I went to the gym this evening and went on the running machine as usual, had taken my inhaler beforehand but after 5 minutes I had to come off as my lungs were burning. I started coughing and wheezing (which is unusual for me) I had my inhaler again which helped but I had to come home.
Since coming home I've used my inhaler 3 more times (with a spacer to help) , my peak flow is 70% of best so not too bad. Just can't sleep. I'm exhausted but I just can't switch off. The coughing has stopped but the burning feeling is still there along with tightness and shallow breathing.
Any advice for switching off and getting some much needed rest? (I'm guessing everyone will be fast asleep right now though!)
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I wish I'd checked my emails earlier this morning when I was on my break- I was on night duty. I wouldn't have had any words of wisdom to share but sometimes simply knowing someone else is awake (for whatever reason!!) can be a comfort. Hope you're feeling better now
I have other conditions as well as Asthma and I suffer with terrible total Insomnia sporadically so I could write a book on this subject lol. 1 thing that comes to mind with the type of insomnia you have obviously want to have your asthma under control then here's a helpful little Android app called Mindroid which plays brainwaves audibly through headphones to your brain of someone going to sleep and it really does actually work. I'm a fairly tough critique of things that help sleep and I found this to be a good one. Especially when stress of the issue. also I use hypnosis on another app by Joseph Clough which you can find in the Play Store.
Not sleeping is miserable and lonely and very distressing. I really hope you get this sorted out but these are a couple of things that help with the stress end of not sleeping rather than the physiological. I've had to learn about both ends over the years and in the end mine turned out to be a severe menopause with asthma hormone related and FND after much prayer and research. The doctors had no idea what to do with me for many years and didn't believe I was even in the menopause until recently.
After years of problems sleeping I developed a trauma attached to trying to sleep and going to bed so I had to learn both ends. I've had it in the extreme. I've had 3 nights this week with basically no proper sleep at all. Thankfully not back to back. I tend to stay off my device so in the hope that I might fall asleep but sometimes reading helps and I do a lot of that on my tablet.
I don't find that using my tablet at night keeps me awake so quite the contrary it tends to shut my brain down as long as it's not stressful things I'm doing.
Exercise too close to bed can keep you awake as well.
Sorry to hear you have lots of trouble with insomnia and trouble getting to sleep.
I think part of the problem here is that you were stressed because of what had happened with your breathing, and being stressed does not help when you are trying to get to sleep. The only thing I can suggest to prevent it from happeninng again is to find another time of day when you can exercise.
I have done this too.. though for me it tends to take a while (sometimes the next day) and i feel really bad.. its as if exercise is bad for me! lol.. but really I think I may have exercise induced asthma.. which as long as you don't overdo it can be kept under control.. make sure you take preventative inhalers beforehand as well as a reliever... and make sure you do a coold down as well as a warm up before exercise,, hope this helps a little
Thank you for your advice, yes I always warm up slowly and cool down afterwards, take my preventer religiously morning and night 12 hours apart and take my reliever before I start, im a good girl lol.
I'm not still not right after this the other day, my pf is hovering around 450 (best 570) which is just above where my action plan kicks in but I've been getting symptoms through the day and waking at night too. I have tried to get a gp appointment but there's nothing for 2 weeks and I certainly don't feel this warrants an emergency appointment. Hopefully it'll calm down if I take it easy for a few days.
if your peak flow keeps getting lower I would make an emergency appointment anyway...prevention is better than cure I say! lol.. and well done for being a "good girl"
Yeah if it was going below the 450 of my action plan i would start my action plan and see them sooner, but I just worry they'll tell me it's ok at 450. 😕 (we have one gp who noone wants to see coz he's horrible so he's the one with time to see the emergency appointments!)
I used to get that at my local GP surgery.. but they all know me now lol...(bad though that sounds).. and they know it doesn't really matter what my peak flow is... if I am wheezy and coughing ... steroids and antibiotics it is.... I get bad very quickly and have been known to put off going to hospital.. but i can usually tell when its turning into a chest infection... even the Drs and the asthma nurse admit I know my asthma best...if you feel its getting worse phone the GP! if you think its starting to get better then put it off a bit longer...am sure you will know what works best for you! hope you feel better soon x
Well I'm glad you're understood by your doctors now (although that it means you've had to go often to get to that stage - that isn't good!)
Yeah I'm still reasonably new to this all, was only diagnosed about 9 months ago. I'm not really sure of everything. I don't often wheeze and the coughing isn't as bad as it was but I just have the tight band across the top of my chest, which the doctor can't see/hear/feel and I'm short of breath. I think I will see how it goes for now, start my action plan anyway (didnt realise until I re-read it that it says to start it if waking at night - done the last 3 nights, and used reliever more than 4 times in the week - definately exceeded that) and see if that helps.
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1st ever Asthma attack and diagnosis 
Peak flow readings
Pneumonia 
Diagnosed with Asthma
