by random903 » Mon May 02, 2011 3:13 am
I'd like to weigh in on this. I'm new here - in fact I singed up just to share this info.
GABA worked for me, and has been working for me for over a year now (after four years insomnia, ages 21-25). And since even now I shudder to recall that period of life without sleep, I try and share my solution with whoever might benefit.
So, for what it's worth here's my little story:
One day, after a particularly maddening night of not sleeping, I saw a posting on an online message board by a guy who claimed he had solved his insomnia with a cocktail of over the counter supplements. I tried them myself and within two weeks I had the strangest sensation around bedtime: drowsiness! The cocktail was:
GABA, 750 mg (I take a mid-priced brand, while some only swear by the more expensive (pharma GABA).
Theanine or "L-Theanine." 100mg? Two pills. (100mg each? 50mg each? I'm no longer sure, but it's not too important)
5-HTP, one small pill.
The above is to be taken a few hours before bed, plus Taurine and B vitamins in the morning.
Take everything a few hours before bed. The GABA is the major force behind the operation. The Theanine allows the GABA to pass over from the bloodstream into the brain.
As I understand it, GABA is a neurotransmitter that we produce naturally. A study a few years back showed that chronic insomniacs have 30% (!!!) less GABA than normal sleepers. GABA is what might be called a neuro-inhibitor - it washes over the brain and night and dampens down neuron activity. Having insufficient GABA levels would thus seem to explain why insomniacs often say "At night, I can't turn my mind off."
I took the above regimen again for about two weeks before I felt an improvement. The GABA needs to build up in your brain. At this point I do not take it daily, only in spurts when I feel my insomnia starting to creep back. Also I only take the GABA and theanine now, though I do think the other supplements helped me kick-start of better brain chemistry. It's been a year of miraculous reversal of something I thought might ruin my life.
I have never felt any grogginess or drowsiness due to it, though I have noticed a desire for more nice, long, nine hour sleeps. The only side effect I've heard about (and this online), is the rare incidence of stomach pain / gas. I experience nothing of the sort.
I'm still not the world's greatest sleeper, and every once in a while I still have to take a nibble off an ambien. But I have my life back!
I hope someone out there finds this useful. Certainly what worked for me won't be the cure for all, but I thought it worth sharing. Good luck to all! There is light at the end of the tunnel.