Community Chat

[pattypeep]

@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.

[Oznell]

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.

[morganjen]

Yes, I have to take Ambien for it.

[IMW]

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.

[IMW]

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.

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@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?

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[Ainhisg]

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...

[dex]

@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

[wishmoon]

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.

[tsavorite]

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@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...

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@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!  

[mac116]

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.