I also meant to say that if I get 4 hours of sleep a night it's a lot. Most of the time I get 4 hours of sleep a day, and around the 4th or 5th day of being so tired, I almost pass out and sleep for about 8 hours or so. I know I'm not getting enough sleep.

But I also suffer the 4 hour syndrome. Even with the pills, I most ofter sleep only 4 hours max, then I'm back to the computer on SH.

many of us on here get very little sleep due to our pain ..since my last operation years ago {5} i have only had 2 hours per night and that's with medication temazepam 20/30 mg a night ..then the pain wins and wakes me ..if its pain that's waking you up then is doubtful than any sleeping meds will be of any real help .getting as comfy as possible like using memory foam pillows {one for your head a shaped one and good make is worth every penny and a generic one like a normal shape pillow can help if you put in between your knees .
tony{UK}

Like the others, a "good night's sleep" for me is 4 hours on average, but there are nights I sneak a wee bit more in. Ambien (don't call the dose) and I seem to get along so far. Chta again soon.

Brenda

I personaly dont like the idea of having to take meds for sleep,

Its bad enough we have to take them for pain, muscle spazms and many other reasons,

Pain can alter a persons life, pain all day might force us to take naps during the day which will cause sleep issues at nite, been there done that,

Lack of sleep always made my condition worse, Hardest thing was to force myself to stay away from taking a nap during the daytime hours and forcing myself to do more activity no mater how bad the pain might be,

When you force yourself to the limit each day, especialy outdoor activity of any kind in the fresh air, by the end of the day 10 pm or by 11 pm i crash and get some sleep just to do it again the next day,

Its not easy to do this for anyone in chronic pain, and i of course sit or lay down during the day many times but not for very long, and fight the naping feeling,

Unless you had sleep issues even before your pain issues then the lack of activity might explain it,

Once we are out of work and our body cant tell if its day or nite because every day is the same fighting the same old pain.

I think with some of us we have to adjust our life even if we cant work back to doing any kind of activity just as to when we had to work all day and sleep at nite,

Only time i dont hurt is when i am sleeping, without burning up every ounce of energy in me during the day doing whatever, even if i have to crawl around on my knees picking up bread crums untill i pass out,

I just dont know if relying on medication is the best answer for everyone even for sleep,
If its from lack of activity posibly, i dont know,

Like the others, a "good night's sleep" for me is 4 hours on average, but there are nights I sneak a wee bit more in. Ambien (don't recall the dose) and I seem to get along so far. Chat again soon.

Brenda

I'm also in the 4-5 hours of sleep club. Sometimes more, sometimes less, yet rarely wake refreshed.
Sleep meds usually leave you feeling dopey, and may not lead to proper deep sleep.
I'm using melatonin each night, and keep up with my pain killers.
Waking after just a few hours is very common as we age, and getting a full 8 hours or so is just not going to happen.
You can get by on much less, and if you really need to sleep you will.

My old pm doc had prescribed me Ambien about a year ago, and it was fantastic! I actually slept for 6 to 8 hrs rather than the 2 to 4 I get without it. But you really do need a half hour to an hour when you wake up to "get going" because it leaves you a little groggy, and for me at least, xtremely grumpy.

I'm actually going to ask new pm doc to put me back on it, cause this no sleep crapola on top of being in pain is not cool.

magnesium can also be used with melatonin to make up some natural supplements for sleep.. be sure and speak to your doctor or pharmacist before using.. i use music to help me doze off at night for a few hours.. it really helps me to relax and deal with my pain!! good luck to you! Jenny

3 hours here..then up wandering the halls. Before bed I take my Dilaudid (8mg), Flexeril, Ibuprofen and Ativan (2mg. To be honest I am not sure the Ativan works but what I CAN tell you, when I tried to remove it from my meds I was climbing the walls Even before my back/neck issues started I was taking sleep aids. I have tried alot out there and alot of them actually make my anxiety/panic worse. The ativan does mellow you out, I'm sure if my hip wasn't killing and my lower back wasn't throbbing I wouldn't wake up but then I have the snoring beast beside me to make certain I am woke up atleast once or twice because of him (even with earplugs)
Just curious, when you take your sleep meds do you climb in bed right away? Watch tv, pc? It sounds super cheesy but maybe if you get into a routine (I'm sure you already are..I'm just thowing this out there) of trying to mentally slow down about an hour before bed..have a nice shower, read a book..calming things you know? Watching tv doesn't help you to slow down and the pc is terrible!!
I think everyone on this site unfortunately knows all about not sleeping and how crappy it makes you feel and ..for me my pain levels go through the roof if I have a 4 day stretch of this 3 hour bologna. (I have 2 toddlers at home..and a 13 yr old..) So I don't get to rest after a night of watching the paint on the walls
I hope you get something figured out. Fell free to pm me..I'm on here a lot when I can't sleep
Take care..and sweet dreams

Short term only, not a permanent thing.
They don't give you proper restorative sleep, and there will be side effects.
Can be very addictive and you get used to them so the dosage must be increased.
You get groggy upon waking, then you can't snap out of it and get going the next day, so you need a pick me up, and off you go......on the downward spiral.
Might be OK to give you a bot of a break, but what can you do to find out just what the problem is?
Some ideas: t stress, tension, diet, health problems, partner disturbance, pain, bedding, noise, medications.

I don't take seep pill.It's dangerous to help.

Do you have trouble sleeping because youre in pain?

I know this was originally posted in Octoner 2011 but it looks like it was brought out zingalon. Anyway, I read the thread and didn't see anyone using unison or the generic doxylamine succinate. I have been using this for years and it still works. It is not like the others that contain diphenhydramine. It actually has a great sedative effect. I take it about 45min-1 hr before bedtime.

I did some research and understand that it can also be taken for allergies and the main ingredient is the sedative that is in NyQuil. I would love to know if anyone else uses this or if you go out and try it and let me know if it works for you. It can be found at Walmart and even the dollar stores sometimes. Just make sure it says doxylamine succinate as the main ingredient.

With long term side effect of sleeping pills , I have switched to use herbal sleeping products to help overcome my sleep issues. I have been using California Poppy to help treat my insomnia problem and it has given me good results. Has any one else tried it apart from regular sleeping pills?

this is my natural sleep cocktail....

two bags of sleepytime tea in half a cup of boiled milk,

200mg of magnesium citrate,

3mg of melatonin,

most nights i wake up after about four hourse of sleep,

if i can`t fall back asleep i get up and drink some sleepytime tea with water that i have in reserve,

this tea has some magnesium chloride,

it helps me relax and in about an hour i fall back asleep,

i normally go to bed at 9:30 and hope for the best,

i try to get at least 8 hours of sleep....

most of it interrupted i should add,

the key to good sleep is in the gard diet,

90% of serotonin which is the precurser to melatonin is manufactured in the digestive tract,

the gard diet helps your digestive tract go back to normal,

many people have an impaired digestive system,

that is the main reason we have trouble sleeping,

meds destroy your digestive system...do the math!