Tuesday, July 22, 2008

Ode to Tylenol PM

Gelcap, Capsule, or Tablet, I discriminate not
Sing me to sleep, oh Tylenol PM

“Off” switch on my brain is malfunctioning again
Sing my mind to sleep, oh Tylenol PM

So my husband will be the first to hear the baby monitor all 9 times
Sing me into a sound sleep, oh Tylenol PM

Traces of you seep into my breastmilk
Sing me and my nursing baby to sleep, oh Tylenol PM

Lover of natural childbirth and natural remedies I am, yet I surrender to you
Sing me into drug-induced sleep, oh Tylenol PM

What the world needs now, is sleep, more sleep.
Sing us to sleep, oh Tylenol PM

Any better suggestions for getting restorative sleep, in spite of numerous night wakings and the generally anxious mom mind? I’m all ears.

11 comments:

Right Said Red said...

lol.

Can't give you too much advice as I became a totally Tylenol PM dependent for sleep at the end of my last two pregnancies, sigh.

My only suggestions, try allowing enough wind down time before bed (like at least 1 hr), this helps me tremendously.

Anonymous said...

What does your doctor say? I guess I would try to get at possible root causes of this beyond the obvious stresses of mothering young children.

Anonymous said...

JM- A friend of mine (mother of 3) asked her doctor if there were any potentially negative effects of taking 1 TPM every night (which is 1/2 dose) for the rest of her life and he said as long as she didn't have to increase it to get the same effect, it was totally safe and fine.....

texas mommy said...

During my week of pre-labor, I've taken Valerian Root a few times. It definitely makes me drowsy, but that doesn't help when you wake up with a contraction in your lower back, though I doubt anything else would. That said, it really made me sleepy. Maybe in the absence of contractions it would work well.

I think taking tylenol in the long-term affects your liver.

4ddintx said...

Here is a product I'm going to be trying:

http://www.wishgardenherbs.com/index.php?load=supplements&page=index&group_id=71

I'll be using the pregnancy version in the pregnancy part of the website. I have a friend who has used this and it helped with the pregnancy lack of sleep. I've used the mastitis remedy (awesome!) and the kick-it immune boost from this company, as well.

My order came in today, so I can't give a personal recommendation yet, but if you wanted to try something besides tylenol PM, it's worth a shot!

Anonymous said...

How I try to get sleep in late pregnancy
1) Try to go to bed a the same time each night even if don't feel tired.
2) Have a glass of milk and a slice of cheddar cheese before going to bed.
3) Night prayer from liturgy of the hours before going to bed.
4) Brushing teeth and getting ready for bed by night light only - no bright lights
5) Asking God to keep all your worries away so you can sleep. I have a bed with 4 corner posts, so I like to imagine a shield wrapped around it like making a ball of yarn
6) For physical discomfort, try a new position/bed every several hours. I would start on my left side. The next time I work up I would manuever myself to my right side. The next time I would move to an open bed or the couch. Depending on how often I woke up I might end up back in my own bed. Each position and bed causes a different discomfort.

Anonymous said...

Texas Mommy is right that taking Tylenol long-term is bad for your organs. However, the "PM" part of Tylenol PM is simply Benadryl (diphenhydramine). So maybe just switch to Benadryl instead, unless you need the pain relief? I don't think there is too much of a problem with taking Benadryl regularly.

Kat said...

JM, you've got a lot going on right now and with different kiddos waking up at all hours of the night, I can see why it would be tough to get a good night's rest! I do find that I almost always fall asleep if I pray a Rosary in bed, especially when I'm trying my hardest to stay awake and finish it. I don't know if this would work for you, but I find that it calms me and puts me in a different state of mind, which is probably what leads to sleep. You've got such a sharp mind and you're always on the ball, which is a huge blessing except when you're trying to get some rest. Thank goodness for a good cup of coffee after a night of bad sleep!

Does this mean that your hubby is back from his adventures across the Atlantic? Yay!

JimmyV said...

Since I will never be pregnant, I don't know how helpful my opinion is, but I use the rosary trick on most nights. I also use a nutritional supplement called Reliv. One shake before bed helps me stay out through the night.

Juris Mater said...

Thanks, friends, for the GREAT tips. I suppose a drug is a bad answer in the long run. I think the best solution, which basically every one of you mentioned, is relaxation and winding down and bedtime routines. Ahhh, always such a challenge in our fast-paced, anxious world! Popping a pill is much easier : ) Haha. These natural remedies sound interesting too... I'll keep you all posted on what works in my quest to replace Tylenol PM in my life without losing sleep.

Joanne said...

There are great relaxation tapes out there, too. I was not a believer in them until I tried it and fell asleep like I was drugged. One of my favorites is Louise Hay's.

I think there is a "just the PM" version of Tylenol PM, which someone pointed out is just Benadryl. I am a big fan of Tylenol PM and Nyquil for sleep but I don't take them when I am pregnant or nursing. I worry about the little tiny livers involved. This is not a judgment, just my (I'm sure) overreaction. I am so tired I can't see, so I can usually fall asleep at this point of babyhood (six months and still not sleeping well, day or night). But I have been there with the non- sleeping and I feel for you. Maybe some warm milk?