Ugh! On my third night of no sleep.

[Nay]

39. I have moderately serious insomnia and that asshole Trump hasn't made it

any better. I got a tip from a pharmacist: use 5 mg melatonin tabs that are made to dissolve under the tongue, and use them that way. That has helped me absorb it better, it seems. So, here's what I do every evening:

For three hours before bed, do not look at screens (computer, TV, or phone). Read a book, do some embroidery, do some drawing or writing on paper, anything that's soothing and not digital.


1. Dissolve 5 mg Natrol brand melatonin under your tongue (a friend uses 10 mg as she's even worse off than I am)

2. About an hour later, take one or 2 Gaia Herbs SleepThru tablets, which contain 3 herbs to help relaxation.

3. At the same time, make tea from 2 heaping teaspoons of chopped valerian root (health food store or Vitacost.com online) -- pour hot water over roots and steep for 10-15 minutes.

Go to bed after your tea and read a 19th century English novel (I'm reading Middlemarch by George Eliot). I like the novel, but the 19th century phrasing means your brain, already tired, will scream out for sleep and you'll only read a few pages before you pass out.

Oh, and stop taking any of that over-the-counter stuff or Nyquil except for emergencies -- it really screws with your memory and has shown to advance dementia.