Insomnia

Feelingalone74

EZLiving66 said:

I'm going to try Unisom.

I'm going to try Unisom. Luckily for me, once I fall asleep, I stay asleep (I credit the CBD oil for that) BUT that "falling asleep" might not be until after 3 a.m. or after! Around midnight, I become wide awake. My whole life I have been a night person. The best job I ever had was working 6 p.m. to midnight proofing environmental health reports for an insurance company. I worked that shift so we didn't need a babysitter but it felt so good. I remember how miserable I was when I switched to working the daytime. 

I woke up today at 1:20 p.m. If I lived alone I really wouldn't care but my husband is one of those people is up by 6:30 every morning! He needs very little sleep while I need at least nine hours. If only I could fall asleep by midnight!!  Hopefully, the Unisom will help because I've tried just about everything else.  I'll report back.

Love,

Eldri

Hi Eldri, im the opposite. I

Hi Eldri, im the opposite. I can fall asleep but just cant stay asleep.I tried unisom but it didnt help me. I only slept for an hour an half at best.

Thank u for your suggestion though. 

Warmly, Michelle 

Feelingalone74

EZLiving66 said:

I'm going to try Unisom.

I'm going to try Unisom. Luckily for me, once I fall asleep, I stay asleep (I credit the CBD oil for that) BUT that "falling asleep" might not be until after 3 a.m. or after! Around midnight, I become wide awake. My whole life I have been a night person. The best job I ever had was working 6 p.m. to midnight proofing environmental health reports for an insurance company. I worked that shift so we didn't need a babysitter but it felt so good. I remember how miserable I was when I switched to working the daytime. 

I woke up today at 1:20 p.m. If I lived alone I really wouldn't care but my husband is one of those people is up by 6:30 every morning! He needs very little sleep while I need at least nine hours. If only I could fall asleep by midnight!!  Hopefully, the Unisom will help because I've tried just about everything else.  I'll report back.

Love,

Eldri

Hi Eldri, im the opposite. I

Hi Eldri, im the opposite. I can fall asleep but just cant stay asleep.I tried unisom but it didnt help me. I only slept for an hour an half at best.

Thank u for your suggestion though. 

Warmly, Michelle 

Feelingalone74

MAbound said:

?

Eldri and others who have been dealing with this for so long....have you ever asked your doctor about or considered going to a sleep clinic? With all of the trial and error that seems to be getting employed looking for relief, I wonder if some are creating worse problems for themselves. Perhaps some guidance from a place that specializes in sleep disorders would give guidance to what would be a customized way to deal with insominia for an individual's particular circumstances. Sometimes you can exacerbate problems trying to figure this out by yourself. 

MAbound, good suggestion and

MAbound, good suggestion and article. I told my husband this very thing this weekend that my primary needs to refer me to a sleep specialist to help me with my insomnia. Instead of being prescribed anxiety medications that only last up to 4 hours. I couldn't get in with my primary this past week and I saw a PA and told her the med I was on doesnt help much leaving me with only a few hrs sleep and that I don't want to be taking a controlled substance.  She prescribed me a med that is made for depression but she claims they use it widely to treat insomnia patients. I picked up the prescription but haven't taken it. I'm not sure why there isnt something for insomnia itself  .yes I am anxious from this diagnosis but the help I'm asking my doc for is the sleep problem. I also learned this weekend from my Facebook friends that menopause and insomnia can often be linked together.  Many said since menopause they only sleep a few hours. Not sure why my docs arent considering the fact that due to my hysterectomy in June that I'm going to experience symptoms from being surgically induced menopause.  I already have the hot flashes so perhaps this insomnia is more to do with menopause.  I dont know but 1 thing for sure as soon as I can get in with my doctor in telling her I don't want these controlled substances and refer me to a sleep specialist who have expertise in the field . 

Thank you always for your wisdom and advixe.

Warmly,  Michelle 

MoeKay

Great Idea, MAbound

A sleep specialist is a great idea, MAbound.  Here's a link to information on insomnia from the National Sleep Foundation, which might also be helpful:

https://www.sleepfoundation.org/sleep-disorders/insomnia

 

MAbound

Feelingalone74 said:

MAbound, good suggestion and

MAbound, good suggestion and article. I told my husband this very thing this weekend that my primary needs to refer me to a sleep specialist to help me with my insomnia. Instead of being prescribed anxiety medications that only last up to 4 hours. I couldn't get in with my primary this past week and I saw a PA and told her the med I was on doesnt help much leaving me with only a few hrs sleep and that I don't want to be taking a controlled substance.  She prescribed me a med that is made for depression but she claims they use it widely to treat insomnia patients. I picked up the prescription but haven't taken it. I'm not sure why there isnt something for insomnia itself  .yes I am anxious from this diagnosis but the help I'm asking my doc for is the sleep problem. I also learned this weekend from my Facebook friends that menopause and insomnia can often be linked together.  Many said since menopause they only sleep a few hours. Not sure why my docs arent considering the fact that due to my hysterectomy in June that I'm going to experience symptoms from being surgically induced menopause.  I already have the hot flashes so perhaps this insomnia is more to do with menopause.  I dont know but 1 thing for sure as soon as I can get in with my doctor in telling her I don't want these controlled substances and refer me to a sleep specialist who have expertise in the field . 

Thank you always for your wisdom and advixe.

Warmly,  Michelle 

Complicated

Insomnia is such a complicated issue that it makes sense that it might take someone who is a specialist to figure it out for an individual. It's just a bit scary to see how some jump from one thing to another trying to find something that works for their particular circumstances. Because it's complicated, it might be a bit much to expect a primary to have the right answer. Having had a prolonged dance with no sleep during chemo, I sure can appreciate the desparation part of insomnia and just can't stand the idea of anyone dealing with it long term night after night. I threw the suggestion out there in hopes it might turn on a light bulb for anyone who hasn't considered it. I sure didn't think of it earlier.

zsazsa1

Michelle, did the PA

Michelle, did the PA prescribe trazodone?  It's definitely worth a try.  Look at it this way - the situation you are going through is what's causing the severe insomnia.  Hopefully, after you are through treatment, and begin to trust that you are going to survive this, the insomnia will lessen.  So it's a temporary condition, and using sleep medication temporarily is appropriate.

Trazodone is an older antidepressant that has a very welcome side effect of making many patients sleepy.  For many people, it works well for insomnia, and also helps a bit with depression and anxiety.  A relatively low dose of it can be very effective for sleep.

Feelingalone74

MAbound said:

Complicated

Insomnia is such a complicated issue that it makes sense that it might take someone who is a specialist to figure it out for an individual. It's just a bit scary to see how some jump from one thing to another trying to find something that works for their particular circumstances. Because it's complicated, it might be a bit much to expect a primary to have the right answer. Having had a prolonged dance with no sleep during chemo, I sure can appreciate the desparation part of insomnia and just can't stand the idea of anyone dealing with it long term night after night. I threw the suggestion out there in hopes it might turn on a light bulb for anyone who hasn't considered it. I sure didn't think of it earlier.

I agree it might be a bit to

I agree it might be a bit to complex for a primary doc and them grasping straws and trying different things for the patient is t any good.  Seeing someone whose is expertise in sleep disorders definitely makes more sense.

Feelingalone74

zsazsa1 said:

Michelle, did the PA

Michelle, did the PA prescribe trazodone?  It's definitely worth a try.  Look at it this way - the situation you are going through is what's causing the severe insomnia.  Hopefully, after you are through treatment, and begin to trust that you are going to survive this, the insomnia will lessen.  So it's a temporary condition, and using sleep medication temporarily is appropriate.

Trazodone is an older antidepressant that has a very welcome side effect of making many patients sleepy.  For many people, it works well for insomnia, and also helps a bit with depression and anxiety.  A relatively low dose of it can be very effective for sleep.

Zsazsa1 She did but I'm

Zsazsa1 She did but I'm nervous to take it so I haven't yet. The side effects , like most med, are enough to scare anyone. 

I wish their was something all natural. I dont want these kinds of meds in my body. 

I'm hoping to get a referral to a sleep specialist. 

barnyardgal

I don't usually have trouble

I don't usually have trouble sleeping. But I found melatonin works great when I need it. They have it in different dosages, and I found 5 mg right for me, as the 10 mg really zonked me out so much I had trouble getting up with the alarm.