I'm posting this when I am usually asleep--but today, I've been busy and am home late. I can testify here that the computer winds up the mind,so turn it off. Also, warm milk with molasses DOES knock you out. I've learned personally in the last 10 months or so, that silence is golden for sleep. 'Whatever works'.[Trazedone and Seroquel: one gave me night sweats and one gave me torture nightmares].
Once off of those meds, I sleep like a rock.

I went to see a psychiatrist due to problems with depression. I wanted to sleep all of the time. (I was on the antidepressant Serzone when I showed up at the psychiatrist's office). The pdoc sent me to a sleep lab where they determined I had Periodic Limb Movement Syndrome (only it was a little more than periodic) apparently I was twitching all over the place and this obviously was disrupting REM sleep. I don't know why I, nor my psychiatrist, didn't link the problem to my antidepressant. I wonder how many folks on antidepressants are having sleep difficulties specifically BECAUSE of the antidepressants that they're on. It makes sense that if you're muscles are twitching during the day, that they're also going to be twitching at night.

Once the doctor took me off Serzone and added all kinds of other goodies I was bonkers. I wasn't sleeping at all. I went from sleeping all of the time to staying awake for days and turning cartwheels outside of the psych hospital. If the psych meds are disrupting your sleep (and many of them do) then be ready for more mental problems to come.

Incidentally, I doubt seriously my diagnosis of PLMS. Testing someone for a sleep disorder while they're taking antidepressants seems pretty assinine to me and doesn't give a true picture of what's going on with that patient.

This raises an interesting thought, during drug medical trials, do they scan/test the people scientifically for sleep disturbances?(Those tests as you sleep) Before , during and after.
No I think not.
I think they test blood pressure and other similar tests. Anecdotel reports/complaints are often dismissed, plus it won't get your new drug approved.

For me, NON-DRUGGED sleep is the single most important ingredient for mental health. After a good night's sleep, I'm brand new. I feel like a plant that's just been watered.

These things I've found help me sleep:

- eating an early dinner
- no alcohol, especially in the evenings
- drinking coffee only in the morning
- no daytime napping
- keeping the room temperature cool
- reading, but nothing that'll make me angry
- getting plenty of exercise during the day

And if I do these things and am still having trouble, I just lie down and concentrate on one joint at a time (a few seconds on my right ankle, then a few on my right knee, etc.) I don't know why this works, but it does.

Francesca, those same things work for me. I concentrate on the freeway traffic though.

actually, I've read that CBT is better then meds, due in great part to the fact that one becomes dependent upon meds and will slip right back into old sleeping habits while CBT shows much more long term improvement. Additionally, I've seen research citing that meds don't really increase the quality of sleep so your brain isn't actually reaping the benefits of a good night's rest.

I know that some people benefit from psychiatric medicine, but everything I have tried has created more problems than it has solved.

Right now I am finding good results with strong infusions of different calming herbs throughout the day and before bed. Even the ritual of making the tea -- inviting in the calm -- seems to center me and help relieve some stress.

I take Xanax .5 mg. for sleep and it helps, but, with Xanax, you've have to be in a mood for sleep to begin with. So the things that other posters have mentioned are necessary. Of all benzos I've tried (Valium, Klonopin, and Ativan), Xanax works the best.

There's something to watch out for that I've recently discovered: sleep apnea. If you snore, wake up unrefreshed, wake up with a headache, snort in your sleep, etc., you might have a physical obstruction in your throat preventing you for sleeping well.

I'm new to this blog and I find it excellent. I don't know if it has a resource page or if guests can contribute e-books or medical articles in their possession. For example, I have a medical e-book about sleep and a few medical articles about meds and sleep that I'd like to share with others.

These days difficulty falling asleep seems to be an everyday occurrence. It’s just that some days are even worse than others. Here are a few things that help me.. First thing I do is walk by myself. It doesn’t have to be an hour walk. Sometimes I’ll go out for only fifteen minutes. I get to think things over without any outside distractions and decide what issues (personal or business), to clear up or resolve first. Just being outside in the fresh air is also very relaxing!

The second thing I do is use an aromatherapy eye pillow. I find it to be extremely relaxing and a terrific way to clear my thoughts and get me in a better frame of mind. The eye pillow blocks out any light and allows me to just unwind. It’s especially great after a tough ride home in traffic. The weight of the flax-seed inside the aromatherapy eye pillow applies the perfect acupressure on my temples and eyes. It’s great for headaches as well. You can find them in a lot of specialty stores and also online. I know that lavender is very soothing and calming but I use peppermint. It just opens up my sinuses and helps me breathe so much better. That fact alone makes it easier for me to fall asleep. The one I use I found online at A Touch Of Satin. Their website is http://www.atouchofsatin.com if you’re interested. I just love the way satin feels on my face. They had a page on their site that talked about the benefits of the different scents. You might want to read what they say about them.

Try flipping your pillow over to the cooler side and when you start to think about things on your mind….just SMILE! Smiling always seems to make things less stressful.

I hope my suggestions help! Let know what you think.