topic Re: INSOMNIA, ANYONE? in Community Chat

INSOMNIA, ANYONE?

Sookie Says — Thu, 07 Dec 2017 10:03:39 GMT

Does anyone suffer from insomnia besides me, night after night????

Re: INSOMNIA, ANYONE?

wishmoon — Thu, 07 Dec 2017 10:26:37 GMT

Oh yes...nearly every night...

I hope you can find some sleep.

Re: INSOMNIA, ANYONE?

OKPrincess — Thu, 07 Dec 2017 10:35:48 GMT

@Sookie Says wrote:
Does anyone suffer from insomnia besides me, night after night????

Yes most nights for me too. Could be the coffee I drink all day!

Re: INSOMNIA, ANYONE?

Katcat1 — Thu, 07 Dec 2017 10:56:15 GMT

@Sookie Says. I really sympathize with you not being able to sleep night after night. I don't have that problem but every so often, I cannot fall asleep and here I am at almost 5:00 am. I will eventually fall asleep but I will wake up in the afternoon! lol There is a good movie on with Johnny Depp in Secret Window. I find that if I start watching a good movie on get on the computer, I start to get tired and fall asleep. Wishing you the same.

Re: INSOMNIA, ANYONE?

Mimi 1883 — Thu, 07 Dec 2017 11:52:19 GMT

Yes! But, I blame it on the Synthroid that I have to take. Even sleep aids don’t really help much at all.

Re: INSOMNIA, ANYONE?

violann — Thu, 07 Dec 2017 12:03:46 GMT

I do everything but glue my eyelids open to stay awake past 8:30. If I can’t stay awake, I’m awake for sure at 1:00 or 2:00 or 3:00 am, then lie awake for an hour or two or get up after 4:00.

I average about 6 hours of sleep, not NEARLY ENOUGH.

Re: INSOMNIA, ANYONE?

AuntG — Thu, 07 Dec 2017 12:16:48 GMT

Not every night, but I fall asleep too early and then I'll lie awake in the early morning hours. Sometimes I'll read or respond to these boards until I get tired and fall back asleep.

Re: INSOMNIA, ANYONE?

novamc1 — Thu, 07 Dec 2017 12:48:20 GMT

Not sure whether a certain amount of sleep per night is "enough", despite what is considered necessary by many experts.

My dad slept about 4-5 hours per night, got up early, commuted to a demanding professional government job, retired after 40 years, lived to age 90 without any assistance from drugs, and finally died at 96.

In my opinion, he began to go downhill mentally and physically once doctors started prescribing him one drug after another as a "precautionary measure". He probably would have done just fine without the growing arsenal of drugs and lived even longer.

I seem to get by on about his same limited amount of sleep. Don't ask me how. I'm not requiring any drugs for medical problems, yet, either, and manage to keep going quite well so far. (Knock on wood.)

Re: INSOMNIA, ANYONE?

cherry — Thu, 07 Dec 2017 12:53:48 GMT

I get about 6 hrs of sleep now. It's about all I seem to manage with stomach issues and being horizontal for that long.

Even though we elevated the head of the bed, I still need to be vertical, after that amount of time has elapsed

I don't think it's quite enough for me, but I am not going to take pills.

I have heard as we age we sleep less. I don't know that it's true for everyone , but it is for me

Re: INSOMNIA, ANYONE?

panda1234 — Thu, 07 Dec 2017 13:21:53 GMT

@Mimi 1883 my daughter has been diagnosed with insomnia. She also takes synthroid and I never heard of it interferring with sleep. Could you give me more info on this?

Re: INSOMNIA, ANYONE?

pattypeep — Thu, 07 Dec 2017 13:27:46 GMT

@Sookie Says Oh, gosh !! Yes !! I thought I've been suffering alone. Mine just started about six months ago. I wake up because nature calls and can't go back to sleep. I've been known to be awake from midnight on. Then come night fall, I am asleep by 9:00. I thought I would speak to my Dr. about it when I go in January for my yearly check. Falling asleep in the evening is easy, it's the "staying" that's a problem.

Re: INSOMNIA, ANYONE?

Oznell — Thu, 07 Dec 2017 13:47:33 GMT

So sorry about yours, @Sookie Says, and everyone on this thread. Mine is up and down, but much worse since my asthma has gotten a bit out of control, with middle of the night coughing and hacking, etc. Has your doctor discussed melatonin with you? If I take it early enough in the evening, it helps-- not completely, but somewhat.

Re: INSOMNIA, ANYONE?

morganjen — Thu, 07 Dec 2017 13:50:01 GMT

Yes, I have to take Ambien for it.

Re: INSOMNIA, ANYONE?

IMW — Thu, 07 Dec 2017 14:00:34 GMT

I do, have my entire life. Hard to handle for many people. Don’t you just love it when you hear people complain, “I was up the whole night, I can’t function.”

Now I’m retired so it is much easier. No work pressure.

Re: INSOMNIA, ANYONE?

IMW — Thu, 07 Dec 2017 14:09:10 GMT

I, too take synthroid, have for 40 years. It speeds up a low metabolism making it function at a more normal rate. Real insomnia along with too fast heart rate, can mean too much synthroid.

Some mds want to keep patients at a slightly elevated rate since it often feels better: more energy, weight loss, less sleep, more alert.

The key key is seeing an endocrinologist on a regular basis, and getting tested: t3, t4, LSH, etc.

@panda1234 wrote:
@Mimi 1883 my daughter has been diagnosed with insomnia. She also takes synthroid and I never heard of it interferring with sleep. Could you give me more info on this?

Re: INSOMNIA, ANYONE?

Ainhisg — Thu, 07 Dec 2017 14:17:33 GMT

This book changed my life: Sleep Smarter: 21 Essential Strategies to Sleep Your Way to a Better Body, Better Health, and Bigger Success by Shawn Stevenson.

Like others, I can fall asleep, but I can't stay asleep. I am retired, so I know not having the physical demands of a job play a roll in it although starting in my 40's while still working, I had trouble with staying asleep. I tried every natural remedy known to man including essential oils, and my doctor prescribed every drug you can for sleep...even some drugs that just have a side effect of sleepiness. I hate taking drugs, so only took them as a last resort after several nights of not sleeping. The one that worked the best was Ambien, but I always found the next day, that I was not "on my game." I didn't mentally process things as quickly as I usually do, so I take it very rarely and find I don't have to take it often at all (not even once or twice a month) since I have started most of the strategies outlined in the book I mentioned. I had read so many sleeping books, but the Sleep Smarter book was written in such a clever way with strategies spelled out that I had never used before. I found that my library had this book, so I was able to read it a couple of times at no cost to me, but its advice has been invaluable. My sleep still isn't perfect, but it's good enough that I no longer have to take drugs. I really encourage all of you to give it a read...it WILL help...

Re: INSOMNIA, ANYONE?

dex — Thu, 07 Dec 2017 15:31:55 GMT

@Ainhisg Could you share a couple of the tips that help you so that we could seehow they benefit?I think that book might be a purchase that could be helpful to a lot of us

Re: INSOMNIA, ANYONE?

wishmoon — Thu, 07 Dec 2017 16:04:48 GMT

I took Synthroid for years and went off it about four months ago. Had insomnia before taking it, during the time I was on it and still have it after I've stopped taking it.

Re: INSOMNIA, ANYONE?

tsavorite — Thu, 07 Dec 2017 16:28:30 GMT

@Ainhisg wrote:
This book changed my life: Sleep Smarter: 21 Essential Strategies to Sleep Your Way to a Better Body, Better Health, and Bigger Success by Shawn Stevenson.

Like others, I can fall asleep, but I can't stay asleep. I am retired, so I know not having the physical demands of a job play a roll in it although starting in my 40's while still working, I had trouble with staying asleep. I tried every natural remedy known to man including essential oils, and my doctor prescribed every drug you can for sleep...even some drugs that just have a side effect of sleepiness. I hate taking drugs, so only took them as a last resort after several nights of not sleeping. The one that worked the best was Ambien, but I always found the next day, that I was not "on my game." I didn't mentally process things as quickly as I usually do, so I take it very rarely and find I don't have to take it often at all (not even once or twice a month) since I have started most of the strategies outlined in the book I mentioned. I had read so many sleeping books, but the Sleep Smarter book was written in such a clever way with strategies spelled out that I had never used before. I found that my library had this book, so I was able to read it a couple of times at no cost to me, but its advice has been invaluable. My sleep still isn't perfect, but it's good enough that I no longer have to take drugs. I really encourage all of you to give it a read...it WILL help...

@Ainhisg could you please share in more detail what you are doing based on this book?? Thanks!

I mostly can fall asleep...staying asleep that's another issue!

Re: INSOMNIA, ANYONE?

mac116 — Thu, 07 Dec 2017 16:48:55 GMT

I can't fall asleep at night. I don't even try to fall asleep until after 11:00, and it often takes 30-90 minutes to fall asleep. Once I do fall asleep, I sleep like a rock, and have a difficult time getting moving in the morning. My friends advise me to "just go to bed", but I would then toss and turn for hours before falling asleep.