I took a vacation with my husband and kids awhile back. During our stays in hotels I had to take sleeping pills to sleep. My husband snores so bad that I needed something to sleep through all the noise. Every night I took them. Now I can't seem to sleep a full night without taking something to help me. Did I screw up my system? How can I stop taking sleeping pills.
2007-04-05T02:34:57Z
He suggested that I take them. He knows how bad his snoring is. And blames it on his weight. The noise isn't just a snore..it's gurgling..watery sounds. He'll stop and with a loud start up..it starts all over again.
AileneWright2007-04-05T02:50:32Z
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If your husband snores so bad that you can't sleep, maybe HE should see the doctor. Excessive snoring is a symptom of sleep apnea. A CPAP machine might just solve all your problems. He'll sleep better and you can too.
As for the pills, if it is an OTC medication, it is probably diphenhydramine which is the same drug prescribed for allergies (Benadryl). So taking it really isn't as bad as it may seem. But as with all medicines you think you need to survive, decrease the dosage and frequency slowly. Take one tablet instead of 2 on M-W-F, then on Tu-Th-Sa. Finally decrease to 1 tablet on Sunday. Follow the same pattern for the next week and you should be drug free in 2-3 weeks.
Set a very regular sleep schedule even on the weekends. Get plenty of exercise during the day. Avoid stress. (Yeah, right!) Engage in a very relaxing activity the last hour before bedtime such as reading or a warm bath. Cease daily water intake approximately 3 hours before bedtime. No heavy meals or alcohol after 6pm. Avoid caffeine for at least 12 hours before bedtime. If you still NEED a sleep aid for 4 consecutive days after taking these steps, then you may want to discuss prescription sleep aid options with your doctor.
I take sleeping pills when i work away because WITHOUT my snoring partner i can't seem to drop off!
When i get home i go through a couple of nights where i just can't sleep but by the third or fourth night i am so tired i do fall asleep and that kind of resets my system.
If you are laying there stressing about the fact that you can't sleep, get up, go downstairs, read a book, watch TV... whatever you like because the more you lie awake thinking about not sleeping.. the worse it gets.
I also think is time your husband sorted his snoring out!
The first thing that I recommend you doing is, find some suitable sleeping arrangements. I know you want to be close to your hubby and all, but for the sake of you getting some sleep and maintaining your health, it might be best if you'd get your own room. ( It's not so bad, you can go visit! )
Secondly, you need to contact your doctor and ask what are the requirements to wean off these sleeping meds. Perhaps you cannot go "cold turkey" and there is a recommended way to come off of them. Perhaps you will be able to stop them completely, and your doctor can advise you when your body would generally return to normal. My advice to you is not to self-diagnose or self-medicate. Please seek council from your doctor, so you will not experience any more complications than absolutely necessary.
As for sleeping in another room, I think that is the answer to your problem.
Sleeping pills are additive. You sleep lightly with sleeping pills meaning you are half awake and half asleep, still aware of the surrounding.
I used to work in graveyard shifts (7pm to 7am). Therefore I need to stay awake on my off days and switch over to night shift on my working days. I am able to sleep using the following: - melatonin : I took 1-2mg. I have colleagues that take up to 6 mg. The average is about 3mg. This is non additive. Another point is melatonin need no doctor's prescription. You can read more from this site http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/melatonin..... I have even read from books on melatonin that it is an anti-aging pill. Not bad. You sleep and stop growing old. - use lavender aromatherapy. Lavender smell help me to sleep after a night shift. Some addition tips I used - The most important rule is not to force yourself to sleep. - Get a boring book with a topic you want to learn. Read until you are ready to sleep. Listen to classic music as you read. - No activity before you sleep. Avoid watching movies, reading ghost stories, pillow fights, exercising. - Keep the clock as far away as possible. The ticking make you even more afraid and awake.
do yoga. is excellent for removing stress. if you enjoy aerobics is also good. my husband also snores. so normally i sleep first. secondly we sleep in the same room but different bed. so that helps. unless he is thinking of doing some surgery to avoid snoring. now u will have to stop taking the sleeping pills.even if u cannot sleep it only for 1-2 days. after that u can sleep. secondly i think u are so worried that u cant sleep. the more worry you are on this the more you cant sleep. so ignore the fact that u cant sleep. your brain works the opposite. the more you want to sleep the body will be in the alert mode. so you are wasting energy on this. try to put your mins on other things. hope this helps