Sleeping pill - any advice please?

I don't even get to the bedroom Nonnie; I fall asleep on the sofa! I think the advice given doesn't point out that it must be a programme that you 'really' want to watch. Having said that, as someone that usually sleeps well, when I do sometimes find myself not being able to sleep [often if I need to get up early the next day]it makes me realise what a terrible problem it can be for some people. I do use Paul McKenna hypnotism tapes sometimes as well but that's more for a power nap during the day.

Tegan you and DH have things in common but even after falling asleep on the sofa he still sleeps well until I wake up. 2 nights on these pills and I haven't even woken up for a pee. Haven't done much of anything all day because I feel out of it but will keep going and hope it improves. I trust my GP which helps a lot.

These tablets sound like they may create more of a problem that solve it.

Sleep on the whole is helped by a routine. The key is to find a routine that works just as we did for our children. If I can't sleep I take an ivobrufin with my last meal and then a paracetamol with a low dose nytol from the pharmacist.

These ten tips make sense:
Successful aging: 10 tips for better sleep
Getting enough good-quality sleep is essential to staying healthy and aging well. Certain sleep problems — for example, sleep apnea — require medical treatment. But these 10 simple steps can help you overcome general sleep difficulties, including insomnia.
Get your copy of A Plan for Successful Aging

With this Special Health Report, you will learn the protective steps doctors recommend for keeping your mind and body fit for an active and rewarding life. You’ll get tips for diet and exercise, preventive screenings, reducing the risk of coronary disease, strengthening bones, lessening joint aches, and assuring that your sight, hearing, and memory all stay sharp. Plus, you’ll get authoritative guidance to help you stretch your health care dollar, select a health plan that meets your needs, prepare a health care proxy, and more.


1.Stick to a consistent sleep schedule and routine. Go to bed at the same time each night and wake up at the same time each morning. A set sleep routine will “train” you to fall asleep and wake up more easily.
2.Use the bed only for sleep and sex.
3.Cut down on caffeine. For some people, a single cup of coffee in the morning means a sleepless night. Caffeine can also increase the need to urinate during the night.
4.Be physically active. Regular aerobic exercise like walking, running, or swimming provides three important sleep benefits: you fall asleep faster, attain a higher percentage of restorative deep sleep, and awaken less often during the night.
5.Limit daytime naps. Prolonged napping can disrupt your natural sleep cycle and prevent you from feeling tired enough to fall asleep.
6.If you use tobacco in any form, quit. Nicotine makes it harder to fall asleep.
7.Use alcohol cautiously. Alcohol depresses the nervous system, so a nightcap may help some people fall asleep. But this effect disappears after a few hours and may lead to waking up throughout the night. Alcohol can also worsen snoring and other sleep breathing problems.
8.Improve your sleep surroundings. Remove the television, telephone, and office equipment from the bedroom. This reinforces the idea that this room is meant for sleeping. An ideal environment is quiet, dark, and relatively cool, with a comfortable bed and minimal clutter.
9.If you’re still awake after about 20 minutes in bed, get up and read awhile to relax. Otherwise, you’ll set yourself up for tossing and turning.
10.Try to avoid taking sleeping pills. If you do take a prescription sleep medicine, work with your doctor to use it effectively and for as short a time as possible.
To learn more about ways to stay healthy and age well, buy A Plan for Successful Aging, a Special Health Report from Harvard Medical School.

Sleep – Ted Talks
www.ted.com/talks/arianna_huffington_how_to_succeed_get_more_sleep?language=en
All the best hope you find a sucessful way forward.

Nonnie good reply to whoever it was that posted what can only be described as a smug and I'll informed response!

Ill, damnit!

I was prescribed Zopiclone when I had problems sleeping after having an arthroscopy. My doctor continued to prescribe them on a repeat prescription, sometimes upping the dose. When he left, the new doctor refused to prescribe them to my husband as they were "the work of the devil and should be used sparingly". When he heard I had been taking them for ten years, he was horrified! I had an emergency appointment with him during which he said "With the greatest respect, you are a junkie!!" Zopiclone puts you to sleep but it's the wrong kind of sleep - you always wake up tired! I had two choices - either reduce slowly or go cold turkey. I chose the latter cos I felt like death with half the dose! It took six months to get my sleep cycle back to normal and the new doctor was dead impressed!! Thanh goodness we got a new doctor when we did!

I've taken zopiclone for three years and don't wake up tired, neither have I increased the dose. Not everyone reacts in the same way to the same drugs.

That's not to say I recommend or condone the regular use of sleeping pills.

I've heard of people who have been taking amytriptylene to help them sleep for years - are they 'junkies' too?

I sometimes have problems especially when away from home and have found that Boots Sleepeaze work quite well. They come in one a night and two a night strengths. I buy the two a night but only take one and sometimes just a half. I find they help me drop off again if (when!) I wake in the night, but don't make me feel drugged up in the morning.

Sleep problems can be genetic. There is actually a marker for it and it runs in families. It runs in mine.

So everyone is not programmed to gently waft off into dreamland for a natural sleep at any age.

I also occasionally take zoplicone...when I've had a run of restless wakeful nights for all sorts of reasons , it's like a 'treat' I sleep through.and feel great for it, never wake up groggy.!

Ýes Amitriptyline is a good drug for nerve pain too.....I use Zoplicone for sleeping.
I dont care if it's addictive at my age.
I need my sleep in order to function during the day !
Good Luck to everyone having sleep problems.

My opinion, for what it's worth! Don't get started on sleeping pills of any kind. It's a slippery slope! I know it's awful, but just tolerate the sleeplessness; it will sort itself out in the end. Life can be rough: I've been widowed twice and my late husband had early-onset dementia for 15 years. Sleep was often impossible, or elusive. Nevertheless, your body will eventually figure it out when it can. It's better to ride it than to slip into dependence. Very best wishes.

Yes....I'm a Junkie too !
I don't care at my age.

EmilyHarburn when you have done 1-9 for most of your adult life and always slept well, how long should you go without sleep for?

I do understand why some of you are so anti sleeping pills but what else is there when your life is so badly affected by lack of sleep? It is especially hard when you have always slept well. It is not physical pain which keeps me awake, my brain is not racing away and I feel so exhausted I can't even read in bed as all the words swim about.

Nonnie... is there any way you can take control of some of the things that have changed in your life? If they are the root of your anxiety, perhaps the doctor should be treating that and not just trying to treat your insomnia.

EG, pregabalin (Lyrica) is a antidepressant that if taken at night gives sleep without waking up to that adrenaline rush of fear that says... oh no, can't sleep, and why can't I stop thinking about ---! They come in a starting dose of 75mg which is a very low dose and might be enough to help.

Maybe a new way of looking at your health issues is needed.

Good luck.. and sending healing thoughts, too!

Thanks Lewlew. The terrible things that have been happening are over now, thank goodness. I accepted not sleeping while it was all going on but when it came to an end I expected to be able to sleep again eventually but it hasn't happened.

I think some of the alternative medical ideas may be good but I have to leave it to my GP because he knows the other meds I am taking and have to take for the rest of my life. They have some peculiar interactions with other meds so I expect he has taken that into consideration. I can't even take ibuprofen!

Thank you everyone who has offered such helpful advice, it is reassuring to know I am not alone and hear how you deal with it yourselves.

Glad you found the replies helpful, Nonnie.
Re-reading your OP, you say you always slept well. I remembered that I've had problems since I was a teenager . During O levels I couldn't sleep and went for a walk on the beach during the night. We lived by the sea. Fell asleep the next day during the Latin exam. So no hope for me! It's complicated.

NemosMum """Don't get started on sleeping pills of any kind. It's a slippery slope! I know it's awful, but just tolerate the sleeplessness; it will sort itself out in the end."""

My insomnia/sleeplessness has been going on for 20+ years. At best I get about 4 hours, usually it's 2 or 3 hours. Very often I don't sleep at all. For 13 of these 20 years I was working full time - often going to work not having slept.

I have tried, zopiclone, zolpidem, amytriptiline (sp?), an antihistamine, melatonin and now clonazepam. All of these have been prescribed by my GP.

On Friday night past I slept from 1am - 2am. Got up and pottered about planning to go back to bed when I felt sleepy, sleepiness didn't happen. I stayed up, dgc arrived on Saturday morning for a sleepover and I eventually went to bed at 12 midnight Saturday night. Slept for 2 hours. Got up from 2.30 - 5.30am. Went back to bed around 6am and slept for an hour. That was it.

There is nothing that I don't know about sleep hygiene, it makes no beneficial difference to me.

I do understand what you are saying, the slippery slope of medication etc, and that you speak from the heart.

But honestly, when night after night, week after week.... for many years, there is no respite to be found in a good night's sleep, I can confidently say that it doesn't always sort itself out.

It is pretty miserable wandering the house alone every night, exhausted but not sleepy.
I would take pretty much anything that I thought would help me sleep.

Emilyharburn I already do what your list says as I said I have two dr s who prescribe zopiclone small dose and are happy to they both no what I have been through and that I only take them occasionally I usually manage on little sleep and use mindfulness a lot but occasionally nothing works ??

Lewlew just to say that Lyrica isn't an antidepressant. It is an anti seizure medication which is indeed also useful as a sleep aid.

Go on You Tube and learn to meditate. I do it for 10 mins before bed and it works.

@Coolgran

I'm the same. I haven't slept well since I was a teenager and there is nothing I haven't tried. I used to be prescribed zopiclone, which I took occasionally when I just couldn't function, because I was so tired. A new GP stopped the prescription and gave me all sorts of advice which didn't work. Another new GP has agreed to prescribe me a few tablets and I'm already finding that getting a good night's sleep every few days is making me feel better. I don't wake up tired or groggy. I have enough energy to do chores, which help me sleep a little better, keep things on track and help me to feel in control.

Coolgran65, Lyrica has been given licence in UK to treat anxiety for quite some time.

Reading your post about symptoms... that's ME almost all my life. Thanks for posting.

And I should have added... it's not an SSRI but being used as an antidepressant, it's not its first use. Cheers.

Thanks Lewlew