How about chamomile tea and/or melatonin? Both are easily obtained from local department stores (read that as Wal-Mart now a days). They are herbal. The chamomile will help to ease his tension and the melatonin is a natural substaince found in the body.
Just take caution if this does work and don't continue to do this nightly. It is much more helpful to utilize the melatonin as a backup for the really bad nights and to get in the habit of doing the following.
1. Set a worry time during the day of about 15 minutes. Make a list, worry your little heart out for that 15 minutes; either on everything on the list or one item...whatever suits you. I do this at 3 p.m. daily. I refuse to worry during any other time of the day. Instead, I put the problem on my "worry list".
2. Set a time for sleep. (Example: 10 p.m. nightly)
3. An hour before bedtime, begin to turn the lights down, turn the T.V. off, stay off the computer and fix and drink that cup of chamomile tea.
4. Turn the heat down. It is proven that we sleep better in a bedroom that is on the cool side.
5. Remove the t.v. from the bedroom and just sleep and make nookie in the bedroom, all other activities should be off limits. That includes reading.
6. If you can't sleep in about 25 - 30 minutes, get up.
If it is a problem or fear that is keeping you up, check to make sure you have it on your worry list. Promise yourself that you will address it tomorrow at 3 p.m. (or whenever your worry time is scheduled.)
DO NOT start reading your worry list. The objective is to reassure your subconscience that you have ackowledged the worry or fear and plan to deal with it. Not to get bogged down by the size and scope of all life's major and minor problems.
7. As soon as you start to feel sleepy, make your way back to bed.
8. Try for another 25 - 30 minutes to fall asleep. If you still can't sleep, fix another cup of chamomile tea and repeat step 6 and 7.
9. One more time try for 25 - 30 minutes to fall asleep. This time if you can't sleep, take a small dose of melatonin. My melatonin tablets are 3mg This is to high a dosage for me and totally zonks me out. I use a pill splitter and take only 1/4 of that 3mg tablet. Repeat step 6 and 7.
10. Usually this time I fall asleep without further incident.
I know this is a long list. Feels like it's to much bother. But believe me, a good night's sleep is worth it. And most people only have to do this for a couple of weeks before they are sleeping like baby's. The trick is to stick with the same bedtime, give yourself that time to worry every day, and to ease into sleep.
Good Luck.
