No sleep or sleep meds

Sleep Aid helps me sleep, sometimes I use it when desperate (in addition to 10 mg melatonin and "natural" remedies like passion fruit, valerian) but then often feel drugged the whole day. And I take only half a tablet. The couple of times I took a whole tablet I could hardly function, felt like a zombie.
I refuse to go back to heavy sleeping pills. I was on them for decades till my wife read about the side effects (long-term) of the tablets I was taking. So I stopped and try milder stuff. My sleep is not great - I often wake up several times a night - usually end up with 6-7 hours total. But interestingly, since I stopped the sleeping tablets I have started to dream again (first time in decades!), which my MD says is great. I feel that the sleeping tablets turned off part of my brain, which is now coming back to life.
Also, I've learned that how I spend my days and evenings impacts my sleep (duh). If I exercise during the day (not late), spend some time meditating (I use a marvelous app called Headspace), stop eating early (7 pm), avoid stressful events (not always easy), stay away from screens in the evening, go to bed early (10-10.30) -- I usually have a better, calmer night. But sometimes things are out of my control - like now, when we're in the middle of a war, and it's hard to not be affected by the news. Last night was particularly brutal. Tonight will be better.

Thanks Gramps, I really like your analysis of sleep quality w/ or w/o meds. I too wish to remain off them, but then I go so many night w/o sleep I get desperate and start to think about taking them again, hence my question in the post. I have now gone 3 months without sleep meds, except naturals like you mentioned or THC/CDN gummies and I get maybe 2 hours per night. That leaves me with fatigue ( unable to exercise), aches and pains, headache, poor judgement, etc. Still trying to decide which foot to shoot myself in. Meds or no sleep?

Thanks Gramps, I really like your analysis of sleep quality w/ or w/o meds. I too wish to remain off them, but then I go so many night w/o sleep I get desperate and start to think about taking them again, hence my question in the post. I have now gone 3 months without sleep meds, except naturals like you mentioned or THC/CDN gummies and I get maybe 2 hours per night. That leaves me with fatigue ( unable to exercise), aches and pains, headache, poor judgement, etc. Still trying to decide which foot to shoot myself in. Meds or no sleep?

Hi @cherawgirl , I really feel for you. Sometimes there is no alternative to medication. But if someone had told me decades ago about the long term effects I would have tried to wean myself off them long ago. So now I'm paying the price of long-term use and I try to use sleep aid as little as possible. I'm generally tired during the day and a good day for me is one in which I can function at a reasonable level. For a while I used CPAP but when that didn't help enough a sleep "specialist" prescribed a sedative and when that wasn't enough he simply increased the dosage. When my GP heard that I had been using the tablets for a long time she was shocked and weaned me off them, which was hell. I don't want to ever go through that process again. Right now I'm trying meditation everyday 10 to 20 minutes and hoping that that will make my sleep calmer.
Wishing you a calm, restful night!

My situation is exactly like yours. Can you share what sleep meds you tried that you don't want to take again? I currently take 2.5mg melatonin and 75-100mg Trazodone which help me fall asleep, but I wake after a few hours and most often can't fall back asleep. I'm also trying THC 15mg and CBN 12mg sleep gummies, but they aren't helping much. My sleep Dr only recommends hypnotic drugs, where you can sleep walk and not remember it, so I don't want to take those. I see a different Dr next week and am quite sure she will recommend the same meds. I am getting desperate to find something that helps me.

Ambien 5 mg, but only helped get to sleep. Wake after 2 hours and can’t get back to sleep.

Ramelteon(sp?) which is a fancy melatonin like prescription med. did nothing to help me.

Ativan. Helps sleep anxiety but is habit forming and you build resistance easily.

I’m thinking about Lunesta or Dayvigo.🤷‍♀️

My situation is exactly like yours. Can you share what sleep meds you tried that you don't want to take again? I currently take 2.5mg melatonin and 75-100mg Trazodone which help me fall asleep, but I wake after a few hours and most often can't fall back asleep. I'm also trying THC 15mg and CBN 12mg sleep gummies, but they aren't helping much. My sleep Dr only recommends hypnotic drugs, where you can sleep walk and not remember it, so I don't want to take those. I see a different Dr next week and am quite sure she will recommend the same meds. I am getting desperate to find something that helps me.

You've really been put through the wringer...
For decades I took lorazepam. Then a doctor took me of it and gave me Mirtazapine. Later a sleep doctor gave me Clonazepam, and when that stopped helping another sleep expert told me I could use brotizolam, that when that stopped working I could switch back to Clonazepam. Right now I am happy to be off all this garage but am concerned about the other effects of not sleeping well.
Last night I took the 10 mg melatonin and the "natural" remedy, slipped from 10:30 to 3:30, did meditation for an hour, eventually fell asleep around 5, till 7. now I'm feeling drowsy but more or less functioning. So I got the hours but apparently the sleep quality was not good. But what can I say: if I'm tired for the next 30 years I will have lived to be 100! 😊

You've really been put through the wringer...
For decades I took lorazepam. Then a doctor took me of it and gave me Mirtazapine. Later a sleep doctor gave me Clonazepam, and when that stopped helping another sleep expert told me I could use brotizolam, that when that stopped working I could switch back to Clonazepam. Right now I am happy to be off all this garage but am concerned about the other effects of not sleeping well.
Last night I took the 10 mg melatonin and the "natural" remedy, slipped from 10:30 to 3:30, did meditation for an hour, eventually fell asleep around 5, till 7. now I'm feeling drowsy but more or less functioning. So I got the hours but apparently the sleep quality was not good. But what can I say: if I'm tired for the next 30 years I will have lived to be 100! 😊

I will put a word out there about melatonin. I had a psychiatrist who was very knowledgeable about drugs and natural supplements who told me that the most effective dose is .5mg and no more. Apparently more is not better. Also best not to take it every night. My best sleep was when I was taking Klonopin 1 mg at bedtime. I always slept through the night and had many dreams. I didn't know this drug was bad for our brains. Now that I'm off it for the most part (I have some 0.125mg tablets I take occasionally), my sleep has been rough, but it is improving. I take mirtazapine 7.5mg nightly Sometimes I have difficulty falling asleep even though I feel very tired. I use this time to meditate or pray, and even if I am lightly dosing for hours, if I stay relaxed, I eventually fall asleep for about 6 hours. I feel alert and ready for the day when I wake up. Same for when I wake too early or in the middle of the night. I just meditate and pray. I do fine the CBD/THC gummies helpful, but don't take every night. I wish I could just sleep unaided but I have had insomnia for a very long time. I tried practicing CBT-I but it doesn't work for me because it requires you to get out of bed if you are awake 20 minutes. I was up and down all night and it just fueled my anxiety and made it impossible to fall asleep. I'm better off staying in bed with lights out because I will eventually fall asleep.