Insomnia and sleep clinics

[Mistee]

Has anyone been to a sleep clinic for Insomnia?

What happens? What kind of tests do they do? What kind of treatment can be offered? Does it work?

I'm 45 and have struggled to sleep for most of my life, certainly from adolescence onwards but every now and then it gets worse.

I typically run on 4-6 hrs a night and I'm always low on energy. That's my standard level of operation. But I sometimes have "flare ups" that can last for months (which I'm in the middle of now).

I'm overweight, have PCOS and Degenerative Disc Disease among other bits and bobs - I know insomnia can be linked to all of the above.

I'm currently sleeping for 2-3hrs, but in the afternoon!! I'm not able to get to sleep through the night so I'm having to have naps when I finish work.

After waking up around 5pm on Saturday, I decided to just stay awake until the filling night then take a warm bath, get the lavender oil out and my Bluetooth sleep mask so I could listen to relaxing music to help me drif off. It didn't work and I ended up awake for a little over 40hrs, until nearer 10am on Monday morning.

Last night (Monday night) I took a nytol tablet that hubby brought home for me on the promise that I phone the Drs when they open and arrange an appt. I took the nytol at 10pm and repeated the relaxation routine, but swapped the relaxing music for a guided meditation. I was shattered and really thought it would work, but it's currently 5.45 on Tuesday and I'm still awake. I start work at 9am.

I can't go on like this, all of the things listed above are my go to remedy and usually work, getting me good 8-10hrs of sleep for 2 or 3 nights before my body reverts back to the 4-6hr standard but just haven't done anything for me this time. I'm exhausted and don't know how I'm going to manage to work (although fortunately, I'm still working from home!)

[Hedwig121]

I was referred to the Sleep Clinic a couple of years ago by my Rheumy consultant. I did a short form assessment and scored full marks on it. I didn’t go to the clinic because of Covid but spoke to the nurse who reported to the Consultant. They suggested trying a CPAP machine as for some reason it was thought I might have sleep apnoea even though I didn’t have any of the usual indicators eg being overweight, snorer, thick neck, being male, stop breathing during sleep.

I struggled with the mask. When I did get to sleep, it would slip and vibrate, waking me up. I did give it up after a few months. I’d also bought a Fitbit to see what sleep I was getting as well as recording my oxygen sats. It showed that I was getting about 90 mins to 4 and a half hours sleep but surprisingly my sats always stayed in the normal range.

At the same time I had started a 7 week online Fatigue Management course run by a rheumy nurse and a specialist OT.

It covered different topics each week eg sleep, stress & communication, fatigue (and 4 Ps-pacing, planning, prioritising, posture), coping with setbacks.

We used pacing diaries to track activity and how much sleep we were getting. Going to bed and getting up at the same time each day. Wind down at night. If you are still awake 30 mins after going to bed, then get up and do something boring then go back to bed again. Sleep goes in 90 min cycles. Keep bedroom strictly for sleeping- no TV. phones or PCs allowed. Try and keep bedroom as dark as possible. Get out for at least 20 mins and get some morning sun. Try not to sleep during the day. If you have to, no more than 30 mins.

My sleep has improved a bit. 5 hours approx. a night and less falling asleep during the day.

I hope you managed to get a GP appointment this week and are getting some help now.

[timbowPSP]

Oh Mistee, I really empathise, its awful. Aged 10 I used to 'count' myself to sleep (usually to 1,000 plus) and now with drugs. Nytol is 2 strengths. Melatonin is very relaxing, and my GP gives it to me on prescription (our bodies don't make it enough at our ages (45 and 80), Zopiclone is a bit heavy duty, and GP prescribes me one a night. There are other options, such as Lions Mane for brain repair (ie.PSP), and CBD, etc. I dowse each evening for what I need for my nightly dose. Enough for now?

PS. I assume you live in UK? Very best to you, with a hug. TimbowPSP

[timbowPSP]

Mistee, I just replied to you ..... forgot to say that my sleep 'hygiene' is pretty crap. I have a busy mind, and always have ideas and projects on the go!

Recording my sleep pattern - over each month - it seems to vary from about 4.5 to 5.6hrs/night. But individual nights are from 1 or 2 hours to 8 hrs (extremely rare!). TimbowPSP