[acb-hsp] Sleep

Mon Aug 27 07:59:30 EDT 2012

Hi Osmond
Thanks for a great post ... very dear to my own heart.  Like you, I always 
slept relatively well, as long as I could get off to sleep. Then I began 
waking in the night ... and not being able to go back to sleep. For a while 
there, I was going to work on 2-3 hours sleep, most nights, and a lot of 
tossing and turning.  Nowadays I am gettting more solid sleep but ... could 
nod off at my desk most days.  I am renowned for sleeping through meetings 
.... in fact, I'm the office joke.

I read on the internet somewhere that you should take 2 lots of calcium to 
one of magnesium, and it would help with this problem.  That is, take 600 
milligrams of calcium for example, to 300 milligrams of magnesium. I 
started, and it did seem to make a bit of a difference, but not a hell of 
one, if that makes sense.

I do also have sleep apnoea ... so was never sure what it is caused by.  Is 
it that my rhythms are out? The apnoea? Ah its enough to do your head in.

Well recently I had another sleep study. I went back to my sleep specialist 
last week, and he all but threw up his hands.  He is sure it is not my sleep 
apnoea. He refuses to let my problem defeat him.  He believes that the main 
thing that the magnesium is doing is cutting down your leg movements in your 
sleep, so that you don't disturb the deep sleep that your body needs.  So, 
now he has me on a little movement medication, basically a medication for 
Parkinsons' disease in a very small dose. On the other hand,  On the chance 
that it may be my sleep rhythms, he has also put me on to prescribed 
melatonin to be taken half an hour before bed.  After four nights, I am 
feeling a litttle more awake in the daytime, but ... wow I've been having 
some strange dreams.

So, all this to say that if you are interested, I'll report my progress, but 
... he didn't give much credence to the natural remedies, and honestly, 
neither do i.  I mean ... there are so many vitamin ones that come out ... 
over here we have Deep Sleep, Sleep More, and so on.  I have tried them all, 
and they don't do a thing for me.

I go back to him in four weeks.

Louise, Melbourne Australia.
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Osmond Kwan" <osmond81 at gmail.com>
To: "Discussion list for ACB human service professionals" <acb-hsp at acb.org>
Sent: Monday, August 27, 2012 10:58 AM
Subject: Re: [acb-hsp] Sleep

Hi Carmella,

I was debating on whether or not to reply to you off list but at the
same time recognize that there are possibly others who wrestle with
insomnia as it is a problem that impacts an estimated one out of three
Americans.

In my clinical mental health internship, there were two clients in my
CBT groups who fell asleep a few minutes into the class and it would
happen quite regularly. I had never known how pervasive insomnia is
until now.

I had good sleep most of my life up until about 3 or four years ago. I
almost always got eight to ten hours and woke up late morning as a
college student. All of a sudden I struggle going to sleep, then
waking up two or three times in the middle of the night and struggling
to go back to sleep. I haven’t felt rested in years.

I just began looking at melatonin and wasn’t sure about its side
effects and long term use. I too am interested in a natural remedy. I
was looking at vitamins and just last night randomly was looking for
an organic form of calcium and the product reviews say that it helps
with sleep. A google search with the words insomnia and calcium brings
up articles on the use of calcium for insomnia and a product called
sleep mineral. I too have read several books on insomnia which include
medical and herbal products. I have never heard of calcium and
magnesium as a sleep aid.

I have not personally tried using this specific product or calcium as
a sleep aid. I was wondering if anyone has tried using calcium for
their insomnia.

I apologize if this is off topic for the list and welcome any
suggestion as to where this discussion can be better fitted.

Thanks,
Osmond

On 8/26/12, Sharon <mt281820 at comcast.net> wrote:
> I've found naturalhypnosis.com Insomnia mp3 quite helpful.
>
> Sharon
>
>
>
>   _____
>
> From: acb-hsp-bounces at acb.org [mailto:acb-hsp-bounces at acb.org] On Behalf 
> Of
> Carmella D Broome
> Sent: Tuesday, August 21, 2012 12:02 AM
> To: acb-hsp at acb.org
> Subject: [acb-hsp] Sleep
>
>
>
> I've struggled with insomnia for years. I can vividly remember having
> problems with it since elementary school. I do have light perception and
> have to wear sunglasses outdoors when the sun is out due to    light
> sensitivity so its not like I have no awareness of day vs night due to 
> lack
> of ability to discern light.  I'd like tohave a sleep study done at some
> point, although  a lot of people  say they feel those are a waste of time.
> I know it couldn't hurt, though, and maybe they'd  come up with something.
> I
> know that anxiety and depression due fun things to sleep, too, and I have
> problems with both.
>
>
>
> I know my sleep habits aren't good.  As in, I  don't  keep a great 
> routine,
> go to sleep with the TV on, don't get enough exercise, and so on.  I've
> taken OTC, herbal, and prescription meds  for years.
>
>
>
> OTC stuff has little to no impact on me now because I took it so often
> during college. It might work  for one night once in a great while, but
> that's about it.  That includes Tylenol PM,Benodryl, and Ni-quyl. OTC 
> stuff
> is okay for occasional short term use,  a few days maybe.  That's what's
> recommended on the  labels, too.  I definitely  overused them when I was
> younger. They're not recommended for long-term use and  lots of them
> contain
> antihystamines or other agents, such as pain relievers and are being taken
> just for sleep when there's more in them than that.
>
>
>
> I have taken mellatonin. It helped for a while, but  my Dad got me
> concerned
> about  lack of long-term studies and lack of  FDA regulation.   I also 
> read
> that  mellatonin could contribute to depression, which I've dealt with on 
> a
> clinical level, so I stopped taking it.
>
>
>
> I took it for a while (as in several weeks at least) before I  felt like 
> it
> was helping me at all. I found that it  helped promote more natural sleep.
> As in,  if I   was relaxing and  being still  and reading or other  wind
> down before sleep behaviors, I would start to feel  sleepy naturally. It
> didn't feel like a drugged sleep and  I didn't feel sleepy the next day. I
> did find that I would wake up in the   middle of the night still, so I
> would
> take  another one right before going to sleep to  delay that. I did find
> that I had  some vivid dreams while taking it. That may have been because 
> I
> was getting deeper sleep but it was kind of weird. I had a lot of night
> sweats when I was taking it. I don't  know if that was the mellatonin or
> for
> other reasons, but at the time, I felt it was the mellatonin.
>
>
>
> I've also tried that flower  essence   spray on your tongue stuff. I think
> its called Rescue Remedy.  It was  supposed to help anxiety and sleep.  No
> results of any kind. No side effects that I know of either.  Nothing. 
> I've
> done the camamille and Sleepy Time teas. They're  relaxing in that 
> drinking
> hot tea sort of way, but that's about it. I tried some other herbal thing
> that was supposed to be  a combination of sleep promoting natural
> ingredients.  I want to say it was called Sleep MD, but I'm not positive
> about that.  It was these big pills like vitamins. They smelled and tasted
> funny and  I didn't find that they helped me sleep.
>
>
>
> I've taken the older meds like Trazedone and  another similar old med.  No
> results.  I tried Vistoril, which I think is sort of similar to Benodryl.
> No  help there either. I took ambien. It  gave me  vivid psychadelic type
> hallucinations.  Totaly trippy and entertaining, but it didn't help me
> sleep. I take Lunesta now.  It does okay.  Some nights better than others.
> I haven't tried any other newer prescription  stuff.
>
>
>
> I know one of my problems is that I often fight sleep.  I don't know if 
> its
> a control thing or what, but my brain   doesn't like to shut off and let 
> me
> relax.   I've gotten to where, for something beyond a nap, I have to
> almost
> feel  unable to stay awake I'm so drowsy.  I have to take something that
> will pretty muchh "knock me out." I know that's not natural  nor is it
> healthy.
>
>
>
> I know a fair number of my clients use alcohol to help them sleep.  We all
> know why that's generally a bad idea. Personally, it makes me more
> restless.
> Others use  Xanax or adavan on a regular basis for sleep.  With any of
> those, addiction issues can be a concern.
>
>
>
> I  think breathing and relaxation exercises can be of some help. I also
> have heard of an  ap for the IPhone for insomnia that varies the   script
> and  music or  relaxing sounds so the  user doesn't  get bored or able to
> predict what's coming next.  Its supposedly able to tap into brain  waves
> to
> get to the ones that help promote sleep.  I haven't used it so I don't 
> know
> if its helpful or not.
>
>
>
> I wrote a paper on insomnia in college and did a presentation on it that
> was
> basically an update on that paper last year at a lunch and learn CEU thing
> for other  MH professionals.   I read an interesting book on the subject a
> little while back called "Wide Awake."  I downloaded it from BookShare. It
> was a journalist's memoir of  trying  to findhelp for her own insomnia. 
> She
> investigated some related sleep stuff, as well, went to conferences,
> talked
> to experts, interviewed other people with sleep issues, and so on. It was
> interesting and informative, too.  Pretty sure I posted  info from both on
> my blog
>
> http://CounselorCarmella.WordPress.com
>
>
>
> Carmella Broome EdS LPC LMFT
> Crossroads Counseling Center, Lexington SC
> http://CounselorCarmella.WordPress.com
> Author of Carmella's Quest:  Taking On College Sight Unseen (Red Letter
> Press 2009)
> http://CarmellasQuest.LiveJournal.com
>
>
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