HELP - can't sleep

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nancyl
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HELP - can't sleep

Post by nancyl »

I have not been able to sleep more than 2-3 hours a night for the past 5 nights. I do have a cold, but don't think that has anything to do with it. I've tried natural things - no help. I'm so tired, I can't stand it. No wonder I can't get over this cold.

I lowered my Vit D3 because the level was at 106. I stopped all together for a week then went from 5,000 IU to 3,000 IU. I take a 2,000 IU gel cap and get 1,000 IU in my calcium. This is the first cold in a year.

Any suggestions for an OTC product that could help me sleep? I fall asleep, but wake up about an hour or two later and that's it for the nightl

Thanks
Nancy
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Post by jmayk8 »

Hi Nanc,
Are you currently taking any anti-histamines for mast cells? I take a little 'swig' of children's dye free benedryl at night before bed and it keeps me asleep all night. I also don't feel groggy in the morning. Good luck, no sleep is terrible.
Hope you feel better!
Jenny
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nancyl
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Post by nancyl »

Hi Jenny,
I don't have a mast cell problem, but have been taking Clariton D for the cold. I may call my PCP this morning. I can't go another night without sleep. This is draining and I need sleep to get over this cold.

Thanks Jenny,
Nancy
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mbeezie
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Post by mbeezie »

Nancy,

Your vitamin D level is too high - the upper limit is 100 yet you are still supplementing at a hefty dose. Doing a quick google search I did find that insomnia can be related to hypervitaminosis D, so maybe lay off the supplements. Excess vitamin D can have some serious side effects, like affecting blood pressure and bones. It is fat soluble, meaning it is not as easily excreted as water soluble vitamins, so it may take your level longer than you might think to come down to a normal range.

Hope you get some ZZZZZs soon - being is exhausted is miserable.

Mary Beth
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wonderwoman
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Post by wonderwoman »

A Benadryl tablet will help or 3mg of meletonin. My naturopath said I could take 3 meletonin a night.
Charlotte

The food you eat can be either the safest and most powerful form of medicine, or the slowest form of poison. Ann Wigmore
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Gayle
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Post by Gayle »

Charlotte said:
A Benadryl tablet will help or 3mg of meletonin. My naturopath said I could take 3 meletonin a night.
Meletonin (OTC) comes in 3 strengths … 1mg, 3mg, and 5mg.

So taking “3 meletonin a night” could mean one could be taking 3mg – or 9mg – or 15mg depending upon the strength of tablets purchased. So it is always important to make sure that the difference between tablet dosage, and/or the number of tablets taken, is being fully explained and understood.

It is possible to overdose on Meletonin, so a careful understanding of dosing should always be considered. :wink:

Cheers,
Gayle
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nancyl
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Post by nancyl »

Thanks everyone,
I just came back from the doctor. I just wanted to make sure I didn't have a sinus infection, because that is what it feels like. So far it's not, but she suggested Tylenol PM. I picked it up and will try it tonight. It has benedryl in it. I am also going to pick up some Melatonin to have on hand.

What would we all do without the help of each other:)


Nancy
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tex
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Post by tex »

Nancy,

If you decide to use the melatonin, here are some guidelines from the University of Maryland Medical Center:

Dosage for Sleep Disturbances

To treat insomnia, the University of Maryland Medical Center recommends starting out with 1 to 3 mg one hour before sleep. If this dose does not prove effective, increase it to 5 to 6 mg. It notes the following doses have been used to address jet lag: .5 to 5 mg one hour before sleep at your final destination or 1 to 5 mg two days before your trip and two three days after you arrive. It recommends starting with the lowest doses for a suggested condition to see if that proves effective and only increasing if it does not work. Your doctor can help determine a graduated dosing schedule if the lowest recommended doses do not work for you.
Maximum Dosage for Melatonin.

Tex
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DebE13
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Post by DebE13 »

I agree with Jenny, I have the same bottle of children's dye free Benadryl in my medicine cabinet that I use on occassion for help with sleep. Works like a charm.
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Post by Leah »

Bummer. It's awful not to sleep! The Claritin might be keeping you up. I'm one of those people who get "wired" on Benadryl.
I sometimes take a time released 10mg melatonin which works pretty well. I have also taken tylenol PM, but prefer the Natural stuff.

Good luck!
Leah
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Gloria
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Post by Gloria »

Jenny wrote:I take a little 'swig' of children's dye free benedryl at night before bed and it keeps me asleep all night.
I just checked Benadryl's website only three of the children's oral products are still available:
http://www.benadryl.com/products/childr ... rgy-liquid

Does anyone know why most of the other products aren't available anymore?

Gloria
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Zizzle
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Post by Zizzle »

Claritin-D has a decongestant, probably pseudoephedrine, which could easily keep you awake. Make sure you only take it in the morning, or just take plain Claritin.
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nancyl
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Post by nancyl »

I was on the Iherb website and picked out a melatonin. There was a warning saying if you have asthma or an autoimmune disease you should not take Melatonin.

What's up with that?

Nancy
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tex
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Post by tex »

Nancy,

There is an unproven theory that melatonin can cause inflammation in patients who have an "overactive" immune system. This article explains the details.

Tex
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It is suspected that some of the hardest material known to science can be found in the skulls of GI specialists who insist that diet has nothing to do with the treatment of microscopic colitis.
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Post by Julie »

Hi Nancy,

what a terrible problem. Trust me, I know, I went through the same thing. In my case it was because I was taking Budenofalk (corticoid). Here's what happens: your body produces cortisol and when you are taking a corticoid, your natural cortisol levels change. Cortisol (the hormone produced by your adrenal glands) give you energy. And if you take a corticoid in the evening, it is possible that you will wake up every night. This doesn't happen to everbody.

Are you currently on a cortisone treatment? If you are, do you take your cortisone in the evening?

Grts

Julie
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