Anyone out there have any experience with needing sleeping pills? I've taken them in the past but they seem to completely knock me out - making me very groggy the next day.

Are there any pills out there that will wear off within a few hours, but start working immediately...so I can sleep just when I want, without falling asleep at my desk the next day?

im prescribed ambien works pretty well. Before that I'd take Tylenol pm, and that was good also.

Ambien is supposed to be gentler and allow you to wake up and get moving if you have to (you wouldn't sleep through a smoke detector alarm, for example).

My doctor recommended I take Benedryl when I can't sleep. I have fibromyalgia, and poor sleep and sleep deprivation are thought to be contributing factors. It doesn't interact with any of my other medications, is much less habit forming, and is considered very safe if not used excessively (large amounts, or for long periods of time).

My doctor said I could take as much as 100 mg, but since this is more than the dosage amount given on the box, you may want to talk to your own doctor about whether you can take it, and how much you can take (each capsule is usually 25 mg and I use the generic Walmart or Walgreen brand). I usually take 50 mg, and if I'm not asleep in 30 minutes, I will take 50 more.

I will feel groggy if I have to get up sooner than four hours after taking it, but otherwise I wake up feeling rested and alert.

I posted before I saw Mimic's post. Tylenol PM is benedryl and tylenol. You wouldn't want to take more of those than listed on the box, because excess tylenol can damage the liver. If I had a headache and couldn't sleep, I would take two tylenol and the benedryl, but again even with OTC medications if you're going to take them on a regular basis, or other than recommended on the box, you should talk to your doctor and/or pharmacist first.

I know it may be an odd request...but want the ability to sleep whenever. It helps me in so many ways (despite being seen as unhealthy in some of my situations - like when I slept for two weeks straight once in college). It helps me not think about stressful things, pass the time, feel better, etc etc. I've taken Tylenol PM before and had a bit of success with it. I would love to be able to take something in the afternoon, sleep until dinner, then be able to go to bed at a normal time too. It's like my body refuses to sleep as much as I want it to - which, I know, is a sign that I dont NEED that much sleep, but dammit, I want it! Haha

If you don't need a pain killer, I would try Tylenol Simply Sleep or Benadryl. (They're the same thing, and you can find generic for either at Walgreen's)

Start out with one 25 mg pill and see if it works. Usually when I take two, I end up groggy/hungover feeling in the morning. As for sleeping a few hours before dinner, that would make it even harder for me to sleep later, so I don't know what to tell you.

good luck with whatever you decide to try.

I have come to LOVE sleep. I spent so many years with irregular and depried sleeping patterns caused by double shifts, work/school issues. overtime, on-call nights when I might get 3 hours of sleep..... it caught up with me big time with fibromyalgia. I had sleep apnea and was never entering deep sleep. The sleep apnea has disappeared (except when I have a bad respiratory infection, like I do now) after 30 lb weight loss. The hospital where I had my sleep study didn't record whether I am getting "deep" sleep, but my fibromyalgia fatigue and pain symptoms are more under control, but I need to get 9 - 10 hours of sleep most days to feel ok (I can shortchange myself a day or two, but longer than that and I'm in for a big flare). Usually I sleep 6 - 7 hours at night, and then take a nap in the afternoon of 2-3 hours. Some days I need two naps, and sometimes the sleep time is more evenly distributed (I've even gone days when I've been unable to sleep more than 2-3 hours at a time, and have to get up for a while because of pain or "alertness" and then will sleep for another 2-3 hours. It doesn't seem to matter as long as I at least get my 9 a day, and I have to listen to my body and do what it commands. Of course, I am now on disability, so I have the luxury of following my body. When I am able to get back to work, I will have to adjust my schedule according to the clock again.


Anyway, longwinded background info to get back to your problem. If you think you are getting enough sleep for your body, but want the benefits of a little extra "recreational or restorative" sleep, you might try self-hypnosis or relaxation tapes, or just visualization with soft, restful music.

I love irish and celtic music, and a lot of it is perfect for this (like Enya and Celtic Woman). It works best when the music is instrumentals or vocals in Gaelic - basically if there aren't words I I can understand (because I find myself more alert trying to listen to them). As the music plays I concentrate at relaxing the muscles from toe to head (this is called progressive relaxation and you start at your toes, and work up). If you can't "tell" if you're relaxed, you tighten the muscles in the area first, and then concentrate on how the muscle feels as you relax them. Once you are good at this, you can just immediately sort of go limp, sort of feel like you're letting yourself "float," and maybe imagine yourself as a balloon or a cloud, or floating on a cloud, or floating on water on a warm sunny day, basically any "sensation-heavy" yet "mindless" fantasy.

This helps me go to sleep so much, that I almost always play celtic music before I go to bed (but now never do so while driving - because the association with sleep has become so ingrained). I've also blocked all light from our bedroom (we had to do this when hubby worked nightshift, and now we find that it works wonders for night and nap sleep).

You might find that even if you don't fall asleep,or only sleep for a few minutes, you feel just as rested from your "mini-retreat" (Obviously this isn't a substitute for your body's actual sleep requirements, so you still want to make sure you're actually sleeping 7 - 9 hours a day).

Recent research has shown that more people actually require closer to 9 hours a day than 8, and are getting closer to 6 or 7.

Omg, I am the same way. I don't think that it is healthy though. My parents don't think so and my shrink is concerned. I pretty much take a benadryll and/or sudafed nightime (occasionally a xanax or a valium) to help me sleep EVERY NIGHT. It is like I can't on my own, and that isn't necessarily from over sleeping. In fact when I over sleep it is like a body that isn't motion doesn't get in motion and I can actually sleep MORE.
I will admit to ever so slightly maybe using like 2 xanaxs chased with 2 benadryll if I have had a particularly bad day. And just sleep the world away for 15+ hrs. (Don't worry, I haven't done that in 6mos).
But, I am not perfect, I have issues with major depression, severe anxiety, and eating disorders.......but I feel like I have to say here that I have never self medicated with any drugs or alcohol except for the few xanax overuses.
I just didn't want that to sound like I was advocating it or something or okay with that behaviour or even sending out a call for help (believe me, my therapists are dealing with that one ok on their own ).

Just wanted you to know that you are not alone, because I thought I was the only one in the world who dealt with her problems/stress/a bad day/tom this way. And then I realized that I ain't so special after all.

Please maybe try to deal with the stress in another way other than eating or sleeping. Hey, maybe try the opposite. Maybe try exercising to deal with any stress or whatever. It could work.

I'm tryin' to work on this one myself so you aren't alone m'dear.

OH, and with benadryll and xanax and valium, you always feel a bit hungover the next day. And lacking in energy. Also, the valium makes me sooo dizzy. Like I'm going to fall over.

Oh, hey, to be annoying I have a third point to make.

Maybe try changing your sleeping habits/behaviours. In cognitive therapy you are encouraged to:
1. Don't do anything in your bed other than sleep (or, well, you have a fiance, but you catch my drift ). Meaning no watching tv, no eating, no reading, ect.
2. Have a bed time ritual. About 30min before bedtime (try to make it a regular time) turn down the lights, turn down your bed, make the room a good temp., get in comfy jammies, brush your teeth, wash your face, ect.
3. Have maybe music or a white noise machine/sound machine (like the ocean) to help you sleep. I have conditioned myself to get sleepy when I turn my sound machine on, and while it doesn't hypnotize me into sleep, it does relax me a bit. Also, this way if you are a light sleeper, little house noises, pops and creaks won't wake you as easily because of that whirring blocking out those sounds.

Just some suggestions (from one who has been in therapy for a long time and a psych grad to boot!)

I just read an article about how some sleeping pills cause some crazy side effects like sleep driving, making food, calling people ect.. and have no memory. Check out the article here. I thought it was interesting. I hope you figure out your sleep problems

I also use Benedryl occasionally. However, I've found that Melatonin works wonders for me. You get it in the vitamin/herbal section. I usually take 1 mg about 30 minutes before bed, and I drift off to sleep a lot faster than I used to. It helps to slow down my mind so I'm not overthinking myself out of sleep. You know that "if I fall asleep now I can get 6 hours of sleep.... now I can get 5 hours of sleep....." I used to do this all the time. The Melatonin doesn't make me groggy the next day which is great. Ambien also works for me occasionally if I have a good 7-9 hours to sleep. If I get up before 7 hours then I'm groggy.

From reading your post, it sounds like you have something other than insomnia going on. I agree with Shrinkingchica maybe you should try to find some other ways to deal with your stresses like exercising rather than sleeping all the time. You also might want to check with a doctor for some other ideas.