Community Chat

[HappyDaze]

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@GingerPeach wrote:

Herbal tea is also known as a "tisane."  (That's just an fyi - interesting bit of trivia.)  But not all herbal teas are sleep-inducing.

p.s.  For those who don't like the Sleepytime flavor, another chamomile tea (tisane) that has chamomile and is helpful at bedtime is Republic of Tea's Chamomile Lemon.  

p.p.s.  Don't forget to limit actual caffeine intake to no later in the day than 2:00 (sometimes earlier) so you won't wake up in the middle of the night.  Caffeine later than that may not prevent you from sleeping, but it it more likely to wake you up in the wee hours if your caffeine intake continues after 2 p.m.

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More trivia. .  Roobios tea is acually not true "tea" either. Many people think it is. It is naturally caffeine free and is actually a member of the legume family.

[mistriTsquirrel]

If those things don't work, try 1 bottle of wine, 1 mg of Klonopin and 6 Benadryl.

You're welcome.

[NoelSeven]

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@sidsmom wrote:

Hey @NoelSeven

There haven't been threads to lend themselves to off-topic 1-1 conversations....but this is the closest!

Remember about 7-8ish months ago, there was a conversation about medications & I mentioned I was on HRT, etc.? You questioned the connection between my healthy WOE & medication that is high risk. I responded I wasn't sleeping at night w/ night sweats & HRT helped...and I felt like the dangers of no sleep were higher than the dangers of HRT issues.

Well....I began to s-l-o-w-l-y wean myself from my HRT medications at that time.

If I would reduce, night sweats would return, no sleep & I would return to a higher dosage for a short period of time...but I forged on. Back & forth, slowly reducing....until today.

I'm on my last week of 25% of original dosage. Next week will be my first full week without any HRT!!  I'm crossing my fingers night sweats won't return & I can continue with good sleep!  I have several years to catch up on.

I know we don't see eye to eye on a couple of things (!), but I want to say...I read your words & took them to heart. What you said really impacted me...and with that, thank you!  Sidsmom <3

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SM, I am so proud of you!  I totally get how hard it is not to take something that helps, I have to be careful with Ibuprofin.  

GOOD FOR YOU!   

[OnlyShopsOnline]

Ok, this is going to be long, but I want to give you a little background on my problem.  I've had insomnia issues for more than 20 years.  First it started when my thyroid disease took over.  Then, it got a little better until perimenopause.  I would have trouble falling asleep.  Then I would only sleep 4 hours, wake up, and then a few hours later go back to sleep again.

Over the years my sleep cycle got worse.  I recently got to the point where my whole circadian rhythm got reversed.  Plus I started to get hypothyroid again, and was literally sleeping all day and evening and then not being able to sleep at night.  It was horrible and I felt like I had lost my entire life.  Plus I gained 50 pounds since last winter because all I was doing was going from my bed to my recliner, and eating in between.  

And, once I became post menopausal, my hot flashes and anxiety kicked into high gear and that also contributed to the problem.

I didn't want to do HRT.  I agreed to try 10 mg of Prozac, which really did cut down my hot flashes and anxiety by about 75%.  But my sleep was way off and it was really wearing me down.

About a month ago, I tried melatonin.  Of course, it affected me differently than most people.....it made me horribly nauseous and kept me near the bathroom.  

I was so frustrated.  So, after doing a lot more reading, and discovering how much blue light negatively affects our lives, and our sleep, I decided to order a pair of BluBlockers sunglasses.

THEY WORKED!  I've been able to reset my sleep cycle to almost normal in just a few weeks.  

I put them on at 10 pm and turn down some of the lights.  I can continue to watch TV or use the computer.  I also had my husband put a dimmer switch on my bathroom light, so I can turn down the light to a low level when I'm getting ready for bed.

Usually within 1-2 hours after I put my BluBlockers on, I'm ready to go to sleep.  And, I'm getting about 7 hours of sleep a night.....which I haven't been able to do in more than a decade.  And, I'm falling asleep in less than 10 minutes after I get into bed.

Blue light has really permeated our homes. It comes from TV screens, computer screens, tablets, fluorescent lighting...including those new CFL bulbs.  And, it signals the brain that it is daytime instead of nighttime, so you don't manufacture melatonin.  By using the Blublockers, my body is now making its own melatonin again.

There are several different styles.  Some pairs will even fit over glasses.  Mine don't, but they do wrap around the side so that no unflitered light creeps in at the sides.

They have changed my life!!!  It's the best $32 I've ever spent, and I'm ordering a second pair as a spare.

[Shorty2U]

As an insomniac none of that works for me. What I have found is, to turn off all electronic devices way ahead of bed for a better nights rest. Electronics (including tvs, kindles, computers and phones) make your brain race, and thus they are the reason people lack sleep now days.

[OnlyShopsOnline]

@Shorty2U, have you actually tried the BluBlockers?  I wouldn't have believed they would have cured a 20 year insomnia issue, but they did.

It's the blue light that is emitted from the electronic devices that signals your brain to think it is daytime, and so melatonin isn't produced.  By wearing the Blublockers, your brain doesn't see the blue light and your melatonin production occurs...without the need for melatonin supplements.

When I watch TV in the evening, I usually watch one of my sewing shows that I've dvr'd, or some silly old sitcom.  I don't watch anything suspenseful as that is going to get my adrenaline going, lol.

In general, it takes an hour or so of relaxation, with my Blublockers, for me to be sleepy enough to go to bed.  I couldn't sit in the dark for that long and just wait.  And, I find reading to be more mentally stimulating that watching TV.

[italia8140]

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@HappyDaze wrote:

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@sidsmom wrote:

To y'all posting before me:

Do you participate in any sort of a workout routine?

 A while back I gave my 'overtraining testimony' (!) and I discovered a direct link to some of my sleepless/toss-turn nights to my anaerobic training.   Once I slooooowed down, sleep got better.  

Harder, faster, stronger, higher isn't always the best prescription for health.   HTH.

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I actually sleep better the more intense my workouts are.

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 I do also. The more intense workout (not the slowing down), the better the sleep.

[feline groovy]

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@mistriTsquirrel wrote:

If those things don't work, try 1 bottle of wine, 1 mg of Klonopin and 6 Benadryl.

You're welcome.

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And she's back!  

[feline groovy]

Look at mistri's avatar... awww!!!

[GingerPeach]

@OnlyShopsOnline

I've read about that and tried Blu-blocker glasses for a couple of days, but it was annoying.  I'm really glad to know that it worked for you.  I may just give it another try after reading your inspiring story.  A good night's sleep is truly lifesaving.

I saw a comic about pulling an all-nighter, and how it used to mean staying up all night when you are younger but, as we age, it means we finally slept the whole night through!