I’ve tried:
-lying down and not doing anything
-counting sheep
-incense candles
-warm glass of milk
and they didn’t work.
What works for you guys?

You can be lying down & doing nothing, but is your mind still active on things you need to do, or from worrying about stuff? If you can’t turn your mind off at night, then you can’t fall asleep.
When you get in bed, lay on your back & start with your feet…make them totally relax (you can feel it) then go on to making your lower legs relax & work your way upward to every part of your body, even your neck & head. Think of nothing else except relaxing all the parts of the body one by one. Sometimes even when you think you’re relaxed, you’ll find theres tension in different parts of the body that you hadn’t realized before. Usually when I do this, I fall asleep way before I reach the upper half of my body.
You also might want to try a cup of camomile tea before bed. I’ve also used meletonin & valerian. You can get them from most drug stores or a health store. They work pretty darned good at making you drowsy enough to go to sleep.
But the main thing is clearing your mind of everything & relaxing. And if all else fails, go see a doctor about it. I take Elavil for migraines but it also has an added factor. If I take 50 mg. an hour before bedtime, by the time it’s bedtime I’m so drowsy I have to go to bed right then or I’ll fall asleep where ever I’m at…LOL. All this has worked for me. Hope it helps you & good luck!
alemap43

                          

Valerian root (available in the supplements/vitamin section of any mega-mart) smells like stinky socks, but acts as a natural sleep inducer.
I suffer from insomnia too, and take 3mg of Melatonin every night. It’s your natural sleep hormone, studies in rats show you can’t take enough of the stuff to hurt you, it dissipates quickly in your system so you’re not groggy the next day and it’s also in the vitamin/supplement section of your mega-mart. I couldn’t function with out it!
cassee_a

                          

The simple truth is, nothing will put you to sleep, only you can allow yourself to sleep. It’s true that chemical sleeping pills can seem to make you fall asleep only minutes after taking one. But the truth is that you fell asleep because you were relaxed enough to do so.

A good night’s sleep is what we all really want. Everyone knows that not getting enough sleep can damage your health and cause other problems. With millions of sleeping pills being downed every week, it’s no surprise that the drug manufacturers make so much profit! The wasted expense is not the biggest problem, however. The real issue is what these pills are doing to our natural sleep system.

Everyone needs help sleeping sometimes, like during extreme stress or recovery from illness. It may help you to take a sleeping pill during times like these. The problem occurs when this use becomes a continuous every night occurrence.

Have you ever noticed that you need to increase your dose when you’ve been taking sleep medication for any length of time?. That is because of the resistance that is built up when using a pill, and as time passes, you will notice that their effect is greatly diminished. Many individuals try to surrender their sleeping pills as a result. Natural insomnia remedies are usually their next option, and unfortunately, they are met with similar ineffectiveness.

The main reasons that these natural remedies fail is twofold. Your body first has to be allowed to withdraw from the sleeping drugs. This situation is known as rebound insomnia and it signals your body’s attempt to normalize itself. You have to expect some sleep disruption during this time and it may take a few days up to a couple of weeks before your normal sleep cycle resumes.

The second reason is alternative medicines for insomnia should not be expected to produce immediate results. Most of them do not penetrate the blood-brain barrier to “medicate” you. It can take natural remedies time to build up in your system before they will work for you. There is a re-learning process of your sleep system taking place that will allow for falling asleep naturally. Expecting sleep a few minutes after taking a natural insomnia remedy is an unreasonable expectation.

But your insomnia remedy will work. Just give it some time and soon you will be enjoying the benefits of restful sleep without the side effects like withdrawal and daytime drowsiness.

                          

right away]. You need to start by exploring some natural insomnia remedies that utilize herbs.

An herbal remedy for insomnia might contain any number of herbal remedies that are commonly used for this condition. Most of these herbal remedies deal with the problem satisfactorily, however they do so in a far more gentle manner than prescription medications and, typically, without serious adverse reactions. But, many of these, such as Valerian root, should not be taken on a regular basis.

If you have a mild case of insomnia, you can try a cup of chamomile tea before bedtime. Chamomile is a very mild herb, and it is one that can be used every night.

Another alternative is to talk to an herbalist concerning an insomnia remedy. One who specializes in Chinese herbal medicine will first diagnose the cause of your insomnia problem. The herbalist can use a standard formulation composed of assorted herbal remedies or can create a personalized formulation exclusively for you. This formula may not even include the herbal remedies that are usually utilized to calm the nervous system.

If you’re taking any pharmaceuticals, you need to be cautious before adding herbal treatments into your treatment program. There are some herbal treatments that are contraindicated if you’re using certain medications. St. Johns Wort, for example, is an herb usually used for sleeping disorders. However it should not be used if you are presently taking MAO inhibitors.

                          

The article is called “How come these natural insomnia remedies are not working for me?

As the article explains, patience is sometimes needed, expecially if you have just stopped taking sleeping pills. On the other hand some people find the natural remedies work straight away.

I’d better get up and have a walk around!

Wendy