Sleep patterns

[nagual78]

Hi all, i just thought id start a topic that has been a common thread in my life , sleep and the lack of it!. For many years now i have had a great deal of trouble sleeping , in my youth i used to go to alotof rave parties and then on to clubs. all the while working as a chef (which does not lend itself to normal sleep patterns at the best of time) and i believe that through my consumption during these times i have done some sort of irreverseable damage to my sleep thingy. Any way for years cannabis worked for me but as i got older , had more responsibility i.e a family, higher roles in the restaurant industry it had become detremental. After quitting for a month my sleep was still broken and myself verging on insanity from sleep dep. I tried many things melatonin( just didnt seem to work), alcohol ( great but i would wake when it wore off, and is not a good long term solution), benzos ( worked but that shits just a trap), meditation and finally tryptophan as i have recently given up ciggies as well and let me tell you it worked an effin treat( good dreams not tiring nightmares as with all of the above and a great restful sleep, I took 200mg of l- tryptophan and i weigh about 75kg, I will try again tonight and let everyone know. I just thought this might help someone else out there. And would love to hear anyone elses thoughts

You can only put up with no sleep for so long and this helped

[Max Cady]

I have sleep apnoea, I reckon Routine at work and daily exposure to sunlight and exercise is the best thing for sleep.

I Don't have routine at work and with all the rain in south east queensland I'm not getting enough exercise or sunshine.

I don't melatonin works if you're depressed or not getting enough sunshine in fact I think melatonin can upset the flora in your gut I can't remember where I read that so don't take it as gospel.

If you can get some sort of routine you'll go a long way I reckon, that's something I'm trying to pull together at the moment

Happy Travels

[Scarecrow]

Hi all, i just thought id start a topic that has been a common thread in my life , sleep and the lack of it!. For many years now i have had a great deal of trouble sleeping , in my youth i used to go to alotof rave parties and then on to clubs. all the while working as a chef (which does not lend itself to normal sleep patterns at the best of time) and i believe that through my consumption during these times i have done some sort of irreverseable damage to my sleep thingy. Any way for years cannabis worked for me but as i got older , had more responsibility i.e a family, higher roles in the restaurant industry it had become detremental. After quitting for a month my sleep was still broken and myself verging on insanity from sleep dep. I tried many things melatonin( just didnt seem to work), alcohol ( great but i would wake when it wore off, and is not a good long term solution), benzos ( worked but that shits just a trap), meditation and finally tryptophan as i have recently given up ciggies as well and let me tell you it worked an effin treat( good dreams not tiring nightmares as with all of the above and a great restful sleep, I took 200mg of l- tryptophan and i weigh about 75kg, I will try again tonight and let everyone know. I just thought this might help someone else out there. And would love to hear anyone elses thoughts

You can only put up with no sleep for so long and this helped

did you try 1 hour of physical exercise a day, outdoors, during sunshine hours? does a great job of regulating your energy usage, and sleep/wake cycle. not a quick solution though, this is a long-term-slow-improvement kind of deal. you might still want to try other short term solutions in the meantime.

for example, you could make a "sleeping potion" tincture out of some combination of the below (these are from my notes, if anybody wants to add or correct anything to the effects i'd be glad to hear it)

- Piper methysticum (Kava) - sedative, anaesthetic

- Melissa Officinalis (Lemon Balm) - anti-bacterial, anti-viral, calming/sedative, mosquito repellant

- Valeriana officinalis (Valerian root) - sedative, anti-anxiety, treats nervous tension and stress

- Scutellaria galericulata/Scutellaria lateriflora (Skullcap) - anti-anxiety, sedative

- Leonurus cardiaca (Motherwort) - vasodilator, muscle relaxant, anti-stress, cardiac tonic

- Nymphaea nucifera (Blue Lotus flower) - sedating, relaxing

- Hypericum perforatum (St John's Wort) - calming, moodlifting, antidepressant, MAOI (?)

- Passiflora incarnata (Passionflower) - calming and sedating, MAOI

the sedative ones would probably be most useful, followed by the calming ones... but you may want to add other stuff to suit your needs/

Edited April 3, 2013 by Scarecrow

[nagual78]

Cheers guys yeah ATM I work in a dark envoironment and my hours are all over the place also my son wakes around 630-7 so after a night shift that really throws me . In 2 weeks I start a new job 7-5 so normal hrs where ill see sunlight regularly and have a routine . The l- tryptophan worked great but I guess it's just another thing to rely on so yeah . Ill give making a sleeping potion a try but have given most of those herbs alone and in combo a go over the years with some good results although unless they were extracts they didn't touch the sides. Thanks once again

[Yawning Man]

I think sab stocks tryptophan? I'll have to go back and check. But that' great to hear nagual. Some nights my mind just wont shut off so i'll have to try some. I work weekends that requires sleep over shifts and sometimes it;s hard to get to sleep there, as the hours differ so much to when I am at home. Sleep hygiene is crucial to good Mental Health.

cheers

[nagual78]

I think sab stocks tryptophan? I'll have to go back and check. But that' great to hear nagual. Some nights my mind just wont shut off so i'll have to try some. I work weekends that requires sleep over shifts and sometimes it;s hard to get to sleep there, as the hours differ so much to when I am at home. Sleep hygiene is crucial to good Mental Health.

cheers

Yeah they do, i got mine from Koda when i was up that way. It definately helps to relax you the second night wasnt as goodas the first but i was tired naturally earlier than the previous night before i had more. maybe that was the problem i shouldnt have had it in a row. My Temper from quitting ciggies was reduced somewhat ( that shit leaving your system just straight up makes you cranky) Peace

[Mr. Bowser]

kava works great for relaxing me before bed... especially with a beer (although i think the kava warning label recommends against this). chamomile tea can zonk me out pretty quickly and gives me some very vivid dreams. benedryl is the same active ingredient as unisom and works great in a pinch... but seems to be habit forming for me within a week, so I stick with the herbal teas.

like scarecrow says, exercise (especially higher intensity or longer duration) does wonders for recalibrating the internal clock, its better to do this at least a few hours before you go to bed... sometimes you can get wired from working out and it could keep you up later.