need to know more about this, teen's been struggling w/sleep issues for years now... - Betsy Richter

ahh, the sleep reset program... yeah - what with the heat wave and various summer activities, I have been running a severe sleep deficit and am making a conscious effort to stick to a restful sleep schedule. my main problem is staying asleep. I can usually fall asleep in a reasonable amount of time. Once asleep, however, I often wake up 6 or more times in the night. Sometimes its for a few seconds, sometimes its for 10 - 15 minutes. After a night like that, the next day I'm dragging. Ironically, I'm historically a night person, so as the time comes to retire, I pick up and the cycle repeats. If I've been drinking before going to bed the problem doesn't manifest, but for some reason I can't get trashed 7 days a week. well, not anymore :) I've tried the homeopathic remedies. Some of the time released melatonin blends have worked, but the dream imagery is often very intense, which tends to disturb the restfulness as well. so, currently, I am on a low dose of Trazodone, 50mg (as opposed to say 300mg). Its primary use is as an anti-depressant, but at low doses an off label use is as an insomnia aid. it doesn't act as a narcotic, it really just helps you stay asleep. my main side effect is grogginess in the morning, especially when I first cycle on to it. lasts about 20-30 minutes after waking, longer if you give in to it and lay around in bed. I have had mixed results with it in the past. sometimes it works well, other times, not so much. if after this week I am still not sleeping well, I am going to go back to the doc and try something else. not sure if I want Ambien, but some friends have had good results. good luck in finding something that works for your son. b - Brian Mars from email