what are PM's?

AdvilPM, TylenolPM, Motrinpm

I'm with you and am eager to see responses. Have you tried melatonin?

Have you eliminated consumption of caffeine later in the day? Do you get any fresh air, sunlight, or exercise?

Demand that your physician refers you to a 'sleep doctor', as Snidely mentioned. You should have a comprehensive sleep study done as well as a full physical exam.

I suffered for years with a severe sleep deficiency. Mine was caused primarily by insomnia induced by several factors....all of which had to be discovered and solved before the magic of a good night's sleep happened.

I used to rely on prescription meds for what little sleep I did get, but not any more.

I needed lots of help and had to make lots of changes, but once everything clicked into place.....zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz.

Party_music50 pointed out the obvious...if that doesn't help, yes, a sleep specialist (I have sleep apnea...so sorta the opposite problem)

You can't sleep if you aren't physically tired. I joined the arthritis water class and that helped a lot. If you can't sleep get up and stay up until you get sleepy.

Read the side effect of anything you decide to take. My sis takes melatonin starting at the small dose and she is up to 40 now. There are serious side effects to some of that stuff.

Oh it's awful not being able to sleep. I'm a little better at falling asleep now but I cannot stay asleep all night to save my life. The one thing that helps me fall asleep is background noise. It can be white noise, one of those sound machines with crickets and rainfall etc. Or just the tv on very low in the background.

I agree with others, if you're taking meds for it you should prob get a sleep study done. I hope you can find some help and relief.

First of all, stop with the "PM" meds. The sleep component is Diphenhydramine and users very quickly develop resistance to the sedative properties. So if you take those every day, they aren't working. You can buy diphenhydramine as a sleep aid (generic) at Walmart or you can buy Benadryl.

(Another problem with these combination drugs is that you can easily overdo on the individual components of the meds. For example, it's very easy to OD on Tylenol, and it's very toxic. So if you take regular acetaminophen during the day, you are really close to a risk of OD'ing.)

Last summer I spent 4 months unable to sleep. Even though utterly exhausted, I couldn't settle in until 4-5am. I'm in my early 40's, and had quit taking my bio-identical hormones a few months before because it was about $80 a month. When I went back on my hormones I finally began to sleep normally and now never miss a dose! Could hormonal issues be the cause? I hope you find a solution quickly!

I went through a bad period of insomnia. At my doctor's suggestion, because I didn't want to take prescription medications, I started to take melatonin, magnesium, b-complex, fish oil, and vitamin d every day on top of a regular multi vitamin. I take the melatonin about 1 hour before bed. I am not sure what combination of these helped but within a week or two of taking them regularly I broke through the insomnia. My hot flashes are greatly reduced and my anxiety also greatly lessened.

I've had insomnia since I was a child. I've tried everything from sleep studies to meditation to no avail. I take the above mentioned vitamins every day and then take an extra B12 with a small glass of milk at bedtime. Then I lie awake sometimes for three hours, sometimes all night and sometimes I fall asleep. Last night I went to bed at three, fell asleep at four and got up at nine, that's a great night's sleep for me. I'm 75 now and taking naps is impossible too. I seem to function okay most days. My physician thinks it's because of a brain surgery I had at the age of seven, Who knows. Last year I went to a physician who also believes in holistic and she gave me Kavinace which worked like a miracle. I would take one and lie down and feel totally relaxed and sleep. I was in seventh heaven and then, seven months later, I was diagnosed with chronic kidney disease and the new Kavinace was contraindicated. Just telling you this to let you know you can live with insomnia , it's touch but it's doable.

Yayagal, you might want to rethink the B12 at bedtime. I used to take B vitamins at bedtime, but had to stop some years ago. The Bs produce energy--usually more energy than we want at that hour. The B12 is probably not causing your insomnia, but it might be contributing to it.

Generic Tylenol PM, melatonin and magnesium help me.

Here again is a situation where lack of information makes it impossible to suggest much. I've had sleeping issues in the past. You know what I found? When my body wants sleep, I go to sleep.

There can be times where I would be thinking about different items and mind starts racing. No way I'll be sleeping then. Or I'm in pain, makes it difficult. But you didn't suggest that pain was any issue, just that you're taking pain medications to try to sleep. I don't think that's a good idea either.

You didn't say why the doctor won't give you anything and that could be telling but without more information, we can't say. If your doctor won't prescribe medication for you, there's probably a good reason for it, but with the lack of info given, there's no way for us to know.

You don't say how much you sleep nor when you DO sleep. Some people do not need as much sleep as others. I generally don't need as much sleep as some do. 4-5 hours is often plenty for me.

You don't say anything about diet but that is well known to contribute to sleep issues. You might consider looking into that. Caffeine, alcohol, tobacco and medications can affect sleep too. Certain lighting conditions can make a difference. For some, it's also argued that room colors make a difference on sleeping.

Are your sleeping conditions conducive to sleeping? Ambient noise, light, odors or something can affect sleep. Are you watching stimulating TV or something before trying to sleep? Again, no idea so I'm just throwing out some of the things that could be considered.

Diphenhydramine can be used as a sleep aid but sometimes it's used for other purposes like antihistamine.

A "sleep study" isn't all it's cracked up to be. It's often just used to sell CPAPs. I had one done and the results were tainted from the start. The room was so warm and so dry it was miserable to even try to sleep. And if you don't sleep enough hours for them to get their "data" you have to pay for it since insurance will not. If you have trouble sleeping, how will you sleep 6 hours?

One thing that is often recommended, if you don't go to sleep within a certain period of time, 20 min is a figure I recall, then you should get up and do something to take your mind off trying to sleep. Even go for a walk, do some laundry, work on a puzzle, read a boring book, etc.

Before I end this, let me ask, what has changed a few years ago when all of this started? Maybe you need to look back at that. Worried about job, family or something? Someone ill or died that occupies your mind? Dietary or some type of life change? Move, change job or something? You might be seeing the wrong type of doctor.

have had same issues all my life. sleep good once I AM asleep, but trouble falling asleep. doc just dosent want me to take mess for sleep, because I am 75.

I recommend, if you are able, going for a 1/2 hour walk after dinner, and just before getting into bed, taking a VERY hot shower to get all the histamines out of your body. Drink a glass of warm milk just before getting into the shower too.

I don't know what you need to go to sleep of course, but I agree with going for a sleep study. Also if you don't have pain don't take a PM med! The ingredient in them for sleep is just Benadryl (generic). The pain meds can cause stomach issues.

I noticed nobody suggested chamomile or lavendar tea. Yogi makes a really nice Honey Lavendar Sress Relief tea (delicious) & I also have an essential oil diffuser on my bedside stand that I put Lavendar in.This, along with no blue screen (TV or PC) for at least an hour before bed have helped me a great deal. I also read for about 30 minutes, or until I am sleepy.

If you are on any prescription medications, read the side effects from them. Insomnia might be one of them. I was one of the worlds best sleepers and gradually not only had difficulty getting to sleep but tossed and turned all night. It turned out to be one of my medications.

Allisande, thank you for that heads up, I will stop it at night. I should have known that.

I find if I eat anything sweet at night I sometimes have trouble falling asleep. I am talking about desserts, not sweet foods like bar b que stuff. Even drinking juices, can put extra sugar in your system. Watching TV can cause problems even news programs. Sometimes reading will help--You might go to the Mayo Clinic web site and goggle in Sleep issues. They have some good information.

"A "sleep study" isn't all it's cracked up to be. It's often just used to sell CPAPs"

How could this be? The doctors I've been to for the last dozen plus years (at a medical school, not that that matters) don't sell equipment or anything related to it. There's no conflict of interest involved at all.

If you went to one that does sell equipment, you went to the wrong place. And how do you sleep when you can't sleep? They give you an Ambien or other mild sleep aid, that's standard for sleep studies.

I'm sorry you had a bad experience, it left you misinformed and your possible condition untreated. Give it another try with a more prominent place. Sleep doctors really do life changing, miraculous work, it's not hardly limited to apnea and CPAP machines.

ditto everything snidely said.

And I had to quit B complex altogether, since it was causing sleep disturbances. I have a really hard time sleeping. I quit caffeine, but even decaf causes me minor problems.

Decaf is not caffeine free. The caffeine is reduced about 50%, but it is still there. Drink caffeine free only.