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I just completely broke my sleep. I was in Hong Kong, then Mountain Standard Time and then back to Eastern. My doctor prescribed Zopiclone, so I used it the f
by dade_ 8y ago
I just completely broke my sleep. I was in Hong Kong, then Mountain Standard Time and then back to Eastern. My doctor prescribed Zopiclone, so I used it the first couple of nights when I returned. For the first time in my adult life, I have been sleeping 8.5 hours a night. I was usually awake after 6 hours. Occasionally I could get 7.5 but generally with an interruption.
It is going to take some time to get used to and I hope it lasts, but it feels great to make progress reading books on dry subjects on a weeknight or just being alert in the afternoon.
We have so much to learn about the body and sleep.
- haskellandchill 8y agoUnfortunately sleeping pills are rarely sustainable, good luck.
- IChooseYou 8y agoI found zopiclone to be addictive. You have the most amazing sleep for the first few days when you take it. Then afterwards when you stop taking it, you get the absolute worst sleep: barely hitting REM, constantly waking up, difficulty falling asleep. I think: diphenhydramine or melatonin might be a safer bet for some people. Never take it more than a few days in a row.
- flatline 8y agoSome people also have luck with Magnesium L-Threonate
- ryall 8y agoYep, Magnesium works for me big time. I take a powdered form which seems a lot more effective than pills. Still wake up in the middle of the night sometimes but can get back to sleep easily without my brain switching into overdrive. Melatonin definitely knocked me out, but I woke up groggy feeling like I hadn't slept at all
- a008t 8y agoDo you take L-threonate or other versions? Have you tried stopping it - did things get worse than before you started?
- a008t 8y agoHave you been taking it? What has been your experience?
- sibeliuss 8y agoWhat is wrong with doctors these days :( There are a thousand natural tricks to helping get back on a regular sleep schedule without prescribing an addictive drug that actually breaks your sleep in the long run. (See: Ambien)
- jazoom 8y ago> What is wrong with doctors these days :( Disclaimer: I'm a doctor. It may be different where you are from, but patients are usually the ones who want a script for something and not to be told to put away their devices, stay away from coffee and alcohol, etc. Also, there's a difference between addiction and becoming dependent on taking a substance, which seems to be a common misunderstanding in this thread.
- sibeliuss 8y agoI don't thing the crisis we're in right now should be blamed on patients; they might want a script, but that doesn't mean its in their interest.
- jazoom 8y ago> I don't thing the crisis we're in right now should be blamed on patients; they might want a script, but that doesn't mean its in their interest. I'm guessing you're American since you're assuming everywhere has the same crisis you do. From what I've read here (on Hacker News), you have plenty of systemic problems. I doubt blaming doctors is going to be the most useful course of action. But then, I don't really know. Perhaps all doctors in your country deliberately do things that are against patients' best-interests, and would continue to do so if patients actually wanted the best thing for them. Do your doctors really not suggest good diet and exercise as treatments for type 2 diabetes? I'd be very surprised if they don't. Edit for clarification.
- bkanber 8y agoNot OP, but one thing I've always found absurd about our medical practice is doctors recommending things like whole wheat pasta for type 2 diabetes. Really? Plate of carbs? Many health systems here still have this kind of stuff in their official guidelines.
- JusticeJuice 8y ago> Never take it more than a few days in a row. Exactly. Literally any sleep substance taken regularly can be addictive, either physically or psychologically. Even melatonin, which is what your body produces will get less and less effective. As an aside, melatonin is often sold at dosages insanely higher than recommended. Studied have shown that less than a mg, even low as 0.1mg is the optimal dose for many people, but you can easily find 1, 3, 10mg dosages, which is insane. I was in hong kong, the lowest dosage I could find on shelves was 3mg - way too much.
- andreygrehov 8y agoIf you can, get a membership at a local gym. After a few weeks visiting a gym I slept like a baby.
- chocolatebunny 8y agoDo you go to the gym at night before bed, or in the morning?
- jagtodeath 8y agoWhen I work out in the morning I sleep like a rock and can fall asleep as early in the evening as I would like. When I work out at night I usually feel energized afterwards and tend to stay up later.
- plahteenlahti 8y agoBoth actually work in improving the quality of your sleep and whether you should exercise in the morning or in the evening depends on your chronotype. However if you decide to exercise in the evening you should aim to be done with it at least 2 hours before your normal bedtime.
- andreygrehov 8y agoI did it in the morning, at 6am. The reason why "did" is because I now go to a swimming pool instead.
- quickthrower2 8y agoI assume any cardio exercise will do. No gym membership required.
- jagtodeath 8y agoFor me, weight lifting improves my sleep far more than cardio.
- vnorilo 8y ago
- charlietango92 8y agoso it was kind of implied, but i want to ask explicitly - those 2.5 extra hours of sleep had a noticeable impact in your days? If you had to qualify the experience beyond 'just being more alert,' how would you do so? Thanks!