Insomnia.....

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stayingstrongfortoday
stayingstrongfortoday Member Posts: 116
in Breast Cancer #1
OK I know I am hyped up on steroids and my doc even gave me ambian but up at 4am just sets me up for a long day of feeling sleep deprived and grumpy. I know during my initial diagnosis I went through a similiar thing and it passed. Do you just get up when you can't sleep or do you try to relax and rest....I have all the "staples" of drugs to relax but when the mind wants to play "cancer 101" in the middle of the night it's a little hard to take. Ugh.

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  • camul
    camul Member Posts: 2,537
    #2
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    Unfortunately some of us are
    Unfortunately some of us are here with you. New meds, I think will need to take them earlier! Good thing I don't have to get up in an hour!
  • butterflylvr
    butterflylvr Member Posts: 944
    #3
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    camul said:

    Unfortunately some of us are
    Unfortunately some of us are here with you. New meds, I think will need to take them earlier! Good thing I don't have to get up in an hour!

    I crashed whenever my body
    I crashed whenever my body told me it needed to, some days 4 hours was enough others I needed 8. I never sleep totally through the night, but when your mind is racing you might as well get up. I've found that if I venture into the livingroom and put on the tv, it helps shut my mind down and sleep soon follows. Be sure and take the alarm clock with you though.. LOL

    Good luck,
    Lorrie
  • wndringmnd
    wndringmnd Member Posts: 44
    #4
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    sleep
    I have trouble without sleep as well. sometimes going 24 hours with no sleep. my mind just thinks and thinks about all the cancer info treatments i've been through and have coming up and will it be enough...I don't work, but my husband put it this way, "your job is to get better, sleep when you need to sleep and stay up when you need to stay up, your body will make those decisions fo you." as long as I continue to take my medicine on time I try tto only worry about the big stuff
    hugs
  • LoveBabyJesus
    LoveBabyJesus Member Posts: 1,679 Member
    #5
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    Listen to your body...
    Like right now, my body is telling me to go nap. I just had my first teatment of Taxol last Friday. Had trouble sleeping the first two nights and took ativan: slept like a baby. I also tend to speak to God when I am anxious (there is a prayer my grandmother taught me when I was a kid that I continue to do. I think she might have made it up too). Anyway...so I pray and all of the sudden, I fall asleep.

    Everyone is different. But do listen to your body when it asks for rest.

    Good luck!
  • chenheart
    chenheart Member Posts: 5,159
    #6
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    I went to the Belleruth
    I went to the Belleruth Napersteck website and got some Guided Imagery CD's~ I use them when I can't sleep, or when I feel overwhemed by "stuff"... I have a headset and have the CD in a Walkman by my bedside~ though I admit that at first it was foreign and a bit difficult for me to listen, breathe, and relax, I quickly let go and actually fall asleep listening and visualizing pleasant things.
  • poplolly
    poplolly Member Posts: 346
    #7
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    I had trouble sleeping
    I had trouble sleeping before the "equal opportunity destroyer" came into my life. My doctor raised my ambien to 10mg. If I go to be before 11:00 at night, I know I'll be awake by about 4 or 5. Sometimes I can turn on the TV on low and nap a little more. But I have been known to do scrapbooking, etc. at 4 in the morning.
  • CypressCynthia
    CypressCynthia Member Posts: 4,014 Member
    #8
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    I have always been prone to
    I have always been prone to insomnia. I have a 15-20 minute rule. If, after waking up in the middle of the night, I can't fall asleep within about that amount of time, I read. The reading gets my mind off my worries and hopefully makes me sleepy again. I try to not read something too exciting at night though or that can keep me up too ;-)
  • natly15
    natly15 Member Posts: 1,941
    #9
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    CypressCynthia said:

    I have always been prone to
    I have always been prone to insomnia. I have a 15-20 minute rule. If, after waking up in the middle of the night, I can't fall asleep within about that amount of time, I read. The reading gets my mind off my worries and hopefully makes me sleepy again. I try to not read something too exciting at night though or that can keep me up too ;-)

    I get those nights and just
    I get those nights and just go with it. If I wake in the middle of the nite and find that sleep has evaded, I get up watch tv and log on to the boards as I have done this AM. Reading is also a good idea but it's difficult for me to focus at 2 am.
  • csr771
    csr771 Member Posts: 117
    #10
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    Non-sleeper
    I had trouble sleeping before BC and other issues. I am an ambien (zolpidem) girl--10MG and at least I am resting. There are times of course when it doesn't work, but I do my best to relax. It is a hard thing to do, because it is almost like trying to shut your thoughts off (which is why it doesn't work well). Prayer/meditation is always good. Worry doesn't add anything and it certainly doesn't help. It adds to the stress and my negative mental wanderings. I am considering yoga.

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