Recommended Sleep Aids

[Margaritaman]

Lovely to meet you all. Just finished my Zopiclone pills from GP for early stage tinnitus. Very good but other aids e.g. Night Nurse not so helpful. Any recommendations for over the counter options that have really helped your night's sleep? Cheers

[vincentchan]

tinnitus.org.uk/understandi...

Good news from tinnitus cbt book

46

Living Well with Tinnitus

of the night, and achieving restorative sleep. About 70 per cent of patients seeking help for tinnitus report some form of sleep difficulty. But it is not clear whether the degree of sleep difficulty is related to the loudness or quality of the tinnitus of whether it is related to the psychological impact of the tinnitus

In a study conducted in our clinic in collaboration with the Universities of Nottingham and Cambridge, we assessed whether the loudness of tinnitus was related to sleep dis turbances (insomnia), based on data for 417 patients. The analysis showed that the loudness of tinnitus is only indirectly related to the severity of insomnia. In other words, louder tinnitus does not necessarily lead to more sleep disturbances The severity of insomnia depends on the amount of depression and annoyance caused by the tinnitus. The more depressed and annoyed a person becomes due to their tinnitus, the more sleep disturbances they tend to experience. According to the theory behind CBT, emotional disturbances such as feeling irritated or depressed are not directly due to hearing tinnitus but rather are the result of our thoughts about tinnitus and its impact on our behaviours. Therefore, in order to reduce tinnitus-related sleep disturbances, we need to manage our thoughts and behaviours. This is the aim of CBT for tinnitus as described in this book. Listening to music or background noise at night-time is an avoidance behaviour, and it does not address the key cause of the sleep disturbances, namely the tinnitus-related negative thoughts. In the chapters on treat ment, we discuss how to use CBT to sleep difficulties. manage tinnitus-induced

[Philip6]

Try Kirkland Sleep Aid pills. They are very good, they are basically Benedryl so antihistamine based. Non addictive and work well. You can get them from Costco or eBay. I just use a quarter of a pill, so a box lasts a long time, there are 96 pills in a box. An internet search will find the cheapest supply.

[ToetappingPoet]

Sleep is a massive issue with tinnitus sufferers if you browse this forum. It's no less of an issue me personally and I've posted about sleep aids recently myself. Doctors have a number of approaches to this, from suggesting CBT to help manage the levels of anxiety that tinnitus causes, especially in the early hours, to trying otc aids like Numark's Sleep Aid and Kalms, to full prescription medication like mirtazapine and zopicline. When you're off your head with exhaustion you'll take anything. Here's some things I have considered, bearing in mind that I have a constant high pitch static noise that sounds like I'm plugged into a sub station and I'm not a doctor. Zopiclone is a high- grade knock-out med which puts you into a very unconscious state quickly and does not allow you to go through the normal 3 phases of sleep, so although you've slept, it's not refreshing normal sleep. You can only have it short term. So it's kind of an emergency intervention, a patch but not a solution. SSRIs (mirtazapine is in this group, roughly speaking) can take down your anxiety state and help you relax enough to sleep and can be taken longer term. As my doctor couldn't assure me that it wouldn't make the tinnitus worse as a side effect, I haven't used my prescription - yet. I'm using Kalms for a few nights (herbal) then, when I don't t have a busy day or high demands on my concentration the next day, I manage with bedtime routine, relaxation techniques and apps on my phone through a speaker next to my bed for distraction, with more success recently than previously. You can take most over the counter aids for a month at a time, but check the leaflet. I've also started CBT on the NHS, and my homework this week is to learn to do a body scan relaxation technique to control panic. I had already heard of this but couldn't be bothered to do it. Now I'm taking more seriously. Tinnitus is a complex thing, very real with a physical cause that may be hard to identify, but it plays into the fight flight freeze limbic system of the brain and produces unpleasant emotional responses. So behavioural and psychological approaches play a part in calming the whole aggravated system down. Good luck. I hope your tinnitus is temporary. If it's not, I hope you reach a happy point of habituation.

[Graham-E]

Hello, my take is a little different because we are all different and our own T is unique to us.

Usually at bedtime I need to do everything like setting my alarm clock and turning off my bedside light before I get into bed, because once in bed I turn off like a light switch.

In truth I have no idea why but a audiologist once told me that my brain is simply exhausted by the end of the day and shuts off.

Honestly I’ve no idea. I do have a non medical sound generator which plays rain into my pillow on its 30 min timer.

Sorry this is not what you are after but I guess I’m saying everyone is different and don’t worry if what works for you is different.

About everything else be kind to yourself, it’s a heck of a thing to deal with.

Best G

[Rumana2025]

I've discovered that CBD oil combined with 2mg Melatonin tablets works well for me. Additionally, a hot foot soak with Epsom salts or a relaxing hot shower followed by applying Magnesium and Lavender body oil significantly helps to soothe my nerves. To support this, I've eliminated caffeine entirely and switched to decaffeinated options, replacing them with ginger and mint tea throughout the day.

I do like to do Dr Mandell's acupressure exercises for sleep and tinnitus before going to bed - bit of a palaver but it does help.

[Untold]

Hi Margaritaman. I think they're over the counter medication for a reason. The reason being they don't work. My T is brutal and I struggle with it every second I'm awake.I have an old and very loud petrol powered garden strimmer, at three feet from my head my T is still louder than the strimmer.

If you really need help with sleep like I do, get something with some oomph. I get my doctor to prescribe Loprazolam. It's a controlled substance and my doctor is very keen to wean me off it. That's not gonna happen while I'm like this. They never let me have more than 14 tablets. Without it I don't sleep at all. With it and wearing a snooze headband with white noise, I get a few hours, where I can forget this torture.

Good luck my friend.

Love and silence to all.

[Spiral8]

Hi Margaritaman

Following on your query I did use Zopiclone 7.5 mg to help with sleep initially and eventually after a week or so found it very helpful and was not as distressed and exhausted as hitherto. I then after a month or so cut down to 3.75mg . After a couple weeks I cut the 3.75 in half and use as and when I feel necessary. I hated the metallic aftertaste of the medication and I found that inserting the pill inside a paracetamol capsule masked the after taste ! Doctors are reluctant to prescribe it but if you ask for another supply and ‘cut’ it for a use on an as and when basis they may be willing to accommodate you. I agree about Night Nurse - leaves a terrible hangover. I also use a Musicosy with soft tiny wraparound mini loudspeakers which I link in to a Calm App to accelerate both sleep and return to it if wake too early . I have more or less acclimatised to the Tinnitus with the occasional lapses. A year ago I was driven demented by it and it did take a year to turn it round. I was rather a sceptic of Mindfulness but I did go on a course operated by the NHS and I did find that and its recommended reading to be helpful generally. I hope this has been of some assistance and encouragement to you …..and good luck !

[Spiral8]

Following on your query I did use Zopiclone 7.5 mg to help with sleep initially and eventually after a week or so found it very helpful and was not as distressed and exhausted as hitherto. I then after a month or so cut down to 3.75mg . After a couple weeks I cut the 3.75 in half and use as and when I feel necessary. I hated the metallic aftertaste of the medication and I found that inserting the pill inside a paracetamol capsule masked the after taste ! Doctors are reluctant to prescribe it but if you ask for another supply and ‘cut’ it for a use on an as and when basis they may be willing to accommodate you. I agree about Night Nurse - leaves a terrible hangover. I also use a Musicosy with soft tiny wraparound mini loudspeakers which I link in to a Calm App to accelerate both sleep and return to it if wake too early . I have more or less acclimatised to the Tinnitus with the occasional lapses. A year ago I was driven demented by it and it did take a year to turn it round. I was rather a sceptic of Mindfulness but I did go on a course operated by the NHS and I did find that and its recommended reading to be helpful generally. I hope this has been of some assistance and encouragement to you …..and good luck !

[Caradoc1a]

Magnesium. I use Nutrition Geeks 3 in 1 Magnesium. I'm astonished at its effect.

[Seahorse0]

Hi

Nice to meet you too

Titintus sufferer of 10 years here.

I was a bit surprised to read that the doctor has given you Zoplicone!I had no idea they did this for tinnitus!

I personally mange 'it'with a white noise machine during the night or listening to a podcast or meditation. Understand this won't suit everyone

Not sure if this will help you but may be worth a try?

I hope you find your method & wish you well