Insomnia - desperate for help!

Hi there IH. Something I really need to ask you. All my life I have been a terrible sleeper. I suffer from terrible bouts of insomnia. It takes me ages to get to sleep as I really don't feel tired when I jump into bed and when I do fall asleep I will wake up a number of times through the night. As I said, insomnia is something that I have suffered all my life - even in childhood. I'm not really stressed but I just don't get tired. This worries me because I would love to be able to fall asleep within twenty minutes and sleep uninterrupted for at least 8 hours. Some have suggested melatonin while others say 5-htp is better.
Can you please suggest a supplement protocol for insomnia? Do you prefer melatonin or 5-htp, or can both be used together and in what amounts. I have tried some herbal remedies such as valerian and chamomile but their effects have been minimal.
I am also sure that the health of one's hair is directly connected to the quality of one's sleep - would you agree? Any advice you could offer would be most appreciated (as always).

Grateful - I'll try to look at this with the potential causes in mind and it might help you pinpoint the cause or treatment.

Generally speaking, insomnia is the inability to produce sufficient amounts of melatonin. Starting with that, for melatonin to be produced sufficiently, requires us to sleep in conditions of total darkness. So dark in fact that you cannot even see in front of you. One way to get around this, since living in the 20th or 21st century for that matter is melatonin glasses. These block the blue spectrum of light which allows the pineal gland to start producing melatonin naturally. When we so much as look around at night with lights, even on an alarm clock it can keep us awake.

Using dark drapes to keep out light from the windows and to use red lights for night lights are helpful since they do not block melatonin production. Back to the glasses, they really work and they are ideal for using when at the computer or just preparing for sleep.

One common and overlooked factor is how much sunlight you're getting through the day. Natural, full-spectrum sunlight instead of the type of artificial lights we are exposed to indoors. The answer here is to replace your ordinary bulbs with full-spectrum light. Not only will this make you feel better all around, it will also help you produce more melatonin. It would help further to make sure your vitamin D levels are in the optimal range. This helps your body make serotonin which will make melatonin. You might remember days when you were out in the sun and it was easier to fall asleep that night.

Another factor is growth hormone, although since this has occurred since you were very young it may not be a problem. Insufficient growth hormone is a factor. In medical school they teach the opposite (they are incorrect), which they say sleep is necessary to make it, but really it's the other way around.

If your insomnia is not melatonin related it is probably other hormones, such as adrenaline and cortisol which can interfere with the synthesis of serotonin, which like melatonin is going to help with sleep. It could be that your PM cortisol levels are too high, yet they are supposed to be at a low.

If this is the case, then you'll be interested in a recent study (2008), where 82.8% of individuals taking a combination of Magnolia officinalis bark and Ziziphus spinosa seed said it helped them get restful sleep. These are anxiety and cortisol lowering agents. The later has been used in China as treatment for insomnia.

This all said, would look into finding a formula with these two ingredients and would consider either taking melatonin at night (problem is that is has to be cycled since it does not work every time without a break) or to use melatonin/blue blocking sunglasses in the evening with the above light and darkening recommendations.

Hope this helps.

Wow - thanks for that IH. Never heard of the blue blocking glasses but will definitely get a pair. Will get onto the melatonin as well. However, how much should I take - 1, 3, 5 or more mg? And what type of breaks should I be doing, that is, do I take melatonin for a month and then have a week break and then start again for another month? As I'm really interested in all Chinese treatment, I will certainly give those two herbs a try as well.
Sorry, IH, have one more question. I have a cousin who suffers from sleep apnea - any suggestions?
Thanks again IH - you're a champion!

Grateful - On the melatonin, would suggest getting the extended release forms which are offered in either 1 or 3 milligrams. Either would work. Would not recommend using them for more than 3-days straight, but fortunately using the melatonin glasses be be idea for this.

Regarding sleep apnea. There is a dentist who have come up with an unusual cure for it--reportedly a 100% success rate although I had a patient who said it didn't work for them (oops). Nevertheless it's intriguing, it is a mouth splint that it keeps the airway passage open. When this passage way is obstructed, the levels of cortisol shoot through the roof which physiologically and psychologically cause the throat to clench or tighten up.

I'm pretty certain that the hypertension connection with asleep apnea is absolutely correlated to the elevated cortisol level that follows it. This splint treatment is a great alternative to the uncomfortable C-Pap machines.

Would recommend doing a search to find colleagues of Dr. Farrand Robson or those who have learned his pioneering technique. Here's his contact info: 253-272-8651

Thanks heaps IH - will pass the info. on.

Grateful - have you ever taken ZMA (Zinc, Magnesium and Vitamin B) to try and fall asleep? For some reason, the combo of zinc, magnesium and B when taken 30 min before bed really works great as a sleep aid. Have used it for years and not only does it make me fall asleep quickly, but it gives a great night's sleep too.

Harie - I have used magnesium alone. It did help - perhaps your combination may work better. I think I need something stronger. I found a product from IHerb called Seditol containing the ingredients IH recommended and the reviews were very positive on its effectiveness - not too expensive either.
Thanks for the tip Harie. Sharing of information is a definite plus.

Look into anti anxiety regime - some neuros are excititatory some are calming, surround yourslef with more of calming agents and you may find easing into sleep. I think getting to sleep and remain sleeping (deep and REM) are perhaps attacked 2 different ways. I never have issues falling sleep, i suffer from waking up around 3-4-5am and then the quality of sleep afterwards is not that great. So for me many things work in this regard.

Zinc + Mg + Vitamin C + Melatonin (dual stage 1.0 mg or less) + Valerian + Pharma GABA + Taurine --> these all help to stay asleep to some extent, you can try mixing and matching to see that helps your case.

One stack that consistently delivers for me is PharmaGABA + Taurine + Valerian - half hour before sleep and this works for me. You can also try Melatonin, as others have stated before, sometimes les is better for Melatonin. So while the 3mg dosage may not work, as little as 0.5mg has worked for others. Dual stage melatonin is better as it will keep working late in the night...

Again, I hope you are avoiding anything that excites the CNS (MSG, Caffeine, sugar, dopamine, glutamatam, etc) specially late in the day. Amino acids need to be taken on empty stomach, taurine would be one example....

I had success with low dose melatonin. After i dropped it, my sleep cycle sustained itself, although lately it has been tough to sleep. I guess i will dose .25 mg of melatonin tonight.