cybertalus
First Post
Melatonin.
I am a chronic insomniac, and this is the only thing that works for me regularly. 2 mg of the sublingual variety taken at 11pm and most nights I'm asleep by 1am. On nights I don't take it (usually the weekends) I'm rarely to sleep before 5am.
The thing with melatonin is that it's involved with setting your body's internal clock, so you shouldn't use it at different times each day or you could get your sleep cycle really out of whack. If I forget and it's more than 20 minutes past the time I should've taken it, I skip it for the night.
You also probably want to start with the recommended 1 mg dose. I used 1 mg succesfully for a while, but stepped up to 2 mg when 1 mg became less effective.
It also won't knock you out cold, and it's very easy to stay awake past its effectivness if you need to.
One other thing I have found to sometimes help on those occasions when my insomnia is really bad: try sleeping somewhere else. A couch, a different bed in the house, whatever. Don't bring along your normal pillow/blanket/comforter, since the point is to change the environment. Doesn't always work, but when I'm desperate enough I usually give it a shot.
I am a chronic insomniac, and this is the only thing that works for me regularly. 2 mg of the sublingual variety taken at 11pm and most nights I'm asleep by 1am. On nights I don't take it (usually the weekends) I'm rarely to sleep before 5am.
The thing with melatonin is that it's involved with setting your body's internal clock, so you shouldn't use it at different times each day or you could get your sleep cycle really out of whack. If I forget and it's more than 20 minutes past the time I should've taken it, I skip it for the night.
You also probably want to start with the recommended 1 mg dose. I used 1 mg succesfully for a while, but stepped up to 2 mg when 1 mg became less effective.
It also won't knock you out cold, and it's very easy to stay awake past its effectivness if you need to.
One other thing I have found to sometimes help on those occasions when my insomnia is really bad: try sleeping somewhere else. A couch, a different bed in the house, whatever. Don't bring along your normal pillow/blanket/comforter, since the point is to change the environment. Doesn't always work, but when I'm desperate enough I usually give it a shot.
