Natural Sleep Medicines

[butterfly_warrior]

I went through a period of time where my inability to sleep was purely and simply down to a problem with brain chemistry. I was suffering from chronic fatigue syndrome at the time and some really expensive and extensive tests showed that I was deficient in omega 3 fatty acids in particular and a few different amino acids. Once we supplemented those, I got better and the sleep problem improved. The company that did those tests has unfortunately dropped off the face of the earth now.

The reason I'm telling you this - at the time my doctor explained that your body turns omega 3 fats into serotonin. If you lack serotonin you become depresses. But the body also turns serotonin into melatonin which is the brain chemical that tells your body it's time to sleep.

My brain chemistry has mostly fixed itself now - but I do remember times that I'd be extremely tired and just lie in bed completely unable to sleep because my brain didn't have the right chemicals to make it happen. Apart from the fish oil supplements, I used homeopathic melatonin tablets which helped somewhat. I also found SAMe supplements to be good, and for a while both helped with the slightly depressed feeling I had.

I don't know if any of this will help or whether it was just specific to my particular brain chemistry problem at the time. Apart from that, I found valerian to be good, but there was another ingredient in the herbal sleepy formulas that worked better (unfortunately I can't remember what it was right now!). When it comes to aromatherapy I found marjoram oil to be the most effective at inducing sleep.

BW

[Yael]

Just a quick thing i remember from neuroscience at uni.

Melatonin supplements do help with sleep and the day/night cycles, but they have failed to be deemed safe by the TGA in Australia. You can get them in America and over the net, but i would be careful about taking them. This was 3 years ago i learnt this, so it might have changed since, but i would check it out.

Natural sunlight is very important for regulating Melatonin etc (hence why they say for jetlag to go out during the day in the country you are in), so do try to get plenty of natural sunlight during the day.

But I would say that BW gave some great advice in regards to chemical inbalances and Serotonin levels. Infact, one of the big signs of depression is sleep disturbances (although there are many different hypothesis on depression vis-a-ve- serotonin or doppamine interactions).

I would be talking to my GP, if its not a relaxation issue, it might signal something else there. Do you take multivitamins? That might help.

You are doing a great job, its so hard being a mummy full stop, let alone when you have problems sleeping... I can get to sleep at night but for a while found it hard to fall back asleep after a feed in the night, and then my whole day was out because i was so exhausted. It's really hard

[butterfly_warrior]

I wasn't completely aware of that, Yael. Thank you. This was longer than three years ago.

I was aware that tryptophan supplements were in the same state - available and legal in the US but not here.

What I took, however, was a homeopathic substance. I'm not entirely sure how homeopathy works, but the stuff I took did have a TGA number on it.

BW

[AngelPunks]

I use the rescue remedy sleep blend - it works for me & for my ADD husband

[Mel A]

Wow I didn't know that about melatonin. I used the homeopathy Melatonin too. Do we know why the other one was banned?

My Insomnia came from my body not learning how to make it's own hormones. (thanks to the pill) Eventually I stoped creating melatonin and stopped sleeping. I went ot see a natropath and a homeopath as i didn't want to take sleeping tablets.

Doesn't really help all that much, but TIA your not alone.

[tears_of_joy]

Thanks ladies for your help. I am going to the doctors on friday to discuss this with him. I am running on empty at the moment so have figured its time to do something. Thanks again

[deesalie]

have you tried kava? it's only recently back on the market...

what can i say... lovely