Sleeping

[Shadwell]

Hi anyone on here take sleeing tablets my gp not keen on me stayi g on them since leaving hospital but struggling to get a good night sleep any advice would be much appreciated

Thanks

[Hidden]

Sleeping tablets are best avoided except for episodes of acute insomnia. After a while they cease to have any effect but you become psychologically dependent on them. I've always struggled with sleep but don't find tablets work any more. The thing is not to get hung up on having a "good" night's sleep. What does that mean, after all? I take a long time to fall asleep and wake regularly throughout the night, but if I'm relaxed and resting, my on-off dozes mean I accumulate enough sleep to function during the day. That's really all you need.

[Badbessie]

Hi your GP may give you a short course of medication to help you sleep. The word here is short term. One they can be addictive and two they lose there effectiveness. They helped me get back to a good sleeping pattern. However that was after trying other methods such as relaxation tapes etc.

[sassy59]

I agree with 2greys as Pete is hooked on zopiclone even though they don’t work anymore.

Take care xxxx

[hypercat54]

Hi I have insomnia too but my doctor gives me a very small dose of an antidepressant called mirtazapine which really helps me. They are reluctant to give out sleeping pills but will ad's. It could be worth a try. x

[Hidden in reply to hypercat54]

I too take mirtzapine or whatever you call it. Small dose, I still wake up but will fall right bac to sleep

[Caspiana]

Hello Shadwell .

I do understand the feeling when you can't get a full night's sleep, especially if you don't or can't snooze during the day time. It is physically and emotionally draining. 😑

I have been on sleep medication for a long, long time. I have gone off them before, and it takes tapering and time. The truth is I don't think they really work for me anymore, but taking them makes me feel like I am "safe" to sleep at night. In reality, sleep medication should not be taken long term. I have been thinking of talking to my doctor about weaning again. I have recently found drinking a glass of milk or having a little bit of yoghurt before bed helps me to sleep better.

Putting it plainly they are a short term solution, I think.

Sending hugs,

Cas xx 🌻

[jackdup in reply to Caspiana]

I used to have trouble either getting to sleep or staying asleep but since I have started having a cup of green tea and a little yogurt as well around 8 pm my sleep is much improved.

[Caspiana in reply to jackdup]

Hello jackdup .

I too noticed a significant change since eating a little yoghurt before bed. It seems that yoghurt has a sleep inducing nutrient, calcium. It reduces stress and stabilizes nerve fibers, including those in the brain. So with reduced stress comes better rest. Luckily, I like yoghurt very much. xx 😊🍓

[jackdup in reply to Caspiana]

As do I. I wasn't sure if it was the yogurt or the green tea but glad either or both work.

[Roseking2001]

Hi there I have never had to use sleeping tablets but I do use Kalms herbal tablets sometimes if I have any trouble getting off to sleep. They are available from the chemist over the counter you can get day ones or night ones Might be worth a try and are non-addictive. Failing that you could try putting on a really boring radio programme which does the trick for me!

[Robin77]

I've always slept badly and have found lots of things helpful - up to a point - and ALL generally less effective after a couple of weeks. Switching around helped. Magnesium but can't remember suggested dose, orange flower tisana, other herb teas, some homeopathic remedies. Acupuncture can also induce deep drowsiness and relaxation. But since it wears off after a few days, not a long term solution. Some people swear by baldrian, it makes me sick and nauseous. All the usual advice helps a little: a regular evening routine, soft lighting, no computers and phone screens in bed. The best thing for me was prescribed mirtazapine which has a mild but reliable sedative effect. I had no withdrawal issues whatsoever and it did me good. However, it is true that some people gain weight fast with mirtazapine. Re that and other prescribed meds, personally I don't worry too much as long as I trust the doctor and there's responsible supervision. Still hoping that researchers will one day discover a perfect treatment for chronic insomnia.

[watergazer]

I too have suffered with sleeplessness for 20 years plus and though the sleeping pills worked initially I found they soon wear off and I needed more and more. I stopped taking them and my previous doctor would reluctantly give me a couple of days worth if I was taking steroids as I don't sleep at all then. My new doctor wont prescribe them I was given Phenergan instead which sent me to sleep the 2 times I took it but I had episodes in the night of severe unrest and was very tired the next day . Herbal tablets don't seem to help however I've had cranial osteopathy recently and I drink a night herbal tea and sometimes eat kiwi fruit before going to bed. My sleep has improved Most nights I wake but am able to go back to sleep though occasionally I have to get up for a while. Lets hope researchers find something which works and is none addictive and doesn't have side effects. Take care.

[Ergendl]

Chamomile tea or fennel tea, eye mask, headphones on to listen to gentle story when I wake in the night; regular routine before bedtime; black-out blinds or curtains. These all help me get the best sleep I can despite waking several times in the night and getting up early.

[hallentine47]

My GP refuses to prescribe sleeping pills but does let me have a very limited monthly call on Lorazepam. He warned me not to use it as a sleeping aid but I have done and I believe it helps. When I take half a mg I get 4 hours straight sleep. Other wise I wake after one hour and there after every hour or half an hour until its time to get up feeling tired and in need of sleep! I take a lot of meds including steroids which I suspect adversely effort my ability to sleep.

[oulpete]

Best to stay away from sleeping tablets, I was addicted to one called Halcyon made by Upjon and they made my daytime hell. It was if I was on speed with with irrational thoughts it was only when I read an article in the Sunday Express that I recognised the symptoms, I wrote to the medical editor explaining my problems and with permission he printed a portion of my letter, since that time I haven't taken sleeping pills.

[sarcoid1234]

I recently was diagnosed with an extra health condition, and thought perhaps too many cups of tea during the day was not helping, so i now only have one cup of tea first thing in the morning, and during the rest of the day drink hot water which serves the same purpose for me. I also do not have my cup of decaffeinated coffee after my evening meal just hot water. I now find i get to sleep more easily and when I wake up in the middle of the night a couple of times to go to the loo i get back to sleep quite easily.

A second thought is, herbal Nytol (from the chemist) may help some people. I think there is a Nytol with chemicals in it, but i have never used that.

[Hidden]

Doctors don’t like it because it can suppress your breathing if you have respiratory disease, and apnoea. I am on Bromazepam, an anxiolytic, I have reduced the dosage from 3mg to 2.25mg. I take it around 10pm or later it is ok. Doesn’t leave me in a fog.

It is recommended for LAM patients to have an anxiolytic or something like that. I didn’t sleep well for years before that, at least I can rest now. It is true that I have to take my inhalers at night sometimes but I usually drop off again.

And I still have herbal teas and use relaxation techniques. It all helps.

[Shadwell]

Thanks everyone for your help

[panda22]

My doctor will not prescribe them. I think many doctors following suit

[Hidden]

I was taking them but new laws in USA won’t prescribe opiates and bentos together as of recent. So my pulmonologist just ordered me some liquid drops that help me sleep. Forgot what they’re called but they put my mouth to sleep like that stuff the dentist uses for a few minutes after I take them. They do help me sleep. And they side step our new law.

[Hidden in reply to Hidden]

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