If you have no other option which is better. 1mg xanax a night with good sleep or no xanax and around 4 hours a night of sleep?

submitted by Themagicalmidget from self.whatever

I litteraly have no other option than these two. I have gone off sleeping pills before cold turkey for a year and still only got around 4 or 5 hours of sleep a night which left me always feeling groggy.xanax is the only thing that I can take for sleep that does not leave me feeling super tired in the morning. But xanax has been linked to dementia, but so has lack off sleep. So what is your opinion? Should I kick the 1mg of xanax a day before bed (that is not too high of a dose? ) and feel tired about 70 percent of the time. Or should I take it and risk what it will do to me in old age?

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[–]FormosaOolong 5 insightful - 2 fun5 insightful - 1 fun6 insightful - 2 fun -  (4 children)

Please, if you've been using it nightly for some time, go off it in very slow increments. You will thank yourself later. Seriously, you can cause yourself way worse problems if you cold turkey this kind of drug, bad problems that can last for years.

Literally shave little bits off the pill every few days until you work yourself down to nothing, even if it takes months.

The last quarter can be the toughest, and that's where the things below can be extra useful.

Xanax acts on the GABA receptors, so a reasonable substitute is GABA, available as a supplement. You can even use this proportionally to help you taper off the xanax.

Also, there are many wonderful herbal tinctures, in single herbs or formulas, and if you find a couple that work for you, rotating them prevents developing tolerance.

Everyone is different, but you can look into singles or formulas that contain for instance

*hops

*kavakava

*Passion flower

*chamomile

*california poppy

*valerian, but it can cause morning grogginess

Also, if you are taking anything caffeinated (including green tea/maté/black tea/iced tea) after say 3pm, think about cutting off by 3pm or earlier.

Consider using blue-blocking glasses or an app to shift the color of your screens.

Also, I am not a doctor. Just fellow sleep-challenged. And yes, sleep is useful :)

[–]H3v8 1 insightful - 1 fun1 insightful - 0 fun2 insightful - 1 fun -  (1 child)

blue-blocking glasses

You mean the Gunnar ones or the cheap alternatives found on Aliexpress?

[–]FormosaOolong 2 insightful - 1 fun2 insightful - 0 fun3 insightful - 1 fun -  (0 children)

I guess any ones are better than looking at that harsh blue light. I use f.lux on my computer, but glasses are better bc then you're covered even for your tv, and any fluorescents you may have in your home.

[–]Themagicalmidget[S] 1 insightful - 1 fun1 insightful - 0 fun2 insightful - 1 fun -  (0 children)

Thank you. I will try this

[–]Themagicalmidget[S] 1 insightful - 1 fun1 insightful - 0 fun2 insightful - 1 fun -  (0 children)

Thanks I will try these :)

[–]H3v8 3 insightful - 1 fun3 insightful - 0 fun4 insightful - 1 fun -  (0 children)

Have you tried some herbal tea as an alternative?

[–]kokolokoNightcrawler 2 insightful - 1 fun2 insightful - 0 fun3 insightful - 1 fun -  (5 children)

take a one hour jog outside, ull sleep like the dead.

[–]jamesK_3rd 1 insightful - 1 fun1 insightful - 0 fun2 insightful - 1 fun -  (4 children)

I agree. Exercise is definitely great method to tire your body out. And it doesn't have to be jogging, find an activity and push your body to it's limits, the further you go the more you start to push your mind as well.

You've said there's only one or two methods you can use to really sleep which may be how you feel, but it isn't true. It's probably a good idea to talk with a therapist, or someone who can listen and give you some feedback like a counselor.

The problem with using benzos is that while you might sleep, you're not going to get into deep sleep very often. And too often they have a tendency to build tolerance.

People do go through their while lives from drug to drug looking for answers. You should definitely work at becoming independent of the drugs even if you need them in the short term.

[–]Themagicalmidget[S] 2 insightful - 1 fun2 insightful - 0 fun3 insightful - 1 fun -  (2 children)

I exercise every for about 90 minutes at the gym. I just can't term my brain off or my anxiety during the night. I do get panic attacks sometimes.

[–]jamesK_3rd 1 insightful - 1 fun1 insightful - 0 fun2 insightful - 1 fun -  (0 children)

I'm very similar. I have had trouble shutting my brain off as well, for over 35 years on this planet. The restlessness still comes and goes, and there are (much fewer) nights I'll get 1 or two hours of sleep.

I know this is going to sound odd, but you've got to push your mind as well. I'd suggest starting a yoga program, and then once you understand a good routine (there are different yoga programs, some for anxiety, depression, some to get you to start the day and some to slow you down and relax), yoga before bed can slow down your raving mind.

You should also try meditation, if your religious make it a time of prayer. I'll tell you this is the most difficult thing for me at least but also one of the most rewarding, to get your mind and them your body to slow down and focus on a just a few things. Start with just a few minutes per day and work up. It's a lifelong challenge. you can also look into mindfulness. If you're looking into professional help, they can do CBT, or a good counselor can help you get started with mindfulness/meditation/prayer.

You've got to integrate those into your life, so it's a natural part of it. That was also another hard part for me.

There's also the weed, as someone else mentioned. You won't build a tolerance generally and it will help you sleep. there aren't nearly as many side effects. But you should Also realize that it does change your neuro chemical balances, like all other drugs. It might be a good solution for the short term, but it isn't a good long term strategy. Weed isn't addictive per se, but if you have an addictive personality like me, it's easily to become dependent on it, because it's easy.

[–]FormosaOolong 1 insightful - 1 fun1 insightful - 0 fun2 insightful - 1 fun -  (0 children)

The GABA will help with anxiety too. It sounds like your neurotransmitters are wonky. L-Theanine also helps with relaxing and anti-anxiety.

[–]kokolokoNightcrawler 1 insightful - 1 fun1 insightful - 0 fun2 insightful - 1 fun -  (0 children)

It should be a labor activity outside because of the oxygen supply. You think our hunter gatherer ancestors had troubles sleeping after walking-running for 8-10 hours every day? The only problems they had is how to not fall asleep and wake up. Never take sleeping pills unless you're absolutely indoors bound. Also, WEED, OP needs to start enjoying some indica weed

[–][deleted] 1 insightful - 1 fun1 insightful - 0 fun2 insightful - 1 fun -  (3 children)

Do you have a prescription for Xanax?

[–]Themagicalmidget[S] 1 insightful - 1 fun1 insightful - 0 fun2 insightful - 1 fun -  (2 children)

Yes I have a prescription for anxiety and insomnia. It's still bad to take it though I think long term.

[–][deleted] 1 insightful - 1 fun1 insightful - 0 fun2 insightful - 1 fun -  (0 children)

Fair enough, but talk with your Doctor before weaning yourself off.

[–]Canbot 1 insightful - 1 fun1 insightful - 0 fun2 insightful - 1 fun -  (0 children)

I know advice, even good advice, can often sound silly or stupid but you should really do your best to make anything you try work to have any hope of finding a solution. A lot if times people will not believe in something but will try it just so they can say they tried but they half ass it and subconsciously sabotage it.

With that said, I think you should explore why you have anxiety to begin with. You should try and decouple yourself from a billions of problems that you may feel are important, but are not something you can immediately fix. That means get off the internet, don't watch the news, stay off social media.

Make a plan of how you are going to achieve your goals and do nothing but work on that 24/7. Get lots of exercise. Whenever you are bored, not sure what you should be doing just start exercising or cleaning.

No internet, no politics, no drama. And meditate.

[–]Chipit 1 insightful - 1 fun1 insightful - 0 fun2 insightful - 1 fun -  (0 children)

Why Xanax for sleep? Why not use Ambien like a normal person?

[–]Not_A_Hitmam 1 insightful - 1 fun1 insightful - 0 fun2 insightful - 1 fun -  (0 children)

Have you gone to a doctor yet