Is there anything I could take.I'm exhausted but too stressed out to fall asleep.Thank you

I found this…
http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20070616185915AA1gXMA
the lady who was picked the best answer is awesome!!! if she answers this question also, give her the best answer vote - hehe!

basically, says that Tylenol PM is fine.

Whether you routinely spend half the night tossing and turning in bed, or find yourself waking up constantly and unable to sleep soundly, you may have been recommended insomnia medication to sleep better. Medication is often reasonable for such cases. Insomnia is a sleep disorder brought about by anxiety, wrong diet, depression, fear and other factors. It may also arise for no apparent reason at all, or may be brought about by an overactive imagination or physical pain.

To correctly diagnose insomnia and recommend insomnia medication for sleep, doctors must know the underlying cause of the insomnia, as well as the extent to which it affects the person. There are three different classes of insomnia. Transient insomnia can last from a night, to a few weeks, and can be caused by small anxieties or jet lag. Acute insomnia is characterized by an inability to sleep well during a period covered by about three weeks to half a year. Chronic insomnia, which persists nightly for a month or more, is considered the most serious type.

Insomnia can be caused by many different factors. The circadian rhythm, which governs the body’s internal clock and regulates sleeping patterns, may be disrupted due to jet lag or altered sleeping hours. Physical pain or anxiety can also prevent a person from sleeping. Disturbing and frightening events such as nightmares, violent behavior while sleeping, moving according to events in dreams, and sleepwalking can also prevent someone from sleeping. GERD, or gastroesophageal reflux disease, is an uncomfortable disorder that results in stomach acid moving up into the throat, an occurrence that can disrupt sleep.

Mania and related mental disorders can also lead to insomnia. External factors can contribute greatly to insomnia. Coffee, sugar, nicotine, and other drugs can keep the body alert. Overweight people and people who lack exercise are also found to be more prone to insomnia. Dehydration can also cause toxin buildup in the body, which can lead to aches and consequent inability or difficulty in falling asleep. Doctors can question their insomnia patients on all the causes mentioned, and can use their findings to recommend the most appropriate insomnia medication for sleep to come quicker and better.

The use of insomnia medication for sleep has long been used and studied. Our ancestors used herbs, alcohol, and laudanum to allow sleep to come easily. With more research into the field, pharmaceutical companies offered drugs such as urethane, sulfonal, and chloral hydrate. As the 1900’s arrived, barbiturates, which include Phenobarbital and pentobarbital, were introduced to the market, until they were made less popular by both concerns about their safety and the introduction of new and better drugs.

Benzodiazepines are the most common insomnia medication for sleep, and, since their introduction in the 1960’s, have been used to treat other conditions such as seizures and anxiety. With more research and safety concerns, a new class of drug was brought to the fore in the late 20th century. Non-benzodiazepine, benzodiazepine receptor agonists were found to be as effective in bringing about sleep as benzodiazepines.

The use of insomnia medication for sleep, however, can lead to dependence or addiction, or can result in severe withdrawal symptoms if the medication is not well mixed and then abruptly taken away. Another school of thought recommends cognitive behavior therapy instead of insomnia medication for sleep to come faster. In such therapies, patients are schooled on better sleeping habits, and are encouraged to let go of assumptions about sleep that may be disruptive or counter-productive.

There are other kinds of insomnia solutions to sleep better, but the effectiveness of these drugs, however, can lessen over time.

If you require insomnia medication to sleep, consult with your doctor first. The cause and type of your insomnia may need to be evaluated before recommendations can be given. Do as much research as you can on insomnia, and avoid medications if possible, a practice that can do you more harm than good. Making sure that you are healthy should be enough reassurance to allow you to sleep better and more soundly at night.

We highly recommend you consider our self-help hypnosis MP3’s and CD’s which have proven effective by many people. A medication-less life can only be better for your body, and if you believe in yourself and your own abilities you will find our self-help hypnosis programs of immense benefit.

Nathalie Fiset
http://www.articlesbase.com/health-articles/taking-medication-to-sleep-132878.html

Alright, I've read literally hundreds of questions on here and many, many other websites devoted to sleep disorders and yet nothing seems to help me.

My body doesn't want to go to sleep until 5 in the morning, even if I lay down at 10:00 (5 hours eariler). I always try to wake up at 8 in the morning, but usually can't on 3 hours of sleep.

I have asked my doctor for help, however he doesn't want to prescribe anything (and I mean anything, for any reason.) because I'm under 18. We can't go to another doctor because of our insurance.

I've tried every trick - warm milk, yoga, hot baths, exercise, tea, meditation, reading, music, blind folds, ear plugs, fans, grow lamps, massage pillows, aroma therapy, etc. etc. etc.

My last resort is to get some medication to knock me out when I need to be going to sleep, and stay on it long enough to establish a pattern. So, what over the counter sleep aids should I try? What should I look for? Please help!!!

Thank you
Most over the counter sleep aides contain diphenhydramine which is Benadryl. It works to help you to sleep. Tylenol PM works well too. It is a combination of acetominophen and diphenhydramine. The generic kind works just as well as the name brand too.

Do you have difficulty falling asleep? Do you wake up in the middle of the night and have difficulty falling back to sleep? Do you wake up earlier than your alarm and have difficulty falling back to sleep? If you answered “yes” to any of these questions, then you might have Insomnia.

Insomnia is defined as difficulty falling asleep. There are two main categories of insomnia: sleep onset and sleep maintenance insomnia.

Sleep onset insomnia is a difficulty falling asleep at the beginning of the night. It is usually triggered by a stressful event, like a death in the family or before a hard test at school. Normally it should resolve when the trigger is no longer present (after you have taken the test), but in some people the insomnia becomes a chronic problem. With sleep onset insomnia, it is always important make sure that other sleeping disorders, like restless legs syndrome and sleep apnea are adequately treated, as they can exacerbate it.

Sleep maintenance insomnia occurs when a person has difficulty falling asleep after waking up in the middle of the night. The most important point about sleep maintenance insomnia is that there is often an underlying physiologic problem of sleep (like Sleep Apnea) that is leading to the awakenings in the first place. If this problem is not adequately addressed, then it can be very difficult to treat sleep maintenance insomnia.

Who Gets Insomnia?

Anyone can get insomnia. Most people experience at least once in their lives. It is estimated that approximately 10% of the general population have chronic insomnia. Insomnia is considered a problem when it has not resolved in a reasonable period of time.

I Think I Might Have Insomnia, How Do I Find Out If I Have It?

Make an appointment with your primary care physician, or if your insurance allows it, go straight to a sleep specialist. If your physician thinks you might have insomnia, then he/she will either treat you with a medication or refer you to a sleep specialist for further evaluation.

How Is Insomnia Treated?

The treatment of insomnia with medications has become a multibillion-dollar industry, but the best treatment methods are actually behavioral methods. Behavioral treatments range from developing good sleep habits to group cognitive behavioral therapy. For the short-term, most of the newer sleeping pills, including Ambienâ?¢, Sonataâ?¢, Lunestaâ?¢, and Rozeremâ?¢ can provide immediate relief. Ask your doctor about what option is right for you.

Scott
http://www.articlesbase.com/non-fiction-articles/what-is-insomnia-58158.html

For several weeks I've had terrible nights sleep because I wake up every two hours with bad toothache.I have an appointment with a dentist to sort it out, but it's not until mid August and I desperately need a good nights sleep.

I want to try using an over the counter sleeping aid such as Kalms or Nytol. How effective are these? Do they make you just a little drowsy or a lot? And would they knock me out enough so I'd sleep through any pain in my teeth?

I can relate to your plight. First, try a cotton ball or gauze soaked in clove oil and place directly on the troubling tooth. Tastes nasty but gives relief. Second, if you need help sleeping try Melatonin or Valerian Root. Melatonin is a specific natural sleep aid, and is something our own body already produces on it's own. The great thing is that is non-addictive and has no known adverse side affects. Valerian Root is a more relaxing/calming agent that does make some people more tired than others. In either case if your worried about being too groggy, graduate up to a suitable dose, like start with 1 or 2 a half hour before bed, and then graduate up or down by one until it's working comfortably for you. Good Luck!

How long doest alcohol and generic over the counter sleep aid stay in the system? I got a call today and I have to go to a place of employment for a drug screen. I drank about three drinks last night all with maybe 2 shots of Everclear in them, and went to bed around 1:30am. I have to take 2 sleep aids at night to get myself to rest. I am awake now at 12:15p. I feel absolutely normal and ready to go! Should I have anything to worry over about the drug test?

As long as you have not taken any illegal drugs, the stuff you drank should stay with you for 48 hours, because that is how long your liver will filtered it out of your blood. And since you didn't take anything illegal, you should worry about failing the drug test.

When you are awake at night and asleep during the day, your body does not receive powerful biological cues from the amount of light in the environment. These cues are necessary to regulate the circadian rhythms that control your sleep/wake cycle. This causes difficulty in falling asleep and getting enough deep sleep. An additional problem is switching from a night schedule to a day schedule on days off, or during changes in your work shift. This switching causes the same effects as jet lag. The body needs one hour per day to adjust to changes in sleep. Night shift workers may find that impossible.

For most people it is more difficult to sleep during the day. And day sleeping is not as deep as night sleeping so this in turn decreases your ability to perform safely and efficiently. Other factors that may affect day sleeping include noise, light and social commitments. Anyone of the reasons for not sleeping adequately may interfere in other aspects of your life socially as well as your health.

About one in five workers does shift work, and working non-standard hours has been firmly linked to a number of mental and physical health problems, Bambra and her team note in the May issue of the American Journal of Preventive Medicine. Working nights disrupts normal circadian rhythms, the researchers explain, while also throwing a person out of social synch with the rest of the world.

The sleep/wake cycle of the body is disturbed because of working in shifts. When you are awake during the night and asleep during the day, your body does not receive the proper, positive biological cues because of the amount of light that is present in the environment during the daytime. These signs are very important to regulate the circadian rhythms that control the sleep/wake cycle of the body and brain. In turn, this will pose difficulty in sleeping. Working in shifts can have an effect similar to jet lag. The body, on an average, needs one hour per day to adjust to the changes in the sleeping habit but working in shifts disrupts this. Hence the person who works in night shifts finds it quite impossible to sleep properly.
Mostly it happens because human bodyâ??s natural circadian rhythms tell that the concerned person should not be working when he or she should take sleep.Many of our physical and chemical roles keep fluctuating during different times of the day. Take for example; let me tell you something about cortisol concentration which changes daily. Cortisol is the most potent glucocorticoid produced by the human adrenal.This peaks during the morning hours when glucose is needed for activity and reaches its low point late in the evening. So the chances of heart attacks are very high in the morning time.It is important to take a proper rest while working in the night shift at call centers and we can avoid the heart attacks.

Increased risks: a person working the night shift is at greater risk of various disorders, accidents and misfortunes, including: Increased likelihood of obesity, Increased risk of cardiovascular disease, Higher risk of mood changes, Increased risk of gastrointestinal problems, such as constipation and stomach discomfort, Higher risk of motor vehicle accidents and work-related accidents.

peterhutch
http://www.articlesbase.com/wellness-articles/health-effects-during-night-shift-469899.html

I don't see why not if you're using CPAP. I would be cautious if I were not on CPAP or BI-PAP.

If you are not sleeping well, feeling tired and overburdened during day than there is something wrong with you. For 1-2 days not getting sleep properly is fine because it might be due to tension, depression or work load. But the things get worse when a person do not get proper sleep for 10 days and the situation remains same for many months.

Yes, the condition in which a person is not able to sleep properly, difficulty falling asleep, waking too early or sleeping in small bursts throughout the night is known as insomnia. Insomnia might get worse if situation like above continues for many months. People suffering from insomnia will feel overburdened, tired and will not be able to concentrate properly on there work.

If you are one of them suffering from insomnia or any other sleep disorder than consult a doctor. After analyzing your condition and severity of the illness doctor will prescribe you Sleeping pill. Sleeping pills are best option for treating insomnia and other sleep disorders.

Ambien or Zolpidem is the best drug for treating insomnia and really helps in getting full night sleep. According to various surveys 23 million prescriptions were written for Ambien last year. Never take any sleeping pill without consulting a doctor as they sleeping pills have time limit. Generally sleeping pills are taken for 10 days to avoid addiction and loss of effectiveness.

Ambien should be taken when you are almost going to sleep and that too when you are sure that after taking drug you will get 7-8 hours sleep. 7-8 hours full night sleep is required by a human being for normal functioning.

A chemical known as GABA present in the brain works along with Ambien drug. This chemical helps in calming brain activity and helps you in sleeping. Ambien dosage is based on your medical condition, age and response to therapy. Never take any sleeping pill without consulting a doctor. Ambien side effects are not severe and are few.

Robin Stee
http://www.articlesbase.com/diseases-and-conditions-articles/deform-insomnia-with-ambien-126427.html

I have a hard time winding down and then when i do go to bed i am up a couple of hours later

There are herbs can can help you relax and help you to sleep, eg, valerian root, kava kava, chamomile, hops, passion flower, skullcap. Probably, valerian root and kava kava are the best. You have to keep in mind that it can take a few weeks for some herbs (including valerian) to build up in your system before they start to work.

You can also try 5-HTP, trytophan, GABA, or melatonin (about 3 mg). I would not take melatonin for over a month unless your doctor says it is ok.

Over the counter pills include unisom, sominex, benadryl, tylenol PM, advil PM, etc. The pharmacist might have the best ideas.

I once wrote a long list of natural sleep aids and have copied it below. It is so long that reading it may put you to sleep :=)

A warm bath is a great way to relax to help you to sleep. If you can’t take a bath, you can give yourself a foot massage with slightly warm massage oil, sesame oil, or castor oil from a health food store.

What was very helpful to me, especially when my mind was racing, was to lie in bed and listen to relaxation CDs, especially those that contain someone speaking with relaxing music in the background. Many of these CDs are available on eBay for very low prices.

A helpful technique is to relax your body one part at a time. So you could relax your feet, your lower legs, upper legs, moving up from your lower belly up to your chest, etc., until your whole body is relaxed.

Of course, guided relaxation methods can help, imagining yourself in the country, the beach, or whatever is most soothing to you.

If you have annoying thoughts or personal issues that run thru your mind when you are trying to sleep, you might have to deal with those issues first.