A Day Of Labor= Big Problems With Falling Asleep

[godslyric]

I have been taking it real easy the last 6 months or so as far as physical labor goes. I live on a sailboat and I had to wash the boat yesterday, it takes about 3 hours to do a good job. Every step of the way I was being very diligent in making sure I was staying relaxed so i don't push to much adrenaline into the system. I thought I was doing a good job of it. I felt pretty good all day. When I went for a walk later that night, I was having shallow breathing and felt exhausted. I came home watched a movie and went to bed. That's when the things started to become very difficult. I was feeling as if I drank a pot pf coffee (I don't drink coffee) My BP and HR were a bit elevated. (Usually when I'm lying down getting ready to go to sleep after taking about 1000mgs of Magnesium Citrate, my BP is around 118/70 or so, and my HR is around 54 unless I'm having a POTS crash then all bets are off. My HR goes from a low of 54 to highs of 95 all day). My nerves were feeling like they were scraped along the sidewalk, and every time I started to fall asleep, I would get a serge in my gut and jerk right out on my sleep state. This went on for a few hours. I prayed continuously and fell asleep around 2:00 or so. The thing is, after sleeping for a wile the serges stopped the rest of the night. This always happens after I push myself past a point with labor. I wouldent mind hearing from you guys on this. In Christ, Jeff

[firewatcher]

Physical activity switches on the ol' catecholamines machine and it takes a while for the body to rid itself of all the extras running through your system. The only thing that I might suggest would be a beta blocker to dampen down the response to the activity.

[erik]

I can't be a big help but will say that I have phases like that myself! Mine probably relate to exercise or perhaps overall stress too. I have had outright "myoclonic jerks" which are little seizures (usually considered quite benign). At worst, there is a frightening very brief "panic" too. Probably an extended "hypersensitive" state, just as you describe. For me, exercise & stress are partial triggers but not the whole picture... there are times I can exercise and have uninterrupted sleep (even enhanced by being extra tired)... there are times that exercise seems to backfire. Not sure of a fix. Some say to avoid exertion too late in the day... might be worth doing when possible... but I usually wait until "cool time" to exercise (which means evening).

[lalalisa]

Hello,

I found this interesting because 4 months ago while in the hospital after having a C Section I experienced the jerking awake. My body would jerk awake every time I fell asleep...it was horrible! It went on for about 5 days and slowly got better. The frustrating part is that the less sleep you get the more it seems to happen so it's a vicious cycle.

I find it interesting that you live on a boat!

Take care,

Lisa

[janiedelite]

I had a sleep study a few months ago to check for sleep apnea (don't have it ) but I did have quite a few of those disruptive jerks just as I was falling asleep. The sleep doc (who admittedly knew nil about dysautonomia) said they were hypagognic jerks, which were normal and occurred when we are overly tired. All I know is that when you have them every night, several times in a row, they're so annoying! And yes, I notice that I have them more when I've got more adrenaline going, and it doesn't take much to cause excess adrenaline in us.

[godslyric]

Hey Lisa, living on a boat is my way of not letting this illness rob me of everything. So far it has taken my career (music), and my joy for surfing, traveling, and a whole lot of social possibilities. I'm going to live on the water even if I cant sail where I want to sail, I can still enjoy the ocean.

For years before I was diagnosed with dysautonomia, they thought I was staying up for days at a time was from Bipolar and PTS. I had no tools for dealing with it at that time, so I just took them at their word and took the drugs. The drugs took years away from me and caused more problems then they helped. But I do remember the 2 and 3 day cycles starting up with these jerks and the adrenaline serges that go along with them. Not being able at the time to deal with it, having no information other then from shrinks, I just did the best I could and took the drugs. I havent had any drugs in my system for 5 years now, through meditation, Chi Gong, and Scriptures Im able to bypass the long term outcome of these serges and jerks. I haven't had to stay awake for 3 days in years now. Thank God! But when the serges and jerks rear their ugly head I do get a bit on edge knowing just how much trouble they have brought me in the past. When I feel the sedges rushing through my system as those jerks hit, I cant help but to think it could do the dirty deed and send me back into another tail spin, but they never do these days. These jurks are always right as I am about to enter into that dream state, then pow. lol I never get a good nights sleep when this is going on. It takes a few days for the system to get back on track. Well...back on track might not be the right phrase.

[potsgirl]

Have you been diagnosed with anything specific in the dysautonomia family? Tilt table testing or any other of those fun tests? Just curious....

[ramakentesh]

In patients with hyperadrenergic presentations one of the theories is that orthostatic activity results in normal releases of norepinephrine but abnormal reuptake, so it stays at the synpatic cleft for longer and its effects are potentiated. This also happens in Low Flow POTS but is the result of reduced neuronal nitric oxide potentiating norepinephrine.

As Firewatcher says - on those days I take a beta blocker or (that great evil) sink a beer and it gets rid of it.

I find when im coming out of a crash this symptom is more pronounced - with physical activity eventually my body readjusts until the next crash.

[Rachel]

I have experienced something very similar. It happens occasionally, but I don't know why. I haven't noticed it happening after a day of what is more physical labor than normal for me. It is the worst if I take Benadryl before going to bed. I don't take Benadryl at all anymore.

Rachel

[erik]

Funny that you mention benadryl! I've been trying Benadryl myself just recently (though had prior used Tylenol PM and such)... and have really disturbed sleep with it. Might be a rebound effect (when it wears off) or maybe the thing itself. Had hoped for a mild sedative effect but it backfired.

[firewatcher]

Benadryl works directly on the central nervous system, the fact that it is a potent antihistamine is actually a side effect. Obviously it will have different effects in different people. I have had the rebound effect explained this way: the body is used to a certain amount of neurochemicals in the system, if you take something that dampens their effect or reduces their levels, the body will "rev-up" to get to it's pre-medicated state. Once the drug wears off, you have higher than normal amounts of everything in the system and your symptoms "re-bound."

I have never been sedated by benadryl (or Klonopin or Ambien or Lunesta or ........; however at the beginning of my worst POTS crash, it was the only thing that made me functional (due to tremors and headache.)

[potsgirl]

How interesting. I could never get any sleep aid from Ambien, Rozerem, or Lunesta either. Once in a while, if I feel like I really need an afternoon nap, I'll take a Benadryl, but I always regret it. It makes me sooo drowsy for the first couple of hours, and then I get kind of 'anxious' as it wears off. I wonder if my Klonopin is making my sleeping situation better or worse. I take .25 mg of it at night currently, but have been trying to wean myself off. It's incredibly difficult, even with that small amount! Anyone else trying to get off Konopin or Xanax?

[godslyric]

Anything I have ever taken for anxiety, or sleep has reared its ugly head and bit be in the behind. Sometime I get bit right away, sometime it takes a wile, but I can be sure of one thing, it will bit me in the butt. I spent years on medications, and its always the same thing, I need more to keep the effect and more side effects appear as I stay on it (BP dropping or elevating, PVC's PAC's sleep problems, Gastro problems, major anxiety afterwards) . And getting off meds is always a nightmare.

I was on atenolol for 5 years, it almost killed me getting off the stuff. ER's 200 bpm HR, Super ventricular contractions you name it, crawling out of my skin. The last go round with the bata blockers, I just decided to get off all the drugs altogether. It took me almost 2 years to ween of the stuff. My Cardio Doc was shocked at my reaction to the drug. Its a shame beta blockers had alot going for it, but the the truth is my system doesn't handle any drugs.

I get reactions from B-12, amino acids and a host of other stuff. Today I just eat whole foods, walk a couple a miles a day, sleep on a rigid schedule, and stay as far from stress as I can get. When I do feel the need to medicate, I usually go with diazepam, it's the devil I know best. But it messes with my BP about 36 hrs after taking it, and I start getting faint and get some pronounced PVC"s. Haven't tried any of the new drugs in the last 8 years or so. But Im thinking I'm doin OK without the meds at this point. But Thats just me, I wouldn't recommend my take on this to anyone else, its just my experience at this point. In Christ, Jeff