Sleeping Drugs

[JediSkipdogg]

Ok, I'm finally going to admit/post about this.

I have a terrible time sleeping. This is mainly on nights I work. I can't seem to fall asleep till say 11:00 and sometimes even midnight. It may be because on nights I don't work I stay up till 1 am doing Internet work while it's much faster (generally downloading/uploading large files.)

The problem is on nights I work I have to get up at 5 am to be at work by 6:30. If I try to fall asleep at say 9, I just roll in bed for 2 hours. I have tried this numerous times and rolling in bed is more annoying than staying up till 11 and falling asleep instantly.

I was wondering if anyone on here is on any type of sleep aides. I've heard great things about I think Lunesta? I guess my main concern though is how would that affect the diabetes and waking for a low/high. Would the sleep drug keep me asleep then and basically make me hypo/hyper unaware while sleeping? Any advice on this?

[camjen1]

Jedi join the crowd!! I haven't slept good in weeks. I have been taking Tylenol Pm before bed and it helps alot but I still manage to wake up in the middle of the night.

My mother takes Ambien and she really likes it. It's not suppose to be addicting and I'm sure it has no affects on diabetes. I myself wouldn't take it if I was prone to night time lows. I'm actually thinking about asking my DR in my next up coming visit.

[princesslinda]

Have you tried Melatonin? It has worked for me on the few occasions I've had difficulty sleeping...i'm sure there's some side effects, as with everything.

Also, watch your caffeine intake in the evenings. As I get older, i'm finding if I have tea or soda in the late afternoon/evenings, I have difficulty sleeping.

Know a lot of people on Lunesta...they say it works well, but leaves a gross aftertaste in your mouth.

Don't know the effect of any of these on Blood sugar, esp in a T1 and waking up to check your levels. Melatonin has never affected my blood sugar, but i'm T2.

[belyro]

I've used dramamine in the past.....but I wouldn't say I "recommend" it. I'm pretty sure it's not meant to be used for extended periods of time. (I just used it a day here and a day there.)

Also, I've cut ALL caffeine out of my diet (except for the occasional chocolate treat). Now I rarely have trouble sleeping.

[duck]

Ommmmmmmmmmmmmm...

[kgm0612]

Although my husband isn't diabetic, he takes Lunesta a couple times a week. He works third shift and many times, he'll work a double. He uses Lunesta when he is exhausted and needs to catch up on some sleep. His one complaint.........dry mouth!

I use an OTC sleep aid called Simply Sleep. I like to take it an hour before bed and find that I do sleep all night without waking. It doesn't raise my blood sugar at all. Also, Walmart has their own brand and it's much cheaper.

Good Luck, Jedi. Hope you can get some much needed sleep!

Karen

[seltaeb]

I take 1 or 2 Benadryl tablets. My Doctor said they make the perfect sleeping aid. They work for me. I had no luck with Ambien or Lunesta.:sleep:

[notme]

I try desperately not to use sleep aids. Doesn't always work. I have a TERRIBLE time sleeping most nights. My problem I think is my age. I am sure you are not menapausal Jedi, but I have the whole sleep issue associated with it. I hot flash, and stare at the television till 2:00-4:00 am sometimes. Melatonin is VERY helpful with sleep problems. The nice thing about Melatonin is there is no side effects. My father had a hard time sleeping when he was going through chemotherapy. He also has a seizure disorder and he asked his neurologist about using it. He was told it was fine to take and there was no side effects. Melatonin will not "put you to sleep", but it does turn off all the things you think about while you are trying to sleep. It is the natural hormone that your body produces to make you tired, so it is a great aid to reset your body clock. I use it when I travel. You won't wake up groggy and it won't give you a sleep aid hang-over the next day.

Give it a try Jedi. If it doesn't work, then you could move on to one of the new sleep aids like Lunesta.

Make sure you buy the one that is not "beef" based. I buy them at Target and they are very inexpensive.

[tanyatype1]

My husband uses Melatonin.

[dgrilli]

I hate to say this but I also have Trouble sleeping. When I was a cop I got stuck mostly doing the Night Shift. Sleep all day Work all Night.

It's been more than 10 years since my medical retirement and still have that in my blood.

The real world operates 7am til 6pm in most cases.

If you do a poll I'm afraid you might find the sleeping disorder more prominent with diabetics than the rest of the population. (Just a Hunch)

Maybe we should do a poll here.

When I used Ambien for more than one night in row but less than 4 days in a row the problem seems to worsen.

Oh how retiring at 9;30pm and awaking at 6am everyday would do for my income. (Well Being)

This seems to be a personal war.

[poper77]

I have used Advil pm when I travel on business and can't sleep. I have found that it does not prevent me waking up for lows, because I got low a couple of times and still woke up. My only complaint is that I felt slightly groggy the next morning, but I think they all would leave you groggy..

[xMenace]

Have you experimented with exercise? Reading? Sex? Herbal teas? Changes in diet? There may be such effective remedies for you.:1eye:

[JediSkipdogg]

CUT THE CAFFEINE????? **** WILL FREEZE OVER FIRST. LOL

I'm sure that is part of the problem. Those 20 some ounces I have within an hour of going to bed. And heck, sometimes if I'm running low and wake in the middle of the night I'll eat and then drink some diet coke. Maybe I can switch to Diet Sprite before bed (I think that's caffeine free.)

Maybe I'll start with changing my drinking habit then go from there.

Have you experimented with exercise? Reading? Sex? Herbal teas? Changes in diet? There may be such effective remedies for you.:1eye:

Reading does nothing, actually, it does put me to sleep cause I hate it, but I can't stand it more than a few minutes cause of how much I dislike it. Excercise actually generally keeps me up longer, not sure why on that. I generally have to exercise 3-4 hours before sleeping. Teas, don't like the stuff. Change my diet? HAHAHA, I laugh at that. Sex....hmmmm....any single females here? :D LOL

I think I'll start with the drinks.

[BriOnH]

The problem with most sleep aids is they leave you with a "hung over", groggy type feeling when you wake up. I haven't tries Lunesta What I have tried is:
Benedryl
Tylonal PM
Nyquil
Xanax
Trazedone
Phenergan

Last three are by RX only. All of the above left me feeling like I wish I would have been up all night instead of taking them.

[ladytaz]

I've had insomnia for well over 20 years (gee thanks Dad!! - he's got it too) and it's a ROYAL PIA! I used to use Tylenol PM's but then when they found out how bad that was for your liver, I quit taking that, and then would sometimes use benedryl, and now I found some sleeptime stuff at Walgreens (and maybe at Walmart too?) It's a storebrand/generic or whatever, that's cheap and does the trick MOST of the time! Still some nights it doesn't work either :( Good luck finding something that works for ya Jedi!

[condensr]

I have a screwy body clock, so according to my body, 'bedtime' is 3am. If I go to bed then, no problems falling asleep and sleeping well. I don't fall asleep well, if at all, earlier than that.

So I've been trying out Ambien. Worked well at first, and no hangovers the next day (on the regular, NOT CR kind). If I was hypo in the middle of the night, I'd still wake up. I was worried about that too, though.

[Eri's mom]

I'm an insomniac...
I've tried ambien...stuff just makes me hyper.
Phenegran...used that stuff when I was a puker...helped, but not much...made me more uncomfortable.
Xanex...eh...leaves a metally taste in my mouth.
Tylenol PM...so so...
Nyquil...only works for 2-4 hours
I think I slept ok w/ demerol...ok, and dilauded, BUT, I was in the hospital...and I'm sure the fever helped the sleep...for about a week...but I don't suggest that!
Valium...heck, I was functioning on 50mgs at a time at one point(when I was less than 100lbs)...but EVENTUALLY, I'd be able to sleep a few hours.

Now I just make sure I run myself ragged...I still get up(I don't noramlly fall asleep until around 3 anyway)...and after 2-4 hours, I feel rested.

Not the greatest advice...but I've tried most of it.

I think THE best was quite a few drinks...vodka, with a few shots of bourbon...still up til about 3/4 am, but slept for 6 hours!

I think my body is just stubborn...although put in either "The Hunt for Red October" or "Dune" and I'm out(ok, same w/ "The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy"...lol) I HAVE seen those movies...but not all at once...lol.

[Cyborg]

Ambien works great! It helps you to fall asleep, but does not put you under so that you can't wake when you need to say, treat a hypo... I actually just got a script today for Ambien CR since the Ambien only seems to have about a 45 minute window where it works. The CR version supposedly works a little longer...

[Keezheekoni]

I have pretty bad insomnia. I think, though, that I may also have sleep apnea (at least a little anyway). The only thing that I have found that puts me to sleep is putting on the History Channel and lowering the volume so that I don't wake up my hubby. That channel or our local 24 hour news channel, since you really can only watch that for 30 minutes and then they repeat it for the next 4 hours... LOL

I've tried the new Tylenol Simply Sleep. It's basically Tylenol PM without the acetaminophen in it. That worked pretty well the first couple of times I tried it, but then it stopped. I used to live on melatonin while I was working because it would put me to sleep within 30 minutes of taking it and I wouldn't be groggy the next morning. Had to quit taking that when I got pregnant though, then I stopped working so I didn't use it anymore.

Lately, I've been on percocet for my spleen problem, and even that is only working to put me to sleep for a couple hours at a time. :(

I say, try the History Channel!

[JediSkipdogg]

I say, try the History Channel!

The problem with that is it helps put me to sleep but that's about it. So then I solve 50% of the problem, the falling asleep part. But then I still wake up every few hours and if the TV is on I will definitely wake up to that.

I do like the Vodka idea that Robin mentioned. Instead of a drink of Diet Coke before bed I'll drink 12 ounces of Vodka. If that doesn't know me out nothing will. LOL

[Cyborg]

I think 12 ounces of Vodka would knock out a horse! :rofl:

[Keezheekoni]

If the TV still being on would bother you, do you not have a TV that will auto shut off if you set it? We do that in our little girls' room since they like to fall asleep to cartoons.

[JediSkipdogg]

If the TV still being on would bother you, do you not have a TV that will auto shut off if you set it? We do that in our little girls' room since they like to fall asleep to cartoons.

Yeah, but I would think that would still do what I do now.

Currently I sleep with the radio on. It helps me fall asleep but sometimes it actually wakes me up. It's a no win situation. The problem is I need the TV on to help me fall asleep. But then I need it off to sleep, but then I'll just randomly wake up in 2-4 hours anyways and then have to turn it back on. I'd like to also avoid that waking if I could as well.

[Penny]

I go to sleep with a fan running in the room. The only problem with that is sometimes it blows around dust, and I wake up with a stuffy nose. (I know, I should dust more often) Have you tried drinking caffiene free Diet Coke in the evenings?

[whimper]

I have had insomnia for a very long time. It started when i was first diagnosed...the doctors and my parents reminded me day and night about keeping my BG in control or else of the complications...especailly of going blind. It devistated me. Growing up i hated going to bed. No matter how tired i would be, i just wouldn't let myself sleep because i worry that i would wake up blind. Sadly, I do this to this day.
Anyways, my endo strongly recommends me not to take any sleeping pills. She's worried about me going low at night and not being able to wake up.

Has anyone had a low while taking sleeping pills at night?

[jeggeman31]

Do some late night Cardio prior to bed time. After about 5 minutes of that I am OUT like a light :sleep: :)

[karen]

My whole family has trouble sleeping. We fall asleep okay, but then we don't stay asleep.

I have taken ambien for years and it is great and now my sister has started to take ambien CR.

I have had lows in the middle of the night and have woken up everytime. One recently was a 39, because most nights I have a snack and don't always bolus correctly.

Did you know astronauts take ambien? :goodnight :goodnight

[otep]

Ok, I'm finally going to admit/post about this.

I have a terrible time sleeping. This is mainly on nights I work. I can't seem to fall asleep till say 11:00 and sometimes even midnight. It may be because on nights I don't work I stay up till 1 am doing Internet work while it's much faster (generally downloading/uploading large files.)

The problem is on nights I work I have to get up at 5 am to be at work by 6:30. If I try to fall asleep at say 9, I just roll in bed for 2 hours. I have tried this numerous times and rolling in bed is more annoying than staying up till 11 and falling asleep instantly.

I was wondering if anyone on here is on any type of sleep aides. I've heard great things about I think Lunesta? I guess my main concern though is how would that affect the diabetes and waking for a low/high. Would the sleep drug keep me asleep then and basically make me hypo/hyper unaware while sleeping? Any advice on this?

It's really a pain not being able to get a good-night's sleep. This may sound weird but i think worth a try. At night when you are going to sleep drink warm milk. or take a warm bath a crash on the bed turn off all source of distraction: computer television, radio, etc. put away everything in mind - most people find it hard to sleep worrying about tomorrow. Try no to bring your worries or work in your room or on your sleep time. As much as possible avoid sleeping meds.

[trowter]

My doctor has prescribed me 2 different sleeping aids. My problem is not falling asleep, but waking up at 2 and not being able to fall back asleep
The first was Ativan. It works really well, and easy to take. The only problem with it is that it is very addicting. I had gone to a walk in clinic and they gave me that one. The next time I went back to my family doctor, he wouldn't represcribe that one but gave me zopiclone. Haven't taken it yet, but the pharmacist says it is really good.

[jillsp]

I've taken Ambien and Ambien CR. I like both, but the CR seems to keep me asleep longer at night. I have ALWAYS woken up during the night if I'm hypo and then go right back to sleep. I LOVE Ambien CR....no hangover, no bad taste, puts me to sleep, keeps me asleep 7 hours, still wake up for hypos and no rebound the next night if I don't want to take it. Ambien CR is not addictive and very safe. I have heard that Lunesta has a terrible metallic taste...yuck. I would recommend Ambien or Ambien CR.

[Miss Jade]

I have RLS so that makes it really hard for me to get to sleep.

I think my sleep disorder is at least partially self-inflicted. I don't think I ever allowed myself to get into a normal sleeping habit since moving here from Australia last year. I probably should have done something about it earlier, as now I just lie awake in bed until about 4am and then sleep until 1 or 2 pm (if I don't have anything planned). This has been going on for about 9 months now!!!!!!!

My podiatrist gave me a sample pack of Requip for the RLS, but I am reluctant to use it, as I too am worried about nypos or dependancy issues. He did say that if RLS is playing up, you may as well just get up and do something, as just lying still will make it seem worse.

I tried Tylenol PM a couple of times at the start of the problem, but they left me feeling like a zombie for the next day.

Another thing that stuffs up my sleep is my husband snoring!!!

And yep, caffeinne is probably an issue too.
.
I have an endo appointment on the 8th of Feb, I think I will ask her about it then, as it is probably a bit a a joke now. For now though, i'll just continue loading up my ipod with tv shows etc to watch in bed.

[JediSkipdogg]

I did find something that helps me sleep partially. I use to do this at my parents house, but in my everlong journey to keep my electric bill down I haven't done this....turning on the ceiling fan. I think the moving and cooler air helps me sleep. However.....

I still freaking wake up at 1:30-2:30 AM. It seems to be a common occurence where I wake up then and I'm 100% awake. Then again it takes about 30-60 minutes to fall back asleep.

[ladytaz]

I have RLS so that makes it really hard for me to get to sleep.

I think my sleep disorder is at least partially self-inflicted. I don't think I ever allowed myself to get into a normal sleeping habit since moving here from Australia last year. I probably should have done something about it earlier, as now I just lie awake in bed until about 4am and then sleep until 1 or 2 pm (if I don't have anything planned). This has been going on for about 9 months now!!!!!!!

My podiatrist gave me a sample pack of Requip for the RLS, but I am reluctant to use it, as I too am worried about nypos or dependancy issues. He did say that if RLS is playing up, you may as well just get up and do something, as just lying still will make it seem worse.

I tried Tylenol PM a couple of times at the start of the problem, but they left me feeling like a zombie for the next day.

Another thing that stuffs up my sleep is my husband snoring!!!

And yep, caffeinne is probably an issue too.
.
I have an endo appointment on the 8th of Feb, I think I will ask her about it then, as it is probably a bit a a joke now. For now though, i'll just continue loading up my ipod with tv shows etc to watch in bed.

I think I have RLS too (never been diagnosed, never mentioned it to the docs), only it's not severe, only happens occasionally, MAYBE a couple times a month. But it sure is irritating! I don't normally have it once I go to bed, but it's when I'm getting tired, usually sitting watching TV, but not quite ready to go to bed yet. Drives me INSANE! That antsy feeling in lower legs and feet, tingly, irritated like feeling ... just HAVE to get up and walk around! I dont like it!

LOL@ hubby snoring! Mine's always all over me about my staying up late, or getting up in the middle of the night, and I keep telling him, that he's no help in that department, he's half the problem! Never fails, JUST as I'm falling off to sleep, his snoring begins! UGH! And this will repeat thru the night! Now, if I can just get to sleep FIRST before he starts, I'll do alright! Altho I STILL wake up a couple/few hours later most nights anyway :(

[ladytaz]

I did find something that helps me sleep partially. I use to do this at my parents house, but in my everlong journey to keep my electric bill down I haven't done this....turning on the ceiling fan. I think the moving and cooler air helps me sleep. However.....

I still freaking wake up at 1:30-2:30 AM. It seems to be a common occurence where I wake up then and I'm 100% awake. Then again it takes about 30-60 minutes to fall back asleep.

Just so ya know Jedi, the ceiling fan doesn't use that much electricity! Mine stay on (2 of them anyway) almost 24/7/365 and my average electric bill is $60 or so (and that's with my puter running 24/7/365 too). Hubby can't sleep without the fan on either!

[Bradford]

I listen to Holosync Awakening Prologue before bed and I sleep like a rock.
Holosync: Centerpointe Research Institute: The Most Powerful Personal Growth, Meditation and Mind Development Tool on the Planet (http://www.centerpointe.com) It also lowers my bg #s

[Alohamora]

I've used benadryl in the past, but it left me feeling groggy in the morning.

For a while, I had good results just listening to soft music in bed.

Lately, I use melatonin. Even very small amounts are effective, like a half of a 1 mg pill.

[w5wjp]

I have trouble sleeping too. Tried Ambien, Benadryl and a couple of other Rx type sleep aids but they left me "hung over" the next day. Best thing I have found is valerian root or melatonin. They work, no hang over and no apparent effect on BG's.

[Larry H.]

I also never have slept like "normal" people. toss and turn all night, lot of nightmares ect.. Recently I tried on top of the melatonin I have been using for years a couple of Valernian Root Capsules from walmart or other drug or health food store. I had also tried the Celestia Seasoning Sleepytime with extra Valerian. Both have made sleeping less turbulant and more restfull.
As to the Caffine, you will probably have to give that up if your going to sleep. If I take much of that after 7pm I am tossing and turning all night..

[Injecto]

I've been trying 7mg of Zopiclone. Helps put me to sleep, but doesn't make me too groggy in the morning. And I do still wake up at night, you know, if nature calls. Otherwise I sleep like a baby.

[samuraisue1]

I don't sleep at night, I am up all night and i get the kids off to school and then I go to sleep after breakfast. Doctor gave me Ambien but it doesn't work. I may fall asleep 1 night out of the week at a normal hour but then it's back to being up all night.

[poodlebone]

I have horrible, horrible sleep habits. Many nights I don't go to bed at all. Last night was one of them, and that's why I got to work at 6:30 this morning when I usually come in at 11:00am. When I do go to bed it's usually after 2:00am, and I wake up between 8:00-8:30. I don't have trouble (usually) falling asleep once I do go to bed. It's just the physical act of forcing myself into the bed that I had problems with. I get to work at 11:00 and usually leave around 7:2o-7:25 to catch a 7:35 bus. Get home around 8:30, eat dinner around 9:00. By the time I check my usual web sites, usenet groups, e-mail, phone calls etc it's past midnight. The time goes by quickly!

I always bring my lunch to work, and sometimes at midnight I decide to cook something for the next day. Nothing like whipping up a batch of banana bread or baked ziti at 1:00am.

My rule is that if it's after 3:00am when I'm thinking of going to bed, I just stay up. Don't know where that rule comes from but unless I can't keep my eyes open, I just don't bother going to bed.

In the past when I did have trouble falling asleep I would take Benadryl or Actifed. Those OTC cold/allergy medications always knocked me out.

My CDE, for my last 2 visits, has tried pushing something on me. I don't know what she had in mind because I told her I didn't want anything.

[condensr]

I finally saw a sleep specialist about my strange sleep schedule. He diagnosed it as DSPS, or delayed sleep phase syndrome. DSPS is perfectly OK to live with if your schedule can bear it, but having to live and work in a world where others wake up in the actual AM, mine could not.

He prescribed a light box (like SAD, or Seasonal Apressive Disorder patients use) at 7am for 20 minutes, and Rozarem to help sleep.

The Rozarem (which is a melatonin receptor agonist, compared to things like Ambien that work on GABA instead) helped me get to sleep alright, but I had nightmares and didn't sleep well.

The light box though, I tell you, has worked a charm. When I started using it, within 5 days I found it not hard at all to sleep at 11 or midnight, and I could actually wake up at 7! I'm off schedule right now because I've had a nasty cold the past few days which caused me to sleep for 12 hours a day, but I'm resuming my AM schedule tomorrow morning.

I might try actual melatonin supplements and see if they give me the nightmares too.

Bottom line, if you find you can't sleep until very late, and WANT to be able to shift your schedule back, it can be done! :)

[sweetcheeks]

I generally dont have sleep problems on my days off from work, but on my nights i work, i get on the net, play games, chat, browse etc... and if im playing a game its like the worlds gonna end if i dont continue playing lol so ill play til 2 am even if i have to be up at 6.... or if the tv's on and dog the bounty hunter comes on i want to watch it regardless of the time i need to get up..........

so here's my rule.... try to avoid video games, they make your mind work harder, and dont turn the tv on after 10pm lol especially if its not already on... have hubby in my case to turn it to football or history channel if its on... and then ill go to sleep lol...........

once im asleep im asleep... i could sleep through a tornado........ except that **** phone ringing wakes me up

lol

most sleep aides make me feel groggy... like sunday i took a anti-depressent they had given me for my headaches.... still felt groggy after waking.