at the moment.

Who here uses Ambien, too much, too little, or just right?

It sounds like it might become an issue for some imo.

[Skittles]

1. I work 12 hour nights and sleep during the day

Ambien is crucial

[babylonsister]

9. My friend thinks she's addicted. But likes it. But

is still always tired.

[Skittles]

29. I actually split 'em with a pill splitter

then pop in ear plugs and read for 30 mins or so - works like a charm

[darkstar]

74. A third even works for me sometimes

Plus I do the earplug thing too.

[undeterred]

2. I couldn't fall asleep last night

and I can't tonight either. Don't know why.

[Tangerine LaBamba]

8. Your subject line put this song into my head:

Bobby Lewis - a classic:


I couldn't sleep at all last night,
Just a-thinking of you.
Baby things ain't right.
Well I was tossing and turnin',
Turnin' and tossing,
Tossing and turnin' all night.

I kicked the blankets on the floor,
Turned my pillow upside down.
I never never did before,
Because I was tossing and turnin',
Turnin and tossing,
Tossing an turnin' all night.

Jumped outta bed,
Turned on the light,
I pulled down the shade,
went to the kitchen for a bite.
Rolled up the shade,
Turned off the light,
I jumped back into bed
it was the middle of the night.


The clock downstairs was strikin' four,
Couldn't get you off my mind,
I heard the milkman at the door,
'Cause I was tossing n turnin',
Turnin' and tossing,
Tossing and turnin' all night.

<instrumental>

Jumped outta bed,
Turned on the light,
I pulled down the shade,
went to the kitchen for a bite.
Rolled up the shade,
Turned off the light,
I jumped back into bed
it was the middle of the night.


The clock downstairs was strikin four,
Couldn't get you off my mind,
I heard the milkman at the door,
'Cause I was tossing n turnin',
Turnin' and tossing,
Tossing and turnin' all night.


Baby I was tossin' and turning,
Turning and tossin',
Tossing n turnin' all night...

[undeterred]

46. How about "Last night I couldn't get to sleep at all"...

[ContinentalOp]

48. haha, just beat me -nt-

[Captain Hilts]

65. How about the Electric Prunes "I Had Too Much to Dream Last Night?"

[ContinentalOp]

47. I always get the other one...

Last night I didn't get to sleep at all, no, no
I lay awake and watched until the mornin' light
Washed away the darkness of the lonely night (lonely night)

Oh, and last night I got to thinkin' maybe I, I, I
Should call you up and just forget my foolish pride
I heard your number ringin', I went cold inside
And last night I didn't get to sleep at all

I know it's not my fault, I did my best
God knows this heart of mine could use a rest
But more and more I find the dreams I left behind
Are somehow too real to replace (to replace)

Oh, last night I didn't get to sleep at all, no, no
The sleepin' pill I took was just a waste of time
I couldn't close my eyes 'cause you were on my mind
And last night I didn't get to sleep, didn't get to sleep
No, I didn't get to sleep at all at all



But more and more I find the dreams I left behind
Are somehow too real to replace (to replace)

Oh-uh-oh last night I didn't get to sleep at all no, no
The sleepin' pill I took was just a waste of time
I couldn't close my eyes 'cause you were on my mind
And last night I didn't get to sleep, didn't get to sleep
No, I didn't get to sleep at all at all

No, no, no
No, no, no

Last night I didn't get to sleep at all, no, no
Last night I didn't get to sleep at all
(oh, oh)

[lumberjack_jeff]

3. Have you tried melatonin?

Half a tablet knocks me out cold.

[babylonsister]

14. Isn't that the help for jet lag? No, I haven't tried it. nt

[MannyGoldstein]

20. +1

Melatonin 3mg. It's the hormone that our bodies naturally produce to make us sleepy, but we probably produce less in the modern age because we get far less sunlight.

[ezgoingrl]

41. A warning about melatonin and depression

if you do have depression issues (like I do) do not take melatonin or at the very least talk to your doctor first. There's a warning on the melatonin bottle that I ignored. Don't ignore it. The next day was a living hell that if it wasn't for my mother, I may not have walked out of the other side of.

[tammywammy]

4. Valerian root or melatonin for me n/t

[knowbody0]

5. i've convinced myself i NEED a nice glass of merlot

right after a half hour of yoga. i sleep sweet. you?

[Tangerine LaBamba]

6. I've taken Ambien,

and didn't like it at all. If I woke up to go to the bathroom, I simply could not get back to sleep, even if I'd taken it a couple of hours earlier.

By the way, alcohol is a stimulant, so that beer will contribute to your problem.

There's an Ambien II that might be better, but why not try Benadryl first? No addiction danger, and the sleepwalking issues that are common with Ambien aren't a part of Bendryl's makeup.

Take a couple an hour or so before bedtime, and you just might get a good night's sleep.........................

[babylonsister]

12. I've never taken Ambien. I have a few beers, I'm gone.

I get up really early most times, so I'm tired when I go to bed.

[Tangerine LaBamba]

15. So what happens?

You fall asleep and then you wake up and can't fall asleep again?

[babylonsister]

24. No. I sleep.

I 'wish' I had some weed to help me!

I sleep. I'm carefree!

[Muttocracy]

26. alcohol is a nervous system depressant. maybe a bladder stimulant. nt

[Tangerine LaBamba]

31. My cardiologist buddy just told me

never to drink if I was having trouble sleeping, that alcohol is a stimulant. Maybe he meant the bladder, but, somehow, I don't think so. Maybe it had something to do with the heart?

[Sgent]

42. Its a CNS depressent

That said, its contraindicated for sleep. Although its easier for most people who don't have an idiosyncratic reaction to fall asleep with alcohol, the quality of sleep is much worse.

[Truth2Tell]

58. Your cardiologist buddy

must have slept through their first year of medical school.

[Tangerine LaBamba]

61. No, he's board-certified, so

I guess he didn't drink enough that first year to fall asleep.

But, did you know that, in small doses, alcohol is a stimulant. It doesn't become a depressant until larger quantities are consumed.

Ask your cardiologist buddy.

Aren't you glad you snarked?

[Muttocracy]

71. no, it reduces inhibitions because it's a nervous system depressant. nt

[PSzymeczek]

7. Enough Brandy,

and I can sleep most of the time.

[waiting for hope]

10. Advil PM works wonders for me -

Drinking is not good, you may notice a few extra pounds to boot.

[babylonsister]

17. Interesting that. I also was told that Advil PM made one of these ladies

worse in the a.m. than anything. Fuzzy, not able to function, 6 cups of coffee, you get my drift.

[JenniferJuniper]

45. Unless you are in pain, skip the Advil part

and go for the straight Diphenhydramine (active ingredient of Benadryl). You can buy it generically (much cheaper) and you avoid the possible side effects of ibuprofen.

When absolutely necessary, I take a healthy slug of children's liquid Diphenhydramine. It will knock me out, but the grogginess in the morning is pretty bad, as others have noted. I usually only take it on weekends for that reason.

[seabeyond]

11. i always just stay up really really late, and get up early. lol. so i go to sleep

as soon as i put head down and sleep thru.

tired thru out day, but wtf.

no drugs.

wine makes me want to play

beer reminds me of high school

cheers

[Gwendolyn]

13. Could be a sign that perimenopause is starting.

Lots of women start in their early thirties. Or could be a symptom of too much stress in general.

Exercising like a fiend works wonders.

[Vickers]

16. Another vote for melatonin here.

I take one 30 minutes before I want to sleep.

My lids start getting a little heavy, and *poof!*

[lonestarnot]

18. Chamomile (sp?) tea?

[devilgrrl]

19. A glass of Cabernet Sauvignon...

liquid chill.

[WorseBeforeBetter]

21. I tried Ambien and had violent dreams...

and was exhausted/fuzzy the next day -- to the point I needed a power nap. A co-worker takes it and said she, too, has violent dreams -- the other night it was of someone was stabbing her in the neck. I'll never touch the stuff again.

Exercise, limited caffeine, no TV or computer before bed, etc. (famous last words, as it's 1:05 Eastern and I need to pull the plug on DU and head to bed...)

[mike_c]

22. 5-HTP does a wonderful job for me....

I buy it at costco-- it's a tryptophan analogue (or precursor-- I haven't looked up the conversion pathway). No side effects at all. No interactions with other drugs, including ethanol. I just sleep better.

Best wishes, bs!

[babylonsister]

27. Men can't sleep either? Oy. I didn't know that. Thanks, mike_c. nt

[Ohio Joe]

23. I gave up sleep about two months ago

After loosing my job and having my apartment burn down along with everything I owned, I don't sleep anymore... I do loose consciousness from time to time but I would not call it sleep. I can't afford pills but I do drink too much. After a year without a job and fighting with the insurance company to get my money from the fire... I just don't really give a fuck about very much anymore. I give it another few months before people are reading about me in the papers and shaking their heads.

[Tangerine LaBamba]

32. Man, I am so sorry.......

No one deserves that kind of rotten break. Breaks.

Hang on, take good care of yourself, as well as you can, and I wish you all the good luck in the world.....................

[lordsummerisle]

25. Ambien works for me

Alcohol makes me fall asleep more readily but it's generally a more restless sleep...

[aikoaiko]

28. 2 benadryl followed by a soco and caff free diet coke.

lights out.

[Maru Kitteh]

30. ask your doctor about trazodone. It has less side effects and it's safer, by far.

http://depression.emedtv.com/trazodone/trazodone-as-a-s...


Nobody has ever died from an overdose of Traz. Not one. Works really well for me.

Oh - and you don't spend the next day as a zombie. I hate that about Ambien and OTC.

[jeff30997]

59. Absolutely.

I've been taking trazodone for about 3 years now and it's far better than anything I
tried before.And yes the big plus is the no zombie part.

[Locrian]

63. trazodone

Scary stuff for some people. It knocked me out, but didnt last the whole night.

My wife FREAKED on it. Felt chilled to the bone like she was dead. BAD trip.

[Missy Vixen]

33. I added socks to my nighttime routine

Even in the summertime, I sleep like a baby. The socks evidently help regulate the body temperature.

I've taken Ambien. Once. At a sleep study. Ambien has an -- interesting -- effect on me. Let's just say that to detail exactly what that effect is would get the thread immediately locked. Since I was being observed via infrared camera all night, I'll be passing on the Ambien if I ever have to do that again.

[mike_c]

34. You. Me. Ambien.

I'm a REALLY cheap date.

[Missy Vixen]

38. Mike, you are FUNNY!

Of course, the only reason why I will discuss this at all is the anonymity of the Internet.



Let's just say I've wondered if it has this effect on other women...

[lonestarnot]

35. Observed via infrared camera w/or w/o consent?

[Missy Vixen]

37. It's a sleep study.

One signs a release before submitting to the study; the doctor and techs are observing while they're doing their job.

Let's just say it wasn't painful, they got the info they needed to diagnose me, and I'll be staying away from Ambien.

[lonestarnot]

40. I've read many bad tings bout that stuff. Hugh ugh no tanks!

[Jane Austin]

36. If you are a woman of a certain age . . .

low estrogen can make it impossible to sleep.

I thought I was going crazy when that happened to me.

I've been on HRT for 25 years now and sleep like a baby.

[Captain Hilts]

66. I found that I will zonk out immediately after lying down, then, wake up

an hour later and can't get back to sleep for HOURS!!!!!!!!!

I HATE that.

[cherokeeprogressive]

39. Forget Ambien.

A good nasal spray goes a million miles toward helping get a good night's sleep. That, and the right pillow. Oh, and a totally dark room doesn't hurt. Don't watch TV in bed. In fact, don't go to bed until YOU'RE TIRED.

A great sleep exercise: Lay flat on your back, with your arms at your sides and your head on a soft pillow, not too high. Take 3 second breaths... three seconds in, three seconds out. Imagine a ball in a cylinder filled with water... it takes three seconds for the ball to float to the top, and three seconds to sink to the bottom, in sync with your breathing... At the same time, imagine yourself letting go of the tension in your ankles... then imagine yourself letting go of the tension in your calves... then your thighs... then your hips... then your lower back... your fingers, your wrists, your forearms, your biceps, your shoulders, your neck, and your eyelids...

Hey sis... time to wake up...

[Holly_Hobby]

43. I sometimes wish I didn't sleep so much

I sleep 9 hours straight, like the dead. I don't hear door bells, phones, barking dogs, nothing. It's scary. I even slept through menopause.

Doctors say there's nothing wrong with me.

My mom had to wake me up to feed me when I was a baby.

[lifesbeautifulmagic]

44. I have the answer. Seriously.

I am a woman "of a certain age", who has been to the doctor more than once (when I had health coverage) about sleep issues. Many things were prescribed, Ambien among them. Nothing really worked, for any length of time, anyway. There were days I couldn't drive because I was afraid I go psychotic due to my lack of sleep, I just felt like a zombie.

Lately, i have been listening to internet radio, BBC specifically, threw headphones, set to go off in 30 minutes. I can barely make it 10 minutes, and i am sound asleep. Nothing has ever worked like this for me. I don't know if it is the staid sound of those English accents or what, but it just lulls me right to sleep. I recommend BBC 5 Live or BBC World Service.

The whole thing is weird because I am under more stress than every before, but my sleep issues have finally been solved. Silver lining, I guess.

[Lydia Leftcoast]

73. BBC3 is classical music

[Horse with no Name]

49. Ambien hangs me over. Badly. Very badly.

I don't drink, so that isn't an option.
I started taking Lunesta for those nights that I cannot sleep.
The best thing that I have found is that there is NO hangover--if I take it at bedtime and have to wake up 2-3 hours after that, I can.
No hangover. No drowsiness.
Works very well for me.

[PerfectSage]

50. Melatonin: One of the best free radical fighing anti oxidants.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Melatonin

I like the liquid drops much better than the powdered capsules.

[Raine]

57. That's what I use

it works great, helps make me feel drowsy and I never feel groggy when I wake up either.

[Withywindle]

51. NyQuil and valerian tea.

Getting to sleep is really hard. But once there, I sleep like the dead - 11 hours if I could (that's what happens when I don't set the alarm). Waking up is way more difficult. Takes an hour of the snooze button, a violent assault by hungry cat, and most of a pot of coffee.

[create.peace]

53. did you see the thread about nyquil? nt

[create.peace]

52. i put bbc online on my somewhat local station and if i don't fall asleep

at least i will know more when i wake up. i don't believe in starting chemical treatment, but did find that calcium late at night helped me. and bbc. oh, and though i am 60 now, this is a lifelong issue. i was always a night owl, as was my first daughter. it wouldn't have been an issue except children like to get up early in the morning....

[JDPriestly]

54. I often can't sleep. I just stay up and figure I'll make up the sleep

the next night or the next. But then, I also eat a lot and then don't eat much at all. I'm just like that.

My advice: make sure you are getting regular exercise and don't drive after a night without sleep if you can possibly avoid it.

[marzipanni]

67. Your post reminds me of myself, eating & sleeping > &

<. I dread having to drive any more than an hour or so if I'm not sure how much sleep I can get the night before. Once, when my son was a toddler, I saw a man taking an after lunch siesta in his car in the shade of a tree at McDonald's. I thought that would be nice to be able to do! My DH, on the other hand, could be a long-haul truck driver because he has driven across the US and back, and on other long trips driving alone, and doesn't get drowsy.

[flamingdem]

55. Temazepam is better than Ambien

as long as you use it very seldom. My doctor who is very granola said it's healthier than Ambien for whatever reason.

[Duer 157099]

56. I used to take Excedrin PM if I really needed to

but I would always be wiped out in the morning, and I didn't want to be taking the pain med part since I didn't always need that. So I recently found a generic "sleep aid" at Target, diphenhydramine HCl 50mg, and it works really well, in the sense that I feel rested in the morning and it's not hard to get up, as with Excedrin/Tylenol PM.

Melatonin also works for me but what it does is knock me out, doesn't necessarily give me a good nights sleep so I feel good in the AM.

Whereas the sleep aid doesn't make me sleepy, but apparently makes the sleep productive.

So actually I combine the diphenhydramine plus melatonin. Melatonin knocks me out and the diphen keeps me there.

Who knows what damage it's doing to me though...

[marzipanni]

70. Diphenhydramine is the active ingredient in Benadryl®

and other antihistamines. I've heard that some parents give Benadryl to children before they go on a long airplane trip so that they won't get motion sickness and might just take a long nap!(This WebMD article says not to give it to children to make them sleepy)
http://www.webmd.com/drugs/drug-5680-Benadryl.aspx?prin...

[donheld]

60. I'm not a woman, but boy do I have sleep issues

Insomnia sucks

[Deep13]

62. I use Trazadone.

I can't sleep because my mind races at night. This stuff lets me turn it all off so I can sleep. It's a prescription medication.

[Captain Hilts]

64. Running REALLY helps. Biking or rowing or elliptical doesn't do it the way

running does, though any exercise helps.

I got a major infection after donating platelets at Walter Reed 5 weeks ago and, finally, had my first workout since then just yesterday, and I now realize I slept better, but shorter.

[gbate]

68. Southern Comfort . Works every time!

[dana_b]

69. ambien - no way!

I did use it for a while but experienced "depersonilization" with it. That mean that I hallucinated and didn't recognize my own family. Scary shit.

So now I just turn on soft music or a reduced volume t.v. and sleep. If my back is hurting I take tinazidine but not all the time. I get between 5-7 hour of sleep a night but usually interrupted sleep.

[Lydia Leftcoast]

72. Alcohol doesn't really work

It makes you sleepy initially, but it depresses REM sleep. If I have a couple of drinks in the evening, I invariably go to sleep early but wake up about 2AM.

When I'm insomniac, it's usually due to stress, water retention, or thyroid problems.

[Minimus]

75. I used to take ambien but stopped due to the sleep-eating I was

doing. When I discovered I was actually using the stove and not remembering it I decided to stop. I am currently on Xanax for anxiety and it is helping with the sleep issues.

[Schema Thing]

76. can't believe there are 75 replies and no one has mentioned pot