Sleepy sleeplessness?

[Star382000]

I've been trying to look and see if this was brought up elsewhere and if it was then I'm just more scatterbrained than usual but I am just so tired but I can't fall back asleep! This is happening to me so much lately. I am being forced to keep pushing myself with school and just being there each day I am being forced and having to push myself so hard and I'll come home and fall asleep but whenever I sleep now I always wake up many times during the stretch I am sleeping and sometimes I wont be able to fall back asleep, even though I am so tired and drained and I know my body needs the sleep, I just can't fall asleep does this happen to anyone else? Any suggestions?

[jbbb]

Yes, it does with my daughter. I think it is the main reason she isn't in school at all, now. In fact, I'm up now with her because she was feeling particulary bad (sh'e 15). Dr. Grubb says it can go with the territory of POTS. There are some sleeping meds you can try, but, they often don't work (at least they didn't with my daughter). Mayo says her sleep results are extreme, and she doesn't really get much significant sleep at all. I think there are a lot of PTS patients who suffer with this. Anyone have any thoughts? Joan

[Guest tearose]

Hi kate, this happens to me a lot! It usually will happen for a spell of a couple of weeks and then go away. Sometimes I can't sleep for more than three consecutive hours during the night and then I'll be dragging my body around or laying around for the next couple of days till after finally being soooo tired I'll fall asleep at any time of day. It can be frustrating especially if I want to be awake for something important. The best suggestion I have is to try to rest whenever you have something important coming up that you need to be alert for. I was pleased after I did a sleep study to learn and see the results that explained why I wasn't getting restful sleep. I have hundreds of mini-awakenings during sleep. Not because of the typical snoring or sleep apnea, but because my autonomic nervous system is firing up during my sleep. Some people can take a sleep medicine to help them. I tend to do the old fashioned remedies. Again, after a few days of not sleeping you should finally fall asleep out of sheer exhaustion!!!

Take care, tearose

[Nicole's Mom]

tearose,

When you say mini-awakenings do you mean that you are conscious of being awakened many times or did the sleep study show that these mini-awakenings are on an unconscious level? Were they able to explain how the firing up of you autonomic nervous system appeared in their observations or on the "graph paper" results? Like how it showed itself in action?

Thanks,

Best Wishes,

Beverly

[Guest tearose]

Hi Bev, (How's Nicole?)

The awakenings are actually called "sleep arousals" and I have no awareness of them at all! It was incredible to see the actual documented movement on the "graphs"! You can actually see hundreds of these mini episodes. The bad news was that they did not do constant blood pressure monitoring so I won't know what my bp was unless I repeat the sleep study. So, we do know the ANS was firing up just don't know if it was responding to blood pooling. take care, tearose

[geneva]

sleep disturbances are pretty common. I can lay awake for hours before falling asleep and then sleep well or go to sleep quickly and wake exhausted. I think my ANS has about 3 sleep patterns but the best sleep I get regardless of sleep pattern is between 6:30am and 9 am -- every day (that the phone doesn't ring early!). I read a book called Adrenal Fatigue and the doctor/writer said this is often the best time for your body to rest well...something to do with cortisol levels being high and therefore rest doesn't trigger something else. Sorry I am very tired and my brain doesn't want to work.

I know that without decent sleep I will become much more symptomatic and cannot function well so I have a 2 night - no sleep rule. After that I take something to help me sleep on nite 3 and it breaks the cycle for a while.

good luck finding what may work for you. I sympathize with you not getting proper rest and trying to keep up with your classes. hopefull this cycle will break for you soon.

[blackwolf]

Yep. Up to this afternoon, when I finally fell asleep, I had gone on about 5 hours sleep over 42 hours. YUK!!!! I will be taking something tonight, I have given in and gone back to a drug I hate to get to sleep. I also give myself a 3 day rule, 3 days not enough sleep, take a pill.

Good luck and good sleeping,

Blackwolf

[leah1321]

this is me almost everyday. Sunsets are definitely not beautiful to me because I am usually still up to see them, not just getting up! I know all the late night tv well. I have grown used to this problem. I do my work later on in the day and try hard to take late classes and work afternoons and evenings. I sleep different hours. I take a muscle relaxant in order to sleep and prevent muscle spasms. This works well, but only to aide me in later hours. Naps naps naps. It is a very frustrating problem. I guess just try not to stress out about it. (hard to do, I know). My live-in boyfriend and I have a totally different sleeping schedule and it really bums him out. At least the cat keeps me company! Good luck and sleep well when you fall asleep!

Leah

[Michelle Sawicki]

Yes, I have problems with staying asleep. I usually fall asleep ok at night, but for some reason I wake up at 4am far too often. I don't know why I wake up at the same time all the time...it is almost always 4am...but I do. The only thing that will help me go back to sleep is taking a beta blocker. Once I take the beta blocker I can usually fall back to sleep within a half hour, otherwise I am up and wide awake. I usually keep a beta blocker on my nightstand so I don't even have to get out of bed.

Michelle

[lancewhit]

I also have sleep problems. I've been tentatively diagnosed with POTS or certainly a related disorder. And I've had chronic insomnia over the past six months (never had it before). I typically get about 3-5 hours of sleep per night. I usually have no trouble falling asleep, but then I wake up around 2 or 3 am and rarely am able to fall back to sleep.

I've tried all sorts of medication (Ambien, Sonata, etc.) and supplements (5-HTP, Melatonin, Valerian, etc.). But nothing has done the trick.

One idea: I have appointments with a couple of sleep disorder clinics in the next two weeks. Many sleep disorder clinics or studies seem to approach insomnia from a pulmonary viewpoint (they look only for physical problems like sleep apnea, restless leg syndrome, etc.) I went for a study like this, and they didn't find any physical reasons for my insomnia. In my case my insomnia probably has more of a neurological cause. The two clinics I'm going to have neurologists on staff, so I'm hoping that they may be able to provide a better diagnosis.

I would check out any sleep medicine doctors or sleep clinics in your area, and see if they have any neurologists on staff that you can consult with.

Good luck to all of us!

[ramakentesh]

i can also relate - i go through periods like this, then periods where i constanly wake up at say 3am and just lie there until morning

[laila]

I have had a real problem with sleeplessness. Recently I have pushed myself to get referrals to go see doctors. I am so far dx with CFS and Fibromyalgia, am actually going to a cardio later this month to set up the TT Test. Somedays I was so tired and spaced out and shakey I couldn't seem to concentrate even as to what to say when I Called!! I did go to the rheumatologist I saw 2 years ago and he prescribed Celebrex for ongoing and worsening leg pain. He also has me trying a muscle relaxant flexeril. Well I tried the Celebrex a couple days ago and is helping a little. But I did notice immediate sleeplessness{not even being able to fall asleep, usually I would just keep waking up} Last night I took the flexeril at 12:30 am and didn't wake up till 8:00am!!!I cant remember the last time I ever slept that long. I was tired I stayed in bed till after 1030 am. I am also on xanax .5 mg 4 times a day for anxiety. I have noticed today i feel alittle over sedated so will try cutting back on dosages but oh how blessed to finally sleep. He said to call in three weeks, if those meds don't help. and even suggested Ambien!

I am getting ready to go the my 3rd new pyschiatrist this year later this month because of uncontrolled anxiety, Oh that's a whole other story of doctors not helping!!!! I am just happy I refound this DR. he at least seems like he will treat appropriatily. Today I have only taken 2 xanax I usually would have taken 3 or 4 by now. It has taken me years to get help. I walked out of my psychiatrists office crying last week. I have decided to quit going to ill informed or uncaring doctors. Keep trying! Do you have any symptoms of CFS or Fibromyalgia? THere is a good website with Doctor referrals for each state. I will find it and post it later. Just got a new computer and all my info gone. Good luck,Laila

[laila]

Here is the web address for the site I mentioned above: http:www.co-cure.org/

[Guest Mary from OH]

The medication that has helped my sleep (somewhat) is Klonopin. I used to lay awake for HOURS!!! Not able to turn my brain off..... Or I would wake up and do the same thing.... Now I actually go to sleep rather quickly after laying down to sleep. I still am not totally getiing a restful night's sleep. However, my dr said I could take 1/2 to 2 pills per night. I am finally allowing myself to take 1 per night. I have never tried 2. I suppose I could.... But, I highly recommend it.

[Ginnysgirl]

My daughter, 11, has this same problem. She will go to bed and lie there for two to three hours before coming to get me to say that she can't sleep. She is so tired and during this time, because of her body being so tired, her stomach is cramping. We will sometimes sit up all night with maybe her falling asleep at 6 am or so. Usually this preceeds a bad spell. Does this happen like this for anyone else?

We've tried Benedryl and it helped only a small amount. The bad thing is that because of the dysautonomia she has bladder control issues and sets an alarm to wake up at 2am to potty. After that.......she can't always get back to sleep. Cant seem to find a way around this though.

Good luck!

[ramakentesh]

i find there are nights where i just lie there with this weird pressure in my head and feeling wired and weird. I cant sleep at all - its like my brain just wont go into the right waveform for sleep or something.