Melatonin
You know that groggy feeling that normal people get when it's time for sleep? You know that groggy feeling normal people have when they wake up in the middle of the night and stumble to the bathroom? What about that groggy feeling normal people have when they first wake up? Yeah, I don't EVER have that unless I am drugged or drunk.
I don't do drugs. I rarely drink. I stopped taking prescription sleeping pills because I thought I would die in a house fire under their influence... well that and the fact that I would randomly call people in the middle of the night and leave them creepy messages at 3am.
I don't sleep. I never have. I'm rarely sleepy, and rarely tired, even when I get only a few hours a night. I "sleep" 5-6 hours a night, and get up 2-4 times per night for water, to use the bathroom, or just because I wake up.
I function find without sleep, except for the fact that I will fall asleep while driving my car for longer than an hour or two in broad daylight. Driving for extended periods puts me straight to sleep. I've driven off the road on numerous occasions in the past. :(
I tried natural stuff before, like melatonin. It didn't work.
Bri came to us with melatonin. She can't sleep without it. She's only 10, but takes 5 of the pills each night. She fights us all the way to bed, but as soon as her head hits the pillow, she's out! :) She sleeps soundly for at least 8 to 10 hours when she takes her melatonin.
I decided to give it a try. I started out with 5, because if a 10 year old needs 5, I'm sure I need more. It worked the first night, but not the second. I find that 7 of them actually allows me to sleep. Within about 15 or 20 minutes my head gets swimmy. I get yawny, and become unable to sit still. If I go to sleep, I'm OUT.
Last night, I woke up a few times. Every time I woke up, I took another pill. I slept, and I slept HARD until 9:30 this morning. (That was actually an accident.) Of course this is with an interruption at 4:30am to drive Simon to work....
I am enjoying sleep again. I may not need much of it to feel rested. I may do fine for energy even when I don't sleep. However, it means the world to me when I have the chance to shut off my head for a while!! What a relief!
I don't do drugs. I rarely drink. I stopped taking prescription sleeping pills because I thought I would die in a house fire under their influence... well that and the fact that I would randomly call people in the middle of the night and leave them creepy messages at 3am.
I don't sleep. I never have. I'm rarely sleepy, and rarely tired, even when I get only a few hours a night. I "sleep" 5-6 hours a night, and get up 2-4 times per night for water, to use the bathroom, or just because I wake up.
I function find without sleep, except for the fact that I will fall asleep while driving my car for longer than an hour or two in broad daylight. Driving for extended periods puts me straight to sleep. I've driven off the road on numerous occasions in the past. :(
I tried natural stuff before, like melatonin. It didn't work.
Bri came to us with melatonin. She can't sleep without it. She's only 10, but takes 5 of the pills each night. She fights us all the way to bed, but as soon as her head hits the pillow, she's out! :) She sleeps soundly for at least 8 to 10 hours when she takes her melatonin.
I decided to give it a try. I started out with 5, because if a 10 year old needs 5, I'm sure I need more. It worked the first night, but not the second. I find that 7 of them actually allows me to sleep. Within about 15 or 20 minutes my head gets swimmy. I get yawny, and become unable to sit still. If I go to sleep, I'm OUT.
Last night, I woke up a few times. Every time I woke up, I took another pill. I slept, and I slept HARD until 9:30 this morning. (That was actually an accident.) Of course this is with an interruption at 4:30am to drive Simon to work....
I am enjoying sleep again. I may not need much of it to feel rested. I may do fine for energy even when I don't sleep. However, it means the world to me when I have the chance to shut off my head for a while!! What a relief!