Looking for a natural, safe, sleep aid

i'll try out valerian next i think. i wanna stay away from anything with a name like "diphenhydramine"

 

lol ok... imo you'll go to sleep once you get off the horse.

 

passion flower

 

lol.. as in "get off the high horse"...

listen i don't think i'm more intelligent than you.. hell i'm here asking for your help. my mind is active because i'm contantly searching for solutions to things, i'm not saying i'm better at finding them than anyone else. I just want a break from my constant mental activity, i want to be sedated so i can sleep.. jesus man.. why is it so wrong for me to seek a sleep aid?

 

thanks i'll look into that again.. i remember reading last time that it's like an MAOI or SSRI or something though right? Do i need to watch what i eat when i take that?

 

to be honest i aint real sure I didnt research it all that much in that respect... I do know i use it on occasion and it seems to help . There is lots of info out there on it though, with a bit of digging i am sure you can find it...

Chamomile is another relaxer type herb. I just dont care for chamomile tea

Both are very easy to grow though

 

since you didn't mention any diagnosed medical condition
i'll tell you why it's wrong. your body is fully capable of going to sleep at night. asking for a way to sleep it's like asking for a club in the head, it solves the symptom, not the problem.

then again, the problem would be the reason you spend your night time "thinking about everything". i assume you have enough time during the day to think about the world problems.

all i'm saying there's a reason for you not going to sleep and you motive doesn't give me a lot to work with. maybe if you dig a little deeper.

 

Well, how do you know what my body is fully capable of? I'm not diagnosed with anything, but I haven't been to the doctor about this problem because I don't want to take a bunch of synthetic chemicals that I don't understand. Maybe I do have something that has just never been diagnosed.

I don't know the reason I spend my night time thinking about everything, but I always have. Maybe it's just a bad habit but damned if I can find a way to stop it.

And it's not just getting to sleep.. I wake up constantly when i do go to sleep and start thinking again, then I can't get back to sleep. So i'm not like "psyching myself out," unless I can subconciously psych myself into waking up as well.

I just want a good night's rest...

 

one of the main requirements to sleep is being calm and relaxed.

it is very common for young people that have very busy days to have trouble sleeping. this is because after a long day, your brain keeps traces of your daily worries and concerns. a very recommended and healthy practice is to find the time after a long day to relax and give the brain some time to "decompress".

then, when its time to sleep, make sure the lights are pitch black (maybe you prefer some dim light, the point is pleasant darkness), face up, and try to recognize every sound the house has at that time. this is only one method, a more classic approach would be sheep count.

music always helps, there are several ambient tunes or beach sounds available or meybe you prefer some background after hours dark radio show.

anyway, there is a lot to talk about.

 

Trying out Kava tonight

Mixed 1 heaping tablespoon of Kava root powder in a glass of apple juice, taste was ok but a little strange, added a teaspoon of cinnamon and some honey and it's just right. Until i got to the bottom of the glass, oh god, ack, choke... so I just took it as a shot with some orange juice chaser.

I'm getting the expected numbness of the mouth but no sedation yet... we'll see..

 

yep, pretty relaxing

kinda like a couple glasses of wine but clearer. i like it. acquired taste for sure tho.

 

man you just want to get wasted.

 

typical chemophobia. diphenhydramine, in proper dosage, poses absolutely no threat to the health and wellbeing of a normal human being.

you are aware that everything in the world is made of chemicals, some of which are poisonous, including the chemicals in plant drugs, right? simply because it originated in a plant does NOT mean something is safer.

scopolamine and atropine are plant based deliriant/hallucinogens, and extremely dangerous - potentially lethal.

nicotine is a drug of plant origin, and quite bad for you. same with caffeine.

cocaine and other similar alkaloids come from the coca plant. morphine and codeine come from the poppy.

the main active ingredient in cannabis is Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol.using your logic, you better stay away from this, because it has a scary chemical name. yet it is less harmful than all previously listed substances.

just because a plant drug is called by its plant name instead of the chemical names of its components does NOT make it safer.

kava kava contains drugs called kavalactones. valerian contains drugs called valepotriates, including valtratum.

its important to remember that not all plant drugs are safer than drugs which are produced in a laboratory, and all drugs originating in plants still have their scary chemical names.

there are a number of synthetic substances which are far safer than plant based drugs. for instance, if one wishes to trip, it is FAR more advisable to take a few hits of lsd (lysergic acid diethylamide), which is virtually harmless to the body, than to start eating jimson weed, which can quite possibly kill the user - but not without a healthy dose of mental and physical agony first.

diphenhydramine is a pretty safe drug - in the recommended dosage range. there is nothing wrong with using it as a sleep aid, and "natural" substances are not likely to be much safer than if you use these in an appropriate and responsible manner.

 

The doctor even reccommended giving my 5 lb chihuahua a tiny dose of children's Benedryl (diphenhydramine) before shots to sedate him. She assured me that this was the least harmful and most easily available thing for my pup. Also, as an insomniac since birth, the doctor also reccommended my mother give it to me for sleep starting at age 3, and I suffered no ill side effects from it like I have other sleep remedies, even ones flaunted as natural.

 

kava again tonight, bought me (looks at clock) 2 hours and 20 minutes of sleep. Gonna need something longer lasting for sure.

 

no if i wanted to get wasted i'd be smoking my weed and drinking my beer. i want to relax, and sleep.

 

how about chloroform?

 

very true and good reality check there, thank you. I guess chemicals are safe if i fully research them. I just "feel safer" taking something that has been around for thousands of years and proven safe instead of something that was invented in a lab in the last 50 years you know? but you're absolutely right.

I suppose I will try this diphenhydramine, hopefully i can find a formula without a bunch of additives and stuff.

 

wow you again, really? you've been nothing but combative and rude. Just get out of my thread if you're not gonna help, let alone make suggestions that could kill me.

 

This one has a lot fewer "extra" chemicals than the other types of benadryl, guess i'll see if the old walmart has it tomorrow.