Zombie make-up suggestions.

How much is too much when it comes to sleeping pills?

• I have horrible insomnia. I will lay in bed for hours at night only to fall asleep around 5 or 6 and getting up at 8 because I have a toddler. at first my Dr gave me ambien and I hallucinated, called family members, and slept walked and then felt horrible the next day! so then the Dr tried tradazone. sometimes it works sometimes it doesn't and I almost always forget things that happened the night before. so then I tried alteril natural otc and that didn't work. as of now I take 100mgs of unisom otc. it helps me fall asleep but I can't stay asleep. I feel like a zombie during the day. does anyone have any suggestions to something that will work and not make me groggy or feel loopy? I've tried everything from lavender, meditation, sleep aids, even massages from my husband. I'm so tired of being tired all day! I'm drained

• Answer:

  How long did you take the ambien? It is very harsh on the brain, and my Doctor told me for every week I took it, it would take a week to recover. The first thing you need to do is get all of the drugs out of your system. They really don't help much, as you have found, and in the long run they make your sleep worse. Meditation works, but you have to practice it consistently for a while before you get any real benefit from it. You might consider a sleep study, but sleep specialists are really little more than sleep apnea specialists. If your sleep problems are not sleep apnea related, then most sleep "specialists" won't know what to do with you other then give you drugs. I would visit a psychologist - not a medical doctor, all they know to do is give you drugs. Not a psychiatrist, too many of them push drugs at you also. Visit a psychologist, they are more trained in sleep problems than other doctors. google sleep hygiene - visit sleep.about.com - and keep searching for answers. Get the drugs flushed out of your system, get some exercise, loose some weight, and keep meditating and using lavendar. Consider other non-traditional help - acupuncture, homeopathy, etc. Keep looking for answers, you will find them.