Depression Talk

When you have major depression, the slightest thing can get blown out of proportion. It can be exhausting jumping to conclusions all of the time. One event can set off a chain reaction of illogic in your head which can lead to panic, anxiety or crippling fear. This happens no matter how long you have been taking medication and therapy, because setbacks are inevitable.

So, What Does This Have To Do With Mormons?

Yesterday, I recieved a very angry comment from my favorite reader, Anonymous, about a post I put up ages ago on The Perfect Blog Title (my personal blog). Now, keep in mind that in big letters on the top of the blog is the subtitle: “A humorous look at one woman’s spiritual journay through the absurdity of life and internet links”.

The post I wrote was about the group of Mormons in Howard Hughes’ employ during his last years that were called “the Mormons” or “the Mormon Mafia” by anyone who had to deal with Hughes in that time. My post was not entirely serious. I even ended it with: “I bet you most of the Mormons who mistreated and robbed Hughes felt perfectly justified in what they were doing. And if we think we are better than those Mormon aids, then we really don’t know ourselves very well.”

But, of course, someone decided to be offended:

I think you might all be slightly retarded. This may be one of the most ridiculous blog posts I have ever read. Ya - I’m sure the Mormons killed Hughes… this may be the silliest conspiracy theory ever concocted. Hate to burst your bubble, but the Mormon church has plenty of money of their own. They don’t need to waste their time or put their reputation in danger by knocking off anyone.

Its quite obvious that both the author of this blog and everyone who has made a comment know very little about the history involved or the “Mormons” who worked for Hughes.

I replied “Jesus Loves you, kiddo.” and left it at that.

Then The Migraine Hit

I hadn’t had a migraine in nearly a month, but a couple of hours after this exchange, I suddenly got one. Despite my research into migraines and knowing I had been diagnosed with migraine disease, I still thought, “Oh, no! The Mormons are out to get me!”

Now, obviously, the Morons are not out to get me. It was a coincidence that I received a migraine soon after getting a post from an Internet Troll. But when you have depression, you do have a tendency to think that everything bad that happens to you is your own fault. It’s not.

It’s the Mormons’ fault.

(Just a joke, folks. Albeit a poor one).

A study done by the University of Bath (I used to live in Bath! Huzzah, Bath, but I wish this was for a different reason!) reveals what we probably already knew — men who had been sexually abused as boys were ten times more likely to commit suicide than men who hadn’t been sexually abused as boys, even if they were clincially diagnosed with depression. The study was done not in Bath, not in the UK, but in Australia, where men are not expected to talk about very deep things like childhood traumas. The study is published in The British Journal of Social Work.

What About Women?

The study focused on men, doing one-on-one interviews with them and did not interview women who had been molested as girls. Authors Dr. Patrick O’Leary and Professor Nick Gould explained that men were more likely to act on a suicidal impulse (and succeed) than women. They estimate that for every “successful” suicide done by a man, there are 25 men who try to commit suicide and yet manage to live. In the UK, about 2,000 men commit suicide each year.

So, does that mean that women are more resilliant to trauma? Well, the study doesn’t go that far, but it does suggest that being able to to share a burden can sure ease the load on a depressed victim of childhood sexual abuse. Women are expected and encouraged to be emotional and share their true feelings than men are, especially in the “stiff-upper-and-lower-lip” cultures such as the UK, parts of America and Australia.

Men are supposed to have it all together in these cultures, so to cope with depression and post traumatic stress disorder, they turn to self-medication through alcohol, addictions to legal or illegal drugs, criminal behavior and obsessive behaviors. These are the patterns learned, but they are not very helpful in preventing not only a crap life, but an eventual suicide attempt.

Suggestions

So, what is the practical upshot of all of this? The study suggests “Greater awareness in the healthcare and criminal justice systems will help identify those who are at risk and give them treatment before it is too late.”

But it is up to a man who has been abused to seek help.

This is just a clip of a guy in his undershirt (I assume he’s wearing pants, too) sitting with his guitar and emoting into a webcam. However, although he looks a little like Justin Timberlake, he sings better than Justin Timberlake and has a song that won’t drive you crazy because it’s played over and over and over again. The fellow is Jay Brannan and the song is “Christmas Really Sucks”. Despite the title, it’s a gentle folksky song with the requisite pop overtones and very good lyrics.

It’s rare to find a song that perfectly captures a moment in time — modern Christmas in the real world. This time of year, my depression symptoms really flare up (both physically and emotionally) and it seems as if I’m the only one who feels this way, even though I know many other people do, too. This YouTube clip could be an anthem, in a way, for those of us who hate the holidays but suffer through them anyway for whatever professional or social reasons we have.

Enjoy, and keep on taking the meds. Spring is only a few months away.

I am not a fan of the holiday season, particularly Christmas. Perhaps my choosing to work this sunny Christmas afternoon instead of taking advantange of goofing off may give you a hint of how I feel about it. If I see one more car advert about how they make the perfect gift, I think I’ll try and kill the Geico Gecko.

The holiday season brings a lot of baggage with it, which can be particularly hard on those with any type of depression or anxiety disorder. The memories and feelings can be crushing. They can compound any other problems or depressive symptoms you might be having.

Unpacking the Bags

This heavy holiday baggage can consist of:

• Memories of really bad holidays
• Memories of really good holidays, because you feel as if you have to live up to or surpass those standards
• Memories of everyone who has died and can’t celebrate this holiday season with you
• Memories of who you were supposed to get gifts and cards for but somehow forgot until Christmas morning

Well, the good news is that another December 25 is nearly through and that means the worst of the holiday season is over — and that the worst of the long winter nights are over. Gradually, there will be more sunlight until the summer solstice. Now, that’s something to celebrate!

Dealing With Issues

Let’s look at some of the items in the heavy holiday baggage.

• Memories of bad holidays: Just because you had a bad holiday in the past does not mean you will have a bad holiday this time around. Look around to see if anything is threatening you whenever you are feeling panicky. Try to focus in the present. That’s one of the reasons why I decided to schedule some work on Christmas Eve and Christmas.
• Memories of really good holidays: No one expects you to make the perfect holiday for them, even if you think they do. This is because there is no such thing as the perfect holiday. Our memories can make past holidays seem better than they really were.
• Memories of those who have died: This is tough and I wish I had good advice for those in grief. I’ve had several beloved pets die on Christmas week — one on Christmas Eve. It’s good to connect with others and try not to get isolated when you are feeling too down.
• Memories of who you were supposed to get gifts and cards for but somehow forgot until Christmas morning:

People are usually so busy this time of year, they may not notice you’ve forgotten them. If they do, say you’ve missed a few doses of antidepressants because you couldn’t afford to refill the prescription. That’s gotten me out of several social faux-pas.

Hope this helps.

Colon cleansing, colonic irrigation, colonic therapy, high colonics — whatever you call it, it sure won’t work for depression, bipolar disorder or anxiety. The makers of these products and programs make very radical claims that toxins in the colon are responsible for just about every health problem known to makind (including migraines). Soon, they’ll be saying that we could win the Iraq war through colon cleansing. But the vast majority of people alive and walking around do not need any of this crap (pardon the pun).

Show Me The Toxins

And what are these mysterious toxins that are supposed to inflict such misery on innocent bodies? These are never specifically described. They are only called by vague terms like “pollutants”, “parasites” and “impacted fecal matter.” These are just terms used to scare you into buying their expensive products.

You ever get a colonoscopy? (Now THERE’s a Christmas gift from Hell!) I’ve talked to people who’ve been awak during their colonoscopies and got to peek at the screen showing the insides of their colons. No pollutants, parasites or impacted fecal matter there. Just an empty, pink colon.

Most colon cleansing products and fiber nutritional supplements are made with psyllium husk powder from a plant native to India called “Plantato ovata”. This stuff, when wet, turns to goop. It also stimulates the bowels into pooping in really dramatic fashions. So, you take it and poop for ages and wonder if you really do have impacted fecal matter. So, you take more.

And, having a really big poo can actually feel good. This pleasureable experience also makes you want to take the colon cleansing products again.

Over long periods of time, your colon muscles atrophy because the great amounts of fiber are doing the work it usually does. So, your body becomes dependent on the colon cleanising products.

Antidepressants Can Be Constipating

Chronic constipation is painful. (That’s when you gan’t go for days at a time.) This can be a side effect from taking medications like antidepressants, mood stabilizers or heavy-duty painkillers. However, if you are really depressed, you don’t feel like getting the regular exercise you need to help keep you regular. You don’t have the energy to exercise and also have physical pains that make you want to curl up ion bed for the rest of your life.

Eating foods high in fiber and drinking water instead of dehydrating drinks like sodas or fizzy drinks can help your constipation problem much more than colon cleansing products or programs.

I haven’t been to a Recovery meeting in quite a while, but I do look over the literature every now and then. One of the key concepts is spotting. This is when you notice your symptoms of your mental illness and can recognize that you are not going insane, or the sky is not falling — you are just having symptoms. This all helps you to calm down and get a better perspecitive in how to handle daily activities (called “trivialities” in Recovery-speak).

An Example From Today

I have to always accompany my Mom when grocery shopping. She’s had several surgeries and just this autumn had two mini-strokes. I also think she likes to take me along so I feel useful.

Anyway, it’s hard for Mom to walk. This is one thing I’m still good at. So, if she forgets an item, I run back the seven asiles or so to get it while she carries on. So, she asked me to go check for curry paste and I did so, stopping to pick up a couple of items on the way.

And then I couldn’t find my Mom in the grocery store. There I was, 39 years old with two college degrees, holding onto a box of tea, a jar or tortilla chips and a jar of guacamole and I had lost my Mom. My thoughts started to whirl.

“My God — will I never grow up? Did Mom spontaneously combust? Is she on her way to the hospital while I rush up and down every asile over and over again? She has all of the money! I left my purse at home — !”

The panic began to build.

Imagination On Fire

Right, I took a breath, stayed still a moment and took stock of the situation. No one was acting abnormally, so that means Mom must be acting just like any other shopper and is not doing anything alarming. My imagination is on fire again.

Losing your mother in the grocery store when you are 39 years old is not dangerous. It’s embarassing, granted, but it’s not dangerous. I spotted a symptom of panic. It doesn’t mean that anything worth panicing over is actually going on.

Anyway, I finally found Mom and she said, “I saw you run by twice and tried to flag you down, but I’m too tired and thought I’d finally catch up to you when you ran out of steam.”

I got to keep the guacamole, chips and tea anyway. Never did find the curry paste.

Depressives have trouble with directions, especailly if they are directions to finding a new place like a doctor’s office, a friend’s house or a job interview. The reasons for the trouble are:

• Trouble concentrating
• Fear of messing up and getting hopelessly lost
• Thoughts that the person/website that gave you the directions was wrong

All of these are normal symptoms of depression. If you’re not sleeping well (common for depressives) than that just compounds the problem.

But, you can’t spend your entire life in your home. And besides, the mental and physical activity will be good for you, besides the self-esteem boost of actually finding the new place. Here are some tips on how to find a new place when you have depression or the symptoms are flaring up.

Double Check Directions When Possible

If you get the directions off of MapQuest or another webiste, actually phone the place or a trusted loved one who has been to the place and ask them their advice on how to get there. And, do the same thing if someone gives you directions. Check it against MapQuest (or wherever). If they are mainly alike, then chances are the directions are good.

Have The Directions Wrtitten Down For Both Ways

Beause you’ll be stressed and nervous, you may be more prone to getting directions like right and left mixed up. For example, in the days before I telecommuted, I was guarenteed to have a migraine start immediately after a job interview — even if I got there in time and the interview went well. It just never failed. Perhaps my body gets tense for so long that when it’s over, it finally falls apart like the car at the end of The Blues Brothers.

So, I have two sheets of paper with directions on how to get to the new place — and then directions on how to get back home. Even if I was desperate or flush enough to get a cab home, the cabbie would never know where I lived and I’d have to give him directions, anyway. It just saved me some stress.

When Driving, Use A Clipboard

In the days when my eyes were good enough to drive, I would write the directions in big block capitals and stick them to a clipboard and lay it on the seat next to me. Sure beats trying to interpert a map.

Hope this helps.

One of the most upsetting aspects to depression is that you feel a complete loss of control. Everything is the most horrible thing that ever happened in your life and you are incurable. This sense of being completely out of control is an illusion caused by depression, extreme stress or general anxiety disorder (GAD).

In 1937 (long before Prozac), Austrian doctor Abraham A, Low develpoed a method by which the patient could identify a true emergency from their symtpms. This eventually became called Recovery or “the Recovery Meathod”. He helped start an international organization called Recovery, Inc. (but is now called Revovery International).

There is some squabble over whether Dr. Low predated other cognitive-behavior therpaies. When his works were published, they were generally ignored by the psychatric community. Dr. Low was appreciated by his pateints, but not from his on peers.

Anyway, the group finally has a channel on YouTube. Here’s their first video:

Recovery (or RI) is NOT a substitute for doctors or medication. You will still suffer relapses every now and then, but that’s normal.

Basically, all you do is learn to take a deep breath and get some perscpective of everyday events that can really get under your skin. For example, say you’re convinced you can never be cured. That would be called “imagination on fire” — you really don’t have evidence that you can’t be cured. Then you know that you are exhibiting a symptom — the fear of not being curable — and your fears are not facts.

There’s a lot more to it than that. You’re encouraged to go to weekly or monthly meetings because it gets you out of the house and socializing with others as well as learning when to spot fears that you mistake as facts.

Also, just a quick announcement that in addition to Dealing With Headaches, I’ve taken on another 451 Press blog, YouTube Digger. I’ll try to keep the depression-related YouTube clips to this site, though. Well, I’ll try, anyway. I’m not promising anything.

The old cliche is that you have to have some sort of a tortured soul before you can product a great work of art. This is the excuse some people give in order to go on a drinking bender or do a lot of drugs, because they will get the “inspiration” they need in order to create AHT (as opposed to mere art). Depressives don’t need the drink or drugs in order to be miserable — yet we’re usually crippled by the fear of making a mistake in order to get around to being creative.

The Good News

You don’t have to be depressed in order to be creative. Being creative just doesn’t mean making music, painting or writing a novel. Cooking is definately shows artistic talent, as well as interior decorating, tending a garden, sewing, rearranging the furniture or figuring out how to fix the leaky sink with nothing except duct tape and a prayer. You can be in any kind of mood or state of mental health to accomplish any and all of this.

The Bad News

Secondly, it’s going to be inevitable that you will make mistakes when creating anything. Sometimes the mistakes can be therapuetic. But you are under no obligation to make a universally acclaimed masterpiece every time you want to make something. Even scribbling on your paper (or ranting on a blog) can be a great source of cheap, effective emotional release. It helps to take youir mind off of the usual tornado of thoughts that depression can give you.

For Pete’s Sake

Successful singer/songwriter/musician Peter Gabriel (once of Genesis, then solo and not a depressive, despite some of his songs) often scoffs at interviewers who insit that he posesses any special talents. He claims that any success he had is due to hard work and slogging it out rather than any innate talent. If he wasn’t successful, he wouldn’t survive. Simple as that.

In a 1986 interview with Musician magazine he said, “If you put a gun to someone’s head and tell them that they will be dead in a year’s time unless they make a great work of art, they will suddenly be inspired to do so.”

Hope this helps.

Remember Mom’s friend who tried to commit suicide and had to be hopsitalized? She’s going to be receiving shock treatment now. This is nothing new to her — she also had shock treatment 27 years ago. Although Mom’s friend is convinced that nothing will ever help her, the odds are that she is wrong and shock therapy may be exactly what she needs. Over 100,00 people get shock treatment every year, according to MSNBC quoting from the National Mental Health Association.

What It’s Not

Whenever anyone says “shock treatment”, what immediately pops into your mind? It was any scene from One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, wasn’t it? Even though I’ve talked to people who had shock therapy and were able to manage life very well aftewards, thank you very much, I STILL think of a comotose Jack Nicholson whenever I hear anyone say “shock therapy.”

That’s not what shock therapy, or electroconvulsive therapy (ECT), is all about, although the jury is still out whether ECT can cause permanent brain damage.

What Is It All About, Then?

Yup — you still get a jolt of electric juice to the noggin, but not in the massive doses given to Jack Nicholson in One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest. Why do this to someone (insert your own joke here)? This triggers a grand mal seizure in the body. Now, a grand mal seizure is painful, so a patient always gets anethesia or some kind of painkiller before the power is turned on.

Also, it’s illegal to just subject anyone to electroconvulsive therapy. The patient has to sign papers to allow it. Also, the patient has to under go a round of antidepressants first. There are people with depression, schizophrenia or other mental illnesses that will not respond to any medication. It’s for these people that ECT is sometimes recommended.

You also get a basic chesk up and have to have blood tests done in order for the doctors to know whether your body is healthy enough for shock treatment.

You get all padded up, get a heart monitor on and the anesthesia kicks in so you are asleep. The juice is turned on and the seizure lasts from half a minute to a whole minute.

When you’re depressed or if your symptoms are kicking up, it can be very hard to relax. But you need to relax in order to digest your food, get decent sleep and generally keep from imploding. I’ve talked to many depressives who find reading to be one way they can relax. (I’m also a depressive who relaxes when reading). However, some books are far more relaxing than others.

When I mean relaxing, I mean something enjoyable to read, that’s not too taxing on the brain but also won’t but you to sleep. A list of books that will put you to sleep is an entirely different list for another day.

These books don’t directly deal with depression or mental illness. They’re more of a “one size fits all” kind of deal which can be read no matter what mood you happen to be in. Enjoy.

• Anything by Sylvia Browne. She’s a famous American psychic who appeared on television a lot and co-wrote a string of bestselling books based on her lives and misadventures. The writing is witty and engaging. You don’t have to believe in anything Browne talks about in order to get sucked into the book. (I mean that in a nice way). You will have to look in Non-fiction in order to find the books, though.
• Anything by James Herriot. (You know — the All Creatures Great and Small guy?). His real name was James Wight, but was uncomfortable using his real name, lest his clients be offended. They figured out who they were in his stories, anyway, and really didn’t mind.
• Children’s books. Why let the little crumb-crushers have all of the fun? Many children’s books are suprisingly complex — and, if you don’t have much time, you can usually get them done in one sitting, which can give you a feeling of accomplishment.
• The Magic of Xanth series by Piers Anthony. The best-selling fantasy series. You don’t have to read these in order, because the stories are pretty self contained. A lot of sex, though. And, even worse, a lot of puns. Some people find Anthony a bit too juvenile and prefer Terry Pratchett. So, if you’re not keen on Anthony, try any of Pratchett’s Discworld books.

You already have a hard enough time trying to get through life with clinical depression. Why make it any harder on yourself? Here are some suggestions about activities to avoid, otherwise you may find your symptoms of depression intensifying. Enjoy.

• Don’t count the number of dead animlas by the side of the road (not unless that’s part of your job).
• Don’t watch a documentary called America’s Lost H-Bomb right before going to bed. You won’t sleep for days, wondering about how anyone could loose an 8,000 pound H-bomb for over 50 years.
• Don’t call anyone from Scotland “Scotch”. They hate that. Of course, you’ll be knocked unconscius before you can have a chance to apologize.
• Don’t decide to clean the bathroom when anyone in the home has the flu.
• In a similar vein, don’t clean the floors of your home on a rainy day if you have a dog. Not unless you enjoy muddy pawprints. Otherwise, never mind.
• Don’t watch any of these movies.
• If you are an American with a Bachelor’s in English and you move to England, don’t tell the natives you have a degree in English. You won’t be believed. Ever. Not even if you bring the diploma with you.
• Don’t bang your head against a brick wall. (As George Carlin said, “Well, some people need practical advice”.)
• Don’t teach a pig to sing. It wastes your time and annoys the pig.
• Don’t rack your brains trying to remember where you first heard, “Don’t teach a pig to sing. It wates your time and annoys the pig.” Definitely wasn’t EB White.
• Don’t go out to eat, to the cinema or go shopping on Christmas Day. The employees there do not want to be there and will be really annoyed to see you. Not unless you come prepared with gifts for them, like chocolate, peppermint sticks or money. Then, they’ll at least plaster that fake smile on their faces. Ho-ho-ho.
• Don’t make your bed unless company is coming over and will, for some reason, enter your bedroom. Life is too short.
• Don’t write a list entitled, “Some Things Depressed People Shouldn’t Do” if you already have depression.

I have two favorite movies — Silence of the Lambs (1992 Best Picture) and Annie Hall (1977 Best Picture). I know — I’m cheating, but I can’t pick between the two. Annie Hall has been called Woody Allen’s masterpiece and quite a lot of other less flattering things, but there are scenes in it that people with any type of depression will be able to identify with. They certainly show how nobody seems to have a clue as to what you are going through, even if they have good intentions or work in the medical profession.

The first clip is Woody Allen’s character, Alvy Singer going to his first therapy session as a child.

The next is an incredible cameo from Christopher Walken. Oddly enough, I can identify with both Allen’s and Walken’s character:

The next is Alvy and Annie stnding in line discussing depression, therapy and polo mallets.

Hoped these helped.

Lucid dreams can greatly benefit someone with major depression. However, lucid dreams are not an overnight cure.

(Sorry. Runs and ducks for cover.)

Anyway

Lucid dreams are special dreams when you realize that you are dreaming. Some people describe it as “waking up” while still in the dream. Some people are born being able to lucid dream, others need to learn it. Some others (like me) were born with it, forgot how to do it as I got older and had ro re-learn the process all over again.

The Benefits

There are many benefits for a depressive to learn the art of lucid dreaming. Here are just a few:

• They’re fun. In my lucid dreams, I’ve been able to fly, talk to God (who was drunk at the time, so it wasn’t much of a conversation), ride wild horses and have romantic encounters with Peter Gabriel.
• They’re cheap therapy. Antidepressants and other medications for mental illness alone will not make you feel reasonably normal. In order for the antidepressants to help do the voodoo they do, you need to be very aware of your thinking and if you constantly beat yourself up in your thoughts or go to extremes.
• They help give you a sense of perception. It’s very hard to get an overall picture of how your life is because depression puts all these painful bits in the way. It’s like trying to get around at night with dark sunglasses on. Alll you see is the darkness.
• You can safely confront your nightmares. And see that they’re not so bad. I’ve even died in my dreams — no big deal.

Recognizing Dreams

Unless you have a really good memory, you need to keep a dream diary or journal for a couple of months. In this way, you get to recognize certain patterns in your dreams. These will be people, objects or situations that come up again and again. For example, many people report that words on a written page blur and change each time you look at it. For others, they may see clocks running backwards or suddenly leaping ahead hours when only seconds have gone by.

It can be hard to distinquish lucid dreams from real life. But if the laws of physics go out the window, I know it’s a dream (or really good drugs). For example, in the waking world, if I unplug a television, it stops working. But in the dream world, I unplug a television and it still keeps on working. Sometimes I then become fixated on how to turn the damn telly off, missing the fact that the telly is not importnat because I’m dreaming.

In this way, we can see the unplugged tellys in our waking life and realize that they are only distractions from the big picture.

Prescription drugs have two uses — what conditions the box says it should treat and what are called “off label” uses. For example, I currently take two prescription drugs — fluoxetine (generic Prozac) and verapamil (also a generic). I take generic Prozac for depression. That’s no big deal. Prozac is marketed as an anti-depressant, after all.

But I also take verapamil. It’s a high blood pressure medication. I don’t have high blood pressure. In fact, I have low blood pressure. However, many doctors have noted that many people who take verapamil have less headaches. So, I’m taking verapamil for an “off label” use.

So, if your doctor prescribves you antidepressants and you are not depressed, don’t take it personally. This is just an off label use. In these cases, you need to be very familiar with the drug warnings (just in case). Off label use of prescription medications is still a hot topic among many medical circles.

What other medical conditons can be treated with antidepressants?

Chronic Headaches and Migraines

Chances are, if you have chronic headaches or migraines, then you already have been diagnosed with depression. When you have one, you have a very high chance of having another. the culprit now thought to play a role in depression — serotonin — is now thought to play a part in migraines or some kinds of chronic headaches as well.

Trying To Quit Smoking

If you quit smoking, you will get depressed. How long and how severe this lasts differs from person to person. You can also experience trouble sleeping and will literally bite the heads off nails. Antidepressants like Wellbutrin are now usually prescribed to smokers who have just quit. Usually, the need to be on the antidepressants is only for a couple of months.

Urinary Incontinence

The antidepressant used here is called imipramine (brand name Trofanil). According to the Mayo Clinic’s website:

This antidepressant may occasionally be used in combination with other medications to treat incontinence. It causes the bladder muscle to relax, while causing the smooth muscles at the bladder neck to contract.

Insomnia

One of the benefits that many (but not all) people on antidepressants is that their sleep cycle gets regulated. For example, I was a chronic insomniac until I had Valium, marijuana, a handfull of Nyquil or generic Prozac. I can’t really recommend my first three methods of getting to sleep. Of course, a pill can’t completely cure insomnia. behavior modification needs to happen too, such as getting regular exercise and cutting down caffeine.