<p>I’m familiar with things like melatonin and the fragrance of lavender to help one relax/sleep.</p>
<p>I’m familiar with camomile tea (Is any brand fine???)</p>
<p>What other things help people feel relaxed/drowsy and aid sleep?</p>
<p>What things interfere?? (obviously caffeine and sometimes chocolate)</p>
<p>do carbs interfere with sleep? (he loves to munch on things like crackers, pretzels, at night.)</p>
<p>Sometimes I think exercise (if done too late) can interfere with sleep. </p>
<p>H often has trouble falling asleep. I think that he is inadvertantly doing some things that interfere…like caffeine drinks too late in the day, watching TV programs that kind of get your adrenalin going (like action movies and he loves that channel that’s got a lot of WWII stories in it…I call it the Hitler Channel cuz it’s always talking about Hitler. It also has some great stories about Allied spy efforts to thwart the enemy, but also features the gut-wrenching horrifying atrocities, which would give me nightmares if I watched that stuff frequently.) </p>
<p>I would like to inspire him to kind of overhaul his diet, his nighttime TV choices, and anything else that might be giving him “second winds” that keep him from falling asleep. He needs better sleep hygiene. </p>
<p>What are some natural sleep aid, good sleep routines, things to avoid (like that Hitler channel!!), etc? </p>
<p>I inadvertently got a “Hot Vanilla Creme” (or steamer) non-fat, sugar free, no whip in error and drank it not realizing I was actually drinking warmed, foamed milk with sweetened vanilla (I can’t stand milk but didn’t know what I was drinking). Very warm and comforting - made me sleepy.</p>
<p>Having C-Span or a nature show with one of those droning narrators on TV would do it.</p>
<p>For me, I always read when I go to bed or else I’d have a very hard time falling asleep. Reading helps my mind not wander throughout the myriad of things on my mind, including work and other things. It also helps make my eyes tired. When I do turn out the light I purposely don’t let my mind think about work related items or else it wakes me up more so I focus on some strange topic and manage to fall asleep.</p>
<p>Also - the environment should be good for sleeping - have white noise to mask traffic, barking dogs, etc., the right temperature, a good pillow, and a decent mattress.</p>
<p>Crossword puzzles. If all else fails, Tylenol PM. Also, I find it helpful to think neutral thoughts as I lie in bed rather than rehashing the events of the day. It always works to picture myself in a car moving along an empty highway. The image would vary for each person, but the point is to picture a monotonous, non stressful scene.</p>
<p>Also, I find it helpful to think neutral thoughts as I lie in bed rather than rehashing the events of the day.</p>
<p>I think that is ALSO causing some issues. He’s evaluating the day…things at work that should have gone better or should have been done differently…the woulda, shoulda, couldas. I think it “spins him up.” </p>
<p>marian…I think you’re right about drinking liquids and bathroom breaks in the middle of the night.</p>
<p>He also says that he gets very hungry in the middle of the night. That is the oddest thing to me. I have never gotten up in the middle of the night to eat. That would be so weird.</p>
<p>For me, taking an antihistimine like Zyrtec in the evening serves the dual purpose of helping me fall asleep and also keeping my allergy symptoms under control. I notice I have more trouble sleeping if I don’t take at least 1/2 a tablet.</p>
<p>If I drink anything with cafeine in the afternoon, I would not be able to fall asleep.
Lately, I noticed I fall asleep when I try to read when I lay flat down, sitting up wouldn’t be a problem. Eating hot soup or drinking hot tea also put me straight to sleep.
I also have a heat pad filled with clay and after I microwave it from 2 minutes and put under my back, I also fall asleep quite easily.</p>
<p>I try to avoid anything with caffeine or chocolate but especially from noon on. Drinking beverages later in the evening has not been a problem for me but is for others who have to get up to go to the bathroom. My mom tries to avoid consuming beverages any time after 4pm.</p>
<p>If you have trouble falling asleep, you’re not supposed to use any screens in the couple of hours before bedtime (computer, TV). I find using the computer at night wakes me up. </p>
<p>We have some heating pad type things called a Bucky that you heat up in the microwave before bed. You can put it on your back or neck–very soothing. It helps both my H and I fall asleep. </p>
<p>A soothing, calming ritual at bedtime is supposed to be helpful. Reading in bed helps me fall asleep. We have a mattress with a memory foam layer and that also helps.</p>
<p>Sleep hygeine is said to be CRUCIAL. ONLY sleep in the bedroom–not reading, not TV, not video games. Having a ritual every night and going to sleep and waking at the same time every day is also said to be very helpful.</p>
<p>Meditation can help clear the mind and make sleep come easier. Exercising earlier in the day is helpful as well, so the body and muscles are tired and ready to rest.</p>
<p>For me, post nasal drip and allergies are a certain hindrance to sleep. If they are adequately controlled, I sleep well, otherwise, it’s VERY tough.</p>
<p>I don’t like the idea of taking drugs/substances, including cold medicines and melatonin, regularly to fall asleep - I think that should be avoided.</p>
<p>Here’s a webpage with helpful information. I do not take the antihistimine to fall asleep but have noticed that it does help. Mainly, it helps keep me from having post nasal drip and that helps me sleep MUCH better.</p>
<p>A few tips are a good sleeping area – comfortable bed, good temperature, etc. Don’t do anything in bed except sleep and sex. Don’t read, don’t watch TV, don’t surf the Internet, etc. Don’t keep a clock nearby and check the time obsessively. After ten minutes of not sleeping (or what feels like ten minutes) get up and go in another room and do a quiet activity. Relaxation exercises are helpful to get the body into a relaxed state.</p>
<p>My husband has no trouble falling asleep. But he can’t stay asleep. He’s up and down all night. He used to take Ambien but then he felt it was making his thinking cloudy so he stopped. Now he refuses to take anything, but he’s really got a problem.</p>
<p>^^ That’d never work for me - i.e. the not reading and getting up every 10 minutes of not sleeping - I’d be up all night.</p>
<p>Ambien can have severe and dangerous side effects - I’d never take that. </p>
<p>Some people who awaken frequently all night long, especially if overweight, have sleep apnea which has dangerous long term consequences and should be attended to.</p>
<p>The key is for people to find what works best for them. We’re all different.</p>
<p>25mg of 5HTP within 30 minutes of going to bed. Once I started menopause I had trouble falling asleep. The 5HTP was recommended and it has worked wonders, I rarely have issues now, and sleep soundly as well.</p>