Sounds Like Sleep; or, How to Soothe the Savage Insomniac

Insomnia is my nemesis. We wage war every night for possession of the nighttime hours. So far, it usually retreats sometime around 3 or 4 in the morning.

I've tried nearly all the advice I've found for cracking through insomnia, and none of them have worked. And at 3am, when I've spent the past couple of hours counting seconds and trying to predict the moment the number on the clock will change, even the weird stuff starts to look promising. Because the Tylenol PM I took at 9pm certainly didn't work for long.

So here are a few things I've found that help me sleep. I live in Texas, so you won't find bud in this list. Check with your doctor before taking any of the substances below. Especially #4.

1. Valerian - This herbal doesn't knock me out, but it helps to slow my spinning mind a bit, enough for the Tylenol PM or Z-Quil to take a better hold. It's also in Celestial Seasons Sleepytime Extra tea.
   
2. ASMR videos - ASMR stands for Autonomous Sensory Meridian Response, and it's a sensation of tingles that some people get from certain sounds or stimuli. There is a whole "whispering community" of artists on YouTube that make videos containing trigger sounds like whispering and tapping to give viewers tingles. The videos are also very soothing, so many people like to listen to them even if they don't receive ASMR sensations (like me). My favorite ASMRtist is Gentlewhispering. She has a lovely voice and warm persona.
   
3. White noise and sleep sound generator apps - Some are definitely better than others. I found Relax Melodies in the app store, and while there aren't as many sounds as White Noise Pro (what I have on the iPad), the sounds on Relax Melodies are more suited to mixing. The pro version lets you make your own mixes and you can play your iTunes through the app as well (if you have a sleep track you like). And it has binaural beats for various effects (concentration, sleep, etc.) You can set an alarm as well, with different sounds, including Zombies. (Yup, that would wake me up quick...)
   
4. Melatonin - I can't take Melatonin because of medication interactions, but my husband swears by it. CHECK FOR INTERACTIONS WITH ANY MEDICATIONS YOU TAKE BEFORE USING MELATONIN! I take Cymbalta and didn't check interactions before taking Melatonin for a few nights. It induced some of the worst depression I've ever experienced.
   
   The drink Neuro Sleep has Melatonin as an ingredient. I found that out the hard way...
   
   But, if you aren't on any medications (antidepressants in particular), Melatonin might be worth checking out.

I'd like to check out Sleep Phones as well. They are flat headphone pads in a soft headband to make side sleeping while listening to sleep sounds less painful than with ear buds.Otherwise, ow.

On that note, it's time to get ready for another night. Sleep sweet!