Insomnia

[Fisherman53]

I have big problems with lack of sleep. Wake up several times breathless. I then feel so tired during the day and find it difficult to exercise. Any tips on how to get more sleep would be appreciated.

[hypercat54]

Hi I find doing 2 puffs of my ventolin just before bed time really helps me. I also sleep on several pillows. Dust mites is a big trigger for most of us so make sure you wash all your bedding in at least 60% to kill them.

Pillows are the biggest dust mite collectors and in an old one half the weight can be from from these, so either wash your pillows regularly or replace them every 6 months or so.

I hope this helps a bit. x

[Caspiana]

Hello Fisherman53 . 👋

Hypercat has given you some excellent tips. I would say though it may be good to go through a sleep study to find out the cause of your issue. To me it sounds a bit like sleep apnea. But of course this is just speculation on my part. Please mention this to your doctor. For us chronically ill people sleep literally dictates the sort of day and week we will have. 😕 I hope you have a good weekend.

Cas xx 🙋🐕

[Ergendl]

I wake regularly through the night, usually 3 to 5 times, because of arthritic soreness. I have a bedtime routine which involves having a milky drink about an hour before (or fennel or chamomile tea if no milk available). I stop using screens at least half an hour before bedtime, to change, write up my diary and have a quiet time with a Bible reading ( to keep my thoughts on other things than thinking about tomorrow). When ready to turn the lights off, I put earphones in, put an eye mask on and fall asleep listening to an audio book. When I wake up during the night, I use the audio book to get back to sleep again. This usually works very quickly, but if I start having problems sleeping, I use a melatonin under-tongue spray before sleep for a few days. Hope these suggestions help you.

[Rostom]

Hi Fisherman 53

I am interested in your melatonin spray.

Could I please ask where you buy it? Does it come in a choice of strengths? I ask as although suffering with poor sleep (and understand that melatonin could help me), I am also on a blood-thinner and have read that melatonin also thins blood, so I would need a lowish dose.

Many thanks.

[Hidden]

If you are on Symbicort or some other steroid inhaler I would get your medics to check you are not on too higher dose. Steroids can make sleep difficult. After just having my dose cut in half, the only positive I have found is I can sleep better. (There may be other medical positives I am not yet aware of, like saving my adrenal function) but for me cutting down the steroids has helped me sleep better.