Calm's Forte Sleep Aid
Cons: Not as easy to find as other sleep aids
I am in a stage of my life where I only get about five hours of sleep every night. It doesn't help that I have to get up at 5:30 every morning! I needed something that would help me fall asleep faster as well as helping me stay asleep through the night once I did fall asleep. I often wake up several times before the alarm goes off, and many times I get up feeling extremely tired.
After being hooked on Unisom for years, I was determined to get off of the stuff. I did manage to wean myself off of the Unisom, but it took me several weeks. Just when I thought I had my problems kicked, I again had problems falling asleep quickly every night. Then one day I read a review on Epinions about Hyland's Calms Forte, and I remembered that my husband used Hyland's Calms when we were first married 27 years ago. He would always take it with us on a trip or vacation because he slept more restless when he was not in his own bed. Hyland's makes two formulas, Calms and Calms Forte. (It's the Forte that I recently tried).
Calms Forte is a product made to help relax the body of nervous tension, and I can take it without worrying about a bad reaction to cold medicines or other supplements I am taking. Since Unisom is an antihistamine, I was always very worried about taking cold medicines at bedtime, thinking the two would not be synergistic.
Product Claims (From The Bottle)
* 100% natural
* No side effects
* Stress relief
* Non habit forming
* Homeopathic
Passiflora Incarnata HPUS 1X Triple Strength (Passion Flower), Avena Sativa HPUS 1X Double Strength (Oat), Humulus Lupulus 1X (Double Strength) (Hops), Chamomilla HPUS 2X (Chamomile), Calcarea Phosphorica 3X HPUS (Calcium Phosphate), Ferrum Phosphorica 3X (Iron phosphate), Kali Phosphoricum HPUS 3X (Potassium Phosphate), Natrum Phosphoricum HPUS 3X (Sodium Phosphate), Magnesia Phosphoricum HPUS 3X (Magnesium Phosphate), In a Base of Lactose, N.F. Calcium Sulfate, Starch (Corn and Tapioca), Magnesium Stearate.
I don't take these every night, but when something is bothering me and I have a hard time turning my mind off, these do help me to relax and fall asleep about 1/2 hour sooner than normal, but the big difference is that I stay asleep and don't wake groggy.
There have been times when even taking Unisom would make me feel hung over or "out of it" the next morning, and I don't like that feeling.
The bottle states that these pills can be taken several times a day as a simple relaxant. Or I can take up to 3 tablets 1/2 hour before I want to go to sleep to help with insomnia. I usually take only one, two if I really have a lot on my mind.
I remember one trip with my in-laws and my husband gave some Hyland's Calms to his dad to help him get a better nights sleep, and they seemed to work for him as well. I can't believe I totally forgot about these pills! It took reading a review here on Epinions to remind me of them.
Today Hyland's still makes both Calms and Calms Forte, although I really don't know what the differences are between them. I just know that the Calms Forte does help take the edge off and allow me to sleep more restful. I plan on taking these the next time I have to fly, because I really don't enjoy air travel.
There are a few other things that I have found that help me to relax and sleep better at night. Maybe these suggestions will help you as well:
* Take a hot bath
* Drink chamomile tea before bed
* Turn off the laptop 1 hour before retiring
* No sugar or chocolate after dinner
* Read in bed
Hyland's Calms Forte seem to dissolve quickly, and I really do find that they help me to relax. My husband gets up at 4:30 every morning, and if I don't go to bed when he does, I wake him up when I do retire. Because of this, we often both go to bed earlier than I'd like, and that is part of the problem, I'm wide awake.
I have read that using a computer up until bedtime isn't a good idea, it's too visually stimulating and can contribute to insomnia. After getting into the habit of turning off the computer earlier in the evening and doing something else relaxing, like knitting, also makes a difference.
The best thing about the Calms Forte is that I stay asleep once I have gotten to sleep. I am out until the alarm goes off at 5:30, and I get up feeling more rested and don't have that hungover feeling.
I have not noticed any side effects with Calms Forte either. These are also much cheaper than the Unisom that I took for so many years. A 100 count bottle of Hyland's Calms Forte runs about $8.00 at a health food store in our mall. Compare that to the $10 for 32 Unisom pills!
Calms Forte are harder to find, I wish they were found in supermarkets along side of other sleep aids, but I have yet to see them there.
If you have trouble falling asleep, or need an all natural pill to help relax you, I highly recommend Hyland's Calms Forte.
If you are really struggling with full blown insomnia, Hyland's also makes a formula specifically for that, called Hyland's Insomnia, but I have not tried it.