cindymg 629 Posted July 13, 2013 Try taking 1,000 mg of Calcium, and 250 mg Magnesium (magnesium citrate is best) before bedtime. It helps make you sleepy. I avoid Melatonin as it makes me nervous. I can always fall asleep. But I keep waking up at 5 am. Guess my body is telling me to go exercise. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
zoey1176 58 Posted July 13, 2013 I take a Benadryl every night otherwise I'm up to. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Fiddleman 4,376 Posted July 13, 2013 Try taking 1' date='000 mg of Calcium, and 250 mg Magnesium (magnesium citrate is best) before bedtime. It helps make you sleepy. I avoid Melatonin as it makes me nervous. I can always fall asleep. But I keep waking up at 5 am. Guess my body is telling me to go exercise.[/quote'] Thanks for the magnesium suggestion. That might also help with cramping. Once again it happened to me last night at 2:45 am so I got up and took two melatonin. I did some computer work ( worked on a software bug) for about 30 minutes and then tried to sleep again. It helped . I got in a few hours. My normal wake up time is 5 am and don't even need an alarm clock. It has been this way for a long time, but started after surgery. One other suggestion for folks is to look into a eye cover in order to block out any light. The brain is really sensitive towards even a little light and this may help cause insomnia. I am still going to look into something more powerful for sleeping even if it means going to my PCP and getting some kind of prescription. It is crazy to not have the luxury of sleeping all the way through the night without waking up at a deep enough level that the body is able to effectively recharge and repair. Yet I do not want any side effects nor do I want to feel like a zombie the next day. Refreshed and ready for the day is what I am after. And no waking up during the night. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
AussieLady 521 Posted July 13, 2013 Thanks for the magnesium suggestion. That might also help with cramping. Once again it happened to me last night at 2:45 am so I got up and took two melatonin. I did some computer work ( worked on a software bug) for about 30 minutes and then tried to sleep again. It helped . I got in a few hours. My normal wake up time is 5 am and don't even need an alarm clock. It has been this way for a long time' date=' but started after surgery. One other suggestion for folks is to look into a eye cover in order to block out any light. The brain is really sensitive towards even a little light and this may help cause insomnia. I am still going to look into something more powerful for sleeping even if it means going to my PCP and getting some kind of prescription. It is crazy to not have the luxury of sleeping all the way through the night without waking up at a deep enough level that the body is able to effectively recharge and repair. Yet I do not want any side effects nor do I want to feel like a zombie the next day. Refreshed and ready for the day is what I am after. And no waking up during the night.[/quote'] Tonic Water is the best thing for cramps. If the gas in it bothers you, drop in some sugar and the gas will diminish. Sleeping is another story. I find reading helps, but I think it's an individual thing. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
penguin13 17 Posted July 13, 2013 Yesterday I took a couple longer walks and right afterwards I was dead tired!!!!! I didn't get to sleep until 7 something am but I did get to sleep until around 1 or so in the afternoon Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
TexasRed1978 17 Posted July 14, 2013 I've had insomnia off and on for years. I've found that a sleep mask does wonders to help me go to sleep and stay asleep. It took me a while to find one that didn't bug me, but my bout of insomnia have decreased in number and severity since I started using a mask 3 years ago. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Fiddleman 4,376 Posted July 14, 2013 I bought some tryptophan today to help with sleep when combined with a low dose of melatonin. The clerk at Vitamin Shoppe said 500-1000 mg of tryptophan combined with a low dose of melatonin should really help. 1 ShelPrice reacted to this Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Fiddleman 4,376 Posted July 14, 2013 Success!! The tryptophan helped me sleep through the night. I did get up 2 x to use the bathroom ( my own fault because i drink a lot of Water up until an hour before bed) but then was able to fall asleep immediately afterwards. I woke up feeling rested and ready for the day. I hope this continues! Again, I took 1 g tryptophan and 4 mg melatonin ( low dose). I have heard that you should be careful about how much melatonin to take because it is involved in the regulation of serotonin in the body. If anyone knows a good and effective dose of melatonin to take, please share. 4 mg of melatonin seems kind of low and it is part of this pill I take called power to sleep PM that also contains GABA, theanine, Passion flower, hops, and valerian extract, all ingredients which aid in relaxation and sleep. Maybe I should stop taking this product as it really does not keep me sleep all night and just go get a bottle of straight up melatonin to take with the tryptophan. Thoughts? 1 penguin13 reacted to this Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
JIllette 57 Posted July 14, 2013 I had my surgery Thursday the 11 th and noticed change in my sleep will feel tired but can't sleep. Also I am getting up 6 AM. Is Melotonin safe? We have it in the house for my daughter as well as benedryl. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ShelPrice 70 Posted July 14, 2013 Success!! The tryptophan helped me sleep through the night. I did get up 2 x to use the bathroom ( my own fault because i drink a lot of Water up until an hour before bed) but then was able to fall asleep immediately afterwards. I woke up feeling rested and ready for the day. I hope this continues! Again' date=' I took 1 g tryptophan and 4 mg melatonin ( low dose). I have heard that you should be careful about how much melatonin to take because it is involved in the regulation of serotonin in the body. If anyone knows a good and effective dose of melatonin to take, please share. 4 mg of melatonin seems kind of low and it is part of this pill I take called power to sleep PM that also contains GABA, theanine, Passion flower, hops, and valerian extract, all ingredients which aid in relaxation and sleep. Maybe I should stop taking this product as it really does not keep me sleep all night and just go get a bottle of straight up melatonin to take with the tryptophan. Thoughts?[/quote'] Will have to try this still sleep like crap. Shel in Kansas - Sleeved 5/21/13 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
JSCRIMPSHIRE 56 Posted July 14, 2013 I had a hard time sleeping more than 2-3 hours at a time post op too. After about a week and a half I started sleeping longer and longer. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Nursebarbie 392 Posted July 14, 2013 I can sleep but have weird dreams and wake up super early. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Fiddleman 4,376 Posted July 14, 2013 Agree, it was the super early part that was bugging me. Up at 3 am and ready for the day after going to sleep at 9:30pm. My ideal time for getting up is 5-5:30 am. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ShelPrice 70 Posted July 14, 2013 I bought some tryptophan today to help with sleep when combined with a low dose of melatonin. The clerk at Vitamin shoppe said 500-1000 mg of tryptophan combined with a low dose of melatonin should really help. Bought some of this at the health food store. We'll see how it goes. Shel in Kansas - Sleeved 5/21/13 1 Fiddleman reacted to this Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ShelPrice 70 Posted July 16, 2013 The homeopathic remedies just was cutting it. Got more Ambian CR...so looking forward to a good night's sleep. Shel in Kansas - Sleeved 5/21/13 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites