What helps you sleep?

[Traveler]

My heart goes out to your son. My daughter suffers from it as well. She's dealt with anxiety for years now. She takes Zoloft daily and Buspar when anxiety breaks through. Buspar is very short-acting so it's ideal to take at night.

A couple of natural things he could try is the B supplement inositol. He would need 3-12 grams taken daily, but he can also take it when he feels anxious. It's best to buy it in powder form, it's easier to take. It dissolves in liquid. It has a sweetish taste so it's very palatable. He really should take it daily to see consistent results. My daughter wouldn't take it daily when she was younger she's better now at taking her supplements but she says the inositol taste just makes her sick. But when she did take it, it did stop the anxiety attacks. This was before she started taking the Zoloft.

The herbal supplement Relora helps lower cortisol levels. If he's unable to sleep easily or wakes up several times during the night, then his nighttime cortisol levels are too high. Taking Relora a couple of hours before bedtime can help lower cortisol to where it should be. Anxiety tends to raise cortisol levels anyway, so it would be a good supplement for him to take.

The amino acid GABA (Gamma-aminobutyric acid) is a neurotransmitter and feeds the GABA receptors in our brain that help regulate sleep and anxiety. I buy it in bulk powder form so my daughter can take a scoop (1/4 tsp) at night and if she's having a really bad panic attack, it really helps to calm her down quickly. It's just not really portable so she keeps some Buspar tablets in her purse when she's at school.

[Mother Goose]

Miss Hepburn,

It seems it is a weighted blanket. Thanks for checking. ❤️

He has tried all kinds of traditional stuff, so I keep researching. I found today that if your atlas is out of alignment it can cause insomnia. I also found some stretches for him to do to get the muscles around the area to relax so it can slip back into alignment. Here’s hoping it helps.

[Mother Goose]

Originally Posted by Traveler

My heart goes out to your son. My daughter suffers from it as well. She's dealt with anxiety for years now. She takes Zoloft daily and Buspar when anxiety breaks through. Buspar is very short-acting so it's ideal to take at night.

A couple of natural things he could try is the B supplement inositol. He would need 3-12 grams taken daily, but he can also take it when he feels anxious. It's best to buy it in powder form, it's easier to take. It dissolves in liquid. It has a sweetish taste so it's very palatable. He really should take it daily to see consistent results. My daughter wouldn't take it daily when she was younger she's better now at taking her supplements but she says the inositol taste just makes her sick. But when she did take it, it did stop the anxiety attacks. This was before she started taking the Zoloft.

The herbal supplement Relora helps lower cortisol levels. If he's unable to sleep easily or wakes up several times during the night, then his nighttime cortisol levels are too high. Taking Relora a couple of hours before bedtime can help lower cortisol to where it should be. Anxiety tends to raise cortisol levels anyway, so it would be a good supplement for him to take.

The amino acid GABA (Gamma-aminobutyric acid) is a neurotransmitter and feeds the GABA receptors in our brain that help regulate sleep and anxiety. I buy it in bulk powder form so my daughter can take a scoop (1/4 tsp) at night and if she's having a really bad panic attack, it really helps to calm her down quickly. It's just not really portable so she keeps some Buspar tablets in her purse when she's at school.

Wow, you’re a wealth of information! My son does take GABA, it helps him stay asleep which helpful, but getting to sleep is another matter. I get the capsules, didn’t know it came in bulk powder form, but will look for that now. I will definitely look for Relora too! Thank you so much for all this useful information!

Non of my business really but is it school that is one of the things that stresses him out? If so I used to be like that even if I got good grades, it was the pressure, I guess. I took time out and began working instead and only later returned. Some years later. Somehow that helped put me on ease. I know it is most likely not want you want to hear, my mom sure didn't. Even if I went back and developed into what to me were tough studies (I remember my classmates were sometimes real nervous) I could handle it differently once I got older. I learned that I work best in a working place, basically, when doing, that is where I strive, feel more at home, and I think too it is because you have those hours and then no more. When you study you are on and there is always something you got to study and you could study around the clock if you so will. So to me it was important to have an on and an off time, you know? you don't have to answer my question, just "saying" I remember what those days use to be like and it could be a source of anxiety.

[Pinkish]

Originally Posted by Mother Goose

Thank you all.

Pinkish: He has a weighted blanket.. I am assuming that’s what a gravity blanket is.

Yes, that is correct. Less time on the phone/laptop could help. Finding the root cause of his sleeping problems is the key.

[Miss Hepburn]

What about no blue light after 6 pm...so getting the blue filter glasses.
I have them, but only remembered to use them 5 xs...crazy I know!

[Mother Goose]

Originally Posted by asearcher

Non of my business really but is it school that is one of the things that stresses him out? If so I used to be like that even if I got good grades, it was the pressure, I guess. I took time out and began working instead and only later returned. Some years later. Somehow that helped put me on ease. I know it is most likely not want you want to hear, my mom sure didn't. Even if I went back and developed into what to me were tough studies (I remember my classmates were sometimes real nervous) I could handle it differently once I got older. I learned that I work best in a working place, basically, when doing, that is where I strive, feel more at home, and I think too it is because you have those hours and then no more. When you study you are on and there is always something you got to study and you could study around the clock if you so will. So to me it was important to have an on and an off time, you know? you don't have to answer my question, just "saying" I remember what those days use to be like and it could be a source of anxiety.

Oh, you are not wrong!! School is one of his serious stressors. He just graduated and is taking a gap year to start working, just like his older sister did. And I told him to take a month and a half to NOT work, focus on jiu Jitsu (dojo membership was part of his graduation present) and just decompress from having made it through school with exemplary grades in high school. I was hoping it would help, but it hasn’t yet.

Thank you so much for sharing your experience!

[Mother Goose]

Originally Posted by Miss Hepburn

What about no blue light after 6 pm...so getting the blue filter glasses.
I have them, but only remembered to use them 5 xs...crazy I know!

Did you feel like they helped the few times you used them?

[Mother Goose]

Originally Posted by Pinkish

Yes, that is correct. Less time on the phone/laptop could help. Finding the root cause of his sleeping problems is the key.

I feel very strongly that anxiety is at the bottom of it, but he doesn’t want medication for it and I respect his decision, especially now that he’s legally an adult.

[kundalinikid]

I take 2x melatonin usually.