Can't sleep

[ThyroidDeb]

Does anyone or has anyone, had trouble getting to sleep and staying asleep. I have xanax but it's good at calming but doesn't last long enough it seems. Took half last night but was awake a few hours later midnight, took a quarter more up again a couple hours later. This lack of sleep is really getting me down. Any suggestions of what my doctor might prescribed with cirrhosis but a fully functioning liver thst works? I can't even take a nap, can't relax enough to dose off. Thanks

[Herman7275]

Well here's what I have found, because usually all I have to do if I can't sleep is take up my book, but Melatonin has not been found with evidence of damage to the liver and not associated with serum enzyme elevations. But can buy over the counter and start at a lessen amount. A common dose 10mg nightly 1 to 3 hrs before bedtime. Ron

[ThyroidDeb in reply to Herman7275]

I have read about melatonin, know some who use it. I read before I go sometimes but I get in bed and can't shut my worries off. Keep hoping it all gets better as time goes on.

[Herman7275 in reply to ThyroidDeb]

Think good thoughts, good memories, great times that will happen in future !!!!Ron

[kensimmons]

1. Bed is for sleeping only! Don't read the paper, work your computer, watch televisio. JUST SLEEP ONLY . It's a mind thing, your brain will feel the bed and go "oh, this is the sleep here place, okay, I guess it's time for sleep". My mother suffered from bad sleep as an adult because she did homework in bed as a child so bed to her was a "mind is active" place.

2. Similar to the above, if you cant sleep don't toss and turn, get up and do something like read a book (but not in bed) or watch tv (but not in bed).

3. Have a tea or warm milk or hot chocolate before bed. Some will say no to the chocolate, I make it dark, add no sugar, I think the benefits I get are far far far greater than the small sugar amount. I have my drink an hour before bed and will go to the bathroom before sleeping so I don't have to get up at night which might make me stay up.

4. As said above, if you need to get up at 7am don't sleep in, Get up even if you have not slept, suffer the day (its tough but its doable) and then go to sleep at the regular time that night or maybe an hour earlier. No daytime naps. This might go on for two days but eventually you will simply HAVE to sleep (your body will tell you, it has to sleep), just make sure that you go to sleep at regular bedtime

Side Note - Researchers say a lot of people who don't think about sleep don't realize how much they do it here and there and actually do get 7 or 8. How about those 10 minutes you dozed on the train...and then the 14 minutes you dozed on the way back? How about those 6 minutes you closed your eyes while seated in line at the doctor's office waiting room? How about those 12 minutes when you leaned over and shut your eyes on the couch waiting for your take away delivery man to arrive? And those 8 minutes you shut down for while waiting for your grandson after soccer practice. And that "brief" "power nap" you took after lunch because you read somewhere those power naps work well if you are sluggish? Guess what - all that together is an hour and a half.

You may be getting more sleep than you realize.

5. Most important tip. Have NO STRESS HOURS. I have (and remain) very stressed by many things. BUT I decided that it was causing me anxiety which was causing me to not sleep well, which caused me to have more anxiety, sleep even worse...you get the idea. So every night at 6pm I say firmly, no more thinking about bad issues until I wake up in the morning. This is book time, hobby time, tv time, internet surf for anything but NOT worry about anything until breakfast. This is now fun time, it is use the phone and call a friend time, write a letter time, fix up the house time, cook time, play piano time, join a club time, hang out with friend time, and I WILL NOT stress about anything. At first I didn't do it, thinking I was "ignoring reality". I now realize that by doing this I am not "cheating", I will have more than enough time tommorow to look on the internet, read medical reports and worry, but not for around 15 hours a day 6 pm to 9 am which is MY time and SLEEP time. And I maintain it in the morning. The first three hours are not yet worry time, it's time to yoga and cook and walk the dog and shop. Stress time is just a few hours, middle of day.

Do that and you will stress less and sleep much better.

Here is what a friend wrote online -

"We've been in this fight for 28 years, over 26 years ago my husband had complete liver shutdown. He is alive, healthy and doing well and will live many more years. The liver cleans itself out from 1am-2am, often people have a hard time going back to sleep. That explains the reversal of sleep patterns. My husband has noticed if he eats the wrong foods he is up until about 6am. Diet is vital for a healthy result. Do a search on "liver friendly foods." We found the sleep is under control to where it becomes normal if you are following your diet, my husband also takes supplements to help his liver that his doctor approves of."

To conclude here are two good links. But only read during stress hours then use during sleep time hours! Get those 15 "I will not not not not worry about this" time and stick to it!

Good luck, you will be fine! Relax!

I know some people have problems opening USA pages, if you do you must figure out how to do it - the first document might solve all your problems immediately. Maybe a library or other place can help you or a neighbor? Hopefully you can see it on your own.

healthline.com/health/menta...

mayoclinic.org/healthy-life...

[Alterity]

If your mind is racing you will probably find your legs are racing too. I found my legs hurt me when I got up and one night I woke up at 4 and my legs would not stop moving. I now take something to calm my legs and I sleep most nights. There are still a few that I wake up for an hour or two, but it is so much better than it was. Just something to look into.

[ThyroidDeb in reply to Alterity]

Yes, restless leg I have had since a child. My mother used to ask can't you keep your legs still...no.

[ThyroidDeb]

Hi all thanks for all your responses. Some I have tried some I will try...I did want to update. I called my doctors office to make an appointment about this, she was busy so I saw her Practitioner for first time. They spend more time with you but this is what I learned which made a big difference in my mind. I started crying and told her all my fears and what the Gastro said and/or made me feel unintentionally. She first told me that I had a very small amount of cirrhosis, they classify what I have as Nash. We talked about what that meant and reversal, stopping or taking it back a stage. (Things my gastro said he had never seen happen.) I asked about the size of my liver because nobody has ever mentioned it. She said measurement is by centimeters take the size divide by 7.2 to get size in inches and think about it that way, sounds way smaller. Size doesn't really concern that's why not mentioned, size has nothing to do with function. I said yes but if it gets bigger there's more damage she said yes if you are still mistreating it but you aren't. So you can be assured you have stopped that. Then I asked about how you can have a fully functioning liver with liver desease, she said think of your liver like a sponge. If the sponge is hard and dry it won't work but when it's soft and wet it works well and yours is wet and soft working well. I said when Gastro said to concentrate on quality of life it freaked me out as though I might die. She said he didn't mean that he meant to test periodically to catch before anything does happen or catch it early to keep your health. I told her I didn't want to die and I had read the median was 10 years that the scale was 9 to 12 years. She said you aren't going to die unless you have a car accident or something. She said this may be true if you don't do anything to help your liver but you are so there is no reason to believe you won't be around a good long time. I asked about ascites and such, she said that won't happen for a long time..if ever, when you do what you are doing. You treat your liver right it will treat you right for many years yet. Needless to say, I felt way better after talking with her, even slept most the night. I believe it was meant that I was to see her because I have gone there for years and never seen her before. Sorry for length but I wanted to maybe share something that might make another relax some.

[Truex]

Glad you got some good information from the practitioner. Really happy you got some sleep, so important! If in the future you find it hard to sleep, these are things i have found in the journey to get my son some sleep... First was melatonin... Small dose, you can get horrible side effects if you take too much. 5htp works. Vitamin D3 can have an effect on sleep and inflammation in your body ... Make sure you're getting enough. Magnesium is very helpful for sleep. Also can have loosening effect on bowels. I can't take it, but my son has no problems. These are all natural and all needed by our bodies. Next for me to check B vitamins! His sleep has greatly improved! Good luck to you!

[LeiL]

Try Magnesium Glycinate it really helps with sleep. Have you had your cortisol levels checked. Cortisol Manager is a good supplement to take and according to my doc won’t hurt the liver.