Ever since I can remember, I've always preferred the nighttime to daytime.  Growing up, I have memories of my grandmother rousing me out of bed at noon, reprimanding me for staying up late again and not being able to wake up early enough for breakfast.  At that time, the reason why I'd be up late was because I was hungrily devouring a Mario Puzo or  Harold Robbins novel, under the covers with the aid of a flashlight.  This was before my tenth birthday, so I guess reading a book of that sort, at that age, was better accomplished under the covers rather than in broad daylight.

I have no such excuse at this time, now that I'm old enough to read soft-core porn novels, among other things.  The best I can come up with would be partying until the wee hours, dancing the night away, drinking the blues away.  The best thing about this is that now, I know that I would be reprimanded by no one and that there are other people who share the very same affliction of being unable to sleep at night.  I have late night text and email buddies I can commiserate with.  But of course, there are nights (or early mornings, more appropriately, I guess) when the rest of the world is asleep and friends from the other side of the globe are just too busy working, living their normal a.m. lives to chat with you.   What now, you say?  Well, one can read a book, or surf the Internet to one's heart's content.  Problem solved.

Yes, problem solved, that is, if you do not have to wake up early to join the rest of humanity for the 9-5 grind.   I had to confront this problem when I had to student-teach and be at school before 8am.  Imagine how painful it was to force myself to go to bed early and wake up at a normal hour.  I tried a slew of different things to get me through this, and this is what I want to share for all you late-night partygoers and insomniacs working the 9-5, who want to get that much needed shuteye.  

METHOD 1.  Prescription meds.  I looove these.  Stuff like Valium, Xanax and the like, are perfect for when you just want to relax, and want to halt your train of thought.  The bad thing about these is that it causes dependency and you need a prescription.  I, for one, do not have insurance, so this option is not very feasible for me.  Also, I have a tendency to stick with things I really like, so a regular dose of this would just get me totally hooked.

METHOD 2. Benadryl. Classic anti-allergy med, popular sleep aid.  I am not alone in advocating this one.  A lot of my insomniac friends use this to fall asleep.  It is cheap (especially if you get the generic version) and is easily obtained because it's an OTC drug.  The downside is that it makes you feel really groggy the next day.  Someone even told me that they felt as if they were ran over by a freight trainÓ.  Hmmm I don't know about that, but it does make you feel really lethargic.  The upside is that it makes you fall asleep fast (especially if you've had some wine, although I am not a proponent of combining alcohol and sleep aids.  But, you're an adult, it's your decision), and you experience this sensation of being tucked in a white fluffy cloud as you fall asleep.

METHOD 3.  Valerian Root. I've tried this in two forms: tea and capsules.  It's homeopathic, so it's not as scary as the more popular sleep aids.  The tea tastes gross and smells quite pungent.  It's akin to drinking a really bad-tasting medicine.  In its capsule form, the taste disappears, and the smell, vanishes after you swallow the pill, brush your teeth and wash your hands.  It is a better option than the tea, believe me.  I am not sure what the effect is with other people, but for me, it loses its potency and effect after a week or so.  Then, I have to resort to another method.  Btw, did I mention that this is apparently where Valium comes from.  

METHOD 4. Melatonin.  Melatonin plays an important role in one's circadian rhythm, by causing drowsiness and lowering your body temperature.  It's a naturally occurring chemical found in our brain.  I first tried Melatonin a few years ago, when I just arrived from a trip from the Philippines.  I had a certification exam very early the next day, so I quickly needed to get over the jet lag.  A friend told me that she took melatonin and was able to speedily shake off her jet lag.  Hence, I tried it.  It worked for a couple of days (3-5, probably), and then I started to lucidly dream and get heart palpitations after.  Last year, possibly because I forgot the side effects, I took it again, and the same thing happened.  Not my favorite, is all I can say, but it works for the short-term.

METHOD 5. SleepMD.  Because I am constantly on the lookout for new, more effective means of combating my insomnia, I bought this product and have been on it for three days now.  Its active ingredients are: White willow extract (used to ease body aches and reduce fevers), Valerian extract (in its deodorized form, yay!), Lemon Balm extract (mild sedative), Hops extract (hey, it's found in beer, so go figure), Lavender powder (lavender is oftentimes used as a sleep aid and to promote relaxation), Melatonin (see above), Passionflower (traditionally used by Native Americans to treat insomnia, hysteria and epilepsy) and Coenzyme Q10 (an antioxidant that helps in primary bodily functions).  So far, I have not experienced any grogginess with this one, nor any tingling sensations (such as I've had with melatonin).  Even if I don't get a full eight hours of sleep, I don't feel lethargic.  You have to take it half an hour before bedtime (does that mean that I take it at 4am? Hahahaha, just kidding), and you have to make sure that there is nothing that will cause you to wake up, such as light filtering into the room, noises, etc.  I found that I was easily roused from my sleep on this, as when I don't take anything.  

I have yet to try the more popular sleep aids such as Tylenol PM, Unisom and the like.  I'm trying to stick to the more natural methods (although I have to say, my favorite is Benadryl) of addressing sleeplessness.  In the meantime, I am content to see SleepMD through and see how my body reacts to it, the longer that I take it.  If it doesn't work, I can always have my first Tylenol PM.

***Because we have to give credit where credit is due, I would like to mention Wikipedia as the source of some of the medical information I mentioned above.  I wish I had something more scholarly and substantial as my main reference, but hey man, it's a blog, not a scholarly journal.

by Angela Torregoza