Sleep Aids (Melatonin, Ambien)

[Guest awfltdoc]

Thank you for your reply.

Forgive me for pressing the issue, but I'm paranoid about potentially messing up my career. Am I going to be in for a lot of paperwork/further testing one day because of this short-term usage or will it not be that big of a deal? In other words, do you think I'd be better off sucking it up and dealing with it on my own?

Thanks again for your advice.

I have had students in UPT that would get into a similar situation and I'd usually DNIF them for a few days to a week and sometimes give them a few days (typically over a weekend) of ambien to let them get some rest.

The tylenol PM, meletonin, benadryl, valerian, and what ever med or herb that you take will be looked at as much as the ambien. You are not on flying status at this time so the issue isn't the med causing a potential problem for you flying the next day. Its the problem for which you are taking it now. Get it taken care of now, if this is resolved with a few days of ambien or whatever prescription sleep aid, then great. I wouldn't have made a big deal of it.

Not sleeping will likely increase your stress and this will lead to a vicious cycle of poor sleep and worrying about it.

Anyway, do what you think is right for you.

[Toro]

By the way... since it's 3am and I'm still awake does anyone have any suggestions to get to sleep?

Have you tried earplugs and an eyepatch? I find the earplugs help me get to sleep by killing any background noise (air conditioner, street noise, wind) and the eyepatch tends to help me sleep in when the sun comes up. Don't use the standard flying yellow earplugs - they get extremely uncomfortable after five or six hours - but a pack from WalGreens or somewhere of the like.

As far as the list you have, most all are good things. Here's my two cents on a couple

3. Working out more

4. Working out less

I'm told that aerobic exercise within a couple hours of bed is not good because it tends to get your cardiovascular system going, which will prevent you from winding down. Over

9. Taking copious amounts of Benadryl and Tylenol PM

I don't recommend getting into the habit of taking things like Benadryl or Tylenol PM - partly due to the potential of having to rely on it to get to sleep, and because you won't be able to take it once you're flying.

[C17Driver]

By the way... since it's 3am and I'm still awake does anyone have any suggestions to get to sleep?

Ideas?

If you haven't tried, stop using your computer 30 minutes or more prior to trying to go to sleep. The "instant" grab of information can keep your mind from winding down.

[Guest AV8RAHL]

Have you tried earplugs and an eyepatch? I find the earplugs help me get to sleep by killing any background noise (air conditioner, street noise, wind) and the eyepatch tends to help me sleep in when the sun comes up. Don't use the standard flying yellow earplugs - they get extremely uncomfortable after five or six hours - but a pack from WalGreens or somewhere of the like.As far as the list you have, most all are good things. Here's my two cents on a coupleI'm told that aerobic exercise within a couple hours of bed is not good because it tends to get your cardiovascular system going, which will prevent you from winding down. OverI don't recommend getting into the habit of taking things like Benadryl or Tylenol PM - partly due to the potential of having to rely on it to get to sleep, and because you won't be able to take it once you're flying.

Follow on....I'd add one thing to your list....eat a bunch of carbs 30 minutes before you want to go to sleep...eating high-glycemic carbs, such as pasta, potatoes, white rice, sugar, etc...will spike your insulin levels, which combined with everything else you are doing, should help you fall asleep.

If you haven't tried, stop using your computer 30 minutes or more prior to trying to go to sleep. The "instant" grab of information can keep your mind from winding down.

Agreed.....turn off your computer, it will keep you from staying up.

[pawnman]

A hot shower right before bed can also help. After you get out, your body begins to cool, which is another signal that tells your brain it's time to sleep. If you've already played with the thermostat, this may or may not work, but on the other hand, couldn't hurt.

[ClearedHot]

Please don't take this the wrong way, but are there any psychological issues influencing your life right now. I am in no way trying to imply that you are unstable, but we all have stress in our lives and sometimes events can lead to things like insomnia. I mention it because it appears your are trying to treat the symptom rather than the issue.

Is this a particularly hard (STS) semester in school or is there something going on in your family that has diverted your attention? I dealt with insomnia when my mom suffered an aneurysm. It coincided with a very stressful job as an exec in the puzzle palace. I too thought about Ambien, in fact I asked the flight doc who did not want to give me any (separate issue, my buddy was an exec and having the same issue and the other doc gave him a crap load of Ambien which prompted me to ask). Regardless, as my Mom got better things returned to normal.

I mention this because you will find yourself under a lot of stress in UPT and learning now to identify your stress, the issue that is causing it, and a few mechanisms for dealing with it, will help your overall performance.

I wish you luck.

[Boxhead]

I just picked up some Ambien...I love the stuff. I don't have a sleep problem per say...I just work nutty shifts and if I want a full 8 hours of rest before one, the Little White Pill just makes me be able to do that. I only use it aobut once, maybe twice a week though.

[HerkDerka]

I don't want to create any trouble or get myself DQed. Can I take something like Ambien?

Ambien will not get you med DQ'ed. We take Ambien in the desert while on flying status.

There are plenty of techniques when it comes to managing your sleep. The two that work for me are:

1) Work out regularly.

2) Put a movie on the tv/laptop that seen a thousand times. I'll watch it for 15 minutes or so and end up turning on my side away from the screen and just listening to the movie. Before I know it zzzzzzzzzzzzzzz.

HD

Edited September 16, 2007 by HerkDerka

[Guest wildblue]

Thank you all for your help! (I am humbled by the sheer volume of responses.)

awfltdoc: Thank you for the professional advice. I feel a bit more at ease now if I do indeed have to go into the health center and ask for help.

Toro: FWIW, the "copious amounts of Benadryl and Tylenol PM" were for a couple of nights only. I did not find it effective so I discontinued use. I really don't want to be pill-dependent, I promise. Also, I usually only PT in the morning, but I'll be sure to be more mindful of when and how I workout... thanks.

C17Driver, AV8RAHL, HercengTN, pawnman, Boxhead, and HD: all good advice... thank you.

ClearedHot: Not taken the wrong way at all. I mean, I am pulling 19 hours this final semester and holding down a job (and a small amount of family issues), but I hate to think that stress is really the reason. I know that whatever small amount of stress that I have right now is nothing compared to what i'll face at UPT, and I especially know that it is nothing compared to all the real-world stress that y'all face every day on the job. (I'm hoping that this insomnia is due to my "internal clock" being off or something.) However, I think that stress is at least part of the problem and I have been mindful lately of opening up to my friends about anything and everything that is on my mind, and trying to be as optimistic as possible. Thanks for the well-wishes.

In case anyone is curious, I'm going to try to deal with the issue on my own for another week or so and use every get-to-sleep tactic that I can think of... but I fear that going down this path for too much longer will really start to hurt my grades (and health). Thanks again, everyone!

Edited September 16, 2007 by wildblue

[Guest awfltdoc]

Try melatonin.

I just noticed today that melatonin is not waiverable due to potential for side effects. This info per the "Official Air Force Approved Aircrew Medications" list 29 Aug 2007.

This also means you should be DNIF if you need to take it and RTFS per you flight surgeon when you are done taking it.