Better Sleep / RLS Medication

This whole process has really done a number on my sleep!


My mind just doesn't want to turn off, and I have been awake long into the wee hours more nights than I care to count.  Some nights it's been worry, some just  thinking and planning.


I don't like to take sleeping pills because I don't want to be dependent on them and if I take them  late in the night I am totally groggy for most of the morning.


Many nights I will take a Benadryl  because it helps the "post menopausal" itchy skin, and sometimes helps me fall asleep without having a morning hangover effect.


I also have had a life long battle with RLS  "Restless Leg Syndrome."  Some nights I don't know how Craig can sleep so peacefully next to me as I thrash and kick.  I had actually worn a large whole thru the foot area of the last set of sheets I replaced.  Some evenings my legs are so restless I find it hard to sit in my chair and read.  Other nights they don't give me any discomfort until an hour or so after I'm in bed.


I have a wonderful medication I can take for this.  It is Clonazepam.  But, the doctor advised me not to take it every night because it is both addictive and can loose it's effectiveness.  With this in mind I only take it when I can't stand the RLS anymore.  I find that if I take it for 3 nights, I really "Want" to take it the fourth. So I never do.


When it was first prescribed, I looked it up on the web to see if there were any side effects that I should know about.  I learned that the primary use of it is as an anti-anxitey medication.  Calming restless legs is a secondary effect.  


Since I haven't used it for over a month, my legs have become increasingly jumpy so I decided to take one last night.


Wonderful!  I had a very peaceful, restful, calm nights sleep.  I caught my mind wandering toward a few worries, and then felt myself relax and think, "That's no big deal."  "All will be well."  "Life is good." "You can answer that question tomorrow."  


The nice thing is I wake rested and not groggy the next morning.


Sometimes we just need a little help!