Sleeping pills either prescription or over the counter

[Bklynborn]

I am looking for some advice and experience.With different sleeping pills whether they are prescription or not.I don't have a problem falling asleep.The problem is staying asleep.Also something that will make you feel less groggy the next day..

[TheDuke]

My sleep medicine doctor ( A Pulmonologist) disapproves of " sleeping pills" but I frequently use a low dosage (5 mg) Ambien as an aid to going to sleep, and Have never experienced any problems as a result. Incidentally, my prescription is through my primary care physician (An Internist).

TheDuke

[chunkyfrog]

What wakes you?
Some of us are periodic sleepers, waking when we need to change position,
or assess environmental changes
Good sleep does not need to be one continuous chunk, but a series of shorter sleeps.

[Pugsy]

Sleep maintenance insomnia...that's where you have trouble staying asleep.

Sleep onset insomnia...that's where you have trouble falling asleep.

Unfortunately the bulk of the medications out there (OTC or RX) are mainly for sleep onset insomnia but there are some new RX meds targeting sleep maintenance insomnia. Relatively new to the market and very expensive. Ask your doctor about them.

Unfortunately just about anything out there to help us sleep will have a next day morning hang over type of side effect.
A lot will depend on how quickly your body metabolizes it and the dosage.

For OTC stuff...I am a big fan of Benadryl. For me it has the least amount of morning hangover as long as I take it early enough in the evening.

Obviously for sleep maintenance insomnia we need to try to identify the cause first and address it that way but sometimes we don't know the cause or even if we do know the cause it isn't always so easy to fix it.

[jimbud]

What wakes you?
Some of us are periodic sleepers, waking when we need to change position,
or assess environmental changes
Good sleep does not need to be one continuous chunk, but a series of shorter sleeps.

That is me.
Did not have a name for it.
Now I do.

JPB

[palerider]

My sleep medicine doctor ( A Pulmonologist) disapproves of " sleeping pills" but I frequently use a low dosage (5 mg) Ambien as an aid to going to sleep, and Have never experienced any problems as a result. Incidentally, my prescription is through my primary care physician (An Internist).

TheDuke

Sleep docs frequently prescribe Ambien to patients doing to sleep studies.

[chunkyfrog]

Periodic sleep is my term.
It is sometimes called interrupted sleep; but that sounds too negative for my experience.
I am comfortable with the type of sleep developed by my mommy past.
Once the baby is back down, mommy needs to grab some zzz's before breakfast.

[slowriter]

I sometimes use eszopiclone (lunesta) for sleep maintenance. It seems to work for me.

[Islandwoman]

I understand that our early ancestors all woke up in the middle of the night and visited,then slept again. Thought to aid in not being someones midnight snack. Can't remember the source but I recently read some Australian first people still do. I do often but that happens when you get old. Look up "Pot" on Web MD. There is an extract with no THC that works for many. I think on Amazon.

[Bklynborn]

Thanks for all the replies.When I go to bed I am out right away.My problem is staying asleep.I just received Lunestra and slept for 7 hours straight with my CPAP.It was a record for me.I usually only go 4 to maybe 5 hours before I wake up and usually toss the mask.I also felt pretty decent the next day.I was prescribed 2mg.Lets see how it goes...Thanks again

[rick blaine]

Hi [b]Bklynborn[/b],

As [b]Islandwoman[/b] says, there was a time, back before the industrial revolution in Europe, when people got a night's rest and restoration in two or three chunks.

Here's a newspaper piece: 'Sleep: why they used to do it twice a night'

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfr ... ht-anxiety

The formal terms for this are bi-phasic sleep and poly-phasic sleep.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biphasic_ ... asic_sleep

It might be that your body is telling you it would like to try this pattern of getting up after four hours, pottering about for a bit, and then going back to bed for another few hours. In other words, it's not a deficit, it's a natural variation.

And such a routine would be drug free.

[Bklynborn]

I hear you about the way the body might be reacting.But I feel like when I don't sleep straight.I don't sleep good.I am tired of feeling tiredLOL.Maybe I should just aquire a taste for scotch.Two shots and off to la la Land I go.

[Pugsy]

Maybe I should just aquire a taste for scotch.Two shots and off to la la Land I go.

I assume you are joking here but on the off chance you aren't or someone else reads this and decides it's a good idea.
https://www.sleepfoundation.org/article ... tity-sleep
Besides...it's just trading one drug for another.
Alcohol might be perceived as good for sleep onset insomnia but it's a terrible choice for sleep maintenance insomnia.

[Bklynborn]

It was a joke.