Sleep - a quick question: Has anyone... - Asthma Community ...

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Sleep - a quick question

6 Replies

Has anyone else ever experienced the sensation of being too scared to sleep on the nights just after an attack?

Jen

6 Replies

Hi Jen,

I used to feel this way when I'd first been diagnosed and my medication was still being tweaked etc. I eventually grew in confidence and understood my warning signs more and I hadn't felt scared to sleep for a while until just before Christmas when I woke up having a pretty nasty attack. I woke up clutching my chest and was quite freaked out. I don't know if it helps but I was very much reassured by my asthma nurse who said that my body would always wake me up if I was having an attack in the night.

Anyway I'm sure lots of us have felt like this at sometime or another so you aren't alone. As long as you have your meds close by when you go to bed you should be fine. If you feel too tense to go to sleep perhaps try reading or listening to some relaxing music until you feel ready to drop off?

Hugs!

Sparkly Fairy

Thanks.

I've been diagnosed for 21 years now, but in December in Australia I had an attack that landed me in A&E and was diagnosed with a lung infection on one lung. Since then I had only had just under 2 weeks of breathing fine thanks to steroids. Then I was back at docs on Monday to be told my lungs sounded fine but was given more antibiotics and steroids, then an attack when I went to bed on Tues before I'd even got to sleep landed me back in A&E. Turned out thanks to x ray that lung infection was no better and if anything worse than in December. So back at docs on Wednesday with a list from the hospital doc as to what to tell gp. Antibiotics have been doubled up and no more acute asthma attacks since Tuesday.

Just no decent sleep but you have allayed some fears so thanks Sparkly Fairy.

Jen x

Most asthmatics get an early morning dip somewhere between about 4am and 6am you and everyone else will be familiar with that waking up and ""oh my goodness someone has sucked my lungs out"" feeling, I go to sleep with a neb primed and ready by bed and a good handful of nebules ready just in case. The dip is going to happen I am not going to make it go away by not sleeping, I think it would be almost impossible to sleep through an asthma attack and if you are not getting enough sleep you are starting off exhausted, add on waking up for the early morning dip and you must be totally shattered and this is not good for you.

If it is any comfort to you there are some pretty bad asthmatics on this board and ones who ""go off"" very fast and get very ill and I have never heard that anyone of them have not woken up during at attack.

Bex

Thanks Bex.

I've decided to try and relax before going to bed and keep telling myself inside what you and Sparkly Fairy have said so it gets right in.

Thank you.

Jen

Hey Jen glad I could be of some help. I think it's only natural to feel a bit wobbly about things when you aren't feeling so good and it sounds like you have had an exhausting week so far! If I've had a hospital stay I find I get nervous about my room being really dark when I come home, very random I know but a plug in night light usually solves the problem and after a couple of nights I'm fine again lol.

I can certainly vouch for what Bex says about morning dips. I usually wake at 3.30 and then again at 6am needing meds. Sometimes I just give up at 6am and get up!

Anyways, I hope you manage to get some better sleep tonight.

Sparkly hugs xxx

Tho saying that... I'm having a bit of a dip now after spending over half an hour reasoning with noisy students outside in the cold! Someone remind me why I'm a student warden???

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