# Sleeping medications and behavior therapy



## BrunoMattei (Sep 22, 2021)

I've always had problems sleeping regularly. Chalk it up to stress from work but I have a new job now that's far less stressful and also pays more. But I digress. What do you faggots do and/or take to fall asleep because aside from prescription medications I've tried pretty much everything.

Melatonin used to work when I was younger but I built up a tolerance for it and it literally does nothing for me now.

I've tried Sominex and Latvarian Root which has been described as being as powerful as Ambien but they did nothing for me. 

The only thing that works consistently has been Nyquil but it takes at least 4 doses to actually knock me out and I wake up even groggier. Plus it will damage your kidney's if you take too much of it. I don't take it to get high unlike white trash fucks. 

I've tried this other shit with good results called Black Elderberry Syrup with California Poppies. I got it in the health food aisle at a fancy supermarket. It does a good job. I take 2 or 3 doses and it usually knocks me out within an hour. The downside is that it's very expensive at $30 a piece with taxes and shipping. 

Even still, I only sleep for about 3-4 hours before waking up and need to take more to go back to sleep. Over the last few months my sleeping pattern has been cut in half like this. I'm very wary of trying Ambien and other prescription shit because of side effects.


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## 0 2 (Sep 22, 2021)

Setting up a schedule/routine before you sleep helps a little with bad sleep patterns. It takes about a month or so and it's all psychological, but having a rigid series of things you do before sleeping is a non-medicinal way of improving sleep habits. Other things you've probably heard before, like exercising, going for walks, or cutting out junk food also helps, even if the advice is trite. Also, try to avoid naps in the middle of the day if you do so.

As for drugs, melatonin may still be worth looking into. Even though it's OTC, talk to your doctor to see if you can up the dosage. You shouldn't be relying on sleep drugs as the norm, though. Otherwise, I'd stay away from prescription drugs even if your doctor pushes them on you.


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## Miss Misery (Sep 22, 2021)

Melatonin has never worked for me, but Ramelteon, a melatonin receptor agonist, has been a fucking godsend: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ramelteon


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## Everybody (Sep 22, 2021)

What else do you do?
Working out until you get really tired does wonders for a lot of people, or at least a brisk walk.


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## BrunoMattei (Sep 22, 2021)

Everybody said:


> What else do you do?
> Working out until you get really tired does wonders for a lot of people, or at least a brisk walk.


Exercise makes me more wired. Same with sex.


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## Everybody (Sep 22, 2021)

BrunoMattei said:


> Exercise makes me more wired. Same with sex.


Yeah but eventually you must be tired right? If you do enough.


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## Idiotron (Sep 22, 2021)

BrunoMattei said:


> Exercise makes me more wired. Same with sex.


That makes no sense.
Getting tired won't make you less tired.
Run 5-10 miles without stopping, that definitely won't make you "wired".

Also, I've noticed that, just like a ton of others, you seem to rely on drugs.
Have you tried changing your lifestyle and diet?
The way you live and the food you eat make you who you are.
Letting drugs take care of your health won't do you any good long term.


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## MerriedxReldnahc (Sep 23, 2021)

I sometimes have a hard time getting to sleep (and staying asleep because living in a house with multiple snore-ers sucks) so I have a system for winding down for the night and tricking my brain into getting sleepy. Lighting matters quite a bit, there's a psychological element of cool vs warm lighting, cool being more stimulating and orange relaxing you more. My laptop is set up to switch to warm lighting at a certain point of the evening and I turn off my main lights and turn on my small lamp to cast a warmer glow in the room. Having warm tea, reading for a bit and lighting a candle or incense brings my energy down but if I'm feeling sore or antsy I'll get into this yoga pose for some number of breaths.  https://www.yogabasics.com/asana/child/
After that I'll turn my lamp off and play my gameboy or switch which kind of messes up the whole "only warm light" thing. But it's such a habit for me that I feel weird not playing, even if sometimes I'm so tired I can only play for a little bit. 

Right now I'm having trouble where I'll wake up at 6 or 7, figure I have enough time to get more sleep before I actually have to get up, and wake up again close to 9 feeling super groggy. What I tried to do this morning when I woke up just before 7 was to stay awake and just enjoy the coziness for a bit before getting up early. Sleeping in always seems to mess me up energy-wise and makes it harder for me to sleep soundly through the next night.


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## Pokemonquistador2 (Sep 24, 2021)

They say taking a Magnesium pill before bed helps.  I'll occasionally have a bout of anxiety-driven insomnia and on those nights I'll twitch every time I'm almost asleep. Magnesium citrate is supposed to help with that as well as with sleep in general.  

5-htp also has anti-insomnia effects in some people (although it's used mostly for depression.) One drug that worked for me was trazodone. It's relatively cheap and safe as far as anti-depressants are concerned, although you have to be careful when taking it with other anti-depressants or booze. You may have an easier time convincing a doctor to prescribe it for you just for insomnia thanks to its low toxicity.

I find that a lot of people who have insomnia real bad were those who pushed themselves to work long hours and the body just obliged and said "Okay, you don't want to sleep? Fine, then you won't sleep." You may be some kind of Superman who can power through with three hours of sleep a night in college, but I guarantee that ability will not stick with you when you get older. Set aside an adequate time for sleep. Let your mind wander and do weird shit and eventually you'll sleep when you're tired enough.


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## fhqwhgads (Sep 24, 2021)

For melatonin, what dosage were you taking? Because with melatonin, less is more. I take half of a 1mg each tablet each night. It's also an effective antioxidant, so will help with more than just sleep. 

Melatonin is effective for reducing the onset of sleep, but I'm not sure how well it will do for you if you're waking up and can't get back to sleep. Being too physiologically aroused to go back to sleep continuously can indicate that you are under a lot of stress. Is there anything that you can think of that may be the case? If there is, unless you treat that, then you may find that this problem just keeps getting worse. You'll continue to operate on less sleep than you need to function, you'll start to fall ill more often because you're under further stress from the lack of sleep, and eventually it will all get too much.

To help with stress and anxiety, you can take ashwagandha and lavender. These supplements can have sedative effects too in certain situations. For some people, ashwagandha can make them feel sleepy, so you can see how taking it at night works for you. For others, it can make them feel wired, so take it in the morning if that's the case for you. With lavender, taking it orally does not have any impact on how sleepy you feel, but it does have sedative effects if used as an aromatherapy.

I would steer clear of taking any benzos and the like, because you would just be treating the symptom, not the cause, and tolerance quickly builds up, so you'd soon be in a bigger mess than when you started.

Try to do what you can to get your sleep on track, because feeling tired and crappy can mean you don't eat well and exercise, and that in itself will make you feel tired and crappy, so it'll just be one big horrible loop of shittiness.


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## Sparkley (Sep 24, 2021)

Outside of medication and supplements, I think a healthy sleep environment can help. Your bed should only be used for two things, sleeping and fucking. That means no phone browsing, laundry storage/placement, sharing with pets, substitute trampoline, etc. Clean your bedsheets regularly and replace pillows that become deflated, Walmart special only last maybe a few months. Find an ideal temperature you like to sleep in and dress yourself accordingly (linens and clothing, hell go naked for broscience reccomended test boost). Lying down in your bed should trigger a response in your brain that it's sleepy time. I get about 8 hours minimum every night and feel great for a 12 hour shift at work, of course YMMV but anticipating sleep from the environment should improve sleep quality, imo.


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## Massa's Little Buckie (Sep 24, 2021)

I know it's lolweed, but the nights I've slept the best were after getting high. 

ASMR also has helped me.


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## Gravityqueen4life (Nov 4, 2021)

i had the same problem when quitting smoking. what puts me to ease is Camomile tea and listening to ASMR or sleep Hypno videos before bed.


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## Mullti Port RDRAM (Nov 4, 2021)

Melatonin worked great to help me sleep. What also helped is putting my phone on a table six feet from my bed, where I have to walk to get to. That works better than anything, because I have no persistent distraction.

Someone here said it best: The bed is for sleeping and fucking. That's all its good for. Your parents told you to stop using it as a trampoline for a good reason. Although I never understood why my mom would tell me to stop when her and the neighbor used it as one all the time.


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## BrunoMattei (Nov 4, 2021)

Gravityqueen4life said:


> i had the same problem when quitting smoking. what puts me to ease is Camomile tea and listening to ASMR or sleep Hypno videos before bed.


Holy necro, Batman.

So, some life shit happened and I had a lot of free time that allowed me to naturally adjust my sleep schedule. This also helped:


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## Unflushable Turd (Nov 5, 2021)

I_ thought_ melatonin wasn't doing shit, until I ran out and stopped taking it for a month due to laziness and then my sleep became worse than ever (shocking!). I restarted it this week at 5mg (instead of 10mg) and actually have had a good couple nights of sleep. So if you feel you've built a tolerance, maybe try cutting it cold turkey for a couple weeks then restart at a lower dosage.

Definitely cut your screen time for a couple hours before bed. Use that time to journal, read a book, or listen to a podcast/music. Bright lights are the enemy of sleep. 

Others in the thread have mentioned sleep hygiene (bed is only for sleeping/fucking, keep a consistent schedule, optimize your environment, etc.) These tips are frustrating in their simplicity like _yeah yeah I know that shit already_ but you have to be honest with yourself - how hygienic is your sleep routine _really_? Improve it where you can. It's a healthier and more effective long term strategy than just taking a pill.

If all else fails, get a sleep study to rule out any medical condition like sleep apnea.


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## Hollywood Hulk Hogan (Nov 5, 2021)

I used to have trouble sleeping at night due to work stress. What worked for me:

1. Go to bed at the same time each night, within 30 minutes either way (i.e. 11 pm would mean 10:30-11:30 pm).
2. Wake up at the same time each night, again, within 30 minutes either way.
3. Even if you can't sleep and sleep like shit, too bad, go to bed and wake up at those times.
4. If you can't sleep within 30 minutes, get up and do something. If you wake up in the middle of the night and can't sleep, again, get up and do something. Even if it's just walking around your living room. Don't turn lights on though.

It really sucks at first, but after a week or so it worked for me.


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## Prophetic Spirit (Nov 5, 2021)

Melatonin still works for me. Only side effect is waking up like shit but i can take it.


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## Liber Pater (Nov 5, 2021)

Phenibut will knock you out, but sleep quality may suffer. The same is true of benzos and most sleeping medications, but phenibut has nootropic benefits that many other GABAergic sedatives don't. It's not habit-forming, but you will have to cycle it to avoid tolerance (which builds quickly).
Personally, I typically take low-dose melatonin, magnesium, phosphatidylserine, glycine, and this, sometimes alongside lemon balm tea, before bed. On nights when I decide to lucid dream, I usually take Huperzine-A and various herbs instead.
I do Phenibut cycles as part of my protocol to reset stimulant tolerance, but apart from that, I don't use it regularly.
I am considering Khavinson pineal gland peptides, but I am not sure as to whether there is enough evidence for their efficacy for it to be worth my time and money.
Try to avoid regular use of 1st-generation antihistamines (pretty much all antihistamines with a notable sedative or anxiolytic effect, such as dipenhydramine, hydroxyzine, and doxylamine, fall into this category), as they will fuck with your cholinergic function and can make you more prone to dementia in the long-run.


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