Sleeping

[purplefocus]

Has anyone had this problem. I am having problems with sleeping too much. The past few days I have just feel asleep where ever I am, in the chair, couch or bed. All during the day I feel so sleepy, like I haven't had sleep in a week. There has been no change in my medication and I still sleep at night. Normally I am a light sleeper and wake up very easy. My husband said he has had a hard time waking me up and that last nite he couldn't arouse me at all. Today I was sitting in a chair watching cartoons with my son and I tried hard not to fall asleep but I did and woke up almost an hour later , fortunately my son was still sitting there watching tv. Any suggestions?

Paige

[Meghan]

Paige,

I'm sorry to hear that you have been so sleepy lately! I do have a suggestion for you. I take a medication called Provigil to help with fatigue. It's actually an anti-narolepsy drug which is used to prevent sleepiness during the day. My POTS doctor prescribed it for me because I was tired all the time, and it has helped a lot. (I took it for a month or so and got bad stomachaches, went off it for awhile, and now he has me back on it; it's been working well this time around. I take 50 mgs twice a day, once at 8 AM once at noon).

Something like this might be able to help to keep you more awake during the day. It might be worth talking to your doctor about.

Hope that all is well!

Best Wishes,

Meghan

[calypso]

My neurologist also wants me to try Provigil once I stop breastfeeding, but for now, here's my non-drug remedy: Fight the urge and do the opposite. If you feel like sleeping, go for a walk. I am not sure what your activity level is right now, but do everything you possibly can, and more, to fight the fatigue. Exercise is the only thing that wakes me up and keeps me awake. Don't give yourself a choice, either -- it is too easy to tell yourself that you can take a nap and exercise tomorrow, or go for a walk after the nap. That doesn't work.

The more you sleep, the more tired you will feel. No more than 7-8 hours a night, and if you must nap, sleep 6-7 at night and no more than a 1-hour nap.

Amy

[corina]

Hi Paige,

my neuro described an anti-narcolepsy med as well, called methylfenidaat HCI. This worked very well in not falling asleep during the day (which I do for about two to three times a day for about 15 to 20 minutes) but didn't work for raising bp (what was his reason to describe this med). Because it didn't work for raising bp I got off it and immediately went back to falling asleep during the day. Since I don't work or drive anymore I just let it happen, it makes me feel better for a while when I wake up. I understand that this is not something to do when you have a little one around so maybe you should ask your doctor about it.

Best wishes,

Corina

[pamyla]

Hi Paige, I'm usually a light sleeper too and tend more towards insomnia. However, occasionally my body goes into a deep sleep (I feel almost drugged) and I find myself sleeping long periods. When I drag myself out of bed I usually spend the entire day feeling foggy. For me, this usually only lasts a few days and then gets progressively better. When I hit these periods I try to get more rest than usual. I think my body is just trying to achieve balance and for whatever reason I need the extra rest.

However, I agree with making yourself get out of bed at a reasonable hour, cause the last thing you want to do is mess up your sleep schedule even more. So, I'll let myself stay in bed for an extra hour or two and then I'll get up and have a low key day.

Hope you get to feeling more rested soon

Pam

[ethansmom]

Paige,

Extreme fatigue during the day is my single most plaguing problem- and these last 6 months or so, I have had trouble sleeping at night, too. It takes me a while to fall asleep, and I only get a good 4-5 hours, then I start tossing and turning until morning comes- it's so frustrating.

I'm glad to know that there are drug options available, I will talk to my new doctor about them for sure- however, I think I need to focus on my sleep habits as well- like Amy said, getting about 8 (for me, 9) hours of sleep and trying not to nap makes things a bit better, and it's easy to fall into the rut of sleeping too much, which is where I'm at now too. I also go in cycles- when my period is over, the week that follows is my most difficult. I'd love to start exercising instead of napping,but it robs me of ALL my energy for the rest of the day.

You are definitely not alone!

[BuddyLeesWife]

My husband has been doing well taking Cerefolin, the vitamin-based prescription, and feels less fatigued with no negative side effects to report. There is an extensive recent post on the subject.

[blackwolf]

I also have trouble sleeping. I either seem to not sleep at all or sleep to much. Earlier I had left a note about starting a new med, it is theophylline. Normally used for asthma, I've had really good results. I take either 150mg or 300mg depending on what I'm doing. If I find out later in the day that I will be a little busier, I can take the other 150mg(before 4pm). I am slowly adjusting to a better sleeping pattern. I fall asleep faster and wake up better. I still get sleepy during the day, but I find that a short nap(30 minutes) is enough. I agree with some of the others, try to get moving when you feel overly tired. Mabey consider a light snack, crackers, fruit, or dry cereal.

Good Luck, Blackwolf

[ramakentesh]

i too get very tired periods where i can barely keep my eyes open and also no matter how long i sleep in on the weekend - after dragging myself outof bed every day for a week for work - i still feel really tired. Once ive eaten though im much better.

My biggest tip for fighting that tired cant keep my eyes open feeling is an apple or orange juice.