where is the sand man when you need him??

[dizzygirl]

Hello folks

it is like after 4:30 in the morning here in my corner of the world.. and I am still up!! I have been awake about 16 hours.. no naps today..and I cant sleep.. I didnt think that it was possible for my insomnia issues to get worse.. but they are and have.. tis past month especially..(february).. with all the fainting/paralysis spells.. after those are really the only time that I sleep and it si short lived there only about 2-4 hours.. other then that I cant really sleep what little sleep I do get is not very good or peaceful/restful..restorative sleep.. Hmm what is that!!!

this no sleep is making for a very grouchy dizzygirl.. not to mention a very sick feeling dizzygirl..UGH!

my body is in a constant state of pain.. lack of sleep doesnt help this either.. I'm afraid to take anyhting stronger pain med wise.. for fear of allergic reactions.. as I haeve tried a few new things lately for pain and wouldnt you know I've been allergic to them too!.. and what I can take...doesnt work!!!!!!!! and my docs arent going to upp the doses b/c my BP tends to go nuts on higher doses of pain meds..

dizzyness that makes me feel like the room is moving all the time or when i try to stand or walk or sit up.. I feel like I ma moving all over the place..which is making my allready BAD nausea a whole lot worse.. UGh. geesh.. sometimes I feel like giving up!! I'm so tired I cant slee straight..

is there every an end in sight??

here hoping that the sandman and my fairy godmother.. and a lepercan come visit me this morning.. sand man to knock me out.. fairy godmother to grant me wishes!! and the lepercan to bring me a HUGE pot of gold so that I can pay for a sleepytime med that will knock me into lalaland..see how medicaid doesnt want to pay for any drugs that work worth a darn!!

[MightyMouse]

I feel for you... I've been having increasing problems with insomnia. I seem to fall asleep okay sometimes and then wake for several hours in the middle of the night... or just can't fall asleep at all in the first place.

I intend to discuss this with my doctor at my next visit because the lack of sleep really messes with my daily symptoms--I'm always much dizzier, nauseated, sore, and foggy-headed when I've not gotten enough sleep. Also, I seem more prone to getting ill, like colds & flue, when I'm sleep deprived.

If it's an ongoing problem for you, talk to your doctor.

[janineerrn]

Insomniac here too.....

Hey if you see the laundry fairy tell her to get her butt over here!!!!

I dont lay in bed and become miserable when I have insomnia, anymore. I just dont fight it. I know Im not going to sleep and i try to be productive. I have the constant pain too..

I really found that meditation helps me soooo much. It was hard at first but now its a great escape from my body!

I also have a journal so I can read it a few days later and see how nuts I really am.

I get out of bed, light some candles, do the aroma therapy thing, and it helps. The morning is always horrid and the day is loooonnnggggg after a night of no sleep.

Some good news, research shows staying awake over 24hrs can help ease depression.

PM me if your awake, odds ar I am too.

Janine

[gdomaracki]

Falling asleep is half my battle, and the other half is staying asleep. It seems I can't stay asleep for more than 2hours at a time, I think alot of that has to do with my night sweating and vivid dreaming. Oh, you would think my brain would like to rest but its constantly on the go. I myself, don't want to have to take sleeping medications so I have come up with alternatives. Boring myself, as silly as it sounds, tends to work most of the time. I have games on my cell phone that I normally play myself to sleep. I have also tried watching television. For some reason, it tends to bore me to sleep also. I know some people it keeps up. Sometimes, I also get up and try to tire myself by doing some cleaning/laundry. Man, the neighbors must think i'm crazy!! Vaccuming at 3 in the morning Relaxing helps to, but its so hard for me to do. Hope you find something that helps, and if need be sleep aids might be of help to you!

Nicole

[dizzygirl]

well the sand man finally showed up (he was seriusly LATE!).. I fell asleep sometme around 7am.. and then I had some freaky nightmare just as I was drifting off to sleep.. so I had to get up and turn on a light..(so the boogey man in my dreams wouldnt goaway!! darm boogeyman.. )

but I slept like a rock till about 12pm.. when my boyfriend came in and asked me if I was ok...(i was having another nightmare..he says I dont remeber it) then back to sleep i went.. so I finally got a few ZZZ"s shoot I'll take whatver ZZ's I can get!!

and I am going to talk to my pcp about a sleepy med..i see her next week.. so that'll be good..

I dont try and fight sleep..meaning I dont lay in bed all night tossing and turning..I get up and watch TV (the cooking or cartoon chaneel. nothing aggressive..Lilo and stitch is pretty funny at 5am!!) or try and stuff food in my mouth..(food??? what is that!!) normally green olives and some water.. does the salty need trick for me..

read..chrochet.. something.

Janine as soon as the laundry fairy leaves my house I'll ship to yours!!.. as well as the cleaning and cooking fairy's!!

Oh and the dream fairy also has to make morning visit to my house too.. and give me nice dreams that I dont remember instead of scary ones that I do!!

[Lulu]

hey dizzygirl-

glad to hear you became sleepygirl at some point between your post this morning and now.

I, too, am an insomniac. It seems to go in spurts....there's probably a pattern to it, but I think I would need a degree in Astrophysics or something to figure it out. I can't fall asleep well, then can't stay asleep well.

I also have given up fighting it. If I am really NOT going to fall asleep, I do homework or surf around on the web or whatever til I get sleepy again. If i get sleepy again. My dysautonomia symptoms are AWFUL when I don't get enough sleep. I usually end up of the floor with a sycompal episode at least once the day after. The worst part for me is having panic attacks that I'm never gonna sleep again, that I won't make it somewhere I'm supposed to or that I am slowing dying and the lack of sleep is the first step (wow--sleep deprivation makes you crazy) The world (both inner and outer) gets REAL weird after a day or two w/o sleep. It freaks me out, and makes me worse. Maybe I should start watching more Lilo & Stitch

I understand your hesitancy to use meds.....but there are some that work pretty well. Of course, some of them are pretty addictive, too. Dr Grubb rx'd me Rozerem, which works great to fall asleep, but then I myself wake after a couple hours. Maybe it would work for you? He pretty much sold me on it cause I'm trying to get off the Klonopin and Ativan (addictive/dependency issues with them) and Rozerem is non-addictive, somehow related to melatonin. The Klonopin and Ativan work awesome though. So does Benadryl. But if you don't want to go traditional meds.....

You might try herbal remedies, if you're in to that.....valerian or chamomile is supposed to work well. I haven't tried it myself. Also, the scent of lavender is very relaxing, if you use some essential oil on temporal pulse points or have a lavender candle. That works well for me sometimes. I've heard accupuncture can work for pain and sleep problems. My insurance hasn't gotten "progressive" enough to pay for that or massage.....even when they are proven to help people! argh...don't get me started w/ ins. co's....

Janine is right, meditation is VERY effective, but it does take practice. For now, I just get all strung out and have to go DO something. Not very Zen....you're supposed to just BE. Deep breathing can relax you as well---count in as you inhale, then hold for one count, then exhale for your inhale count +1. Try to count as high and slow as you can. There's a scientific reason this works, but I can't remember or explain it.

Here's another thought: if you, like me, surrender to the daytime nap because you just have to have it (I know I usually need a couple) then sleep at night might not come easy. After a life of sleep issues, I just give in to what my body wants to do when it wants to do it.

I do hope you get some answers/relief from your PCP. Sleep/wake cycle disturbance is the worst part about my dysautonomia.

Hope you get some restful ZZZZ's

Lulu

P.S. Ever thought of having a sleep study done? Good luck!

[dizzygirl]

LuLu.. ... insomnia bites.. I have had issues with insomnia since I was just a little kid.. like 6-7 yrs old.. but I have also had pots since forever (born)...goes hadn in hand.. Iused to tell my mom when I was a kid that I cant sleep at night.. and she would tell me to count until I got sleepy!! so I would count.. it never helped.. and I dont know th logic behind that!! LOL.. then as I got older.. and couldnt sleep my parents stopped making me stay in bed when I couldnt sleep.. and I'd sit up reading or watching tv till I got sleepy again.. It would be 3 am.. and everybody in my family would be zonked out but me! even th family kitty rocky would be sleeping by my feet ... such a good kitty he was!!

But yeah.. I am working with someone of deep relaxation in hopes that it will help me sleep some.. shoot anyhting at this point is wroth a try!!

YUP day time naps are good!! but I cant even sleep during the day much anymore..which is aggrivating..b/c it used to be tht if i couldnt sleep at night I knew that i could count on a nap or 3 duing the day..

Meditation sounds neat.. I try'd that once in 2002.. and i felt SOOOOOOO relaxed afterwards.. I'd never felt like that before!! LOL

pillows down!!blankets up.. here's hoping that me and all my fellow insomniacs get some sleep soon!!

[gwen]

I have always been a night owl and this disorder fits right in. next day ***** though. I am on klonopin which helps, but if it is determined to make me awake amytryptilene is the best. only can't take anymore. lowers bp. so I just get up. the poor dog staggers into the living room sleeps in my lap and i think of something to do. so dizzy the next day.Benedryl helps but sometimes will kick back the next day. who knows. Have you tried Tryptophan? did help get circadian rythm back at one time but only for a while. Had to special order that from compound lab. The good stuff. sweet dreams when you get them:-)