needing sleep

bertyboy

i am in desperate need of sleep nothing is working , i know i am not the only one , but its getting worse i don't tend to nod in the day ,doesn't matter what time i go to bed i am always awake in the early hours , any tips please that doesnt involve alcohol i can get plenty of head banging headaches with out x

tillytop

Oh Bertyboy I do know what you mean and how desperate things can feel without sleep.

A few months ago, I "gave in" and asked my GP for some sleeping pills (Temazepam 20mg) and, for me, they are a dream come true (literally)! Although I don't usually sleep through the night because things still wake me up (bladder x:roll: , joints etc) I drop off to sleep really easily when I go to bed and I usually sleep for 3 hours or so at a time. And when I do wake up, I can usually drop off again without too much difficulty once I have dealt with whatever has woken me up. The pills don't seem to have a "hangover" effect the next day either which is a bonus.

One thing to bear in mind though is that I understand these pills can't be taken alongside some of the painkillers - so it's one or the other.

I know that sleeping pills are not the answer for everyone but, like you, I was really desperate and I am so glad I asked for them.

Hopefully someone else will have some non-drug related suggestions too Bertyboy.

Love Tilly xxx

dreamdaisy

Good quality sleep is the Holy Grail of us arthritics: does it exist or is it a myth? Alcohol is quite definitely NOT the answer (I can't believe I just typed that!) it is a well-known fact that it further intereferes with such matters. So, what does one do? (If any of these are already being done then please excuse me, I don't know your arrangements!)

1. About two hours before bedtime fill an oil burner with a few drops of lavender oil, dilute with water, and light a tealight under said receptacle. The aroma of lavender is said to be a very effective de-stresser - or use another scent if you don't like lavender.
2. Make sure your room is dark and cool.
3. Remove any noise sources, eg. clocks, pets, spouse (if applicable and possible)
4. You may wish to add a few drops of said scent to your pillow/bedding - I used an old towel for such purposes as the oil is, well, oily.
5. Keep a notebook by the bed, to jot down any intruding/revolving thoughts. Once written, they are dealt with and gone.
6. Practise relaxation techniques and triangular breathing - breathe in for one side of a triangle, out for the other, and not for the third. This helps to regulate your heartbeat and relax the mind. Tense and relax groupd of muscles, starting from your toes and workikng up - that helps to relax the body.
7. Think lovely thoughts and hopefull you will drift off.

My mum swears that one can get into a pattern of not sleeping - I don't know if she is right or not 'cos she has told me some utter nonsense throughout life, but I think there could be a pattern of behaviour which one may not even be aware of which disturbs sleep, plus the possibly unconcious expectation that one won't have any anyway: I try to avoid watching telly for the last 30 minutes or so of the day, if we can we both read a little then go to bed, or I log out of here (fatal, that can keep me up!) - everyone is different in what they need, but I hope you can find an answer. DD (who was awake from 3am to 5.30am today and knows it now.)

skezier

Hi Berty,

Oh sleep is such a needed thing.

I sort of think Tilly is right and you might need something to help you from the gp? You could try one of the over the counter things.... I helped rear a young animal and had the night shift for 9 months and after that the sleep pattern was really bad and I did find the oer the counter thing helped on getting back to being able to sleep at night again.

Hey I wonder if it still would

Soon as yo can get back into the habit you should be ok. They say turn your head off... I have so many thoughts in mine, pictures and music I had to install a big switch to shut it down and it does kinda help.

Its not pain that's waking you is it? See for me that's what kills sleep and that's a definite doctor thing I guess? Hope you can get a bit of a break and a solid 8 hours soon. Love and a ((((( ))))) Cris xx

hileena111

Hi Berty,
We def. need a good nights sleep but the majority of us on here dont seem to manage it {inc me}
The first thing to do {apart from lavendar etc} is to try and figure out why you are not sleeping? Is it pain? is it worry about something else?? Mine was pain.....that was waking me up constntly during the night.....I didnt get sleeping tablets but I got modified release dyclofenic whichn seems to help.....Not a perfect nights sleep but certainly better than it was

Love
Hileena

dreamdaisy

Hi bertyboy, how are things now? I do empathise, I haven't slept well in years now and it does get one down. Did any of our suggestions hit the spot? DD

barbara12

Oh Berty you poor thing...lack of sleep makes everything seems so much worse...the only thing that works for me , is the amitriptyline...I take it early in the evening then I am not to groggy in the morning.
I do hope you can get something to help.
Take care
Love
Barbara x

bertyboy

thanks so much for the imput folks i have allways been a bad sleeper , but its getting worse if i sleep for an hour at a time thats good , i did have a lie in this morning :roll: but only because i was still awake at gone 2 i was awake and up at 5 :shock: and still awake now as i dont allow my self to nod , its just as hard work trying to be awake as it is asleep , been too hot been too cold tried lavender ok for a while then the smell gets me down , tried silence and the the radio on clear my head by doing the repeat thing 1,2,3,4 , but hay-ho at least i dont get moaned at for snoring you have to be asleep for that

dreamdaisy

I never used to be able to sleep during the day but I soon learned to listen to my body: if I need to sleep, I do, it doesn't necessarily mean that you won't sleep any less at night - indeed, you never know, it might have the reverse effect! I don't sleep for hours at a time during the day, but my body clock definitely dips between 2.45 and 3.45, so I doze then if needed. It does make a difference. DD

tonesp

I've never been a good sleeper Wonder if it's genetic as my Mother was a poor sleeper too.I sit in front of the telly at night nodding off I read for a little while, keep dropping the book,turn out the light DING!!!!!!!!!!!wide awake and raring to go x:roll: x:roll: x:roll: x:roll:

LaraSunday

Hey Berty

I've been a terrible sleeper for years (having a child at a young age helped cultivate an ability to cope with very little sleep) however I find now it kills me. I go to accupunture and a. that might help if you can get to it or the one thing Kathleen told me was that the Chinese believe you should try and get to bed before 11pm as that is when your liver starts to work (liver is related to emotions ect and so they keep you awake thinking about stuff)

Im really bad at doing this myself but they say an hours sleep before midnight is worth 2 after...or something like that

If not I sometimes take Nytol, make sure its the one tablet one and not the two tablets a day as the one a day is stronger. Sometimes this help..other thing I do is stay up late till 12 or 1am and then take my painkillers then to help me get enough painrelief to sleep for 4 hours or so.

I rub Dr Husheka (ive spelt that wrong) Blackthorne oil on my neck when I remember as its comforting and having a wind down routine if you can do is great..meditation/music/prayer whatever helps. I do this every so often..I find I'm too tired by the time I get the kids to bed usually...daft : )

Take it easy, hope you sleep soon! L

Colin1

Hi Berty
I'm not much help but i do have the same problem it can make you feel really ill and some times i just wish i could 6 or 7 sleep to make me feel better. Half the time i think its lack of sleep that causes most of my problems, I tried having an hours kip in the day but that just made lay awake for ages. I have no problem going to sleep its just that i keep waking up. If its not a pee its pain and i just cant get back to sleep. no matter what time i go to bed i'm up around 6 every morning. I have asked the GP for sleeping tablets but i can't take them because of heart problems. When i drank i had no problem sleeping but off the ale now.
Anyway you take care and if you find the answer please let me know
Colin

bertyboy

tonesp wrote:

I've never been a good sleeper Wonder if it's genetic as my Mother was a poor sleeper too.I sit in front of the telly at night nodding off I read for a little while, keep dropping the book,turn out the light DING!!!!!!!!!!!wide awake and raring to go x:roll: x:roll: x:roll: x:roll:

there is something to be said for genetics as my mum was also a very light sleeper , allways lisening for my dad if he needed assistance , he was riddled with arther for many years , so between them they have made a goodun ,

thanks all for your imput i will have to be desperate before i take any form of meds for sleep my relaxation tecnieque works some times just needs more work x

julie47

Hi berty
Sorry about the sleep it is so frustrating when the world is asleep and you are not.
I don't sleep very well either and sometimes i think we get into a habit.
I listen to the radio when i cant sleep, it is that boring i eventually nod off. When i wake again it goes back on.
Hope you find a method to help you
take care
juliepf x (yaaaawwwnnn, ooops sorry ) x:)

lupin15

Must admit i must join this growing grow of none sleepers but i was told by one doctor not to nap to stay up as late as possible then i would sleep..... This is no joke and guess what...it did not work. I have tried everything from warm baths to hot milky drinks and nothing works. I now donot get out of bed unless i need a wee even if i cannot get back to sleep. On average i wake up every hour but if i am lucky sometimes i get 3 hours sleep in one go. The body is a funny thing and i think it gets use to it. Must admit i do sometimes feel really sick and i do think that is due to lack of sleep and doing too much.
The person that cures this sleep problem without heavy duty drugs is going to be a wealthy person.

tjt6768

Hi Berty, sorry that you're not getting much sleep..
I usually plug the headphones in, music on, come on here and post for a while till I am soooo tired that I have to sleep, still takes a while due to pain/discomfort but once I am out I usually stay asleep till morning... One thing though, it doesn't matter how early I get up I still can't sleep before midnight or even later..
Failing everything I fall back on the good ol' tamazapam.. :shock:

skezier

Hi Berty,

Not sure about genetics..... My mother used to sleep for the UK and I can only do that if I got fatigue. Mind don't imagine i shall be so awake when the alarm goes off somehow.....

I hope your are sleeping a bit better and leaving you a (((( )))) for the morning. xx