Sleeping Supplements

[aussiefilo]

Hi all, anyone out there currently on CPAP taking any form of sleeping supplements including both herbal and prescription ones? Just curious as to what people have been taking.

[SewTired]

I take magnesium and zinc (already have enough calcium) for Restless Leg Syndrome (RLS). Was already taking the iron which helped tremendously last year. It's taken several weeks to help, but my legs are no longer waking me up (although I sometimes still can't get to sleep).

If you mean things to actually make you sleepy, I don't go down that road. Too many people make it a crutch.

[tedburnsIII]

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[tedburnsIII]

Benadryl, Ambien, hydroxyzine, diazepam, lorazepam (benzos and Ambien in low doses). I may try melatonin.

I feel best the next day without any sleep aids, but usually take something in order to help sleep through the night.

Hydroxyzine is safer and less habit-forming than the benzos or Z drugs like Ambien, but it has a very long half-life. I feel its effects well into the next day, even with a tiny dose of 12.5mg. Some people get used to the drug and get over the sedating effect with frequent use- I am not one of them- I am 65 years old and it really sort of sedates me into the next day, though I seldom need to nap. It's a great drug though.

If I take two Benadryl, it stays with me into the next day but not as bad as hydroxyzine.

AHI of 0 last night with two Benadryl, and slept solid 6.5 hours on CPAP. Felt great all day. Will take only one tonight.

I have sleep-related issues in addition to those related to CPAP. The important thing for me is to sleep through the night. I seldom if ever awaken during the night, but I do rely on these medications on a regular basis. Confident that I may not have to take anything in future as my other problems and worries lessen, and further adapt to the mask.

[Krelvin]

Melatonin occasionally 1.5mg, 30-40 mins before going to sleep.

[LSAT]

Melatonin occasionally 1.5mg, 30-40 mins before going to sleep.

Exactly the same here....+1

[Sonya]

I've been playing with this. Most rx sleep aids make me feel awful all day the next day. I'm too doped up and can't stay awake. I've tried some supplements, but what works best for me is a timed or slow-release melatonin. I need that second stage to keep me asleep.

[Sir NoddinOff]

I take magnesium and zinc (already have enough calcium) for Restless Leg Syndrome (RLS). Was already taking the iron which helped tremendously last year. It's taken several weeks to help, but my legs are no longer waking me up (although I sometimes still can't get to sleep).
If you mean things to actually make you sleepy, I don't go down that road. Too many people make it a crutch.

I'm a big fan of magnesium, potassium and phosphorus (Seriphos, half a cap) along with what you mentioned. All good for the cardio/neuro/musculature systems. I also get plenty of calcium. Bananas are great for potassium but have a lot of calories, so I take supplements. I also eat plenty of raw veg and fruit during the day because I love both. At bedtime I take .50mg of melatonin under my tongue (Source Naturals).

[MarylandCPAPer]

I take potassium and magnesium at night to help with leg cramps, but they don't get me to sleep. I am trying out an over-the-counter herbal product called Somnapure, discussed here:
viewtopic/t106314/Somnapure-as-a-Sleep-Aid.html

[RogerSC]

I take .3mg of melatonin while I'm getting ready for bed. Helpful for me.

[MarylandCPAPer]

In looking for reviews of Somnapure before I took it, I found the following link that reviews Somnapure and lists some other herbal sleep aids. Somnapure wasn't rated the "best." The "best" for any individual will be the one that works for them. However, there are some I never heard of.

https://www.consumerhealthdigest.com/sl ... apure.html

I found Somnapure at Walgreens on sale for about $13 for 30 capsules. Somnapure popped up somewhere on the Internet with a free offer a month or two ago. The problem with the free offer is that they autoship and bill your credit card after 14 days, barely enough time to try the product and cancel, in my experience. Many of the complaints online are with the autoship program. However, Somnapure is supposed to be readily available in major pharmacies and vitamin stores.

[chunkyfrog]

I have about ten or twelve Ghirardelli 60% cocoa chocolate chips.
(Bugs give me gas, so I don't have them right before bed.)
I sleep like a baby with very happy parents.
Your mileage will certainly vary.

[jaybeem]

I have been taking 50 mg. of trazadone. Worked great for a couple of years. But as I am aging, I think it has begun making me dopey the next day. Stopped cold turkey, which was not wise...10 days of increasingly worse insomnia until I was still awake until 6 am. So I went back on 37 mg. and will try to wean myself off. I have also used melatonin, but its effects lessened with time. Tried Ambien and experienced severe angioedema.

[TangledHose]

Be aware that there is strong evidence that "Long Term" use of some common over-the-counter sleep aids like Benadryl and PM versions of Advil, Tylenol, and other PM versions of NSAIDS have been linked to early on-set dementia and Alzheimer's


http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/288546.php

http://blog.aarp.org/2015/01/29/common- ... lzheimers/

[SewTired]

Holy cow, I didn't know about this at all. This actually explains why my Dad's cousin developed dementia and went downhill so quickly in the early 90s. We thought it might be farm chemicals but nobody since developed such problems and I know she used Benedryl daily.