I’ve been struggling with sleep issues for over a decade now. My Doctor has prescribed me all sorts of medication, all of which has had many adverse side effects. What I do know that works, is Xanax. My wife was prescribed it for some stress issues and occasionally will give me one so I can finally sleep. Obviously asking my Doctor, “can I have Xanax” Will not go well. I’ve eluded to it in ways and the response has always been along the lines of “that’s habit forming, I’d rather you try this”. Of the many medications prescribed, none have worked. Resorting to the dark web is something I’d really rather not do. Fentanyl laced drugs took my sister and it’s a road I hope to not have to explore. Any suggestions?
Here’s what worked for me when I was an insomniac.
Tune out. Turn off the news. Block it from your life. Disengage from all politics.
Meditate at least once per day. Start out with one minute of meditation and increase the time as you get better at it.
Try to get some physical exercise every couple of days if you can. Bodybuilding works great, but it’s a difficult habit to form if you’re a depressed insomniac.
Turn off all electronic screens at least 2 hours before bed time.
Use incandescent or color temp adjusting LED lights for warm lighting in the evening. Turn light intensity down a couple hours before bed.
No caffeine after 3 pm. None! That includes chocolate.
Eat a balanced meal a couple hours before bed.
Drink chamomile and valerian root tea an hour before bedtime, take 5 mg of melatonin, and then go to bed.
Go to bed an hour before you need to be asleep and start reading. Read something boring. The Bible often works for me, but you can pick whatever makes you sleepy.
Get a white noise machine if there is background noise where you sleep.
Don’t lay in bed at any other point during the day. Don’t have a TV in the bedroom. The bed and bedroom needs to be a place of sleep and rest. Keep it sacred.
It takes some discipline and it certainly requires changing your habits, but that worked for me. In 2020 I was getting less than 2 hours of sleep per night, and I lost 15 pounds. I felt like I was literally dying all day, and I probably actually was. I implemented all of those changes and my sleep returned. I slept like crazy for a long time, getting caught up. Now my sleep schedule is pretty healthy, and I feel safe saying that I’ve mostly cured my chronic insomnia. Good luck to you!
Not a doctor, but I believe people should be careful with selfmedicating melatonine. Each person needs a different amount and at different times to make it effective. Too much melatonine can actually make you sleepy during daytime, or have an adverse effect on sleep. Get help from a sleeping expert on whether this is right for you.
Rest of the tips are great.
Agree wholeheartedly with this comment and the parent comment.
It’s frustrating to hear but sleep hygiene is the answer for the vast majority of people.
Xanax and benzos in general will make your sleep worse in the long term. Medium term even. They should be avoided.
Too much melatonin–about about 5mg for most people–tends to cause nightmares.