My Dad is an Insomniac :/

[flyingmochi]

Feels like insomnia, ah ah~

OK, so my dad has had insomnia for about a year now and he feels like really crappy.
It's gotten so bad that he made me write this to ask for some suggestions -_-
He has tried several various medications and none of them work.
Except for valium, but that only keeps him asleep for about 2 to 3 hours.
Also, natural remedies don't work for him.

But drinking beer helps a little x) However, he's not going to drink beer everyday!
So unhealthy! And he's trying to lose weight. Beer is not the way.

OK, so some medicines that he tried but don't work are:
- Desyrel
- Serax
- Celexa
- Pamelor/Aventyl
- Ativan

He thinks that his problem is stress-related, by the way.

Any ideas on how to help him sleep better?

[Starberry]

I'm actually a cronic insomniac and have been for quite a few years now. I'm not sure of anything that will get him back on track permanately, but if he gets a vacation from work or something he should try just staying up as long as he can. Like, drink a ton of coffee and energy drinks and try to stay up for a couple days on end. Then wait to go to sleep until the normal time he would one night and wake up when he normally does. He'll be looking forward to bed for the next few nights so he'll definitely be able to fall asleep. I know that's a pretty extreme method but it will help him temporarily. If it's stress related though there's quite a few different methods out there which you can find out about online. Everything from doing yoga to writting in a journal to lighting insence. But he'll probably have to try a few different methods to find what would work for him.
Sorry I couldn't be more help!

[katzluva]

Tell him to try to stay on a consistent routine. Go to bed, wake up, have breakfast, lunch and dinner all at the same set of times. For instance, get up at 8am everyday, have lunch at 2pm everyday, etc. Some people's bodies react strongly to change, so have him try this.

Turn off all electronics like television or computer usage hours prior to bed. These activities are stimulating and can keep some awake. Instead, read a book or the like.

Remove all sources of light during/near sleep time! Light tells the body it's still daytime.

And finally, have a warm non-caffeinated drink cause it relaxes the senses.

[the_zorya]

^ i definitely agree with katz about having a fixed agenda.

lyme disease caused me to have insomnia, and i tried valiums and a few other meds to help me to sleep, but my body eventually developed a tolerance to them.

taking a bath before going to sleep with essential oils definitely helped my body to relax, and now it's routine for me to take a bath, read a little, and drink some warm green tea before i go to bed.

also, if he thinks it's stress-related, maybe he should try to incorporate exercise into his daily routine? going to the gym every morning before i started my day kept my energy level high when it needed to be, and then i was pooped when it was time for bed.

i've also heard to unplug anything near you that's electronic, like katz said, or to at least keep them five feet from your bed, but that never actually helped me. but it could be something to try.


tell him good luck!

[haruhisuzumiya]

I find if you meditate and tell yourself during medition that you're tired, before bed works. There should be some excercises available online or even at a bookstore you can find some books.

Green tea would help, and there is also this tea that helps with insomniacs.

The tea is here! Sleep tea.

[Clarity]

I agree with what most have said above. Fixed routines are a definite help. If your sleep is always at different times, you can never adjust.

I also agree with ^, meditation actually does help immensely before sleep. It just relaxes you entirely to the point you have nothing on your mind BUT your body's natural desires. So if he is tired, and relaxed after meditating, he'll sleep correctly.

This works for some and not at all for others, but try listening to music while sleeping. Earphones with the music on low is best imo. Mellow music.

I know you said natural remedies don't work, but has he ever tried "St. Johns Wart"? It's VERY helpful! You can buy it in pills, and it completely de-stresses you. Although this is a different case -- My sister has A.D.D and with before st johns wart, she was a complete mental case xDIf she takes one of them everymorning, she's incredibly calm :] It helps with my mothers slight insomnia, too. It could help with his stress.

Make sure the bedroom is used for nothing but sleeping. Everything else in daily life should be done OUT of it, like computer, reading, etc. It's a little process that changes your mind's way of thinking. When it's used for nothing but sleep, your mind knows it's actually time to sleep rather than do something else.

Avoid eating before bed. If possible, have dinner at 4-5pm and do not eat at all after that time. Another thing that would help if you're not doing it already, is avoid heavily processed foods as much as you can. This means softdrink, chips, instant meals. It can go as far as avoiding margarine and replacing with butter, or avoiding store bought bread and making it yourself. Most processed foods contain so many chemicals, it affects the way your mind works IMMENSELY. There's so much in food that isn't food. It's actually quite disgusting if you research it D: But I know from experience, that cutting out heavily processed foods and replacing it with staples and natural ones is a great help for not only sleep, but general well-being. Including stress.

Ahh, that's all I can think of for the moment :3

[the_zorya]

^ ahhh you mentioned some things i forgot

i'd also say to have him eliminate caffeine from his diet if he drinks it.

[flyingmochi]

Man, you guys know a lot o_o So smart!
Thank you everyone for helping
I'll definitely let my dad know about everything you said.

Thank you thank you thank you ^_^

[StrawberryShortcake]

My dad and I are both taking Amitriptaline (something like that) because we're both insomniacs. It isn't an actual sleeping pill but a side-effect is drowsiness. It's the only pill that can keep the two of us asleep all night.

[Tsuyako]

Getting into a routine may help as would a hot bath and a warm milky drink! It would relax him he may also want to try reading a book before bed too. It sounds stupid and I've never tried it, but apparently lettuce helps O.o I read that in my nan's magazine though
Good luck!