Ive been having to resort to taking a sleep med. for a the past month or so. I wouldnt normally resort to this but I started nursing school and a new job and I need to make sure I get at least 6hrs or I feel awful the next day.
What I do is I go to bed like I normally do, without taking anything, and I see if my body will naturally fall asleep, if after a few hours and Im still laying there, I get up an take an ativan. That does it.
However I am concerned about this, so I keep a sleep journal to see if anything Im eating or drinking or taking as a supplement may be helping or hindering my sleep. What I noticed is on nights when I make hot rice cereal and have it before bed, I fall asleep, not always but in most cases. So Im wondering that since I am on a low carb diet, maybe my body isnt getting enough serotonin to make me sleepy at night. They say that carbs like cereal give you a serotonin boost. Does this make sense?
My doc prescibed ambien cr, but now Im hearing that its not gluten free. Is it better to take a sleep med than to take an anxiety med like ativan? Does anyone have any sleep secrets?
In my experience this is a double sided thing.....
Its probably just as important that you exclude foods that prevent sleep as ones that help....
For instance what would you have if not the rice?
This isn't a secret, indeed any serious sleep problem clinic will tell you it.... leastwise of they aren't making money prescribing drugs etc.
The single most important thing for sleeping is establishing a regualr pattern .... since going to bed early doesn't help rather hinders since you just get frustrated at not going to sleep after you made an effort to turn in early this only leaves waking at the same hour everyday regardless of how much you slept.
This is the single most effective way I know and was given to me by someone who had such severe sleep problems she was a special study case in a national instiute for sleep studies. I have since passed it on to several people and used it myself and so long as you stick to it and get up no matter how tired you are its the best and most natural way....and most sustainable long term.
Once you get into a cycle you can after a while play about with an extra hour here or there and I recently managed a Australia trip without much hassle whereas before I would have been sufferig sleeplessness for weeks after.
The second most effective is reducing stimulants especaily after lunch....coffee is obvious but its really true, if you are having problems and you drink it after lunchtime it will make thenm worse ... however there are quite a few other stimulants which are less widely known such as Rosemary... indeed looking through an aromatherpy reference manual will be the best... and you will also find the ones which help you sleep.
Sage springs to mind.... but you can also start drinking stuff like Sleepytime tea... my girlfriend imports this from America so
hope that helps....
Its probably just as important that you exclude foods that prevent sleep as ones that help....
For instance what would you have if not the rice?
QUOTE
Does anyone have any sleep secrets?
This isn't a secret, indeed any serious sleep problem clinic will tell you it.... leastwise of they aren't making money prescribing drugs etc.
The single most important thing for sleeping is establishing a regualr pattern .... since going to bed early doesn't help rather hinders since you just get frustrated at not going to sleep after you made an effort to turn in early this only leaves waking at the same hour everyday regardless of how much you slept.
This is the single most effective way I know and was given to me by someone who had such severe sleep problems she was a special study case in a national instiute for sleep studies. I have since passed it on to several people and used it myself and so long as you stick to it and get up no matter how tired you are its the best and most natural way....and most sustainable long term.
Once you get into a cycle you can after a while play about with an extra hour here or there and I recently managed a Australia trip without much hassle whereas before I would have been sufferig sleeplessness for weeks after.
The second most effective is reducing stimulants especaily after lunch....coffee is obvious but its really true, if you are having problems and you drink it after lunchtime it will make thenm worse ... however there are quite a few other stimulants which are less widely known such as Rosemary... indeed looking through an aromatherpy reference manual will be the best... and you will also find the ones which help you sleep.
Sage springs to mind.... but you can also start drinking stuff like Sleepytime tea... my girlfriend imports this from America so
hope that helps....