If you can’t fall asleep, try this!
Insomnia is a very common problem. Sleep aids, over-the-counter and prescription have been proven to be harmful if taken long-term. They even raise the risk of Alzheimer’s.
A small dose of melatonin (300 mcg, or 0.3 mg) can help better than the usual 3 mg dose sold in most stores. You can also try valerian root and definitely adhere to sleep hygiene. This includes no reading or watching TV in bed, no screens for at least an hour before bedtime, no eating or exercising within two hours of going to bed, and sleeping in a cold room (65 to 68 degrees). Going to bed at the same time also helps.
If you still can’t fall asleep, try visualization. Actually, you don’t just use your visual memory but engage all the senses. This post was prompted by a WSJ article on this topic, A Happy Memory Can Help You Fall Asleep, if You Know How to Use It.
I usually imagine myself on a beach in a hammock under a tree, feeling a warm breeze on my body, seeing a beautiful view of the beach and the ocean, smelling fragrant flowers, and hearing the sound of waves lapping at the shore.
Once you find your happy place and can vividly recreate it, always use the same setting without variation. This way you will fall asleep within minutes.
Great suggestions! Another one could be deep breathing.
Partly based on your subjective ranking of biofeedback as an 8 out of 10 in “End of Migraines” I’ve been doing biofeedback / deep breathing for the past six weeks. Anecdotally I’m finding that resonant breaths before going to sleep (and if I wake up during the night) enable me to fall asleep quicker.
Fwiw, the biofeedback book I’m reading also has these sleep tips that are mostly redundant with your post: enjoyable calming bedtime routine you follow every night, warm bath, build a cave (blackout curtains), unplug (keep smartphone, etc. away), cool temperature (60 to 67 degrees), good sleep gear (sheets, pajamas with sweat-wicking materials, maybe even mattress with cooling tech), no evening coffee, magnesium or melatonin, not exercising late.
I correct myself. If you have trouble falling asleep, immediate-release melatonin is the way to go. It peaks in the body within an hour. However, if you keep waking up during the night, extended-release melatonin may work better. However, if the extended-release form stays in the body too long you may wake up groggy. Naturally, melatonin levels peak in the middle of the night.
Small studies have suggested that high doses of melatonin can help relieve cluster headaches. There are some studies of melatonin for migraines as well.
Would you suggest the melatonin in a timed release for or immediate release?
Would the melatonin also help to prevent cluster headache?