I regularly use Melatonin in a 3 mg. dose, and it normally works very well.

It helps me relax and stop the chatter in my head.

And I don't wake up with any sort of residual sleepiness.

It's over the counter and available at grocery stores and pharmacies.

I hope you'll find something to help!

I have used Melatonin off an on, and it seems to help if I am already tired (toward the end of the week) as far as helping me stay asleep, but doesn't do much to help me go to sleep or stay asleep in the beginning of the week. I have even tried Z-quil and antihistimines and it's the same thing. They will work if I am exhausted after nights of very little sleep, but seem to do nothing for me when I am wide awake.

I tend to sleep in very late on weekends because I feel like I just need to catch up on my sleep whenever I can get it, but that probably make it harder for me to get to sleep in the beginning of the week. I would kill to be able to have a good night's sleep every night. It makes such a difference!

You need to take it at least an hour before you want to go to bed. And longer is better!

only thing that bothers me is my eyes kinda burn when I get up in the morning.....i’m thinking it’s because my eyes still want to sleep and the drug is trying to keep them closed. I only use it about 4 night a week....I wonder if it loses it’s effectiveness if used daily. I do use a couple of drags on my pot pipe on the other nights, and it works almost as well.

There have been times when I thought maybe daily use was lessening its effectiveness. But mostly it works very well.

As I said above, take it at least an hour before you want to go to bed. I find that I'm very sleepy when I wait 2 hours! And then I'm gone almost at once.

I think it's wonderful that you get relief from your pot pipe. I'm just not into smoking anything, so that avenue isn't open for me.

that can interfere with sleep?

No alcohol after 8 pm?
No caffeinated beverages after dinner?
No electronic devices near bedtime?
No liquids within a couple of hours of bedtime?

Tried warm bath before bed?
Tried reading a book--not on a screen--before bed?
Tried exercising late afternoon or before dinner but not later?

I've had the same problem with waking up middle of the night and not being able to get back to sleep. Mine is mostly due to challenges in my personal life. I've found that paying attention to the behaviors that interfere or help with sleep has made a big difference for me.

The electronic devices near bedtime would be the most challenging, along w/ the liquids since I always have to have something to drink. I am chronically thirsty, so I never go anywhere without a bottle of water and can't go to bed without a huge glass of water by my side.

I could try to switch to books and cut down on my tea. Lay off the wine after work and try warm baths. I think this might be a major project for me and will include some life changes a little bit at a time. Habits are hard to break. The computer one is going to kill me.

help me... but sleep is so important, that whatever it takes for you is good

I never liked smoking pot, but would be open to edibles if they help with very few side effects.

and I have never enjoyed a marijuana 'high'.... but now that I am growing it to use in soaps and salves (excellent for skin conditions; psoriasis eczema...) I use the residue from the extracts to make cookies and they have just enough CBD (THC) to help me sleep.

If you are not averse, I suggest you try it before other drugs

snip from OP:

I fall asleep very lightly for a few hours and then wake up around 1 or 1:30 am, toss and turn until around 4:30 -5am and then fall asleep very heavily and by the time my alarm goes off at 6am I am in such a heavy sleep..."

snip

Never did figure out how to deal with it. I had to quit a 9-5 style job for something where I could arrange my own schedule. I was miserable when I had to keep those work hours because I could never get through the afternoons. Two p.m.? Zzzzzz.

However, I did discover a solution that worked and that was that I learned how to sleep sitting up in front of a monitor, so I slept on the job. That helped a lot. I even figured out how to come out of a sleep and respond when my boss walked into the office.

Come to think of it, I slept on my job today. As long as you have your own office, this is a good solution.

Right now I'm tolerating it because I don't have a choice, but give me an evening shift any time. At the end of the month, my shift changes again to 10:15 a.m. - 7:00 p.m. and that will be a little easier, but I still prefer either 3:00 - 11:00 p.m. or even 11:00 p.m. to 7:00 a.m. Some of us were born night owls and that's a good thing.

I wonder if it is just being a certain age? Unfortunately, I can't sleep on the job, but mid afternoon, it really hits me. I am practically comatose and usually need a hit of caffeine to get through the rest of the day, but then I am awake for the evening. I think it is just partly my sleep rhythms. If I didn't have to work, it wouldn't really be such a big issue.

I would sleep when I was tired and stay awake when I wasn't, but unfortunately, I need to work for a living. Anyway, it's nice to know that I am not alone with this. Thanks for sharing your experience!

I just have a little motivation problem, but I think I should probably give it a try again, because it has always made me feel so relaxed. Thank you!

best wishes

Try Lemon Balm, an herb available in capsules. Users say it helps with sleep and has no hangover effects. Passion Flower and Ashwagandha are also both good calming herbs.

You might also try GABA and L-theanine (which is also excellent for depression for some people like me).

Most of these are inexpensive and available at vitamin shops or cheaper from on-line outlets such as Swanson. You may need to experiment with these to find your ideal dosage and they're all safe to use.

KY............

I will give some of these things a try. Drugs kind of scare me a bit, but I have just been desperate lately for a good night's sleep. So I appreciate the alternative methods. I have resisted my doctor's suggestions to go on sleep medication for years and I appreciate everyone's suggestions!

I rely daily on herbs and other supplements to fight depression and to stay a bit more healthy. I have a weird system chemistry that does not handle many script drugs well. In many cases, a low child's script dosage does good enough. Even with herbs, I experiment until I find my ideal dosage, usually starting with a low dose and work my way upward.

Anytime I'm considering using a supplement, I first run it past this site:

WebMD Vitamins & Supplements Center:

Link: https://www.webmd.com/vitamins/index

Example - in this case, Lemon Balm (Melissa officinalis):

as a relaxing herb. I garden and have lemon balm growing all over my property. I make tea out of it.

One time I was in a long post office line. I was practically somnambulant standing up. People began getting annoyed about how long it was taking. A person behind me asked me how I could be so calm about the long wait. I said I drink lemon balm tea.

On my way out of the post office, a woman who had been in the line ran up to me and asked me to repeat the name of the tea. She said, "I have 5 kids--I need this!"

Is this plant similar to the mint herb we used to see as kids along creek banks in the South?

I have not personally tried it but bought some capsules for my daughter (a school teacher) and she's still experimenting with it.

KY.....

but it is in the mint family. It might very well be, as one sees patches of it here and there. I wouldn't call it invasive, just effective in making sure it survives.

The leaf has a scallop edge and is shiny.

I appreciate the suggestions!

It's an old-school antidepressant, but has been used most recently to help sleep in low doses. The brand name was Desyrel. I take a quarter of a 50mg tablet (12.5 mg) and it's helped me fall asleep and stay asleep for years. It's not addictive, so if you run out you don't suffer from rebound insomnia that happens with drugs like Ambien. In low doses, it's not sedating and there are certainly no side effects like amnesia or sleep-walking like with Ambien. If I take it, I fall asleep when I go to bed. If I take it and decide to stay awake... I've found no adverse effects... On other words, it helps you fall asleep when you want but doesn't knock you out like an over-the-counter Benadryl.

The antidepressant effects cause nice dreams, and I wake up in a good mood most days.

Unisom (over the counter) is also an antihistamine-type sleep aid, but it's a "different" type of antihistamine.

- Diphenhydramine (Benadryl, Aleve PM, others). Diphenhydramine is a sedating antihistamine. Side effects might include daytime drowsiness, dry mouth, blurred vision, constipation and urinary retention.

- Doxylamine succinate (Unisom SleepTabs). Doxylamine is also a sedating antihistamine. Side effects are similar to those of diphenhydramine.

The Unisom (there are also cheaper drugstore brands of the same thing) has worked for me and I don't feel awful the next day. It's not for long term use though.

Post #4 by mnhtnbb are the rules for "sleep hygiene" as they call it. (also research states you can't really catch up on sleep so sleeping longer on weekends is not helpful -- trying to stay on a regular schedule is suggested).

I suffer from the waking up at 4 a.m. thing (dr. says it's anxiety). I dread the alarm clock going off. I, too, am not a morning person.

Available very cheaply in generic store brands.

Be sure you know about supplements if you are taking any!

But if it's a desk job, you just may not be getting enough activity during the day. I know I sleep better, if I get an hour in at the gym, on the bike or treadmill. That works better for me than just taking a walk around the neighborhood because I would never walk fast enough to get my heart rate up for a long period of time.

Never really had any trouble sleeping, fell right to sleep and would sleep 7-8 hours. But once I got over 60 that changed. Not all the time, but will go through periods where like you, I'll fall right to sleep and then after a couple of hours wake up. Sometimes I could go back to sleep, sometimes not. I did find some physical activity during the day generally helped with me sleeping right through the night.

But lots of good suggestions here. Hope one of them works for you.