Lack of sleep.

I am not sleeping well at the moment .I tried Sominex herbel sleeping pills .

en i read the ingredients it said some kind of malt in them Ihave lost the leaflet so iam not sure what it said . Does this contain gluton. I dont want to be addicted to sleeping pills . As they are herbel they might be better. Any ideas please!

[Hidden]

Hi Jacksnana, here's what you want:

Each Sominex Herbal Tablet contains the active ingredients: extract of hops equivalent to 200mg, extract of valerian equivalent to 160mg and extract of passion flower equivalent to 130mg.

The other ingredients are: calcium hydrogen phosphate, microcrystalline cellulose (E460), maltodextrin, colloidal anhydrous silica, stearic acid, magnesium stearate, hypromellose (E464), polyethylene glycol, iron oxides (E172), titanium dioxide (E171).

So it's maltodextrin that you saw and not malt. Maltodextrin is a highly refined sugar made from grain like corn or wheat. It is so refined that if you can eat codex wheat you shouldn't have to worry about the grain source.

Here's a link so that you can ask them for more info'

sominex-sleep.co.uk/index.htm

If you want a totally natural herbal remedy I'd buy some chamomile tea bags from your supermarket, as these are a natural antihistamine which will help you to relax and get a good nights sleep. I'd also avoid drinking tea and coffee in the evening as these can keep us awake.

And I hope that you get a good nights sleep,

Jerry

[Hidden]

Thanks for all your messages. I will look into it more. I always get information on this forum .

[meanioni]

Other tips re sleep:

- Have a bath before you go to bed; as well as relaxing you it also raises your body temperature. One of the triggers for your body to produce melatonin (the hormone that regulates sleep) is a rapidly cooling body.

- Avoid protein two hours before bedtime - carbs are OK. Research has shown that consuming proteins has the effect of waking the body up (hence why a big hearty English brekky is popular!). Carbohydrates have the opposite effect. No meat, fish, nuts, beans.

- Avoid caffeine - no tea, coffee, coke

- Avoid blue light or white light with a blue tinge before going to bed. The body has photoreceptors in the eye that are sensitised to blue light (colour of light in early morning) and when blue light is received, create a surge of hormones that wake the body up. Hence why a lot of bars and restaurants are now featuring blue lighting! This could include laptop screens.

- Keep a pen and paper next to your bed and if there is something on your mind, write it down. This stops your mind churning over issues, worries, things you need to do.

- Lying in bed, starting from your feet and working up tense and release each of your muscles. This helps you relax by removing background muscle tension

[carona]

Hiya Jacksnanna, Sorry to hear you aren't sleeping too well at the moment. Know how frustrating this can be. Just wondered if you had tried Lavender to help you unwind & relax at night? Either in oil form for a defuser, tea light candles/ oil burner. Or in a scented cream? Cyclax do a range of toiletries- we have a local independent chemist close to us, that sell it for 99p a pot! So not expensive, think I'v seen it in Superdrug stores too? There is a shower gel, body lotion & cream in the range that I'v seen. The body lotion in particular is really useful in the summer too. As being fair skinned, even with high factor sun creams, I always get caught out. Use it instead of after sun. It's very soothing & I have found lavender to be good for healing too. It doesn't have any lanolin in either. My daughter has quite bad Eczema & is sensitive to it. The use of aromatherapy & massage has been very helpful to me & my family over the years.

My son has Severe Learning Difficulties/Autism. I have learnt through my experience as Michael's mum & my role as a specialist teaching assistant, in a special school. The many benefits of massage & the use of aromatherapy oils.

My son spent almost 6 months in hospital in 2009 (in a side room, thank goodness!) Getting him to relax enough, to go to sleep in such an environment was initially a nightmare. We made it part of his bedtime routine, even setting the mood in the room too. Whilst he was having a night time bath, Mikey's sisters & I would get his room set up for his return. Main over head lights off- had the reading light angled away & slightly upwards. So no bright lights in his face. We had a fibre optic bedside light. One of those multi stranded ones- the slowly changing sweep of colour is soothing to look at. We'd set up his defuser- we'd bought it from a local beauty therapy salon, think Boots do them too? It has a removable filtered pad at base- where you put a few drops of oil- 3 at most in a confined space, like a bedroom. They have an electric fan in them as well & the aroma quickly spreads in the room. A cheaper way of doing this, is to set up a couple of tea light candles with a few drops of lavender oil/refresher oil on- about £1 in Asda., I always light them before going in the bath, put them in a glass. Shut the bedroom door- to keep the 'smell' in. So at least if it works & you nod off. You haven't got to worry about it causing a fire!

When Mikey returned to the room, I gave him a full body massage. He especially liked it on his ear lobes! Due to his condition at the time, he was in a lot of pain. Pain management, had set up a combination of paracetamol, ibruprofen, codeine & morphine to help him thru the day/night. The actual relief in his face after the massage was good to see.

If the massage is a DIY jobby- start by warming a big 'blob' in your hands & remembering to massage in with a sweeping circular motion using the palms of your hands, finger tips for finer pressure. Always up from your ankles towards your knees. To improve circulation & reduce any swelling. Also good if you suffer from feet/leg cramps at night. Sorry folks, for waffling on so much- hope that helps you a bit. Merry Christmas / Happy Holiday to you all.

Carona

: )

[Hidden]

Thanks Corona . I used to use Cyclax.Its really lovely to use. I have looked for it cant seem to find it anywhere. Its so cheap to buy. I like it better than some of the more expensive ones. The candles are a good idea,i will try that.

I dont want to take sleeping pills from the doctor as the are so addictive but its tempting when you cant sleep. Anyone taking any prescribed sleeping pills that are not so addictive.

Thanks also Meanioni for your tips. I get so depressed if i dont sleep well.

[NorthernSoul]

Meanioni has got it bang on. Good sleep hygiene is the best cure for insomnia by far. I would also add the following:

- Don't do any work etc. at least one hour before bed.

- Take a good book to bed with you. If you can't get to sleep after an hour, read it until you start to feel more relaxed. Then give sleep another go for half an hour. Repeat this and eventually you will fall to sleep. Trust me!

- Don't worry about not getting sleep. If you don't sleep the entire night, it's not a big deal. You'll be a bit out of it the next day but you can get stuff done. I should know- I've given a presentation to an entire lab after going for 48 hours without sleep! You'll get there eventually.

-Learn a few relaxation techniques. There's plenty on the internet. Or ask your doctor for some CBT (there may be a significant waiting list).

-Warm milky drinks before bed will help.

-Make your bedroom into a pleasant environment to sleep in and try to avoid letting it get too hot or cold or too noisy.

- Getting a significant other to give you massage sounds like a great idea!

Herbal medicines are fine as long as your doctor knows you're taking them as they can interact with other medications. Basically all prescribed sleeping pills are addictive and should only really be used in the short term.

[Lynxcat]

If you are able to drink warm milk, this has been proven to aid a good night's sleep (probably due to its high content in calcium which is a natural calm agent .. that is also a stress buster). Dark chocolate (over 80% strength .. Aldi do several gluten free ones) a couple of hours before bedtime also works well for some people as it is rich in iron and magnesium which are also useful in having nourishing sleep. Watch out for foods and drinks that may contain caffeine as these can prevent sleep six hours or more after consuming - so never have a late night cup of coffee or tea, glass of cola or energy drink.

[Hidden]

Good advice very gratefull. Its nice to know people care about complete strangers.

[online]

Hi,

I had similar problem. As more you stay up as less sleep you need.

Wake up few days very early even if you didn`t sleep during the night, even if you feel very sleepy. Stay awaken for 2-3 hours, then you can go back to sleep a little more. Wake up every day on the same time e.g. 6am or earlier. Then on the evening go to sleep at least at 11pm, no later, useless earlier. Even if you can`t sleep, stay in the bed. The other thing you can work with, the food. Eat early morning, after 2 hours you woke up. Eat early lunch too. After it just very few dinner. Wake up, eat, go to sleep always on the same time. Do it this program for a week or 2, you won`t have sleeping problems after it. You don`t need to follow the restriction after it except don`t go to sleep too late. Earlier you will be more sleepy then later. Ah, and leave the computer alone after 10pm. :))