Originally Posted by atom

I've had sleeping issues since I was a kid. Either sleep walking or insomnia. The Turkey - warm milk thing is a myth. They've found that tryptophan is in all meat pretty much equally. The reason people think they feel tired after they have turkey is because they eat so god damn much on Thanksgiving and all the blood rushes to their stomach.

About a year ago I went almost 5 days on about 2 hours of sleep. My wife was so worried she went to our family clinic and had our Dr prescribe Ambien. Unfortunatly when someone has insomnia the people they live with suffer as well.

I dont think exercise really helps all the much. Im in pretty good shape and run a lot. I have personally never found it to make a difference on nights when I can and can not sleep.

What I have found that can make a difference are
-no caffeine after 2pm - can stay in your system 8-10 hours. some people are hypersensitive, i think i'm one of them
- Reading before bed, helps the mind relax and tires the eyes.
- If I can't go to sleep in the first 15 minutes I get out of bed and go in the living room and read on the couch. Don't hop back on your computer or go do the dishes, you need to relax.
- No eating before bed. This can initially make you feel like your tired but as your body digests it creates energy.
- If all else fails I take an Ambien. Ambien has its pro's and cons's. I think it is very dehydrating. I can also end up shaky the next day if I've taken it the night before.