Melatonin, valerian, bach flower....

what do you use, if any?

I usually take a couple of valerian or Rescue remedy if I'm a bit wound up before bed, and on rare occasions I'll take a temazepan. Since starting cpap I've found they aren't working. My mind just won't settle enough for me to go to sleep easily. I normally try to go to sleep about 11pm, but lately I'm lucky if I can get any shut eye before 2am. Its really frustrating as I'm waking up tired which isn't helping my overall mood. It also doesn't help that my blasted mask will start whistling which will wake me up if I'm asleep.

Anyway, I am curious as to what others use to help them relax enough. I've heard a little about Melatonin, its not easy to find here in Australia, until very recently it was prescription only. I've also seen a 'Sleep Remedy' a bach flower mixture. I'd rather not have to take anything like a benzo unless there is no other choice.

Thanks for reading

WOW, I did not know this about Australia making Melatonin a prescription.

To answer your guestion. Passion Flower, St. John's Wart are other options. be caretul about St.John's Wart though. It can have some contraindications with other mood altering meds. Also, anything with triptophane . Google sleep hygiene too to compare your sleep habits to ones that induce and maintian sleep.

I use Melatonin as I sleep daytime; look for the time-release kind. If you get a headache the following morning, just back off the dossage by half.

I prefer St John's WORT,
Something creepy about tea made with a wart in it.

chunkyfrog has to be the only frog on the planet worrired 'bout warts oo

Once in a while I use Melatonin, but anything under 30mgs had no effect. It works well. The only negative side effect is it leaves me with huge bags under my eyes.

Never tried St John's Wort.

I've lots of experience with Valerian... it can be hit or miss, depending on how your night is going. Several years ago when I was having a tough patch, I used to take it in combo with benzos like alprazolam, lorazapam etc. It seemed like I had to take a third less benzos, if I used it. BTW, I consider benzos to be worthy of great caution. LIke I said, that was years ago. Note: I'm not a bio-chemist or a doctor, so don't take any of this as 'written in stone'. Get a doctor's advice.

Again, Melatonin can be hit or miss. If I'm not too wound up or really in the mood for sleep, it will work. If I'm tensed, forget it. Sub-lingual (under the tongue) is the only way to go, IMO; no more than 2.5mg per night. Source Naturals is a good brand with a minty flavor. However, it's not cheap!

I've heard recently that a lot of doctors will now prescribe Trazadone, but it is a seratonin uptake inhibitor (anti-depressant), one of the earliest ones. it is frequently used for insomnia these days. Re. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trazodone

Sometimes these chemicals can be useful for high stress periods or while trying to adapt to a new xPAP therapy, but overall I suspect they mask our real sleep problems, such as OSA, CSA, sleep onset/maintenance insomnia, thyroid issues, anxiety issues and so forth and so on. If you have a sleep doctor or even a regular doctor, talk to them about your concerns and seek their advice.

Thanks for the replies, St Johns Wort is out for me. I did a bit of research last night and even if I wanted to take a benzo most are not recommended for someone who suffers depression. As I take anti depressants I also have to aware of contraindications. If the blasted OTC stuff didn't cost so much, I would be experimenting.

I wiil be attending the sleep clinic on Monday to see one of the therapists there so I'll ask them, and I'll also go and see my general doctor too

I use Melatonin frequently. I've never had any issues from using it and it works quite well at making me tired.

TheWino

From http://www.umm.edu/altmed/articles/melatonin-000970.htm

Interactions: If you are being treated with any of the following medications, you should not use melatonin without first discussing it with your health care provider.
Antidepressant medications -- In an animal study, melatonin supplements reduced the antidepressant effects of desipramine and fluoxetine. More research is needed to determine whether these effects would occur in people. In addition, fluoxetine (a member of a class of drugs called selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, or SSRIs) has led to measurable depletion of melatonin in people.