What is a really good alternative or traditional way to get some sleep?

Question

My father is 76 and has been on ambien for 2 years and has a burning in his stomach which may be a side effect. What else is a good medicine or alternative to take to help him sleep?

Answer 1

Melatonin is a natural sleep aid. You will find a lot of different brands out there... but what I have found to be the best is Nature's Plus Sleep Assure. It is similar one of the pills out there on the market in the sense that it has two layers. One to help you fall asleep fast and another to help you stay asleep throughout the night. But it is all natural. I've had many other people testify to this product.

Another natural sleep aid you can try is herbal teas. Look for teas that contain chamomile, st. john's wort, valerian, and kava kava. The Sleep Assure product contains valarian that is a little stinky... but it really does the trick for me. It can be pricey... but vitacost.com has a very competitive price for it.

Hope this helps!!

Answer 2

For a man his age, I suggest traditional Mexican Herbs such as Tila (Linden) or Azahares (Orange Blossoms) a cup of tea about an hour before bed. You might be able to find them in a good natural herbal store. I would stay away from Passion Flower, St. John's Wort and Valerian due to his age. Ambien has been found to cause liver and intestinal damage plus some suicidal ideations.
Good luck

Answer 3

If he is not able to sleep because his mind is very active, the best herb to use is Passion Flower (Passiflora coerulea) which is deeply relaxing and de-stressing.
If he has just "forgotten" how to sleep then I find the herb Winter Cherry (Withania somnifera) makes a very effective and safe sleeping draft with no side effects when made into a tea at 1 teaspoon per cup.
He could also try a combination of the two!
I hope this is helpful...

Answer 4

I've had severe chronic insomnia ever since I was a kid. Doctors would perscribe for depression, which was a result. That's one reason why I hate MD's. I've read books and tried all the natural stuff, which works to some degree if rotated enough so my body doesn't get used to it. Sleep Rx by HTP is the pill that works the best for me. I have a dual induction hypnosis CD by Tom Condon & Carol Erickson that works just as good. Lately I've been using Holosync and sleeping much better.

Answer 5

I imagine you've already been advised about Valerian, a plant-based supplement that calms, relaxes and has a gentle sedative effect, non-addictive, (I took it for 5 yrs post serious injury to help me sleep, and just as easily stopped taking it, no repercussions.)
You could always try chamomile tea... not too close to bedtime - going to the loo in the middle of the night to pee is not good for peaceful sleep!!!! No coffee or regular tea after 4 pm and sometimes a light carb meal can create a sense of sleepiness. Hope this helps... Cheers, Terri

Answer 6

The best, most non habit forming way to get your sleep is of course-Chamomile tea.
There is a really good chamomile/lavender blend sold at barnes and noble stores now.
Lavender is a very good herb to help you sleep.
There is a natural supplement made by Schiff that you can also purchase that does wonders. It's called "Knock out"-and that's exactly what it does.
Here's a good link:
http://www.vitaminshoppe.com/store/en/browse/sku_detail.jsp?id=SB-1780
Essential oils are great too for sleep inducing. Purchase some lavender essential oil and put just one or two drops on your pillow (not on the pillow case-underneath it).
*If you suffer from insomnia, try to stick to a routine at bedtime, and go to bed at the same time every day. Avoid caffeine and nicotine before bedtime, and get plenty of exercise during the day.*
A good hot bath always works for me (again, with some lavender essential oils); I lay in bed and knit or read for a while too.
Hope this helps!

Answer 7

Melatonin never worked for me and antihistamine-based sleep aids leave me hung over. I have taken Ambien for about 5 years now, no stomach issues but I am not as old as your father. A light snack before bed of foods with tryptophan(turkey has a LOT) may help. Good luck!

Answer 8

Some sleep aids are addictive keep that in mind.. I have found the best thing is to buy some benadryl.. over the counter take 1 or 2 and it will knock you out as soon as you start to relax.. it has helped me in the past and you can't get addicted.. You need to watch some of the other sleep aids they have BAD side effects and can tear up your GI tract too if you take them too long.. IE the stomach cramps and nausea.. BENADRYL IS THE BOMB.. try it.. helps me alot

Btw.. side effect of benadryl is dizziness, and drowsiness.. so it's all good for going to sleep :D

Answer 9

Hypnosis is a 100% safe, non-medicinal method to achieve fully restful, rejuvinating sleep. If you dad has a personal CD player, I can link him with 2 CDs he can use once comfortable in bed and ready to sleep for the night. He can adjust the sound to provide good hearing, yet listen comfortably in case of older-age hearing loss (presbycusis). A personal CD player is very inexpensive ($12-$16 in a 'mart' store).
I would be happy to teach you or your dad how to use the hypnosis CDs.

Answer 10

Chewable melatonin, I used to be the worse person to get to sleep, and I tried Nyquil, Sleeping pills, both over the counter and prescription, and in the end it was melatonin that put me out on my bed and made me sleep all night. It works within about 30 minutes, it doesnt even matter if you have already slept all day, and I have a high tollerance for most meds, but this works wonders for me and I have been using it for a long time. Its over the counter and relatively cheap, but get the chewables because they work better and quicker.