next »

[thenewyorker]

Yes, hops is a great option. Chamomile also works well as a sedative, but it is also a diuretic so you may wake in the middle of the night to pee.

[keyst0ne]

try kava kava tincture, a must have for interviews. This is an herbal tincture you can buy at whole foods. It tastes horrible-but feels like honey on the nerves, very soothing with no crazy after effect. I also carry with me homeopathic sleeping pills that do the trick in a pinch. Chamomile tea, hot showers, yoga--no coffee at dinner-these things seem to help.

good luck!

[sheepdog_working]

Homeopathy has really worked for me.  I'm skeptical of homeopathic remedies, because they have basically no ingredients.  They're sugar pills.  But I swear that homeopathy works great for sleeplessness.  The one that has really worked for me is Boiron's "Quietude."  You can buy  it in Wholefoods or similar stores.  Here's the online info:

http://www.boironusa.com/products.aspx?pageid=15&pcat=56&pcat2=0&prodid=26

I can't explain why it works.  I only know that it does.  It works for my girlfriend, too.  And it has no side effects.  Happy zzzzzs!

[thenewyorker]

Yes, and in the homeopathic vein I suggest Rescue Remedy. It is also available at Whole Paycheck and other reputable stores. Amazing results for relaxation. It is an anti- stress Bach Flower remedy.

[pandora]

This may seem like a completely off-the-wall suggestion, but I've had insomnia for years, I react very badly and unpredictably to even mild medications, so this is the only thing that works regularly:  

I set up my laptop on a bedside table, I put in a DVD of something familiar and comforting -- dopey romantic comedy, or television series -- and set the timer on my computer to turn itself off within 15 min. or so (I have a Mac, don't know if you can do that with a PC).  And I just listen to the DVD.  In most cases it puts me out within 15 minutes.  It also works if I wake up in the middle of the night.

The reason this works is that my insomnia or inability to fall asleep is largely about anxiety.  When I try to go to sleep, my brain is usually just running like crazy, and that's what keeps me up.  If my brain is focusing on something else entirely, then I can relax and fall asleep.  I have no idea if this would work for others -- but it certainly has the advantage of producing no side effects!  (except, perhaps, falling asleep and having a dream about Frasier.....)

[msparticularity]

This may seem like a completely off-the-wall suggestion, but I've had insomnia for years, I react very badly and unpredictably to even mild medications, so this is the only thing that works regularly: 

I set up my laptop on a bedside table, I put in a DVD of something familiar and comforting -- dopey romantic comedy, or television series -- and set the timer on my computer to turn itself off within 15 min. or so (I have a Mac, don't know if you can do that with a PC).  And I just listen to the DVD.  In most cases it puts me out within 15 minutes.  It also works if I wake up in the middle of the night.

The reason this works is that my insomnia or inability to fall asleep is largely about anxiety.  When I try to go to sleep, my brain is usually just running like crazy, and that's what keeps me up.  If my brain is focusing on something else entirely, then I can relax and fall asleep.  I have no idea if this would work for others -- but it certainly has the advantage of producing no side effects!  (except, perhaps, falling asleep and having a dream about Frasier.....)

My experience is very similar. I listen to audio books, though, rather than movies. Just like that childhood bedtime story! (PG Wodehouse stories work particularly well, as well as a couple of Bryson's travel books that are very familiar.)

[espagnole]

I usually sleep well under normal circumstances, but just accept that I won't the night before an interview, when I find it nearly impossible to turn off the mind (lots of scenarios of what may happen tomorrow run through my head). Insomnia also happens the night before a big paper presentation. As a result, I try to get extra sleep the days before the interview/presentation and usually sleep great the night after!

[pink_]

Pandora,
I don't get insomnia very often, but when it hits, I do the same thing.
It helps me to have something else to focus on--to get the wheels to stop spinning.
I might have to look into audiobooks--I haven't tried those.

[mended_drum]

I find that the liquid version of children's benedril (the kind for "tweens"--ages 8-12) puts me to sleep but metabolizes quickly enough not to leave me groggy.  I discovered this when I needed a fast-acting medicine for an allergic reaction that wasn't too powerful.  It stopped the feeling that my throat was closing far faster than anything else with few side effects.

[msparticularity]

As a note on Bendryl-type products, I have, like grinnellns, found that a lower dose is better. It also seems that the lower dose does not risk the paradoxical response of making one hyper.