oh sh!t...

[miss fortune]

I should be smarter than this since it's not a new behavior habit of mine in particular... I mean, it's not exactly the same old song and dance, but it's not different enough that I should be shocked...

I've been pretty stressed with bullshit from life recently and I've never had the best chopping mechanisms for that, I suppose... I've had shit at work and shit at home and really no escape from any of that, but I shouldn't make excuses because I KNOW better. I've gone out of town a few times and I always have trouble sleeping in hotels... The first time I went I had a cold so I picked up a bottle of Nyquil, which was awesome because I slept like a baby... The next time a coworker gave me an almost full bottle of ambien, which was even more awesome... Sleep without the terrible death liquorice flavor! I thought it would be great for when I'm out of town! Then I started having trouble unwinding in the evening this past week so I took some more... Instant relaxation, but trouble functioning in the morning, so a ton of caffeine during the day to wake up and then wired again in the evening...

I KNOW this pattern and where it'll lead, so some alternative suggestions would be awesome... I naturally desire to be able to turn off... What other options exist?

 

[Pseudo]

Melatonin. You can get it at a heath food store of drugstore.

 

[miss fortune]

Melatonin. You can get it at a heath food store of drugstore.

yeah... the problem is that I'm really not that hot on the idea of being dependent upon ANY substance for anything again

 

[Pseudo]

Oh okay. Well, whenever I have trouble with relaxation and sleep I found exercise and maintaining a schedule to be most effective. A long run/rollerblade/walk or strenuous yoga session combined with listening to some of my favorite relaxing jams usually does it for me. It gives me time to be alone and process whatss going on , and physically it gets rid of some muscle tension and gets me tired.

I've read that having a nightly routine that you do at the same time each night helps a lot with this type of problem. Basically conditioning yourself for sleep. Maybe a workout, shower, light reading and then bed time. Or whatever works for you.

 

[citizen cane]

Some ideas: routine, healthy eating, regular exercise, meditation. Also, try avoiding bright light a half hour to an hour before you go to bed- this includes television and computer screens. And personally, showers tend to relax me, but they also tend to wake me up a bit at least on occasion, so maybe you'd want to do that a while before going to bed...it's up to you. Above all, be patient enough to try different things and realize that changes might take time to work to full effect, and don't get discouraged if you can't always stick with something all the time without exception.

 

[Halla74]

I'm not being a smart ass in saying this, I promise.
As far as non-chemical assistance for sleeping goes...
There's nothing that helps me get to sleep better than sex.
If you're SO is not available, then masturbation is the next best thing.

 

[ChocolateMoose123]

Best thing that works for me is smoking. I don't find it habit forming. Some nights I don't need it.

 

[Mal12345]

I'm not being a smart ass in saying this, I promise.
As far as non-chemical assistance for sleeping goes...
There's nothing that helps me get to sleep better than sex.
If you're SO is not available, then masturbation is the next best thing.

 

[Jaguar]

Look into calcium/magnesium.
By the way, some people get obnoxious withdrawal symptoms from using Ambien.

 

[miss fortune]

Oh okay. Well, whenever I have trouble with relaxation and sleep I found exercise and maintaining a schedule to be most effective. A long run/rollerblade/walk or strenuous yoga session combined with listening to some of my favorite relaxing jams usually does it for me. It gives me time to be alone and process whatss going on , and physically it gets rid of some muscle tension and gets me tired.

I've read that having a nightly routine that you do at the same time each night helps a lot with this type of problem. Basically conditioning yourself for sleep. Maybe a workout, shower, light reading and then bed time. Or whatever works for you.

Some ideas: routine, healthy eating, regular exercise, meditation. Also, try avoiding bright light a half hour to an hour before you go to bed- this includes television and computer screens. And personally, showers tend to relax me, but they also tend to wake me up a bit at least on occasion, so maybe you'd want to do that a while before going to bed...it's up to you. Above all, be patient enough to try different things and realize that changes might take time to work to full effect, and don't get discouraged if you can't always stick with something all the time without exception.

we did use to walk around the neighborhood together in the evenings or do some yard work, but it's been ungodly hot here lately and I've been beat by the time I get home from being out in the heat all day... and I do read before falling asleep... I've tried that one and ended up awake until 3

not to mention that if routine didn't describe my home life it wouldn't describe ANYTHING

I'm not being a smart ass in saying this, I promise.
As far as non-chemical assistance for sleeping goes...
There's nothing that helps me get to sleep better than sex.
If you're SO is not available, then masturbation is the next best thing.

if I got sex every night I'd think I'd died and that there actually WAS a heaven!

Best thing that works for me is smoking. I don't find it habit forming. Some nights I don't need it.

I do find it habit forming... a pack a day worth of habit forming

Look into calcium/magnesium.
By the way, some people get obnoxious withdrawal symptoms from using Ambien.

I DO keep properly nourished!

and TAKING it gives enough issues... I feel genuinely stupid anymore, which kind of discourages me from posting in a way

trying to avoid my old schedule of starting the day with a cup of coffee while getting ready and 3 redbulls on my way to work, more caffeine throughout the day and then alcohol and sleeping medication at night to knock myself out... and then starting the whole cycle all over again... dying like Elvis really isn't on my bucket list

mostly I know that I'm pretty predisposed to be an addict and want to avoid adding something else to my "must avoid" list

 

[Jaguar]

I DO keep properly nourished!

That's not what I meant.
A lot of people use calcium/magnesium supplements at night, since they can have a calming effect on the nervous system.

 

[KDude]

Stop caring about so much. Or at least, block the minor problems out. I for one fall to sleep quickly.

I don't know what's going on in your life, but since you're avoiding drugs, this is the only advice I have. When you're taking something that makes you relaxed, like getting drunk, sleeping pills, anti anxiety meds, smoking weed, you stop giving a shit too. You're just kind of floating. But I think it can done without any of it. It's not something you can just turn on and off though. It's a way of life.

 

[miss fortune]

That's not what I meant.
A lot of people use calcium/magnesium supplements at night, since they can have a calming effect on the nervous system.

oh... I didn't know that! I've just been slightly paranoid about extra anything after reading a list of side effects of overdoses of various vitamins and minerals when I was a kid (I was a weird kid)

I've considered just staying up until I crash... did it before, slept for 26 hours straight though

anything to prevent me from having to actively think "you're in public, don't drool"

 

[miss fortune]

Stop caring about so much. Or at least, block the minor problems out. I for one fall to sleep quickly.

I don't know what's going on in your life, but since you're avoiding drugs, this is the only advice I have. When you're taking something that makes you relaxed, like getting drunk, sleeping pills, anti anxiety meds, smoking weed, you stop giving a shit too. You're just kind of floating. But I think it can done without any of it. It's not something you can just turn on and off though. It's a way of life.

yeah, I'm not that sure that I want to go with any type of mind altering substance... I like them a bit too much I guess... that feeling of detachment is like a fucking vacation from my life and I just want to stay and go native

finding the balance of not caring and caring is the difficult part... there's too many things on the front burner and none of them can really be moved back without spilling and scalding me... just need to figure out how to turn the stove down...

 

[ChocolateMoose123]

I do find it habit forming... a pack a day worth of habit forming

Different kind of smoke.

 

[Orangey]

I have this same problem. I used to take benedryl at night and then drink a shit ton of espresso in the morning just to clear the fog. That was after failed experiences with melatonin, ambien, and alcohol (the latter was just a bad idea.)

The only way I've been able to solve this is by doing very strenuous exercise during the day. Like, either hard physical labor of some kind or high-impact exercise. Otherwise I have too much energy. I guess it needs to be burned away or else it's there to stay.

 

[miss fortune]

Different kind of smoke.

oh, that type has always made me nauseous, which makes me wonder if I'm a defective model of humanity!

I have this same problem. I used to take benedryl at night and then drink a shit ton of espresso in the morning just to clear the fog. That was after failed experiences with melatonin, ambien, and alcohol (the latter was just a bad idea.)

The only way I've been able to solve this is by doing very strenuous exercise during the day. Like, either hard physical labor of some kind or high-impact exercise. Otherwise I have too much energy. I guess it needs to be burned away or else it's there to stay.

I get plenty of exercise during the day to the point where I'm physically tired... I suspect that my brain thinks that it should be put to bed like I used to do so, and I kind of think I need to cut out that sort of activity

 

[prplchknz]

have the man knock you upside the head with a skillet

side effect:head ache and possible brain damage.

 

[Thalassa]

melatonin is totally natural and if you need something to wean you off of ambien, do it...ambien is a nightmare that can ruin your life, I've read so many horror stories; it's not as bad to take something like trazadone as a sleep aid, but that can still be a problem because it's not a natural substance like melatonin

Melatonin actually has some health benefits, and it's definitely better for you than nyquil.

 

[miss fortune]

I've only taken it, at regular doses, for a couple of weeks... it's not like I've been abusing the shit out of it or anything

however, I decided to read up on the pharmacology behind how it works and just read that I'm in one of the few categories of people who really shouldn't be taking it thanks to similarities in neural pathways with other things

I really don't care to actually TAKE anything in order to function, natural or not... going that pathway in life has not served me all that well in the past, so I have no real desire to repeat it... that's why I'm taking precautions early in this case

and if I wanted to wake up with a splitting headache I'd start drinking again, ms chickenz!