Importance of a good night's sleep / Gaia Sleep and Relax

Hi. I wanted to share that I'm feeling really good these days. I was curious to hear other people's opinions on the importance of a good night sleep.

I started taking Gaia Sleep and Relax pills and it's hard to believe that I'm actually sleep better, but I actually want to sleep in when I take them, as opposed to being bored in bed in the morning and unable to go back to sleep.

I think these pills have really helped, has anyone else tried them or something similar? It has Passion Flower, which I had heard was good for anxiety. My Ulcerative Colitis had been flaring up since I moved last year, and I have to believe there is a tie between anxiety, sleep and UC...

www.gaiaherbs.com/products/detail/709/Sleep-Relax
socialanxietydisorder.about.com/od/treatmentoptions/p/passionflower.htm

I take ambien for sleep at night and for the most part i sleep through the night i still have to get up and go to the bathroom sometimes but i dont notice the stomach pain as much when im sleeping with the ambein

Melatonin is extremely beneficial to colitis! Lots of studies for it and IBS too! One good benfit that is said in the research and I do personally notice it, is the pain reduction. Which makes life easier :)

I have taken Melatonin and still don't seem to sleep well. I kept increasing how much I would take and after a night or two it wouldn't do anything. I finally gave up. I have been sleeping a little better since starting exercising. But I would like to get a sleeping pill at some point but I worry I won't wake up if my 4 year old needs me in the middle of the night. My hubby sleeps like the dead so he's no help. LOL

I dont sleep enough so I fall asleep almost immediately.

For better quality I use :

5-HTP
Relaxall ( OTC )

sometimes GABA or Phenibut

Rarely Restoril by prescription

Sara, I was wondering how things were going. Have you had any improvements since that thread you posted? Are you still trying to sleep in your bed as opposed to in front of the TV? How is that going?

Edited: I just read the thread where you describe your sleeping problems resulting from Cymbalta, so I guess that answers my question!

Sara, I don't want to be that creepy woman who follows you around, wagging her finger or whatever, but I did want to just add on the bed thing -- I bought a memory foam pillow top mattress about five years ago and it is amazingly comfortable. I am pretty sure that you can get the mattress topper by itself for a great deal less money than a full on mattress, and that might be a nice way to help your sleep issues while you save up for a new mattress altogether.

Regarding the original post, I actually came in here to note that I fall asleep easily and I *love* the sensation of falling asleep, but I've often been troubled with waking up frequently during the night, not to use the bathroom necessarily, but just because I awaken. My doctor prescribed Amitriptyline for me, which has been very helpful. It was originally intended as an antidepressant but in clinical trials people kept reporting that it made them very sleepy. I feel like I get the benefit of a sleep aid plus a mild antidepressant when I take it. One benefit I find is that, as opposed to conventional sleep meds or anti-anxiety meds (like Xanax or Valium), I don't wake up groggy.