Morning EveryoneLooking for a bit of advice and just to have a little rant ☹️...
Since i started Haemodialysis approx 30 months ago, I have issues with getting a good sleep. Most dialysis patients I talk to, seem to sleep a lot. However I just can't sleep. I am tired but as soon as I go to bed, im awake. I have noticed after a dialysis session, I just can't sleep. Usually however I sleep OK the next night. However for the past 3 nights i have had about only 4 hours sleep in total. Last night was the worst one yet. I am now about to start a 9 hour shift, where I am on my feet all day. I am like the walking dead, emotionally and physically. Anytime in the past, when I have mentioned sleep issues to renal staff, I usually get told..oh tell me about it and then I have to listen to how awful their long shifts are. ..
After everything I have gone through in the past 9 years, since diagnosed I really feel I cant cope with anything. My husband is good and let's me moan away but the sleep disturbances are starting to affect him too. Its a nightmare trying to get a GPs appointment at my surgery. Just wondering if anyone else has experienced this and how they coped, especially if still working. I have tried various otc sleep aids but nothing is helping.
Thanks for listening
Written by
Ziggydoodah
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I do not think there is much worse than not sleeping. So I had an issue a ways back. Go to sleep exhausted, wake up at 2am and was done for the night. Turns out it was a blood pressure pill. It was carvedilol. Then after I started home hemo, oh boy... forget about sleeping. I was a nervous wreck. So many things to go wrong and they did. My BP before I go on is always up and by the end of the treatment or on an off day, it is fine. But the thought of doing dialysis played with my psyche. They suggested anxiety medication. Tried it one night and it made my insomnia worse. I also was having terrible cramping so the anxiety of expecting some sort of cramping event did not help. I had a pill I could take for the cramps and that helped. I did all the tricks for cramping they suggest and nothing worked. Turns out it was the Remicade I was on causing the cramping. Got off of it and no more cramps, or rarely.
Now almost a year, I have learned to cope better with the alarms. SOOOOO much better. but I still have a higher BP before. Check your BP at night to see if it is going up. It will wake you up or keep you up. Have a medication review to see if there is something else causing the insomnia. I take melatonin 3 mgs. every night. for the most part, I sleep much better. Still have some nights, like last night worrying about doing my lab draw, I did not sleep well.
My point is that it can be a different medication causing it. It could be your just so tired that you perseverate on things..... totally natural. The best thing I can suggest is to talk to other patients and call your doctor. Not sleeping affects so much including weight gain. Keep taking to us. You are not alone.
I've recently posted that I've been dealing with nsomnia for the past several yearsBoth my nephologist as well as my general doctor have tried to help by prescripimg various meds including ambien as well as clonazepam. On my own, I've tried melatonin, regular as well as rapid release as well as slow release. While most worked a few times,some stopped working while others caused scary side effects so I discontinued them.
Recently, a friend gave me some Sleepytime Tea extra which contain the supplements chamomile as valerian. Amazingly, this tea has helped me fall asleep easily and let's me get bsck tp sleep after bathroom breaks.
Since I'm not a supplement taker and never have been, I carefully researched these two supplements and found out that valerian root is a long standing sleep aid used by many over the years. Please check my recent post where I quote an article by Medscape about this supplement. I don't have the article handy now. I'm sharing this information hoping it can bring you some relief. I'm still using the tea, but I've ordered valerian in tablet form and awaiting its delivery.
Chronic severe Insomnia can be so debilitating. I hope and pray you find some relief soon.
I want to add that as Bassetmommer said, medication is usually the culprit thst causes insomnia. Beta blockers are notorious for doing this. In my case, it's Metoprolol which I must take. Best to you
I am so sorry to hear that. Sleep is not something I have trouble with. I've had to take a Benadryl the last couple of nights as I have a terrible rash from the tape on my arm. That puts me right out and I'm not itching. Maybe that would help at least for a couple of nights. I find after a week it no longer works.
Lucky you that your Beta Blocker, carvedilol, didn't cause you to have insomnia. Mine, Metoprolol, seems to do it for me. However, last year when I was trying to figure it out, I did note that carvedilol was one least likely to cause insomnia. And, yes, Benadryl does help and out of desperation, I tried it last night. Still, it seems to stop working once your system acclimates to it. It is also not good to take it long term as there is research showing that it can lead to dementia. I knew a neurologist at UF who did the research along with others and their results seemed valid. I'm going to start Valerian tonight [100 mg] and will report how it works. Just looking for some relief. Its amazing that how important sleep is to our health, yet there's no clear-cut help on how to treat it.
I.am on computer assisted PD. Adequate sleep is an ongoing problem. I cycle 4 times a night. Every hour and 45 minutes when the computer hits drain its like a laser light show lights up my belly. With all.the plastic tubing on the floor i.must be fully awake for each trip.to the bathroom so I'm not comfortable taking any sleeping meds. I read, play computer games on my laptop, change positions to minimize drain pain and sometimes when especially anxious I count slowly from 100 down to.one or from 100 to one by 3s. Over and over again. It just helps for.me to.focus on something that's not all my problems whirling around in my head that just increase my pain, anxiety and distress. I am retired so I have the luxury of daytime napping. Those of you out there that can do dialysis and continue to.work truly are kidney heroes. Be gentle with yourself. The path doing dialysis is complicated and it is so easy to fall off the balance beam. Go out to eat, sodium overload, warm day... dehydration happens, drink to much water 2 kg weight gain in one day. Not to mention potassium, phosphorus or just too many carbohydrates in one day and then bloodwork goes wonky. It is all so complicated . I.try to comply as best as possible, don't take short cuts and still enjoy life. Sometimes from one moment the next. Tell yourself you've got this because you do. Not easy path now but i have no other options.
Yeah, Little sleeping aid helping go sleep after dialysis. My doctor gave a an allergy pill that help sleep too, even though I found myself will wake up just after 4, 5 hours sleep, But I just continue to sleep if I'm tired still, I just changed maybe from bed to couch, then I can go back to sleep because i'm still tired. This little pill is called Hydroxyzine HCL 10 mg
Hello! You are not alone Ziggydoodah! I have only been on hemodialysis 4 months now and I sleep terribly too. I almost envious of the ones that tell me that sleep good or more. I talked to another gal in the clinic and she said it was like that for her for sometime. I do take gabapentin but it never kicks in to really help. I am horribly restless and then I have restless leg. I also work full time and it's very hard to do it all isn't it! I would say we both need to get something to assist us. I was going to maybe try a naturopath or go back again to my primary. My kidney MD says that is common with some patients. However nothing happens. I am going to try PD soon as my graft isn't working well so maybe that will make a difference. I don't see how with something sticking out of my belly and a machine running all night lol. Sometimes I gave to laugh to cope with all of this. I say tell more providers and see if they can give you something.
Thanks to everyone that has replied. I am having a hard time just now. Lack of sleep is definitely not helping. Physically and mentally I am exhausted at this point in my journey. I just need a few days to feel sorry for myself 😢..Didn't want it to seem as if I am ignoring these kind suggestions x
Hope you start getting some rest when I was on of dialysis I was luck yo get 2 hours asleep a night I had so much drain and fill pain with it But I look so exhausted all the time . Hope figure out what can work for you cause not having sleep can put stress on your body
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