Has anyone tried 5HTP for insomnia

The biggest thing is to accept and stop worrying, once you have calmed yourself into acceptance the sleep will happen
I have no idea what 5HTP is, so must read up

I’ve been thinking of buying a light box to use in the morning to boost my serotonin.

Have you tried listening to story on the radio usually works for me

BlueBelle

The biggest thing is to accept and stop worrying, once you have calmed yourself into acceptance the sleep will happen
I have no idea what 5HTP is, so must read up

Sorry, but that’s just not true. I don’t worry about sleeping badly - which is usual for me - but it makes no difference.

However the reason I don’t get stressed about it, is because since retirement there isn’t often anything I need to get up early for - and there’s usually nothing to stop me having a nice little zizz on the sofa in the afternoon.
And before anyone says it, whether I zizz or not, makes zero difference to how I sleep at night!

BlueBelle

The biggest thing is to accept and stop worrying, once you have calmed yourself into acceptance the sleep will happen
I have no idea what 5HTP is, so must read up

Not an insomniac then!

I have used 5HTP and it didn’t work for me, neither did anything else, including sleeping pills. I’ve suffered from insomnia for 20+ years, with 4 hours sleep being a good night. From time to time I take 3 ibuprofen tablets just before I go to bed and that works for a couple of nights. I’m not recommending this solution as long term and it depends on whether you have health problems. The other thing I’ve learnt is to not have a lie in, going to bed and getting up at a regular time helps.
Good luck and I hope you find a solution soon.

The only medication that is 100% reliable is zoplicone which is very hard to get prescribed, so I use pfenerghan instead, which always works fir me and is much easier to get hold of.

Thanks to all who replied. As a lifelong insomniac, and someone whose body is rarely without discomfort, I don't worry about not getting to sleep, as dontcallme says.
I also often don't have very much to get up for and often don't "rise" till after midday, having not got to sleep until 5 or 6 in the morning. However, that makes it difficult take all my medication at the proper sort of time and doesn't leave much of a day for whatever I want to do. I had been "getting off" a bit better before February, but for some reason this has charged recently.
I've tried all the "relaxation, listening to a story or white noise" stuff and at one time Cetirizine helped.
I just wondered whether anyone had tried the 5HTP and whether it had worked for them.

However the reason I don’t get stressed about it, is because since retirement there isn’t often anything I need to get up early for*…. but thats exactly my point *Whitzend you don’t worry about it 😀
Obviously you ve never been on the thread I started for the 3 am crew Dontcallmelove I rarely sleep more than 4/5 hours a night and usually with a break in the middle. I m certainly not a brilliant sleeper

notagranny if you sometimes don’t get up till midday you have got into a real time warp re sleeping pattern
I would think even if youve had little sleep you need to get up at your normal time to try and get back into a proper sleep rhythm.

It’s a problem for so many

Yes Silverlining - I have been on Zopiclone for years, since my divorce. Last year a young Doctor called me in for a medication review. He suggested I try to come off the Zopiclone. I said at my age, I wouldn’t worry about getting addicted. He smiled. So I still have it on repeat.

I have recently been having trouble sleeping as my pacemaker is temporarily set at a minimum of 80 beats per minute which is not conducive to rest.
I have been taking phenergan which is an antihistamine often used for insomnia. I am lucky in that a quarter of a tablet is enough for me.
You can buy it over the counter.

My GP said to take magnesium and it has been helping I had7 uninteruppted hours last night .I take
Liposomal Magnesium. 8in 1 I get it from Amazon

paddyann54

My GP said to take magnesium and it has been helping I had7 uninteruppted hours last night .I take
Liposomal Magnesium. 8in 1 I get it from Amazon

I take magnesium too but not heard of that one paddyann.
It also help if you tend to get constipated! I need to order more because the GP has just prescribed cocodamol (sp?).

However, if I do wake in the middle of the night, I start worrying about things I can't do anything about, then can't get back to sleep.

I'm quite a good sleeper, but if I wake & can't get back to sleep I always try to get up, make a milky hot drink, 1 paracetemol, read a book - even if I'm up for an hour, I find that better than lying there worrying-dozing-worrying till it gets light.

For some weird reason, bedsocks help if I'm not sleeping well -toastie feet seem to make me sleepy.

I tried 5HTP, but it didn't make any difference for me. Have you tried Valerian tea/tablets? They made me sleepy though they didn't help me stay asleep.

crazyH

Yes Silverlining - I have been on Zopiclone for years, since my divorce. Last year a young Doctor called me in for a medication review. He suggested I try to come off the Zopiclone. I said at my age, I wouldn’t worry about getting addicted. He smiled. So I still have it on repeat.

I don’t think we ever gave out zopiclone on repeat. It was prescribed, just a few tablets at a time on a one off basis no matter how desperate people were for more.

I know Maybee70 - the Dr prescribed it during my very messy and long drawn out divorce proceedings. Took 5 years.
And then, I suppose they just continued to prescribe it.

Thanks again to everyone for their suggestions. I'm naturally a night owl, so my sleep pattern doesn't worry me, but lately I've been struggling to sleep at my normal bedtime, and that does.
I might have a look at the Magnesium supplement, the Valerian and the Phenergan (Promethazine hydrochloride) as that's a different antihistamine to the one I've been using, although that might not be wise as the NHS warns not to take it if you have heart and kidney problems - which I have.

I was on zispin during my divorce. Don’t think those that haven’t gone through a divorce realise how stressful it is although, thankfully, my doctors did.

valdavi

I'm quite a good sleeper, but if I wake & can't get back to sleep I always try to get up, make a milky hot drink, 1 paracetemol, read a book - even if I'm up for an hour, I find that better than lying there worrying-dozing-worrying till it gets light.

For some weird reason, bedsocks help if I'm not sleeping well -toastie feet seem to make me sleepy.

I, too, wear bedsocks. I sleep best if my feet are warm.

I have such an overactive mind when I go to bed that I do need a sleeping tablet every night. I've tried going without taking it but I'm shattered the following day and not worth a button. Its zopiclone 3.75 mg and yes I'm probably slightly addicted to it but I would prefer taking them as not taking them. I ,too, have tried all the usual tricks of listening to soft music, no mobile phone, milky drinks, valerian etc but they never worked for me

5HTP also helps with anxiety.

5HTP did nothing for me.

My gp is very reluctant to prescribe zopiclone, despite me arguing if I be one addicted at my age it woukdnt matter, but luckily 10 mg phenerghan works for me too. To have zopiclone on ongoing prescription is very unusual.
Do you take it every night crazyH? I have periods of bad insomnia when I use pfenerghan but currently it’s been a month or two when i haven’t needed them.

Sorry to butt in, I’m curious to know, those of you using Phenergan how do you feel the next day ? I had to stop using it as it made me very irritable, it helped me sleep though I used to cut a 25mg into four.