Mar
She is 65yrs old and sleeps approximately 4-5 hours a night. She would like a really good nights sleep once in a while. Any suggestions?
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Trouble is the whole package of using sleeping pills is a myth. It takes as little as 3 days to become habituated. From that point on if you try and go without them you sleep less that you did initially. This convinces you that you can't sleep without them, which is true, but only because they have taught your brain to rely on them to switch off.
Overall patients on long term sleeping pills sleep on average only 20 minutes more than they did pre-medication and fall asleep only 12 minutes sooner. Not much of a gain to balanced against a life time time of addiction.
The trick is never to prescribe them in the first place, GPs with good pharmacological knowledge seldom do. Refusing to prescribe may look hard, especially when well meaning relatives insist for example that you prescribe for a grieving widow. Looking at chronic sleeping pill abuse, one of the commonest reasons given for the initial prescription to these silent addicts is in fact a traumatic life event like a bereavement. You really are not doing the patients any favours.
In 25 years of GP practice I have confined sleeping pill prescriptions to 3 patient groups.
1) The terminally ill
2) Patients with psychotic mental illness who require sedation as an adjunct to their other mediation
3) Elderly demented patients in nursing homes.
Beyond these groups I do not even give patients one sleeping pill.
Try looking at some sleep strategies instead.
http://ezinearticles.com/?Sleep-Strategi…
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Night Nurse. it always knocks me out for 8 hours. i had trouble sleeping before.
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Cricket bat?
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Lavender oil in the bath or rubbed onto the temples before bed is helpful.
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My doctor recommended Melatonin which is produced naturally in your body but she may need an extra boost. It is a natural supplement and can be found at GNC or any drug store.
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a young man…
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A plant which is usually smoked!
Seriously, lavendar oil is fantastic. A bath before bed with a few drops in it.
Cut out the coffe/tea too, this will help.
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Try a hot milky drink, and lavender scented pot pourie in her room. There are herbal tablets to aid sold at places like Holland and Barrett if they are suitable for her.
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Nytol. It's available over the counter and it works for me.
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Relaxing music, like waves or rainstorm. Nature CDs.
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There is a sleeping aid you can get from Pharmacists which my friend recommended. It is called Sominex. I took one tablet and slept for 9 hours and without taking another slept for another 9 hrs the following night. Waking up refreshed. Not for everyday use but as you said once in a while.
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Try lavender.
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Try nytol available from the chemist it works for me
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If your mother drinks cafinated coffee she should drink less of it but not stop completely or that will cause her tremendous head aches. I hate to say sleeping pills so I'm going to try to help you find some other solutions. Maybe she could try eating pasta or turkey(something in these foods make people tired). Maybe she could try taking walks during the day to make her a bit exhausted so she could take a nap. If she really just can't sleep, maybe she could try just resting in bed while reading a book or watching TV, listening to some music( Enya is great), etc. Maybe she needs to switch her matress or get a really comfertable pillow. You would be suprised. I really hope this will help you. Good luck.
P.S. I would try everything possible before going to meds. Some can be dangerous especially if your mother is an older person.