Blog #4 Shopping for sleep solutions

Today I went to Jewel to do my shopping for sleeping aids. I had to look for the sleep aids. They had everything listed, but not sleep aids. My overall impression of the sleep aids once I found them was good. They had liquids like Zquil on one shelf and pills like unisom on another shelf. The melatonin was in the vitamin section and you would have to know about this before shopping for this. I was surprised how many items there were available. In the pain relievers there is pm versions of them which are above the sleep aids.
   Well I was surprised how many different types of products for sleep there was. There are liquid, pills, natural items, ant teas and coffee that have sleep aids in it. Some products have diphenhydramine in it, quite a lot  have melatonin, valerian is used in a few and finally chamomile is in tea and coffee. As far as recommendations and safety they all say you should get 7-9 hours of sleep and don't over use the products and definitely don't take over the recommended amount.
 I usually use the natural products such as melatonin and chamomile because they seem to work the best and not cause me to be groggy the next day.
I would try a product once to see if it is effective or ask my doctors if they thought the medications were safe for me to use.
    

The melatonin seems to be easy to find in the vitamin section and they were alphabetized.

I liked how the store had the liquid forms on one shelf and pills on another. They also had the generic form next to the non-generic pill. 

As far as the names go most of them had sleep in the word so they were easy to identify with. Most of the packaging was the same that did not catch my eye. I also only saw one product that had nature in the word. It seem to be the one that had natural ingredients in it and it has it's own quality standards. It is made by nature made.

I prefer the products that work the best for me. Melatonin works well and so does the sleepy time teas in the pictures below. I feel these products don't effect my energy level the next day like unisome  does. I also have done my own research on these products and these have good reviews.

 

 

 

 

 

 

I was surprised to see so many sleepy time teas in the store. The other thing that caught my eye was  they had an organic option. Finally, there were many different flavors such as mint and honey.

I usually don't go for the drink sleepy time options because I have to take pills at night so it is just easier for me to take my pills with water. However, I have been hearing about a new coffee with chamomile in it and I like coffee so I might be willing to try this Item I did not see it in the store today,

    I think the one item that is missing is a melatonin  with a pain reliever in it.
The brand would be well know and in a pill form or liquid .  I would work with the different pain relievers such as alieve, advil, Tylenol ect. 
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A tale of two Night's sleep

A great day's sleep is when you are able to get enough sleep . In the morning I feel great and energized. During the day I am happy because I get a lot done  and can do more activities. It  makes me more motivated to exercise and do thing around the house. In the evening I am able to relax and wind down doing things like reading, playing games, watching T.V. and playing with my dogs. When it is time for me to go to sleep I am relaxed and fall asleep quickly.

 

Great night sleep.

A bad night sleep  is when I can't fall asleep and toss and turn all night. I feel terrible and unmotivated to do anything during the day. I feel down in the dumps and sit on the couch most of the day. I do not feel like doing anything. The most I get done is taking care of my dogs and cooking meals for the day. When it gets closer to bed time I drink just water . Then I go to bed early so I get a good night. Just to be on the safe side I take a melatonin.

This is where I spend most of the day when I get a bad night sleep.

 

 

When I wake up and it is sunny, it helps me be more perky and motivated to  get more things done.

I am definitely more active when I get a great night sleep. I relate to a good night sleep because my health depends on me getting enough rest. If I do not it causes me to have a flare-up.  I feel better and exercise more often when I get a good night sleep.

My quality sleep means 1st I do not have trouble have trouble, when I  don't roll toss and turn, do not wake up during the night and wake up too early.  I feel the best when I get at least 8 hours of sleep.

For my health reasons I work on getting enough sleep every night. when I over due it during the day it causes sleep problem, when I have too much coffee I can't sleep. If I wake up at night it usually takes me an hour to get back to sleep. I hate when I wake up really early in the morning. All of these have effects on the next day. I can't focus, I don't feel well, and I have joint pain and headaches.

Assignment 2 All in a night's sleep

1.     The past few days my sleep is inconsistent . Sometimes I have a had time falling asleep and I wake up during the night. I often think about sleep at night, but when I did not get enough sleep I am thinking about it during the day. When I think about sleep, I am trying to figure out what I have to do during the day to get a good night sleep. Some thing I think about is what activities to do during the day so I am sleepy.
2.   My main issue with sleep is being tired enough to fall asleep. Sometimes I am worried about things such as children, house , husband and health concerns so I can't get to sleep. Another problem is eating or drinking something that keeps me awake such as caffeine or something that upsets my stomach. The other problem I have with sleep is waking up during the night. Sometimes It is because I had to go to the bathroom and other times it is because I herd a noise or finally, I am in pain so I have to reposition my body. At times these can be very bothersome, because if I don't get enough sleep I feel useless the next day.
3.     My perfect recipe for a good night sleep is getting exercise during the day. Limit my coffee intake, don't eat stuff that upsets my stomach. Finally, do not over due it during the day so I am not in pain. I truly try to follow this guideline for the perfect night sleep. However, it doesn't always work and I need help falling asleep.
  4.    I do not always address my sleep issues the same way. It depends how awake I am. If I am really awake I take melatonin or Z-quil.  I  also try not to go to bed too early or too late. The other options are taking pain medicine if I am in pain, eating well during the day, and getting enough exercise during the day. The big thing that helps me get to sleep is not thinking about thing that worry me and taking a few deep breaths to calm me down.
   5.   I usually can tell right when I wake up. However, I think the weather plays a roll in how tired I am or If I have energy. During the day I usually feel when I get enough exercise and follow my routines I am ready to get a good night sleep. On occasion things prevent me from getting a good night sleep. Especially if I wake up during the night or early in the morning.
    

6. Comfy sleep tools: I use lots of pillows so I am comfortable while I sleep.

 Last resort:I use this when I absolutely can not fall asleep. Sometimes this makes me groggy the next day if I take this, but it works well.

 Healthy drink:during the day I try and drink plenty  of water. I feel it helps with my stomach issues. In the end this helps me sleep better.

Fan Noise. At night I have the fan running it help's with the noise. I do have trouble sleeping if it is too quiet.

Exercise fun; I try to exercise 4 times a week and when I don't exercise I try to do a lot of walking. If I do not get enough activity during the day I am not tired.

 

7.My overall approach to sleep is making sure I get enough sleep daily.

If I do not it messes me up for a few days. Sometimes I even have to take a nap. If I follow my schedule and take care of myself I do sleep well. The main problem I have is when I wake up during the night.

8. If I had a bad night sleep I take a nap, Drink more coffee and go to sleep earlier the next day.

 

assignment 1

I am a stay at home Mom. I had to quit my job 5 years ago because I had knee surgeries. These days I spend much of my time with my friend, family and my 3 dogs. I try to go to the health club 3-4 times per week. I swim, do palates and muscle class. I always feel happier when I go to the health club. I do enjoy reading stories with happy endings or magazines with inspiring stories.

 My favorite quote is "your wings already exist All you have to do is fly" I enjoy this saying because it motivates me to do my best.
A good day is when I am doing things and staying busy  if I stay busy my mood is good and If I am not I seem to be down in the dumps.

This is when I feel very happy, when I can spend time outside and when I can swim it is even better. It works better if I exercise because I feel better about myself. Also if I eat healthier during the day and drink plenty of water I feel good about myself. Sometimes because of my physical limitations I have to limit my activity and this upsets me.

This is what I wake up to every day. I picked this image because sometimes they are the reason I don't always get sleep.