WIBU to take sleeping tablets with baby in the house?

[welshnat]

I've been suffering from really bad insomnia for the past week or so and am barely functioning on only 2-3 hours of sleep a night. My DF has told me to take some herbal sleeping tablets, but I'm worried how I will be once I've taken them.

DS is almost 2 and sleeps from 7-6 most nights if not later. Does anybody take sleeping tablets? Are you easily woken? Are you drowsy if you do wake? I'm just worried that DS will wake up and I won't hear him, or that I will be groggy.

No, no to pepsi max!
No caffeine after 3pm. Also, as others have said, herb tea. You need a bedtime routine like you give DS. Treat yourself with the same care. Take the Nytol and drift off!

Wishing you a really good sleep!

There's a few good hypnosis apps that are very calming. I suffer from tinnitus and it keeps me awake frequently. Those apps really help calm me and send me back to sleep quickly.

I also have a sound box thingumyjig. It plays waves/streams/ wind/ white noise etc. that can help with poor sleep too.

If I were you OP I wouldn't take sleeping pills if on my own. I hope one of these ideas helps though.

Interesting how different people's experience of nytol is. I will never go near it again.

If you hate lavender then boots also do a geranium based sleep spray. Tis lovely.

I suffered with insomnia for years and have taken nytol, kalms & zopiclone. Would have no issue over taking them with only DD and I in the house, pretty sure I would still wake up if needed.

Have you tried a mindfulness meditation? It's pretty much cured my insomnia which was pretty bad. I'd post a link but I'm crap at that stuff- there's a good sleep one on the guardian headspace website.

I've given up the pepsi max for about 5 days now. Don't drink tea or coffee so no other caffeine. I think I am becoming super sensitive to outside sounds too, so that's really not helping the cause

OP is the ingredient Valerian?

There are 2 types of Nytol afaik, the herbal one and the OTC one. The latter is an antihistamine which has side effect of causing drowsiness. I have used both and found more effect with the OTC version, altho not to the extent I wouldn't wake up if needed. I agree though; wait til weekend given you won't know how you will react

I don't have the box, but they are Nytol One-a-Night. Luckily I haven't taken any as DS has just woken for the first time, so I am sure he will wake through the night. Nose spray and humidifier have been brought out for him. I think this week will be very long.

What ever you decide to take you should really research it on medical sites or on google scholar rather than relying on anecdotes from a forum, just saying...

if there is any probability you would need to drive anywhere in the middle of night (On call GP, A and E) then I wouldn't. Otherwise I would. No sleep is desperate :(

I have had serious bouts of insomnia and have never managed to find anything which knocks me out so severely I wouldn't wake at even the slightest murmur. But that could just be me.

Where's Dfiance? Is it a lack of space issue or is he overseas/ elsewhere in UK? :(

I don't mean to be a downer but be alert to signs of depression creeping up. It's peak seasonal depression season....

How about melatonin? It are natural and the sleep feels natural and not drugged? But regardless, I wouldn't take anything that made me sleep deeply without a back up for the child there. You never know when you would need to tend to him. My doctor suggested it to my student son. He found that the stronger dose he bought made him a bit drowsy in the morning so switched to a lower dose. The woman in the health supply store told him it is the dose given to children and many adults just need the same amount.
www.webmd.com/sleep-disorders/tc/melatonin-overview
Disclaimer. Never take any new medications without first speaking to your health care professional.

Unless they are labelled 'herbal' Nytol they will be antihistamine based. You would be unlucky to get a reaction.

Of course we are all different but the likely chance is that they will simply do what they should - make you drowsy. They are not 'sleeping tablets' or tranqs that you might get a scrip for.

When I suffer with poor sleeping, I take a piriton/Nytol/sleepeze and have a cup of pukka nighttime tea (valerian). It works ok for me.

I hope you get some sleep, it's bloody awful when you can't.

Musical where do you get melatonin from?

My best sleep tip is a banana shortly before bed. Some relaxing music, a cup of herbal tea, and a Dr Backs night remedy.

But if I dont have dr backs night remedy, it is fine, because the important thing is the following:

Each evening after I have gone to bed, I indulge in a day dream. The story line is so insane it wont matter, but it keeps any worrying thoughts, or problems away from my mind, and I fall asleep within minutes. It is like playing a film in your mind, and there are no room for other thoughts, and you dont need to concentrate like you do if you have go through sleep techniques, or count sheep.

It works best if you include your favourite actor, or singer or even politician in your story line.

You could drift to sleep holidaying in the bahamas with Russel Brand/Tom Hardy etc before you know it!

Just a quick line to the OP to suggest staying away from anything containing Valerian if you have a predisposition to depression as I believe it can have a negative effect in this respect.

Thank you for all of your advice. Talking to you seemed to have helped without the sleeping tablet. I slept for 5 hours [happy] I think I will make an appointment with my GP and see if they have any advice for me. My problem is I can never switch my mind off. It's probably the reason that even when I get to sleep I end up sleep walking/talking.

And Ragusa I meant DF to mean dad not fiancee, my ex fiancee exited the picture around 4 months ago, which probably isn't helping the sleep issue.

I find listening to a meditation on my phone helps me get off to sleep...in fact I've never heard the end of it

There are lots of other things to try before you take a tablet. I'm on my own with my 3 who are all older than your ds and don't think I'd risk a first time reaction with no help.

The one thing that guarantees sleep for me is a loooooooong tiring walk, like 3 hours worth. I don't suppose you can manage to get that time away from baby, but if you could it would be worth it imo. Fresh air and tiring exercise will make you sleep.

This is a good book for insomnia but I'm not sure if your sleep problems are a long term problem or not.
www.amazon.co.uk/Effortless-Sleep-Method-Incredible-Insomnia/dp/1456492543/ref=la_B0053PXEVY_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1384845819&sr=1-1

How's your sleep hygiene? Also if you're crashing at 3/4 and awake at 3:4am it sounds like your body clock has gone off.

I'd get back up if when you go to bed, you cannot sleep. Then try again in half hour. And again and again. Also no screens etc etc (sorry if you know this). Wake up at the same time each morning regardless of the previous night. The aim is to kick your clock back into action.

I'd be wary of doing it, try it at the weekend. Is it falling asleep or staying asleep you're having problems with?

If insomnia has been linked to depression in the past, I'd be inclined to get to the GP sharpish. This could be the early symptoms of another bout - you might be able to deal with it before it takes hold.

Do you have a baby monitor you can have right by your pillow? I was prescribed sleeping tablets for PND and insomnia while I was still night-feeding ds2, and up til he was a year old, and I always still woke first! I would definitely go and see the GP and get some advice.

I have depression and anxiety and take quiet time which contain valerian root a natural sedative which have not had bad reaction to my depression, have actually helped me in my bad spells.
If its the one a night nytol then op has the herbal kind.
Op every one is different. I take normal nytol and have had prescribed sleeping pills and have been fine the next day.