Need help with insomnia

Irene I too had insomnia
I think mine was from the steroids. I still have nights where I can't go to sleep until 2:00 or 3:00 in the morning. I have tried Benadryl and Melatonin. I try one or the other. Sometimes they work, and sometimes it does not work. Those nights I get up and read. Luckily I can sleep in, but then I can' go to bed at a normal time the next night. It becomes a viscous cycle. I try not to nap during the day. If I feel tired, I go for a walk to wake me up. I know I get more emotional when I don't sleep, especially if it goes on for several days. Hope your Ambien works for you. In peace and caring.

Alteril
Hi Irene,
I had trouble with insomnia until I found a wonderful OTC pill called Alteril. It's a combination of melatonin, L-tryptophan(the substance in turkey that makes you want to nap), valerian root and several other homeopathic ingredients. I swear by it. I've been using it for months and it's wonderful. You can buy at any drug store or even Walmart. I don't think that it's contraindicated in chemo, but you could ask your oncologist. Just take it an hour before you want to sleep. I haven't found anything better.

Laura

Songflower said:

Insomnia
Sometimes ativan helps. It is a benzodiazpine and can be addicting so you have to use it wisely. But it it can help get in a better pattern if ambien doesn't work. I have never tried lunesesta (the butterfly one on television) I tried melatonin but it gave me a headache. Whenever I take an OTC I check with my Doctor before taking any OTC or organic; alot of them have not been studied with chemo.

Love,Diane

night owl
I have always been a night owl and now it is worse than ever - I seem to get these bursts of energy about 11 PM. I also am lucky that I can sleep in. I take 1/4 of a tiny Ambien and probably am fooling myself into thinking that it helps.

I asked my doctor about becoming addicted to Ambien and then answered my own question.....so what?

Sometimes I am sure that people think I am a slug when I sleep in until 9 or 10 — but if I have not gone to sleep until 3 what's the difference?

Last night I was exhausted at 10:30 and went to bed then, only to toss and turn, sleeping off and on, until 4 when I got up and read for an hour.

joann

imackie48 said:

Sleep
I decided it take an 1/2 pil of Advil PM it it worked, it was a good sound sleep.
Irene

Diphenhydramine
This is the sleep-inducing ingredient in Advil PM. It is an antihistamine, which affects some people like myself exactly the opposite of how i is meant to work. In other words, it wakes me up!

Glad it worked for you and that you got some good sleep!

JOANN

RoseyR said:

Night Owl Too

I too struggle not with insomnia, pe se, but strange biorythyms: am at my worst late afternoon and at my best from about 10 to 2 in the morning: bursts of vitality and lucidity make me want to work THEN more than anytime else.

As a result, I often sleep late and today as late as NOON. (Had been up till 3:30 last night).

Since I'm on sabbatical leave and have no expected schedule, it's no problem--but have read from many sources that our pineal glands secrete melatonin most easily between 1:00 and 3:00 a.m. so the optimal time to go to sleep is around ten.

Ten! Most nights I try to get into bed by eleven and be asleep by midnight; when that happens, I'm doing well.

Am trying o force self into getting up early tomorrow to force sleepiness by 10 tomorrow night. (Have you ever TRIED to get onto an earlier schedule? I find it so uncivliized, esp i winter, to get up before 10, shamefully.

Or do you think there is something TO the theory of biorhythms and that we shouldn't fight our "natural" inclinations?

Rosey

circadian rhythms
Circadian rhythms have a genetic component, genes that turn our internal clocks off and on. I have also read that a short period of sleep during the day, aka a power-nap, does not have any measurable effect on normal circadian rhythms, but can decrease stress and improve productivity.

"The 'master clock' that controls circadian rhythms consists of a group of nerve cells in the brain called the suprachiasmatic nucleus, or SCN. The SCN contains about 20,000 nerve cells and is located in the hypothalamus, an area of the brain just above where the optic nerves from the eyes cross. "

"Circadian rhythms are important in determining human sleep patterns. The body’s master clock controls the production of melatonin, a hormone that makes you sleepy. Since it is located just above the optic nerves, which relay information from the eyes to the brain, the SCN receives information about incoming light. When there is less light—like at night—the SCN tells the brain to make more melatonin so you get drowsy."

I am not sure it is really possible to totally re-set one's internal clock or permanently change one's circadian rhythm. Maybe you just need to give in to it, if possible.

"Recent research has shown that: adults have a built-in day, which averages about 24 hours; indoor lighting does affect circadian rhythms; and most people attain their best-quality sleep during their chronotype-determined sleep periods." Here is the link to read about chronotype:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chronotype

Hannah

I Will Survive said:

circadian rhythms
Circadian rhythms have a genetic component, genes that turn our internal clocks off and on. I have also read that a short period of sleep during the day, aka a power-nap, does not have any measurable effect on normal circadian rhythms, but can decrease stress and improve productivity.

"The 'master clock' that controls circadian rhythms consists of a group of nerve cells in the brain called the suprachiasmatic nucleus, or SCN. The SCN contains about 20,000 nerve cells and is located in the hypothalamus, an area of the brain just above where the optic nerves from the eyes cross. "

"Circadian rhythms are important in determining human sleep patterns. The body’s master clock controls the production of melatonin, a hormone that makes you sleepy. Since it is located just above the optic nerves, which relay information from the eyes to the brain, the SCN receives information about incoming light. When there is less light—like at night—the SCN tells the brain to make more melatonin so you get drowsy."

I am not sure it is really possible to totally re-set one's internal clock or permanently change one's circadian rhythm. Maybe you just need to give in to it, if possible.

"Recent research has shown that: adults have a built-in day, which averages about 24 hours; indoor lighting does affect circadian rhythms; and most people attain their best-quality sleep during their chronotype-determined sleep periods." Here is the link to read about chronotype:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chronotype

Hannah

About circadian rhythmn and the body clock
Hi, I am interested in what you have written about lighting affecting circadian rhythmn. I have fibromyalgia on top of endo ca. Have always had problems with sleep and do not take sleep meds. I found a great book on this subject in my local library by Dr Helen Wright and Prof Leon Lack who both work at Flinders University in South Australia. Sleep study is their specialty. The book is really interesting and I have tried some of the suggestions especially in relation to light therapy and keeping my room dark. I have also experimented with candle gazing which I learned from a yoga teacher. Supposed to increase secretion of melatonin. Have a look at www.3stepstobettersleep.com.au/