Posted on Aug 24, 2017
Do you have trouble sleeping or relaxing at the end of a long day?
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Are there techniques that help you relax?
Sleeping
Relaxing
PatientsLikeMe
Posted >1 y ago
Responses: 153
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PO2 Terry Tiner
Try picking up the Bible and reading... the devil will put you to sleep so fast you won't believe it.
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PO3 (Join to see)
Have you considered trying a homeopathic approach vs. the good old "take this pharmaceutical pill"?? Melatonin will help induce and prolong periods of sleep. You can also try CBD gummies. It comes from the hemp/marijuana plant but DOES NOT have the THC (get you high/pop on a urinalysis) component. They can be bought over the counter, no prescription needed. They have helped me with sleep, chronic pain, and aggression. Good Luck, I hope you take my advice and have success. This beats taking all the pharmaceuticals the VA loves putting us on.
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SPC Martin Malone
I listed this condition when I first signed up for disabled vet benefits, they said there was no history of problems with this condition in my recored,,,, Huh? turns out I have sleep apneaha (???) and they said its not "service connected" OK i'm 70% disabled so they give me all the products I need for my condition, (Huh?) fine! I really don't care! I guess its all about the money, which does not matter to me! I guess maybe it should.
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There's this trick one of our Corpsmen taught us at NTC before my 2nd deployment. Basically what you do is take 2-3 ambian and try to jerk off before you fall asleep. It's awesome because either way, you win!
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Sgt Michael Ray
I had deviated septum correct but also have restless leg. I have never been treated. Also have a paralyzed diagram so only one lung functions. VA doctors tell me that I must live with condition, no fix.
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LCDR Michael Pumilia
Sgt Michael Ray - Hog wash. Tell the VA docs to get off their duff and do some real medical work. Restless leg can have many causes. From nerve issues in the spine to vitamin deficiencies. Considering you have the diaphram issue, there's certainly nerve issues. Are you on cymbalta (generic is duloxetine)? Be your own detective. National Istitutes of Health is good place to get info on the internet. Don't give up until you have exhausted all possibilities. And don't let the VA give up either. They work for us.
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I wake up several times during the night and often wake at 0500 - retird. I eat correctly, am stress free (retired) and use a c-pap.
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SCPO Ron Curtis
LT Col Might ask your Dr to do a sleep study. I too wake often and use a cpap. My sleep study showed me that i had PLMD Periodic Leg Movement Disorder. There are medicines to treat PLMD. I now sleep much better and feel more rested.
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A1C Brenda Spears
You might also want to check into a Mandibular Repositioning Device. I work with a doctor who specializes in treatment of sleep apnea and found several patients benefit using the mouthpiece device and have better sleep quality with less arousal periods during their sleep cycles.
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LCDR Michael Pumilia
Have the docs check for nose and throat problems. I had to have 4 small surgeries to fix mine. One was a deviated septum from a punch nearly 4 decades earlier.
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SCPO Ron Curtis
MCPON Donald Laurin - Could be restless leg syndrome. You would need to see a Dr. and be tested.
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CSM Charles Hayden Passed 7/29/2025
Cpl Walter Roberts And just who is in charge of your mind?
I allow my mind to wander for a while, then, I take charge!
I may go to my “peaceful place”, my “river”, or sometimes just start a long count to give me something to focus upon.
FOCUS IS THE KEY, CAN YOU FOCUS??
I allow my mind to wander for a while, then, I take charge!
I may go to my “peaceful place”, my “river”, or sometimes just start a long count to give me something to focus upon.
FOCUS IS THE KEY, CAN YOU FOCUS??
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I have recurring nightmares from my Vietnam service. They happen as often as 3 to 5 times per week, and I have been sleeping about that many hours per night for the past 50 years. I have tried pretty much everything I have read about and have done CPT at the local VA clinic. I have been doing PTSD counseling and group therapy for five years. Tried hypnosis. Tried acupuncture. Re-wrote the dream with a different ending. I do not want to do any more drugs as I am already on a cocktail of over 20 pills per day (including vitamins for macular degeneration). Nothing has worked.
I attended a 10-day Vipassana meditation training which I completed about 11 days ago. So far, no dreams and I am sleeping better. This is COOL!
I attended a 10-day Vipassana meditation training which I completed about 11 days ago. So far, no dreams and I am sleeping better. This is COOL!
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LCDR Michael Pumilia
Steve, has anyone done a check on your meds and vitamins to ensure they aren't causing side effects that hinder sleep, cause heigtened energy levels and nervousness, and finally causing increased dosage because they are similar compounds?
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Since I quit working in 2010 I've had trouble getting to sleep. I was prescribed Xanax and Ambiein. About a year ago I started waking up at 2am and every now and then I would have vertigo. Bruised my ribs. When I moved to TX I was take off of Ambien, FDA study re: Ambien and Xanax. I was also prescribed Gabapentin for my back problems. My Psych told me to take a Gabapentin when I go to bed to replace the Ambien. The spells of vertigo increased. August 23 2019 I fell and broke some bones in my skull and spent a week in the hosp. The problem is I fell in the kitchen and I don't remember, just woke up in my bed later on that morning, pool of blood on the kitchen floor and my pillow full of blood. While in the hosp, the gave me Lorazepam which puts me to sleep for the full night. If I do wake up I am conscience and able to get back to sleep with no problems. I hope the VA can continue on with this drug. Still waiting to hear. My goal is to get off of sleeping meds all together and be tired like normal people.
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PO2 Nora Pearson
Normal people aren't "tired" because they can't sleep or don't sleep right - they're tired because they stayed up too late. :-) "Normal" folks hit all their sleep cycles - that's the goal. Pills will never get you there (or might get you there once or twice). Ambien definitely doesn't sound like a good one to get you over the hump.
The biggest problem is that sleeping pills never seem to KEEP working - they only work once or twice for me. But if your problem is getting to sleep (not staying asleep), see if you can get a sleep/hypnosis program. I've got a quit-smoking one (isn't working - still smoking), but it focuses my mind on non-essentials and my breathing, and I tend to get better sleep.
Best of luck to you.
The biggest problem is that sleeping pills never seem to KEEP working - they only work once or twice for me. But if your problem is getting to sleep (not staying asleep), see if you can get a sleep/hypnosis program. I've got a quit-smoking one (isn't working - still smoking), but it focuses my mind on non-essentials and my breathing, and I tend to get better sleep.
Best of luck to you.
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I wake up alot of times every night . I wear a C-Pap , I have problems with it leaking and this wakes me up . I sometimes sleep with my face against the pillow to stop it from leaking . .
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I stay up untell 1-3AM so I get tired enough to fall asleep. I take 2 sleep aids about 11:00-12:00. I also use a BIPAP Machine. If I am lucky I get 8 hours and feel somewhat refreshed. But often feel more tired in the morning when I wake up then I was before I went to sleep.
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I can fall asleep, but it seems like only in about 2 hour (if I'm lucky) stretches. Otherwise it's a couple of hours and then up the rest of the night and day.
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