Question
I travel frequently however just can not fall asleep on an aeropane (even when travelling business/first class) without the need for a sedative. Over the years I beleive that it is now more psychological than anything. This is the only time I use medication. However coming up I have several long haul fligths and am pregnant, hence can not rely on temazepan. Would you recomend another form of therapy such as hypnosis or something else that may assist? I am really dreading this trip being 6 months pregnant on a 23 hour flight with no sleep!
Many thanks
Jane
Answer
You definitely dont want to try sleep meds. What you should do is first of all whatever time your normal bedtime is is when you should go to sleep on the plane and sleep for just the 8 hours.You should stay away from tea, coffee, caffeine, alcohol, chocolate, caramel colored soda like coke and pepsi, ginger ale or rootbeer and exercise all this make for restless sleep. l5 minutes before you want to go to sleep, ask the stewardess for a glass of plain warm milk. Milk when heated contains tryptophan a natural amino acid sleep inducer and you would be amazed how great it works, Try going to sleep with ear plugs and soft dentist music, if you find you cant sleep then after about 20 minutes , read a magazine, until you get tired and try to go back to sleep again , feel free to email again karel. Im enclosing also some more insomnia tips.for you.
Try these tips religiously for about 6-8 weeks but many have seen results
in as little as 2 weeks.lYou must go to bed and awaken the same time each day regardless
of how little or how much sleep you got the night before.
This starts to reset your sleep clock.
3 hours before bedtime stay away from
tea, coffee, caffeine, caramel colored soda like, coke,pepsi, ginger ale,
or root beer, chocolate and exercise .All these make for restless sleep.Do the following religiously for 4-6 weeks although some have seen changes in as little as 2 weeks.
Make sure room is quiet and dark. When you go to bed if you start to
twist and turn or if you wake up in the middle of the night and cant
go back to sleep, twist and turn for only 20 minutes, then get up, go
into a different room and read a book or magazine only! No computer!
When you start to doze immediately go back into the bedroom.This retrains
the brain into thinking that the bedroom is for restful sleep only. Do
this as many times as you awaken thru the night, it will lesson.
30 minutes before bedtime take a hot bath and immerse hands under the
water.Latest research states that the palms of the hand when immersed
in hot water send signals to the brain to relax. 15 minutes before bedtime\
drink a glass of warm milk. Milk when heated contains tryptophan, a natural
amino acid sleep inducer should do the trick. If this fails you should consider seeing a sleep center.
Your local hospital can refer you. Also go to sleepnet.com click on disorders insomnia
for more tips. Feel free to email again karel
