The side effects of melatonin are horrible.. i found myself always so drowsy the next day... LOL... also read up that it just puts you to sleep but not into a deep sleep mode.

I do not recommend melatonin at all. It's fine for occational use but should not be used regularly or your body will stop making it's own.

As Hamsup says it also doesn't put you into proper sleep.

Drink a glass of milk about 1 hour before you want to fall asleep.

is there anything important going on in your life right now (or before) that could be subconsciously stressing you out and not allowing you to relax?

i've also had trouble sleeping before and i've done relatively well going the herbal, natural way. for me was d/t outside circumstances and i fully support the others' comments on making SURE it's not sleep apnea.

1. i used johnson's lavender and chamomile baby bedtime body wash/lotion
2. sprayed my face and pillow with rose water
3. get in bed and meditate
4. this one is weird but i sleep better when my wrist is bent.. like the back/top of my hand is touching the mattress. i've been doing it since i was a baby lol.
5. get into this position
http://27.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lz...jktgo1_400.jpg

i hope you're able to find what works for you soon!!!

^^
Did you draw this?

Melatonin is useful for occasional use, but you have to use it right. First of all, don't take more than 1mg if you have never used it before. If 1mg is enough, good, there's your dose. If it's not enough, try 2mg then 3mg. DO NOT GO OVER 3MG or you will have the drowsy side effects.

Also, you need to take it early enough in the evening, because if you get less than about 8 hours of sleep with melatonin, you won't be fully rested. It does put you into a deep sleep, but you need enough of it. Of course, this varies by person as well.

Another to try that also has to be used sparingly is PHENIBUT. Try 300 to 600mg. Similar to melatonin, this should only be used sparingly - no more than 2 nights a week, STRICTLY.

The good thing about phenibut is that it really increases your GABA intake, so the next day, you will feel like a million bucks in a way. Sometimes it almost feels euphoric. Used during the day, it is very good for anxiety, but I only use it for sleep. But it is physically addictive, so don't take it more than 2x a week.

One that you can take each night that will help sleep is 5-HTP. Start with a 100mg dosage, and you can work your way up to 300mg, but taper up and down, and take breaks. It will help with sleep, give killer dreams, and increase serotonin levels which helps with mood and anxiety. It's also great for dieting, as it can help prevent carb cravings during a cut.

nope, tumblr provided :accepted:

Holy shit listen to this guy! LOL. Skinny suggested taking melatonin when I came back from HK, I didn't know and had 3mg on my first try....most fucked up dream of my life! Felt like I was on acid or something.

lol I remember that... weren't you taking like 6mg?

Also, don't mix any of those things up

Lol, do you remembered what happened in your dream? I don't mind dreaming, just wanna feel rested. I picked up some good foam earplugs, gonna try that tonight with a dose of melatonin.

When I was really stressed out and couldn't get any sleep, my doctor prescribed trazodone (100 MG). It's classified as an anti-depressant but those made me PTFO.

WTF, that makes me mad. You said you're having problems sleeping and your doc gave you something like that?

One pill for every ill eh.

I'm pretty sure almost all sleeping issues could be solved without presciption meds.

I realize a factor was using the computer with a bright display is a factor. You shouldn't be looking at something with the white balance of the sun right before trying to sleep, I think it's confusing my brain.

You're definitely right about the computer being a factor. I used to browse my iPad before I went to bed and that was a huge mistake. Now before I go to bed, I leave all electronics outside the bedroom to avoid temptation (keep my blackberry for emergencies and I would rather pass kidney stones then use the blackberry browser for ANYTHING)

I told my doctor I had trouble sleeping especially when my girlfriend was over (she radiates heat like crazy and loves to use my arms and chest as her pillow)

"Take these pills once a night, fourty five minutes before you sleep."

I tried it the first night and like advertised; I was out. It's very hard to not use the pills (almost like a placebo effect, If I don't take them I can't stop thinking about taking them.) especially when my girlfriend stays the night.

And yes, it's still difficult to sleep after sex. (she's out easy but I can't just fall alseep)

Green tea before bed is a horrible idea, it contains caffeine and other stims

I've had friends tell me the same about having a consistent routine. During the weekdays I try to be in bed by 1 AM and up for work at 8.

ask you doctor for prescription medication ambien

Do NOT do this.

Ambien is not a good idea for regular use and should only be used in times of extreme stress (when a family member dies kinda thing) where outside factors are impacting sleep. Regular use of Ambien and other sleeping pills can have seriously ill effects including but not limited to fucking up your memory, hallucinations and other mental impairments.

Did I mention it's also addictive?

Don't go there.

Like I said before , I don't believe prescription meds are necessary for fixing sleeping g problems. Ask Michael Jackson, lol.

He's dead bro

When I was working out of town I couldn't sleep. I'd have to get up at 6 but I'd be lucky if I could fall asleep before 3am no matter how tired I was. Sleeping pills helped but not a long term fix by any means. I now take melatonin with decent success when I'm having trouble sleeping. It's not something I use every night but probably 4-5 times a month depending on my stress levels at work. I've never had nightmares, funky dreams or next day drowsiness from it that I've noticed.

My sleeping problem have everything to do with stress when I have them. If I have huge projects I'm working on that are not going well or I'm worried I'm not going to finish I will probably have a hell of a time getting any sleep. Sometimes I hate my job and would like to go back to being a grunt and not someone people depend on for answers.

I'm very surprised that your doctor would prescribe 100mg to you. ESPECIALLY if it was your first time taking that medication. Most people begin at 25mg and this drug is often abused by patients.

MJ was given Propofol intravenously by his doctor on a nightly basis. That shit is for general anesthesia and is supposed to be administered with an anesthesiologist present to monitor the patient. Retard doctor injected him with the drug, left and came back to find him not breathing. Anyways, my point here is that Propofol isn't something anyone will be able to get at a local pharmacy.

As for your sleeping habits, I picked up a few tips from Psychology that have helped myself and others.

1. Do not keep a TV or any other electronics (other than cellphone of course) in your bedroom. These things all stimulate your mind and distract the normal sleeping cues your body gives you. There are also studies that show having a TV in the bedroom leads to less sex ;)

2. Do not use your bed for anything other than sleep (and sex). By doing this, your mind and body are associating the bed with rest. When you do things like eat, study, etc on your bed, your mind is again being stimulated rather than shutting down for the night.

3. Try to avoid mind stimulating activities prior to sleeping. Instead, try to do things that you know will make you want to sleep; things that don't involve a lot of brain power. Counting sheep may sound stupid but it works for many people. Personally, I do things like clip my nails, studying (:lol) or even reading some lengthy posts by certain people who have long-winded arguments on RS :whistle:

Is 5-HTP over the counter? I've been having constant problems sleeping, and I'm getting sick of having to pry myself off my bed every morning. It's also annoying either waking up in the middle of the night, or worse, 15-30 minutes before my alarm goes off, which makes any sleep I got feel like a waste of time.

I was hooked up to an oxymeter when I was younger, but the specialist that I went to only gave a vague description to what I needed to do for sleep apnea at the time. Of course, I was in elementary school when that happened, so basically zero stress in my life.

Any additional info in the 5-HTP is appreciated.

If there's a chance you have sleep apnea, you DO NOT want to be taking medication that will keep you asleep. The reason you're sleepy with apnea is because you stop breathing in the night, and your body kicks itself to wake you up and start breathing again. Apply drugs that keep you asleep, and you may stay that way permanently.

For those with smartphones, I got this app called "sleep talk" which records sounds made during sleeping, including sleep talk.

While I don't sleep talk, I've been using it to track how often I toss and turn.

One night I slept 8 hours, 31 recordings of me shufflings.
Last night, 5:53hrs, 28 recordings.
Previous night, 5:45, 21 recordings.

Are you fat?