Seeking Help for Insomnia!

I developed sleep problems after my son was born. I also had postpartem depression, but when that was treated the sleep issue remained. My psychiatrist tried many medications that are not traditional sleep meds. I did eventually find one that helped me more than any others. It's called Gabitril and is actually for Epilepsy. But it seems to help with sleep architecture as well. I'd prefer not to have to use meds, but this is all so far that has helped.

Have you tried Benedryl? I usually don't have side-effects and like a charm.
Hope you get some sleep!
:) M.

As women get older, they have a harder time sleeping. I noticed that you didn't mention if you had tried getting a different bed. Also try just a good old Swedish style massage which will reduce stress and help you sleep. Try calling a chiropractic office as well and see what they say. You could also try a Philip Stein watch (Nordstrom sells them). Wear it 24/7. I know someone that bought one for her insomnia and she has been sleeping soundly since. Her back pain has lessened as well. Also don't drink anything too near bedtime or that will make you get up. Dim the lights an hour before bed to help you relax. If you are in bed and can't sleep, don't lie there awake. Get up for a while and do something relaxing, but don't turn on the lights. Are you making sure to get enough exercise as well? Just don't do it before bed. I find that if I am laying awake it is usually because of my own thoughts. Try some meditation, counting, deep breathing, whatever will take your mind off what is bothering you. I know this may sound a little Dr Phil, but you have to make the decision to not let things bother you if that's the case. You may also want to look into diet. I think I remember hearing something about how different foods can affect you based on too much or too little. Try a white noise machine. Really good sex always seems to work as well to send you to sleep with a smile on your face;) Hope that helps!

This may not be helpful to you at all, but I am also a SAHM and really had trouble sleeping after my first daughter was born. I would be so physically exhausted but my mind would be racing and I couldn't sleep. Often I would fall asleep but when the baby woke me to eat, I couldn't fall back asleep again. It went on that way for nearly 4 years and was very frustrating and exhausting. Anyway, what finally worked for me was taking up a hobby that kept my mind engaged (in my case, crosswords and sewing). I think that while my body was getting tired, my mind was not. It's been almost a year now and I have another baby, but I am able to go back to sleep after feeding him.

I hope you're able to find a solution. Insomnia is dreadful.

Just a thought. Hormones can cause sleep issues. Have you talked to your ob/gyn about it? Sometimes a different birth control can help or other hormones.

My husband began having sleep issues as well. They did discover that he had sleep apnea and wore the machine for 1 year. When he lost 30 lbs, his sleep apnea went away. Unfortunately, he was diagnosed with behcet's disease and they believe it has caused his brain to stop being able to put itself into the sleep cycle even when he's tired. Yes, he's tried all the various sleep prescription aids but they don't help him live the life he wants. He now uses benadryl and takes it early enough so that he will fall asleep. If he's having trouble, he will also take a cyclobenzaphrine (muscle relaxer) which also has the side affect of making him sleepy. He keeps different hours from me though. He can't fully wake up until between 10-12noon and then stays up until 2am in the morning. I'm sorry you are having these issues. I know that the lack of sleep is just horrible. Good luck.

Hi A.:

Sorry your not sleeping it is very tough to go w/out sleep and be a mom. After I had my son I developed a thryroid disorder and now I am finding actually also adrenal function problems. I had problems not getting enough sleep, things had to be just right for me to fall asleep and then I would wake from 3 to 5 and feel terrible by 7 when i needed to face my cherubs. I have just come across a very helpful web site www.drrind.com Check out the overview on metabolic function. See if anything feels true for you. Hormonal imbalance Estorgen/Proges and adrenal function play a major role in sleep. Also simply doing some sort of exercise can really help the quality of your sleep. Yoga is great for me because it releases the stress I carry in major muscles.

Good LUck.

M.

Mom to 8 and 2 year old boys.

Perhaps your body is not producting enough Melatonin. It's a natural hormone that your body produces which induces sleep. If it's off, or your body is not producing enough of it, it will cause sleeplessness. It's very common for people to take a hormone enhancing suppliment which adds to your system what you may be missing. It's called Melatonin, and I'd get the kind that is created in a lab, vs the one with natural ingredients...because there are more side effects with the one that is created using cow fat. My brother uses it and I have a friend who gives it to her daughter because her daughter would lay in her bed for hours everynight before finally falling asleep and her daughter started having anxioty issues. Ask your Doc about it and do your own research to see if it's right for you. Some poeple only take it for a little while because their body will eventually fix itself.

Same thing happened to me after my daughter was born. So far I have only tried Tylanol PM and it helped. I acctually cut back to 1/2 a pill cause it was making me groggy in the morning. Otherwise my Dr suggested Benadryl or another allergy med that causes drowsiness.

My sleeping greatly improved when I cut way down on eating sugar, MSG and acid. (Sugar includes fruit juices.) I sleep like a champ now.
A.