Not to want to take sleeping pills

[witsaboutme]

I've been suffering with insomnia for several months now. Tonight I am absolutely exhausted and my head is extremely sore. Yesterday I was prescribed sleeping pills. I was unsure about it, but took one last night. I did fall asleep fairly quickly, but I still woke up at least three or four times during the night. I know some people are desperate to get a course of tablets, but I personally don't feel comfortable taking them. Can I still go back to the gp to see if there are any other avenues to be explored?

Have you tried all the usual things? Milky drink, winding down routine, writing in a journal to get it out of your head, listening to music / the radio / reading a book.

Dormidina from Spain. Anti histamine works like a dream.

Similar ingredients to piriton or similar here. Take half dose.

Non addictive.

This might sound really obvious but don't forget that sleep is the culmination of everything you have been doing all day and all month - it's not just about immediate bed time regime - it's about exercise, good diet, going to bed early enough to catch your falling aslep rhythm (this is why if you fall asleep on th sofa and then get up to go to bed you can't go to sleep), no caffeine,no alcohol.

There are lots of relaxing going to sleep hypnosis apps which are good.

A short course of sleeping tablets can be useful though to break a habit if you are in a bad rhythm of never sleeping.

Anti histamine - just a couple of boots own.

And a glass of port.

Sounds crazy but it works.

Try it.

I have had bouts of severe insomnia. I don't like taking tablets, but when things have been really bad, a night or two of Zopiclone has been (possibly quite literally) a lifesaver. But not all meds will suit all people, whether prescribed or OTC, so you may need to experiment with different things to see which things work best for you.

YANBU and there are many more ways to skin an insomniac cat. However sometimes a short course of sleeping pills can be all it needs to restore a normal sleep pattern.

I assume you have done all the usual sleep hygiene stuff (only use bedroom for sleeping, don't watch TV or use bright screens for 1-2h before bedtime, cut down on alcohol intake, 20 mins minimum fresh air and exercise a day, reasonably healthy diet).

A good alternative to sleeping tablets is melatonin (controlled release sleep hormone) - if you would prefer not to take prescribed melatonin, there is a reasonable dose in tart cherry extract which you should be able to find with vitamins/supplements.

Try some meditation.
Honestly, I had a very traumatic experience three years ago and had a lot of trouble sleeping for a long time afterwards.
Somebody mentioned meditation to me- I went onto the App Store and YouTube and just typed in ‘ meditation for sleep’.
It took me a few goes before I found ones ( voices) I liked but once I had - wow, it helped massively.
It got to the stage where I would be asleep before the meditation started whenthey are telling you to shut your eyes, get comfy etc.

My whole family use them now. M6 autistic husband finds them especially helpful.

Help yourself by having a bath or shower so you feel nice, clean pajamas, bedroom a nice temperature, clean comfy pajamas, maybe a milky drink......and then darken your bedroom and try it.
Even if you don’t sleep, you will be very relaxed.
Good luck. ( I didn’t like the sleeping pills either. Couldn’t get up,8n the morning and m6 mouth was like the Sahara! )

Have you tried a low dose of antidepressants? Not SSRIs as they can make insomnia much worse.... but things like Amitriptyline or Mirtazapine? In low doses they work very well as sleeping aids.
I take 10mg of Amitriptyline just a couple of times a week before sleeping and its done wonders for my sleep.
My problem was due to anxiety caused by PND and I was just spending weeks on end awake. Whenever I eventually did fall asleep id wake again within an hour.
The more tired I got the more awake and alert I got.
When I started taking the amitrptyline (which they prescribed because it doesnt get in breastmilk) it just sort of reset that. It doesnt knock you out its more that when you fall asleep you stay asleep. I find that 10mg lasts several nights from just taking it once. Its a lot less intense than the things they usually prescribe for sleep. And taking it so infrequently at such a low dose means you dont become dependant on it in any way so it isnt hard to come off if you need to.

I found taking sleeping tablets at 10pm, I'd be awake at 4am
If i took one at 12 I'd wake at 7 but feel too groggy to drive

I've tried zanax, piriton, phenergan

Nothing works

I try to prepare myself for sleep but unfortunately I now associate my bed with anxiety and lack of sleep

Something to explore - I have an app called "Calm" it tells you sleep stories, meditation, all sorts of things. I drift off listening to a story quite often.