Please. I can’t sleep at night, and don’t wake up easily in the morning. The doctors have all diagnosed it as insomnia, and the pills and meds don’t work for me. anyone got anything? i need some advice, and herbs and stuff like that would probably work.

Insomnia’s kind of a bugger to treat, possibly because each of us has a unique set of causes and conditions. You’ll probably have to ‘trial and error’ your way to finding what works for you. Be very careful about taking any sort of supplement or medication, and try to talk about things like that with an MD; some drugs (whether ‘herbal’ or ‘medicinal’) can have interactive or side effects you might not want.
Anyway, some things that have worked at various times:
- regular exercise, not too late in the day. It doesn’t have to be a big workout; anything that involves arm-swinging is better, but any exercise is better than none.
- warm drinks when you wake up; chamomile tea is traditional, but even warm water is helpful. Avoid sugar; a tiny bit of honey may be OK.
- melatonin can be surprisingly helpful. Talk to your doctor first, though.
- a vaporizer to reduce the dryness of your bedroom can help, especially in winter.
- calm, repetitive music can help; I have used Baroque music mostly, but a fellow named Erik Satie wrote some pieces called Gymnopedies that helped me get through college.
- my younger son falls asleep to the Prairie Home Companion joke programs CD. Anything that relaxes you and occupies your mind so you don’t start worrying at bedtime is a good thing.
- similarly, reading a book you like, and arfe familiar with can help, as long as it’s not too exciting. familiarity and comfort are important.
- a small dinner of easily-digestible food can help, despecially if it’s warm stuff. No sugar, no acidic food or greasy stuff.
This may help you get started – see if you can find a sleep-disorder clinic near you; sometimes they can help you figure out the best approach for you. Good luck!