Genetic insomnia

[kavanoob]

I take Kava because it's the best thing I've found to help me with my life-crippling insomnia (not so crippling with Kava though). No tolerance and no dependence, gotta love it. I have tried literally everything out there and Kava is hands down the best. Does anyone else use Kava mainly for insomnia? Does anyone else have genetic insomnia? There's an article here about genetic insomnia: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-2191145/Cant-sleep-You-inherited-insomnia-gene.html

I have tried chamomile, makes me sneeze all day long the next day.
I have tried valerian root, makes me sneeze all day long, makes me fart a lot and the farts really REALLY stink, and has a quick tolerance.
I have tried red wine, good for falling asleep but bad for staying asleep. Long-term use results in really bad dependence.
I have tried Xanax, has a dangerous dependence and unbearable withdrawal.
I have tried Elavil, has a tolerance and bad withdrawal.
I have tried Benadryl (diphenhydramine), has a quick tolerance but really good from time to time.
I have tried Nyquil (or just doxylamine succinate), has a quick tolerance but really good from time to time.
I have tried weed, has a really quick tolerance but really good for sleep the first week or two. Also I can't work on weed, it makes me dumb and I can't remember anything.
I have tried exercise, even extremely long bouts of cardio, till I'm exhausted like a donkey. Doesn't help. I still lie awake at night for 4 or 5 hours before falling asleep.
I have tried Kava, it's the best damn thing there is.
I have tried and still take melatonin, really good but only works when used in combination with one of the above sleeping aids.
I have tried potatoes for their potassium, really good but only works when used in combination with one of the above sleeping aids (except for melatonin).
I have tried 3 consecutive sessions of hardcore masturbation within 2 hours without any other sleeping aid, doesn't help.
I have tried cuddling with a pet and/or a girl without any other sleeping aid, doesn't help.

It's weird, because I only developed chronic (maybe genetic too) insomnia a few years ago. Before that time, I slept very easily as soon as I hit the sack.
Edit: (the article also mentions not developing genetic insomnia until a certain age in life, for most genetic insomniacs)

Another weird fact: whenever I sleep, it's quiet. So why can't I sleep now without any sleeping aids? Is it genetic insomnia?

 

[Deleted User01]

WOW! You have tried everything. Yeah, Xanax gives you a hangover unless you take another, and another, etc. Booze doesn't help, that's for sure. I'm flabbergasted that Exercise didn't help ... but then again I don't suffer from insomnia. I guess I'm also flabbergasted that of all the things you mentioned, Kava is the only one that worked. For that we are all grateful.
P.S. If it's genetic, time to get your relatives on the Kava Bandwagon. Even Kava candy might help.

 

[Kojo Douglas]

I have found that, as the years pass, Kava doesn't help me with sleep anymore. My mother is an epic insomniac, and I seem to have inherited the curse of insomnia. However, I do get nights of epic sleep - 12 hours or 14 hours. On other nights I might jump out of bed at 3:30 A.M with some great idea or monumental worry. There is really no middle ground for me, either I sleep really well or I sleep terribly. Kava Candy does help me get out of the circular thinking, but I'll still usually grab a book and read for an hour or so before I find myself nodding back off to sleep.

The two hours of masturbation, by the way, sounds quite painful. You need some more efficient material.

 

[Deleted User01]

The two hours of masturbation, by the way, sounds quite painful. You need some more efficient material.

Awwww, who ya kiddin', Insomina is just an excuse for that. Now you'all don't post anything important in the next 2 hours 'cause, I gotta go to the ... uhhh, the bathroom. That's right, I have to go to the bathroom.

 

[Groggy]

I have found that, as the years pass, Kava doesn't help me with sleep anymore. My mother is an epic insomniac, and I seem to have inherited the curse of insomnia. However, I do get nights of epic sleep - 12 hours or 14 hours. On other nights I might jump out of bed at 3:30 A.M with some great idea or monumental worry. There is really no middle ground for me, either I sleep really well or I sleep terribly. Kava Candy does help me get out of the circular thinking, but I'll still usually grab a book and read for an hour or so before I find myself nodding back off to sleep.

The two hours of masturbation, by the way, sounds quite painful. You need some more efficient material.

I can relate, kava does very little for my sleep, as with many other things, it will help me fall asleep but staying asleep is another story. typically for me, it is stress related and while kava takes the edge off in that regard, it doesn't solve it.

 

[kavayo]

Tim Ferriss gave me this one: one decaf relaxing tea mixed with two tablespoons of organic apple cider vinegar and 1 tablespoon of unfiltered untouched honey. drink that and it's literally the best sleep aid i have ever taken (even better than prescription drugs). I have also taken it a bit further but adding Lions Mane extract and Ashwaganda extract via toss and wash method.

 

[Kojo Douglas]

Ah! I had forgotten about Ashwaganda!

 

[KrunkMunster]

I occasionally have issues with insomnia and I have a script for ambien. I use it very sparingly and only take half a tab when I can't fall asleep. The stuff knocks me out within 15min.

 

[Blinkyrocket]

I take Kava because it's the best thing I've found to help me with my life-crippling insomnia (not so crippling with Kava though). No tolerance and no dependence, gotta love it. I have tried literally everything out there and Kava is hands down the best. Does anyone else use Kava mainly for insomnia? Does anyone else have genetic insomnia? There's an article here about genetic insomnia: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-2191145/Cant-sleep-You-inherited-insomnia-gene.html

I have tried chamomile, makes me sneeze all day long the next day.
I have tried valerian root, makes me sneeze all day long, makes me fart a lot and the farts really REALLY stink, and has a quick tolerance.
I have tried red wine, good for falling asleep but bad for staying asleep. Long-term use results in really bad dependence.
I have tried Xanax, has a dangerous dependence and unbearable withdrawal.
I have tried Elavil, has a tolerance and bad withdrawal.
I have tried Benadryl (diphenhydramine), has a quick tolerance but really good from time to time.
I have tried Nyquil (or just doxylamine succinate), has a quick tolerance but really good from time to time.
I have tried weed, has a really quick tolerance but really good for sleep the first week or two. Also I can't work on weed, it makes me dumb and I can't remember anything.
I have tried exercise, even extremely long bouts of cardio, till I'm exhausted like a donkey. Doesn't help. I still lie awake at night for 4 or 5 hours before falling asleep.
I have tried Kava, it's the best damn thing there is.
I have tried and still take melatonin, really good but only works when used in combination with one of the above sleeping aids.
I have tried potatoes for their potassium, really good but only works when used in combination with one of the above sleeping aids (except for melatonin).
I have tried 3 consecutive sessions of hardcore masturbation within 2 hours without any other sleeping aid, doesn't help.
I have tried cuddling with a pet and/or a girl without any other sleeping aid, doesn't help.

It's weird, because I only developed chronic (maybe genetic too) insomnia a few years ago. Before that time, I slept very easily as soon as I hit the sack.

Another weird fact: whenever I sleep, it's quiet. So why can't I sleep now without any sleeping aids? Is it genetic insomnia?

I used to have absolutely terrible insomnia until I sort of did a muscle relaxation exercise that tasks you to focus on your muscles and like tense and untense them to get the feel of what your muscles feel like when they're relaxed. Ever since then it's not difficult to fall asleep at all. It's possible that nitric oxide plays a role in this as well, I think I read somewhere that overactive NOS (Nitric Oxide Synthase, enzyme that creates nitric oxide) can cause hyperactivity and muscle tension. NOS is also intimately involved in drug tolerance, especially of the "downers" so the fact that you develop rapid tolerance to almost everything might be a sign. Although, your tolerance could be normal for all I know. Personally, I'm about to try Nigella Sativa oil which contains Thymoquinone, which is both a NOS inhibitor and anti-inflammatory and stuff. Quinones have interesting properties.

Actually, magnesium is pretty dang effective as well.

 

[Groggy]

The two hours of masturbation, by the way, sounds quite painful. You need some more efficient material.

Or "assistance", turn that 2 hours into 20 minutes max...

 

[Travis]

Herbs are usually fine on occasion but wont work for daily use for long. Valerian is a fun one. I took it for a few weeks, not only did it linger on my breath but It made my entire body smell like Valerian for days after stopping use.
I use kava for a little evening relaxation and sleep primarily. Usually sticking to heavier Kava's in smaller doses and it usually helps me drift off within 10 to 15 minutes. If I feel I won't be able to sleep after kava I take a few tryptophans.

 

[chandra]

I have occassional insomnia. Kava seems to help me get restful sleep, but it doesn't help on those days when I have insomnia. I've also noticed if I get too tired it's incredibly difficult for me to sleep.

 

[moff000]

Phenergan (Promethazine) OTC in the UK. That's the only thing that put's me to sleep and BACK to sleep should i need to go pee!

 

[kavanoob]

I have found that, as the years pass, Kava doesn't help me with sleep anymore. My mother is an epic insomniac, and I seem to have inherited the curse of insomnia. However, I do get nights of epic sleep - 12 hours or 14 hours. On other nights I might jump out of bed at 3:30 A.M with some great idea or monumental worry. There is really no middle ground for me, either I sleep really well or I sleep terribly. Kava Candy does help me get out of the circular thinking, but I'll still usually grab a book and read for an hour or so before I find myself nodding back off to sleep.

The two hours of masturbation, by the way, sounds quite painful. You need some more efficient material.

How do you get these nights of epic sleep (12-14 hours)? Is it from staying up for a few days, then getting a really long beauty sleep easily because of that fact? Or something else? How do you do it?

Tim Ferriss gave me this one: one decaf relaxing tea mixed with two tablespoons of organic apple cider vinegar and 1 tablespoon of unfiltered untouched honey. drink that and it's literally the best sleep aid i have ever taken (even better than prescription drugs). I have also taken it a bit further but adding Lions Mane extract and Ashwaganda extract via toss and wash method.

Good to see another Tim Ferriss fan here, although I don't like some of his blog posts when he sometimes wildly twists other people's quotes and makes it his own. This very rarely happens, but other than that, he's good peoples in my book. What is the decaf relaxing tea that you drink? I would love to know this. As I said in the OP, chamomile and valerian are huge no-nos for me.

I occasionally have issues with insomnia and I have a script for ambien. I use it very sparingly and only take half a tab when I can't fall asleep. The stuff knocks me out within 15min.

I forgot to put this in the OP, but I have already tried Ambien. Great for the first week or two, but it has bad dependence (IIRC) and has really bad withdrawal (I clearly remember this).

I used to have absolutely terrible insomnia until I sort of did a muscle relaxation exercise that tasks you to focus on your muscles and like tense and untense them to get the feel of what your muscles feel like when they're relaxed. Ever since then it's not difficult to fall asleep at all. It's possible that nitric oxide plays a role in this as well, I think I read somewhere that overactive NOS (Nitric Oxide Synthase, enzyme that creates nitric oxide) can cause hyperactivity and muscle tension. NOS is also intimately involved in drug tolerance, especially of the "downers" so the fact that you develop rapid tolerance to almost everything might be a sign. Although, your tolerance could be normal for all I know. Personally, I'm about to try Nigella Sativa oil which contains Thymoquinone, which is both a NOS inhibitor and anti-inflammatory and stuff. Quinones have interesting properties.

Actually, magnesium is pretty dang effective as well.

Nigella Sativa, is that like the Sativa strain of Cannabis?

Phenergan (Promethazine) OTC in the UK. That's the only thing that put's me to sleep and BACK to sleep should i need to go pee!

How quick is the tolerance of promethazine for you?

 

[kavanoob]

...I have found that, as the years pass, Kava doesn't help me with sleep anymore. My mother is an epic insomniac, and I seem to have inherited the curse of insomnia...

So do you think that you might have genetic insomnia? Do you believe the insomnia gene exists (the one mentioned in the article I posted in the OP)?

 

[Blinkyrocket]

How do you get these nights of epic sleep (12-14 hours)? Is it from staying up for a few days, then getting a really long beauty sleep easily because of that fact? Or something else? How do you do it?



Good to see another Tim Ferriss fan here, although I don't like some of his blog posts when he sometimes wildly twists other people's quotes and makes it his own. This very rarely happens, but other than that, he's good peoples in my book. What is the decaf relaxing tea that you drink? I would love to know this. As I said in the OP, chamomile and valerian are huge no-nos for me.



I forgot to put this in the OP, but I have already tried Ambien. Great for the first week or two, but it has bad dependence (IIRC) and has really bad withdrawal (I clearly remember this).


Nigella Sativa, is that like the Sativa strain of Cannabis?


How quick is the tolerance of promethazine for you?

Lol, I don't think that canna-bis Sativa is related to Nigella Sativa, it's probably just a common Latin plant name. I've seen a plant with the last name of Indica that was also unrelated to its more well known counterpart.

The study that I heard of NOS inhibition counteracting hyperactivity and muscle tension was a study of alcohol withdrawal on rats. NOS inhibition under normal circumstances in healthy rats is without any significant effect but tends to be potentiate sedatives and make stimulants less stimulating.

Plus, a NOS inhibitor like 7-NI seemed to be an extremely effective anxiolytic without building tolerance. One of the things GABA agonists do is lower nitric oxide so it's probably related.

 

[moff000]

How quick is the tolerance of promethazine for you?[/QUOTE

I get no tollerance from this. I take most nights and have done for 10 years. Not sure where your located but in the uk they come in 10mg and 25mg. I get the 25mg and cut in half of an evening about an hour before bed.
I do this because there isn't a lot of price difference between the 10mg and 25mg.
It's the only thing i can take that can get me back off to sleep when i wake at 2-3am which i do every morning.
I have no problem dropping off to sleep it's staying asleep that is the trouble. Without it i'm tired all day from lack of sleep...
My insomnia started after being addicted to Methadone for 2years and when i quit that and went through the withdrawals insomnia was the price i paid.....

 

[Zac Imiola (Herbalist)]

Valerian works great you need to use alot more though than is recommended . There's no OD.
It's a carminative .. means it helps you fart.

Chamomile is related to rag weed.
Probrably allergic to that family. And maybe even valerian .

Hops are great.
Magnesium .
Less kava better sleep I find

 

[Kojo Douglas]

So do you think that you might have genetic insomnia? Do you believe the insomnia gene exists (the one mentioned in the article I posted in the OP)?

I do think there must be a genetic component. My mother has epic insomnia issues.