Hi all you lovely people I am finally after three long years getting my BP under control. I now have Irbesartan 75mg on alternate days not ideal as far as side effects go but I am prepared to continue so far. However I suffer from severe insomnia and I am becoming very depressed. Some nights I only have 2 hours sleep. I hasten to add this has been ongoing for forty years but just can't cope much longer.
I have night sweats but because I have had breast cancer a lot of treatments/remedies are not suitable for me. My GP is happy to prescribe sleeping tablets on a permanent basis but I really don't want that.
Grateful for any tips anyone has had success with please.
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BobbyCollins
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I had a Quick Look back at earlier posts of yours, BobbyCollins.
I can see you’ve had a difficult medical history, and no doubt that’s not helping your sleep patterns.
If you google “sleep hygiene “ you’ll see some suggestions that you could find helpful (temperature of your bedroom, no coffee and so on) but I expect you’ve already tried those. And advice from your pharmacy ? Plenty of fresh air and exercise?
What about yoga? Breathing exercises?
The older you get, the more normal it is to have disrupted sleep. And the more you worry about it, the more sleep seems to elude you. So, if you regard poor sleep as a normal part of life’s rich pattern might that help?
Do be very very careful about any medications you might see advertised unless they’ve been in common use for years … they could be snake oil.
Thanks so much for your reply. Sadly you are right I have tried everything just don't want to go down the prescription route. Next thing to try is tart cherry powder which includes magnesium l theanine etc. I will update in due course apart from anything else it is bankrupting me!
I have suffered from short sleep for many years (I wake up every hour or so and find it difficult to get back to sleep) and when I got home after my CABG I was only getting 2 hours or so sleep per night for quite a while. It made me quite stressed and anxious.
Now I get about 4 or 5 hours sleep per night and find I can manage ok with that.
The key for me was to stop worrying about not sleeping and to stop looking for ways to improve my sleep. No 'magic' supplements (they don't work and as you have found, they are expensive). I established a routine - same time to bed, same time get up regardless of how I slept - and most importantly - I did not let poor sleep stop me from doing the things I wanted to do.
Basically, I accepted my sleep pattern as normal for me and stopped trying to change it. Then I slept better.
Thank you so much for your reply. It is very helpful. I do agree we are bombarded with articles about sleep and I have become very worried about the effect it is having on my health and lifestyle so I will take your advice. All the best
Bobby, I found the SLEEPIO app incredibly helpful.It used to be available to limited areas and medics but now I think it's moe widely accessible. Worth a try.
Thank you and yes I have looked at that. Now that it is easier to get up during the night with the clocks changing I am going to try it. Thanks again and best wishes to you
I think it might be the answer to you problem. When you go mention your problem to the person taking the class. Try and empty your mind of all your thoughts and stress. You might even have to set your alarm in the future😍
I have had insomnia for 2 years now. I can only get 3-4 hours of sleep unless I take medication.
I have just started doinfg CBT for insomnia. It looks daunting, since ini#tially I need to drastically reduce the amount of time I spend in bed.
However I am told that it is one of the few things which is likely to work.
BTW the medication I take is Zolpidem. It is one of the few medications which actually work.
The problem with it is that it's habit forming, and i#f you take it for over a month or so, cit becomes less effective. So I would really not go down that route.
Thanks Richard I agree about the medication. I would be worrying about that another thing to keep me awake ! The CBT is a killer at first and you have to keep at it but worth a try. Keep well
At the risk of telling you stuff you already know, this is how I cope.
Always go to bed at the same time.
Same routine, shower etc.
Only read boring books in the evening.
Lower light levels before bed.
When I wake up, if thoughts start worrying me I either listen to music or have talk - not current affairs - on low volume on the radio, with a timer to switch off after 45 mins.
Otherwise I read a boring book until I start yawning or feeling sleepy.
Thank so much. I have tried most things the difficulty is my partner is still working so it is hard getting up etc as I try not to disturb him as much as possible. However ways and means and somethings got to give. All the best to you
I've suffered from insomnia for over 55 years, which started with shift work and has gradually got worse. As a young person, you can cope with 5 hours, but I went down to about 3, which is no good when you are 74. I tried over-the-counter (useless), all kinds of "psychological" aids, equally useless TO ME (i have inbuilt resistent to such things), and physical cures (because my displaced septum is part of the problem): didn't work. I asked my GPs for zopiclone, which works for me (3.75mg); but they would only give me a few at a time for 4 weeks. Eventually, using the old Navajo Indian trick of pleading and begging (copyright Woody Allen), I persuaded them to up it to 14. I reduced my dose to half a tablet, which gives me an extra 2-3 hours on what I get by myself (I usually get to sleep OK, but get woken after 2 hours by my bladder; I get up, have a milk / water drink, and take the pill).
I am well aware of the addictive properties of Zopiclone, etc. (my partner has MS, and sometimes has to take 2 a night now), and possible danger to a man with a very damaged heart, but argued that quality of life is more important than quantity. I can still only function for a couple of hours a day, but that may be my chronic fatigue (caused by bisoprolol? I will be asking questions), and I am happier not having to spend most of the night awake.
I have a non-addictive personality (no smoking, no gambling, minimal alcohol), so I think I will be able to control these pills: after all, I reduced down to half a tablet. I think you should consider them, but it's horses for courses. Remember that 2-3 hours sleep is not good for your health. It's that risk / reward thing again.
Thanks so much. It's all very hard isn't it ? Very difficult to work out what is the best route to go but I take on board your comments it gets to the point when you just can't take it any more and I think I've reached that. I think I have a habit of letting things go too far. I will take heed of your experiences. Thanks again and all the best to you.
Because you have had insomnia for a long time I suspect you have tried these or similar, but I take Geek Magnesium complex . From Amazon , I took tjem for restless legs which is a lot better but a couple of other things they have helped with is better nights sleep also better and regular bowel movements 💩If you haven’t had these maybe worth a try 😊
Thanks so much I have just got these so early days but feel hopeful. I actually have just developed restless legs in bed so maybe they will help me too. All the best to you.
I used to work away from home quite frequently and found sleeping difficult. What I found (and still works for me at home many years later) is to prop yourself up with cushions in bed or on the sofa and put the tv on fairly quiet. Put something on that is of at least vague interest and try to watch it rather than trying to sleep. I can miss sections of programmes, whole programmes and even whole nights. I don't put a timer on the tv, just let it play. Definitely need to be near sitting (at first).
I know it sounds easy and someone needs to be in your shoes to fully appreciate the problem but it works for me, I hope it is of some help to you.
Thanks so much for replying it is so interesting hearing other peoples experiences. For a while I got up during the night and put telly on there is a programme from CALM charity playing calm scenes and music. It was quite helpful but my problem is my partner is up at 6 30 so try not to disturb him also it was too cold to go downstairs in winter. Might try again now it's getting a bit warmer. Thanks again keep well
HI, I've had chronic insomnia for 7 years. The doc wanted to put me on a low dose anti depressant which helps with sleep but declined as I didn't like the long term side effects. I tried an 8 week online course with sleep station which claims it can retrain the body and mind to embrace sleep with cognitive behaviour therapy. It might be worth a try and is available on the NHS in some areas. It has good feedback but I didn't like the fact it is all done online.
The best solution for me was a referral to an NHS sleep clinic which ruled out sleep apnoea and other circadian sleep rhythm disorders. They helped me come to terms with my lack of sleep and re-set my sleep pattern through CBT and one on one therapy. My sleep has improved somewhat and although I have the odd bad night I am feeling much better. All the best.
Thank you so much for taking the time to reply and I am so glad you are feeling better. I agree all these medications are not the answer. My GP has not mentioned being referred elsewhere but I was intending to ask if anything is available locally. Thanks again and hope you keep well.
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