Sleep Issues - Please Help
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I had this issue for an entire year, but it's (seemingly) resolved for the past 8mo or so.
What helped me:- no caffeine past 2pm, ever
- no cigarettes past 7pm (still working on quitting)
- blue light filter on computer (flux for windows) and phone, linked to sunrise/sunset
- going outside in bright sun several times a day, most importantly in the early morning
- 1 hour walk with ankle weights after dinner 5:30ish
- 300mg GABA + 1/4 tsp glycine + Mg once the sun has set. 1:2 OJ:seltzer afterwards, avoiding eating anything but a bit of fruit (if that)
- no video games, tv shows or otherwise stimulating activities within 2 hours before bed
- 10 min spurts of bodyweight exercise throughout the day
- no heavy proteins withing 4 hours of when I aim to go to bed (especially animal protein)
- turning off Wi-Fi in the house at night
- sleep area clear of E fields from appliances, tvs, etc
- phone airplane mode at night
- changed my house lights to warm white, avoiding daylight bulbs like the plague
- rgb room light at night so I can transition room lighting from golden yellow at sundown to red after sunset
- reading a book an hour before bed
- using blackout curtains or equivalent to prevent the light from the stupid blue LED Street lamps coming in
- ensuring there are no little lights from any devices, monitors, computers, etc glowing in my sleep room
There might be a few more things involved, but this is what I've come to realize made a difference in concert
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You can try doxylamine succinate (an antihistamine, also known as Sleep Aid) at bedtime to help with a reset. Also some hot cocoa sweetened with sugar (or better dextrose). These always work for me.
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@OliverCloasov To sleep like Oliver you must become Olive...lol
That's a long slog my friend.Thanks for posting some good ideas. I need to work on my sleep hygiene. That's the thing a lot of people like me overlook.
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@S-Holmes said in Sleep Issues - Please Help:
You can try doxylamine succinate (an antihistamine, also known as Sleep Aid) at bedtime to help with a reset. Also some hot cocoa sweetened with sugar (or better dextrose). These always work for me.
Doxy works real well for a while but I always adapt and it stops working. It's one of the few drugs that I would also recommend. Thanks for the suggestions
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@Insomniac Happy to share
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@_K Have you tried cyproheptadine? It can have a very potent sedative effect, especially when taken a few hours before bed
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@herayclitus said in Sleep Issues - Please Help:
@_K Have you tried cyproheptadine? It can have a very potent sedative effect, especially when taken a few hours before bed
No I haven't. I was going to but I read on the raypeatforum that people thought doxylamine was very similar. It's worth a try. It's a shame it isn't over the counter like some other countries. Thanks for the recommendation.
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@Insomniac Yeah it's definitely stronger than doxylamine in my experience, the downside is you can become resistant to it pretty fast unfortunately. The IdeaLabs cyproheptadine works pretty well I think
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@herayclitus Do you take brakes? How do you keep it working?
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@Insomniac Yes, it's best to cycle on/off every few weeks and stick to the lowest effective dosage. I usually do 2-5mg maximum