I wanted a prescription sleep med, but my doc said I couldn't have one because it would make the sleep apnea that I have much worse. I know you have tried so many thing with only temporary relief. Nothing seems to work in the long run for you. I feel you. I think of you a lot when I am lying awake at 2:00 AM. It sucks so much. If we could just rest, we would feel so much better. You know I love you like crazy! Keep battling on, dear friend.

I tried a sleep medication many years ago before I was diagnosed with sleep apnea. I can't remember any more exactly what it was, but it didn't help much anyway. By the time I was taking a large enough dose to sleep properly at night, it left me drowsy and useless all day. I do know someone (who doesn't have CFS) who found melatonin helpful for insomnia - it's the body's natural way of inducing sleep, and supplementing it helped him.

I have gone the gambit with prescription medicine .. Now I use essential oils and rotate between over the counter ... I use Myrrh topically on my thyroids, Other beneficial ones is Lavender, Vetiver, Marjoram, Roman Chamomile, Cedarwood, Orange and Frankincense .. I will usually use three of these in a diffuser and lavender on my feet at night. .. I don't have a bathtub currently, but bath salts made from epsom salt, Himalayan salt and lavender is great.

Thanks cmiat. I have tried melatonin a few times over the years but no luck with it. The essential oils sound lovely SoCalCFS, but I usually only have cool showers here in the tropics.I do have a bath tub but hot baths make me faint. Maybe I could manage a bath in a colder climate but not here.I usually have near cold to cold showers all the time. I do appreciate all the suggestions. Cheers.

Hi there!

I do believe that sleep issues are a problem with most of us that have CFS. It has always been an issue with me. I have been given Ativan. I use this medication as needed.

I am able to fall asleep at night for a few hours. I wake up at 5 a.m. and have learned to just roll with this. I get up at 5 and have some tea and take 1/2 of my Ativan and wait for drowsiness to set back in. Then I am able to sleep from around 7 a.m. to 11 a.m. and this is restful sleep for me. The downside to this, of course, is that mornings do not belong to me. The world goes on, I sleep!

I also have a prescription for Ambien. This medication wreaks havoc on my body. It causes me to have nightmares, nausea and headaches! I can only take it for 2 or 3 nights in a row. That's it! However, it does work and anytime I am seriously suffering from insomnia I take the Ambien for two or three nights and get 5 hours sleep, for sure!

I absolutely prefer taking the tranquilizer to the Ambien but neither drug works well on my body because I sm so sensitive to chemicals.

I have many CFS friends that take a melatonin and do well with it. Anoth er good, natural choice is L-tryptophan. Check it out, I need a nap! Lol!

In the early 90s when I was my worst with CFS and fibro, I could only sleep an hour then I'd be up and need to run around the house literally befor I could sleep for another hour. No surprise I was in menepause, that had gone unattended to by my dr. Switched to new dr who prescribed bioidentical hormones and I immediately slep better..like 4 hours and then another 3 or 4. My health started to improve, I'm sure partly due to getting rest. Years later, I'm having major sleep problems even on hormones. Trying to stay natural, I experimented with valerian root, chamomile, hops, melatonin and probably other things by themselves and in combination with each other for synergistic effect. Nothing scratched the surface for me so no I just routinely take a 5 mg Valium and a benedryl. I try to alternate them so my body doesn't get used to one or other or I'm sunk. Sometimes I have to take one of them that gets me through 3 or 4 hours and then take the other one to finish off my sleep. A great but unusual night is taking one and it will get me through a whole 6 or 7 hours. Sometimes if I wake up too early but only have time for a couple more hours, I can take my Gabapentin and my tremor meds and it helps me go back to sleep. Drs had told me years ago to just take more flexiril to help at night..I did that for years and I became so cognitively impaired I couldn't socialize or find my way home. Googled and learned that was side effect and it was never intended to be take for more than two years. Doctors were to easy to just tell me to take more of whatever my meds already were, just to help sleep..they were seriously wrong and I will never trust a Drs opinion again on using other drugs for sleep. I trust the pharmacist, not the Drs! I trust my own experience. I still keep natural sleep aides available just to try to give the Valium or bededryl an extra effect but don't know if it really does for me. But I know perps with no weird med problems who can drink half cup of chamomile tea and be knocked out.

Peeps, not perps! Wouldn't you know that was the one time lately it actually sent my post without eating it.

Hi Megan. Your story sounds so much like mine. I was also on bioidentical hormones . Progesterone actually, as saliva tests showed a deficiency, and I had all the symptoms of estrogen dominance. The bio hormone treatment helped but later stopped helping. I went through a very late menopause at age 58yrs. My mother was 56yrs old so it was genetic according to my gynecologist.

I also tried all the popular herbs for insomnia. Magnolia and ziziphus, valerian, hops, passion flower, camomile, kava kava etc etc. Nothing put me to sleep. L Tryptophan worked the best for a period of time. There is an over counter sedating antihistamine that puts me to sleep. It is called restavit. However I can barely move the next day. I have taken valium also. Just 2mg has put me to sleep but the next day I can barely walk and I just want to cry. I have tried alcohol, but again my body just doesn't tolerate it. It makes me feel so sick. I never have been into alcohol. Even when I was young. I was more of a pot smoker. I even tried that again as a sleep aide but it irritated my nervous system.It may not have been organic.

Anyway...what to do.

I just use Benadryl. Like so many of us I'm just really sensitive to meds. I like the liquid one and I take just one tsp (12.5 mg) an hour before bed and as long as the TV is off in the room and I use my sleep CD with my earbuds or sleep speaker under my pillow I'm out at least for about 5 hrs. then it depends on the night and my pain level.

Hi Aussie- I am so sensitive to all medications... even things like Tylenol PM have an almost stimulatory effect on me. My sleep can go through periods of being terrible, so I can relate to your question.
I find that if I take any vitamins, herbs, supplements, or medications during the day, it impacts my sleep. I think my system is just so sensitive at this point that I can't handle it. I do Saline IVs now every two weeks. I do sleep a bit better for a week after getting them (not on the day I get them though). It might have something to do with getting the right electrolyte balance. Have you tried an elecrolyte mix or some magnesium early in the day?
I've had some benefit from inositol (taken early in the day) for sleep. There is a lot of research on this and might be worth a try if you haven't done it.
Things like stopping all screens a few hours before bed is very typical advice, but I've found it's extremely important for me or I am too overstimulated to sleep.
I keep my bedroom very dark, cold, and use a sound machine.
Wish I had some better advice. My sleep has been pretty bad for the past few years as well.

Hi
I'm sure you realize the importance of gut health.
And that approximately 80 to 90% of our health issues stem from the Gut.
I take natural products that have targeted root issues in
reducing inflammation, gut health and balancing blood sugar.
The whole body balancing has been amazing to my health and the benefit has been that I sleep better and have natural sustained energy.
Love how Ive seen it reduce anxiety as well.

Thankyou nutripure. I'm open to any suggestions to improve my health. I do colon cleansing when necessary.I am presently taking an ayurvedic powder for the intestinal tract. It's very spicy but works well for reflux caused by damage from gallbladder surgery. I also take probiotics, not enough most likely. I definitely have a blood sugar problem and have to eat every couple of hrs. I had the best results a couple of years back when I eliminated carbohydrates and all sugar from my diet. I am struggling to do this again. Cheers.

Hi Aussie, Sorry to hear that you're bed bound. I know that when I can be more active during the
day, that I sleep better at night. The last time I had my cortisol levels checked, I was making too
much later in the day and I know that was effecting my sleep patterns at night. I think you're on the
right track with the Ashwaghanda. I've been taking that lately myself. I'm also taking pregnenolone 10 mg 2 in the morning and one in the afternoon. That's to help my adrenals. I take it you've had your levels checked? One doctor told me to drink warm milk with honey at
night before I went to sleep with cinnamon. I know that sounds rather 'hokey', but he was also
an Aryuvedic doctor and helped me with everything. I also take CALM powder which they sell here at the health store because it has magnesium which is good for muscles and relaxation. It's by Natural Vitality. A friend gave me some CBD oil (cannabanoid oil) by Earth Alchemy. It's legal where I live with a dr's prescription. I believe they have a site on Face Book if you wish to check that out. The one I have is 'The Bill Chill'. It was given to me for something else to take at night,
and I did notice that it helped with that. I also started dreaming again which was an added bonus.
Last but not least, I agree with the posts about EMF devices and making sure your bedroom is free of any wifi devices turned on, cell phones, alarm clocks and all that. If you live near any cell phone towers or heavy electricity lines, that could be an added 'situation'. You may also try moving the bed I think it's the north south direction but it has to do with polarities which our bodies like. Also, having the room totally dark when you sleep is important or wearing eye pads.
No caffeine after six they say. You no doubt know most of this. I'm amazed at all you've tried. These posts are a wealth of information. Hang in there and I hope you'll be having some very sweet dreams in the near future.

I just did a search to verify which is the best direction to place your head while sleeping according to biomagnetics or polarities. It turns out that this area is controversial. (like everything else seems to be lately.) Anyway, you may wish to read what Sri Sri Rave Shankar has to say on his site, Sleeping in the Right Direction/Art of Living. Also, Dr Philpott and Sharon Taplin have a book 'Biomagnetic Handbook'. This topic comes up under a site, 'The Healing Effects of north and sourth magnetic fields., They prefer placing your head to the north. The Indian culture says to the south. Are you familiar with any of this? I have been sleeping north/south with my head in
the south.

Hey,

I was bed bound for several months last fall and have fallen back this spring again as well. People think if I'm in bed all day than I must just be sleeping a lot... But it just doesn't work that way. Without being able to be up and around the house it is so hard to sleep day or night. What has worked best for me is a combination of Lorazapam and melatonin. I worked down to .25 Lorazapam at night (and try not to take it for more than a week or two at a time). I was having to do more last fall to sleep but I got addicted to it and it was harder to get off. At the .25 mg dose I've been able to take it when needed and not have more trouble sleeping when I'm not taking it.

What I have been doing is taking melatonin 1mg up to 2 hours before bed and then another 1mg at bedtime if I am having trouble going to sleep. I would take the Lorazapam at bedtime and found that it would help me stay asleep. If I still woke up in the middle of the night I would take another melatonin. The doc said I could take up to 3mg per day (but other places have said more) and it seems to help me get to sleep. Then the Lorazapam helps me stay asleep.

It really sucks not sleeping... And it always makes all the other symptoms worse. I also take magnesium at bedtime because I read somewhere it helps with sleep... Not sure if it helps me at all.

The other thing with the Lorazapam is that I've found it really helps my tension headaches better than large doses of ibuprofen.