I have to drink to sleep. So kill me!

The reason I have to drink in order to sleep is because my joints are sore. I haven't been able to sleep on my back for many years. People over 50 ... can you sleep on your back? I think not. Sleeping on my stomach was never an option.

So that leaves sleeping on my two sides, alternating. It worked for many years. But then the right hip became chronically sore. Several years later, my left shoulder joined the sore hip in chronic soreness.

So now, in order to get to sleep in less than 3 hours, I drink a bottle of wine in the evening before bed. So kill me!

Strange thing is that my liver is very healthy despite my drinking WAY more than the measly less than a half a bottle of wine males are supposedly allowed to drink every day (my liver enzyme levels on the blood test my doctor recently ordered are VERY good). There are two reasons for this in my opinion.

Reason one. The max safe alcohol limit for males and females is way too strict.
Reason two. I eat a very healthy diet. My liver enjoys the fact that the only challenge I send its way is alcohol in the evening before bed, and it probably is enhanced by nutrients in my very healthy diet.

Don't misunderstand what I am saying. More than a bottle of wine a day is asking too much of your liver.

a reply to: droid56

I'm 57 and I've never imagined Vertical Sleeping.

Images for Vertical Beds

-
OBSERVATION: Never to Old to ... Learn New Things ???

( and hoping this might be of some useful information )

On the Lighter-Side:

National Geographic photo of a cougar sleeping in a tree.
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a reply to: droid56

I think using alcohol to go to bed is a poor choice. There are natural sleep aids that you can take, both in a tea form and a pill.

I do understand what it is like struggling to sleep as I have issues sleeping because of pain (not cause I'm old but because of my health issues) I have also taken Trazodone on occasion to help me sleep.

As someone else stated, cannabis could help as well. Not just for sleeping but for general pain relief as well. I'm sure there are other methods you could try that are less damaging to your body.

((I could also be biased against it because my Mom started drinking at age 8 because she couldn't sleep, it was only a swig but it got worse as she got older))

a reply to: droid56
toobular!

a reply to: droid56

Drinking "to sleep" is a bad idea as you won't sleep well. I have similar difficulties and find that tumeric, massage (deep tissue) and the occasional advil help.

The Pot Prescription would probably be better on your all around health then "drinking to sleep".

Regular gentle excerise (walking perhaps) would be of help and I have a friend (male) that swears by his gentle yoga class at the senior center.

Also your mattress may need rethinking. There are plenty of things to try before 'drinking yourself to sleep' everyday.

a reply to: droid56

As a chronic insomniac, I feel for you.

a reply to: droid56

IMO you need better MJ, get more CBD and you should sleep alot better.
Should be cheaper too.
But hey to each his own, do what you gotta do to keep on keeping on

Look into using 5-HTP to up your serotonin levels, it might help. And milk thistle is a liver protectant with no known side effects.

Read up about them before trying them; 5-HTP can trigger serotonin receptors in the small intestine that are there to be used when the brain realizes the body has been poisoned; in some people the initial reaction to 5-HTP is rather pronounced vomiting. Once you get past that part, it never happens again but it's enough to make you swear off something that may be very helpful. It's also great for low grade depression- also low serotonin; that's the reason why a doc will ask if you are 'having trouble sleeping or staying asleep'; it's a marker for depression. Alternatively, eat a diet high in turkey meat, almonds and bananas which are all relatively high in tryptophan, the precursor to serotonin and from there to melatonin.

And of course you realize that the alcohol is a pain killer and there are plenty of other options, some of which may be less hazardous than booze, or you could try rotating your nightly options, to give your liver a break? If it always has to detox the same thing coming along every 24 hours, at some point the liver runs out of the enzymes required to do the detoxification and that's when the problems start. Your healthy diet will help that, though. Besides, a decent bottle of wine is what, $8 a bottle? That will add up quickly compared to a good mattress and a couple Advils.

With the degree of soreness in my joints, tea, tumeric, advil aren't going to do the job.

Could I repeat a message I thought I expressed in my first post. According to the blood work my doctor ordered, I am extremely healthy for a 64 year old male. My liver enzymes are extremely low. My HLD level, the so-called good cholesterol, is EXTREMELY high. My blood pressure is excellent. 115 over 75. My resting pulse rate is 65.

I'm very healthy for my age. I exercise, I eat very healthy, I drink a bottle of wine every evening before bed in order to sleep.

a reply to: droid56

If you are not in one of those 28 states that others have advocated a script...try half a bottle and some benadryl. One or two. Trazadone, meh. Valium or valerian root extract (which valium is a derivative of) works wonders.

Try a glass or two and a benadryl or two...no need for doctor's visits. Glad your trigs are good. Keep up the good work.

a reply to: droid56

I'm very healthy for my age. I exercise, I eat very healthy, I drink a bottle of wine every evening before bed in order to sleep.

Well, everyone's body is built different. Im sure many of us heard the stories of someone's grandparents that lived over 100 years, smoked everyday/and or drank like a racehorse everyday, and still lived into the triple digits.

If it works for you, and you don't have any resulting negative side effects, (and it looks like your body is saying what you're doing is okay), I say go for it.

a reply to: the owlbear

That Valerian stuff is good, i used melatonin every once in while as well as kava kava, which is Valerian if I am not mistaken.
benadryl is iffy IMO, but does the trick you are right.

DP

a reply to: droid56

To the OP, I'm sorry for your trouble. But I don't think drinking a bottle of wine to sleep is a good idea. I would implore you to explore other options. I have used melatonin to help sleep. It does work; and this is backed by research. I tried Ambien, but that makes me too kookie. Although I'ce done my share of weed, it always made me lethargic the next day.

Also be wary of pain management, in that many prescription pills can be habit forming.

Good luck to you. I hope you feel better. Remember : Try melatonin,and maybe some Alieve.

a reply to: droid56

Alcohol for sleeping is a horrible choice, especially with the amount you are drinking. It sounds to me like you have a problem with alcohol and are using it as an excuse. You should limit your intake to 1-2 drink a day and find an alternative.

Sleeping It Off: How Alcohol Affects Sleep Quality
healthland.time.com...

Alcohol and a Good Night's Sleep Don't Mix
www.webmd.com...

Alcohol Side Effects: 4 Ways Drinking Messes With Your Sleep
www.huffingtonpost.com...

I understand having to drink to sleep - I sometimes have to too - I have 2 damaged discs that I am waiting for an operation on, this has been going on for 2 years.
Some medication helped but in the end I fixed my sleeping by buying a good memory foam mattress, the difference it made was unbelievable! Before that I had to either drink alcohol or take some pain medication that's side effect on me was to knock me out. I hate popping pills and they also increased my risk of an ulcer so I was glad to reduce them.

Alcohol actually keeps you from sleeping properly. And while in the early stages you may be under the impression it is helping, it isn't, and not long it will come to you needing it to get to sleep but not because it helps you sleep but because you won't be able to going through withdrawals every night.

You are better off looking at stuff like passion flower (it's actually damn potent) and if it doesn't work, or isn't strong enough I would suggest seeing a doctor and considering muscle relaxants, and possibly some benzos for a short period while you adjust.

But the root causes should be addressed first. Including joint pain and muscle problems. A good chiropractor can do wonders so long as they know what they are doing.

Also keep in mind with a lot of addictions, during the detox and usually up to a few months after, sleep is impossible. So don't think alcohol is some magical aid for sleep, because anything you're addicted to can be a magical aid, since withdrawal makes sleep impossible.

The road of addiction is a bumpy one, so it's best to find the smoothest paved route.

i do the same im about 20 short of ur age i 90% severd my sciatic nerve in my left leg just about legaly crippling me

there is no fix for intesnse pain and sleep ... id rather die younger than not sleep with the pain

the idea of being addicted or even taking painkillers are not worth it id sooner drink myself to death and be happy doing so

my liver and overall health idk myself but it sounds ur just fine my grandpa and father are both unbelivable alcoholics gramps lived to 90 drinking 3+ 750 ml bottles a day my father is on the same rout i cant fallow there footsteps my moms side is sensitive to alcohol and i inherited it maby 400 ml of hard alcohol after that im out cold

so i say drink on no medical book doctor whatever they have to show u can truly say what ur body is ok with ... my grandpa should of died in his 40s if u listen to what they say he didint and not tell his 80s did u even know he was old at all and he died from natral cuses with 70% liver function and only stoped drinking the last 10 due to he couldent leave the hospital to get alcohol due to the massive painkillers they put him on

if i was younger i woulda stoped that and let him die drunk as he wanted

so drink on my friend your life your your call i will drink on tell something comparable legal and not needing a doctor is around btw im drunk now scotch is tasty