Sleeping

[Shadwell]

Struggling to sleep without sleeping pill dr not wanting to give any more would be gratfull for any advice on what other people do or buy over the counter

Thanks for your help

[hypercat54]

Hi I have problems sleeping but don't take sleeping pills. I take an antidepressant called Mirtazapine (very small dose) which does help, so maybe ask your doctor for something like this instead. x

[Caspiana]

Hi Shadwell . 👋

I haven't been able to have very good sleep for a long time because I'm on steroids all the time. Consequently, I am on sleep medication. Sleep medication can suppress breathing, so for us with lung issues it is not advisable to have too much of it 💊. I think your doctor is being careful. I find having milk or yogurt before bed helps me sleep. Also finding the most boring book I own and reading that helps me drift off!! Being as active as possible during the day is definitely a good sleepy aid! It's really frustrating not to be able to sleep well. 😞

Take care.

Cas xx 🌿

[Hacienda in reply to Caspiana]

Hi my Dear friend, Sorry Shadwell, just Bombing your space to my Friend. Well Cas, sorry to hear your still not sleeping well, I do agree about the Steroids, When I am on Prednisolone I tend to See Sheep Jumping Hedges quite a lot. Like you I have steroid Based inhalers (Salbutamol) this doesn't hinder my sleep. Like you I keep as Busy as I can most days, then some I have lazy days. I can still sleep well though, even an afternoon Siesta doesn't hinder my nights sleep, I reckon I am too tired and can drop off easily. Also The Night Oxygen helps me sleep...I have also bought Oxygenated Plants for in the Home, just recently, They seem to work. sending Love n big Hugs Bear Buddy to you & Chom Boy. xxxxxx

[Caspiana in reply to Hacienda]

I am pretty used to it now Carolina. 😁 Years ago before I had lung issues and steroids became part of my life, I could sleep for hours and hours. I loved to sleep because I did it so well!! I miss those days. 😟 Yesterday, I was out at the park for the day and this park was quite far away , two hours drive each way. So last night I was so exhausted I slept like Chom does every night. 😒 I hope you are sleeping well now . 😴 *BIG HUG AND KISS * xx 💜💙💚💛

[Hacienda]

Hi Hun, I may have given you some advice on my Post to Caspiana. just now. Though you could try a Chocolate drink / Horlicks ? You can Buy " Calms" over the Counter, they helped me when I had a Very Bad Car Accident before the COPD. Good Luck Hun XXXX

[Hidden]

What dose steroid are you taking, and time do you take them? The highest dose I took was 40 mg tablets with 5 x 1 gram infusions. I would take the tablets at breakfast and I never struggled to sleep. This was suggested by the lovely chemo nurse when I had cancer treatment.

[judes]

I am a horrendous sleeper, 4 hours a night and that’s it I manage well on that.

If you have a smart phone or Alexa/google there is calming music of all sorts to aid sleep.

I was very sceptical at first, not into that sort of thing. However, it does work, I snuggle up in bed with the cat(s)put the music on with a timer, next thing I know 5 hours have passed. That extra hour is wonderful

J

[Izb1]

What I wouldnt give for a full nights sleep. My sleep pattern is terrible, I seem to be awake every couple of hours and never have more than 6 hours in total. I have been like this for years, well before the bronchiectasis or rheumatoid kicked in, think it is hormonal and cant take hrt. I sometimes take Amitriptyline, which was given to me for the r.a. and that does help to relax and even Naproxen helps me sleep easier. There are things like lavender under your pillow and Nytol, ask at the chemist they can advise on all the sleep aids. Hope you find something that works for you x

[Hidden]

Antihistamine knocks me out, even the non drowsy ones work in my case.

[Ergendl]

I use a Melatonin under tongue spray each night, which has really improved my sleeping. Have to buy it online from abroad. The first unit I bought was from Portugal, the latest from Greece.

[Dietrech in reply to Ergendl]

Hi Ergendl, I take sleeping pills but would rather not, so I’m interested in Melatonin but worried about buying off the internet! Do you have the details of where you buy it please? Thanks

[Ergendl in reply to Dietrech]

The latest one I bought is from Pharmeden in Greece, which has a UK web page. The one I'm using up at present is Melanotox from Herbolario Geoherbal in Portugal - no longer available on Amazon but very effective.

[kpm346]

I eat a banana every night it helped me also a clove of garlic, skin on. under my pillow was very skeptical at first but it worked. Psychosematic maybe? Who knows as long as I can sleep right through.

[Corin1950]

Try looking at the Headspace meditation app. As well as learning to meditate there is a sleep section. It has been useful for me in so many ways like controlling worry and anxiety as well as helping with sleep. You can get 10 free sessions but you have to pay for the full app. It costs about £38 for a year but I use it most days and its money well spent. Better than using drugs too. There's a series of courses on different subjects so it's developmental.

Andy Puddicimbe who's one of the cofounders and whose voice is used is truly inspirational.

Corin

[stamford1234]

I don't sleep well. 20 mins a day exercise and fresh air are beneficial if you are up to it. My daughter swears by swimming, that would be too much for me. Also, I found a podcast called Sleep With Me, it works wonders, a chap droning on about life, I think it is supposed to bore you off to sleep. Give it a try.

[Dedalus]

I use Kalms, natural, over the counter remedy - 1-2 per night definitely help.

[K-Kilcoyne]

I've found antihistamine will help for a short while. The one I use can be bought over the counter, it's called Hayleve.

£2.50 for 28 tablets. Take one a couple of hours before bed.

Hope this helps.

[Jackieshep57]

I found sleep aid from Asda a great help. Finding it hard to sleep is a big problem.

[watergazer]

Hi. I suffer from lack of sleep. I could get anything from 2hours to 8 hours ( once in a while). I have tried natural remedies in tablet and liquid form and Antihistamines I feel awful and groggy after these I resort to cocodomal when having a really bad time which work and I’m ok the next day though there are bowel problems!! I have tried eating bananas or 2 kiwi fruit before bed, also Brazil nuts almonds walnuts. Things may work one night then not again. Maybe a case of trial and error for you. My dr has refused to give me sleeping pills and prescribed phenergan (strongish dose) I only took it once as I had an episode in the night which I didn’t like. Good luck.

[MacColl]

I try to concentrate on work as much as possible in the evening to tire my brain out, and then take one Theanine Serene and one Melissa (lemon balm) before getting ready for bed. Always have a book to read ...usually a spy one, and never seem to get further than one chapter before starting to drop off.

I just close the book and place it on the bedside, and switch the light off (40Watt) without even opening my eyes. It seems to empty my mind of anything that worries me, and I go off to sleep.

[watergazer]

I also have a fan in my bedroom. I put it on when I can’t sleep. This is the most helpful thing at the mo.

[Gladwyn]

Hi I have a Bach Rescue Night time spray that helps. Available from Boots and supermarkets. I also drink teas like Camomile etc different variety a bailable again in supermarkets or online.

[hallentine47]

Like you I have been constantly on steroids for 3 years and sleep has become problematic. Yesterday we visited a NT house called Tyntesfield near Bristol. I was exhausted when we got home. Went to bed around 11 pm and read for 10 minutes and so tired i do not remember hitting the pillow Yet one hour later I wake ready to start the day!! All night its one hour sleep then awake for so long then one hours sleep and so it goes on most nights. This can be exhausting and certainly not good for our condition. Only when I take 1/2 g Lorazapem and a paracetamol do I get maybe 4 or even 5 hours. But the GP says due to addictive quality of Lorazapem I am not to use it in that way. He tried me on Amitriptolyne and that gives me nightmares. Any artificially induced sleep is not good long term. I have tried ll the other things suggested but nothing works well. Wish I could offer some helpful advice.