What helps you sleep?
By The Horse
@TheHorse (238275)
Walnut Creek, California
July 28, 2017 11:15am CST
I have many friends and relatives (and some MyLot friends) who struggle with sleep. I've dealt with some depression and anxiety, especially after losing someone I love, but for some reason, sleep has rarely been affected. My body is a sleep machine.
What are some of the things you've used to help you get to sleep? For me, the number one thing is tryptophan. Tryptophan is an amino acid found in dairy products, as well as chicken and turkey. It's converted by the body into serotonin and melatonin. Melatonin regulates our sleep cycle. One of my kid clients has anxiety, and melatonin pills, taken at bedtime, help him sleep.
As a Scotch-loving fool, you'd think I'd use alcohol to help me sleep. I do drink most evenings, once my day is done, but I drink water, Gatorade, or milk before going to bed. Too much alcohol robs you of REM sleep, and REM (dream) sleep is when we process emotional issues and consolidate memories from the previous day.
Occasionally, if I'm really restless, I'll take half of a Benadryl tablet. I have allergies, but I can't take Benadryl during the day, as it knocks me out. I don't know what hormones or neurotransmitters it affects. It's effective as a sleep aid, but it can make you feel a bit groggy the next morning.
Finally, there's reading. I like to read in bed before I fall asleep. When I read a paragraph and realize I was actually thinking about something else, I know it's time to turn the light out.
What helps you sleep? The photograph is of my friend Michael, rocking Los Angeles after our "big gig" there last Summer.
22 people like this
19 responses
@nanette64 (20363)
• Fairfield, Texas
28 Jul 17
I wind up drinking coffee clear up til the time I go to bed @TheHorse . You'd think I'd be bouncing off the walls, wouldn't you? Nope. IF I am having trouble (rarely), I take some slow, deep breaths and 'mentally' say the word 'nothing' repeatedly as I exhale. Before you know it, I'm a gonner.
3 people like this
@nanette64 (20363)
• Fairfield, Texas
29 Jul 17
@LoriAMoore A tablespoon of honey before bed would be a good thing too.
1 person likes this
@CinnamonGrl (7086)
• Santa Fe, New Mexico
28 Jul 17
If I can't sleep, a diphenhydramine knocks me out. (Benadryl, but I don't pay for that, I buy the cheap stuff.) But I don't usually have sleep issues, fortunately.
3 people like this
@marguicha (230334)
• Chile
28 Jul 17
I fall asleep easily while watching stupic reruns on TV.
2 people like this
@hereandthere (45628)
• Philippines
28 Jul 17
@TheHorse i wouldn't mind sleeping there either!
1 person likes this
@TheHorse (238275)
• Walnut Creek, California
28 Jul 17
@hereandthere It's a really nice house. My friend's daughter and her husband are really good folks.
@GardenGerty (169406)
• United States
29 Jul 17
@TheHorse Here you go:" Dexchlorpheniramine (trade name Polaramine) is an antihistamine with anticholinergic properties used to treat allergic conditions such as hay fever or urticaria. It is the pharmacologically active dextrorotatory isomer of chlorpheniramine. " from Wikipedia. Benadryl is diphenhydramine. In the US some OTC antihistamine and cold meds have chlorpheniramine. I am pretty sure Sudafed does. I am too lazy to look it up online.
3 people like this
@JohnRoberts (109841)
• Los Angeles, California
28 Jul 17
I have no trouble falling asleep. It's the staying asleep or not waking up early that is the problem.
2 people like this
@celticeagle (189792)
• Boise, Idaho
28 Jul 17
I drink milk if we have it. I also listen to music or watch some documentary on tv . I am a night person so it is difficult to go to sleep when I am retired and enjoy being up at night. I used to read but with my cataract I can't any longer. I take melatonin or some other sleep aid when I need to.
1 person likes this
@celticeagle (189792)
• Boise, Idaho
29 Jul 17
@TheHorse ......Usually it does. There have been a few times it hasn't.
1 person likes this
@TheHorse (238275)
• Walnut Creek, California
29 Jul 17
@celticeagle I feel like milk or ice cream works for me. But maybe it's placebo effect. I don't actually know how long it takes for tryptophan to be converted into melatonin.
2 people like this
@vandana7 (102698)
• India
29 Jul 17
I walk. Seriously...I don't really suffer with sleeplessness. But when it is too hot, (and I hate doors being closed..so AC stifles me..so I walk then my legs tire and then I go to sleep..or I try to do some work ironically if I work, I feel sleepy. I come to myLot when I feel drowsy, feel awake again and then return to what I was doing. Sometimes, I just give in when I feel too drowsy...but you know that.
1 person likes this
@Tampa_girl7 (54714)
• United States
30 Jul 17
I'm blessed to almost always naturally get a good nights sleep
@Marilynda1225 (91013)
• United States
28 Jul 17
That's the best picture!! Usually I don't have trouble falling asleep but problem is staying asleep when I get up a million times a night (exaggeration) to use the bathroom.
2 people like this
@Courtlynn (67089)
• United States
28 Jul 17
I dont take anything to get to sleep or stay asleep for a few hours. Just go to bed whenever i do
1 person likes this
@GardenGerty (169406)
• United States
29 Jul 17
Different things help me at different times. Getting off the computer helps. Then it is a good time to read.Dealing with unacknowledged pain by taking either acetaminophen or naproxen.( I know I have pain when I grind my teeth or walk around with hunched up shoulders. It does not seem to process as pain.) I will take melatonin on occasion, but it gives me very vivid dreams and someone said if you take it all the time your body ceases to produce it. I can take a whole benadryl or even two. People need to watch out cause sometimes it backfires and makes them feel wired. I put calming essential oils on my pillow, like lavender. Take a warm shower. I do not always have milk. I am supposed to eat a small high protein snack, so I will eat cheese, sometimes.
@allen0187 (59645)
• Philippines
29 Jul 17
Some white noise helps me sleep. Sounds of nature as well.
@BelleStarr (61463)
• United States
29 Jul 17
I rarely if ever have problems falling asleep but when I do, I ibuprofen does the trick for me. I am a great sleeper.
@just4him (323168)
• Green Bay, Wisconsin
29 Jul 17
Looks like he doesn't have any trouble sleeping. When I need to get to sleep, I start working on a book. I don't get very far with it when I'm asleep. By working on a book I mean thinking about what to write.
