How can I make myself sleep without depending on medication?

Question

My body has gotten accustomed to being dependent on psych medication to help me fall asleep. What are some NATURAL ways to make myself tired @ night?

Answer 1

I too have trouble sleeping and have to take medication. I don't think you should try to go off your medication and try to sleep on your own all at one time. See if the doctor will help you cut down on your dosage and then he/she can change you to something lighter and then you can go to natural sleep from there. You have talked about being depressed; I too suffer from depression. Sleep deprivation can worsen depression, so be very careful while trying to get off sleep medication. You are doing a good thing by wanting to get to sleep naturally and you WILL be able to do it. I just hate to see you try to go straight from medication to trying to go it alone without first slowly cutting down on your dosage. Don't set yourself up for failure by doing something too hard.

Best of luck to you sweetie.

Answer 2

You need to talk to your doctor about this. I have a feeling it's caused from the combination of medications you're on. Please be careful with these kinds of meds. There are many side affects and some can make you worse instead of helping. Maybe you can try a herbal night time tea and see if that helps you sleep. Lack of sleep can cause a lot of problems in your body. It's very important that you get the rest your body needs. Hope you find an answer and you feel better soon. Take care

Answer 3

There are several natural sleep aides available on the market today. If you are near to or over 30, your body may have started to decrease the amount of Melatonin produced which naturally makes you tired. This is available in a natural form as well as Kava Kava, chamomile and various other natural sleep aids. There is a product by Uni-Vera called S-4 sleep enhancer which is a natural combination of many of the ingredients listed above. This should help you get into a sleep cycle that you can then maintain with taking anything.

Answer 4

It depends on what the problem with sleeping is. Are you physically anxious? If so, then take a bath, exercise, eat healthy and go to sleep and wake up at the same time everyday. This is a biggie. Your body needs consistency. If its more mental or emotional like a racing mind, anxiety, etc., then you need to find some coping mechanisms for stress. Try to meditate before bed to slow down your mind. Meditation doesn't have to consist of sitting down Indian style and getting really deep. It can be as simple as just breathing deeply, closing your eyes, and imagining yourself in a very relaxed state. Yoga is also a great exercise for allowing your body to be stretched out, relaxed and stress free. GOOD LUCK. Also...try aromatherapy-like lavendar. Lavendar has soothing effects and is used sometimes to calm upset babies.

Answer 5

Get into an exercise routine. If you get your heart rate up for 20-40 minutes a day, it should really help. Exercising also promotes endorphin production which helps you feel happier too.
Finish exercising at least 2-3 hours before you attempt to sleep.
Also, herbs that can help are: valerian, chamomile (not for more than 6 weeks), passion flower, GABA, St. John's wort, lemon balm leaf, and most effective, rooibos or red tea.
My husband has been on meds to sleep in the past, and one of the things that really helps him is to take calcium/magnesium (as a liquid) just before bedtime.
Don't be discouraged if any of these things doesn't work right away, most of them have a cumulative effect (i.e. they need to be used for a few days or weeks in a row for their benefits to build up).
Also, drink lots of water. Try to down 60 oz./day, but finish your water intake before 7 pm so that needing to pee doesn't interupt sleep.
There are also many relaxation CDs on the market which can be very effective too.
Good luck, sleeplessness is not fun. But it can be beat. All of the above remedies can improve your health and life, asleep or awake!
-Claire

Answer 6

The best natural ways is to physically exhaust yourself. But you cannot do it within 4 hours of trying to go to sleep.

Best bet is to work out around lunch time (mid afternoon or morning), for a good 30-40 mins. That way your body is going to want to rest when you finally lay down.

In addition to that, lavender is a scent that helps to sooth. They sell Johnson's products with the scent in lotions, oils, and even bath and body washes.

Soft music (if you listen to it lowly where your brain focuses on the sound and it sort of downs out any thoughts), helps a great deal in relaxation and sleep. Try the Celtic chants.

Chamomile tea also helps to relax.

When all else fails, masturbation works for most.

I don't see how a combination of all of the afore mentioned could still leave you with restless nights.

If the problem is getting your mind to shut down, you have to focus on the task at hand. Not the sleeping, but the sipping of the tea, the washing of your body, the rhythmic sound of the music playing softly....

Answer 7

I know this sounds like justanother med but nytolis made from natural ingredients The big difference is that nytol does not knock you out like most drugs it just relaxes the brain. This lets you drop into normal sleep. I used it to hekp me change my sleep pattern. I was working through till the early hours of the morning. then I switched to days. I was wide awake at night and getting just a couple of hours sleep. the getting overtired the next night. I used nytol for one night that for me was all it needed.

Answer 8

valarian root is a natural sedative (non addictive). It will help you sleep.

Drink cammomile tea prior to bed, or eat some turkey.

Try yoga and meditation as well.

There are some CD's out there that have soulnds that affact brainwaves and can help you fall asleep, too.

Answer 9

Listening to soft music. Taking a nice bath or shower before bed. Making sure your room is completely dark and telling yourself.

I am going to sleep now. You have to release all that clutter that is on your mind. That keeps most folks, awake. Stop thinking so much, now go to sleep.

Answer 10

I like to bang one out whilst wearing my cravat and smoking a pipe. Listening to Burt Bacharach helps. Seriously, if you've been on psyche headshrinker medication, then don't listen to Scott Walker. Or anything by Renaissance.