How can l get some sleep?

[Ryliefew123dogcat]

Hi l have just gone down to 20mgs of pred from 221/2 and having bad insomnia. I have tried all sorts of sleep aids but no good.. l am at my wits end.😵.l havetried 100mgs of Gravol and that sends me to sleep for a few hours but the rest of the night is impossible. Can anyone recommend a good sleeping aid? Should l go back to a higher amount of pred. Please help🤪🤪🤪🤪🤪🤪

[HeronNS]

Don't increase your pred dose for this reason. In all likelhood it's the pred which is keeping you awake - can't explain why more didn't have same effect, but there you go....

I used to be a lifelong intermittent insomniac, so if pred affected me I can't say I noticed. I'd get up and do something boring, like a sudoku puzzle or crossword, and generally fall asleep eventually in a comfy chair in my living room. After I started taking one of my calcium doses shortly before bedtime with a large spoonful of plain full fat yoghurt I found I no longer had any trouble falling asleep and, more or less, sleeping through the night. This has been true for nearly four years now. I can say in spite of major stress with a renovation and a move I am still no longer insomniac. I do nearly always have a longish walk outdoors every day and the exercise may also help.

[5lupins in reply to HeronNS]

Do you take calcium only tablets or are they combined with other vitamins ? Thanks

.

[HeronNS in reply to 5lupins]

It is either calcium citrate which happens to be combined with magnesium and D3 and I think a couple of other things; or a rather complicated bone health supplement which is calcium hydroxyapatite with many other micronutrients. I always have a large spoonful of plain full fat yoghurt with whichever one I happen to be taking. Sometimes when I feel the need I take magnesium citrate instead, and I always have a warm bath at bedtime which encourages sleep.

Since I moved into a multi unit building I've been aware of an irritating hum. No one else seems to notice it, or at least it doesn't bother them, (no it isn't tinnitus!) so I bought a great little sound machine and now I have "pink noise" in the background as I drop off. Also keep the room quite but not completely dark.

I do not watch disturbing tv at bedtime. I think I have for many years automatically practised good sleep hygiene by avoiding screen time near bedtime, not eating a large meal in the evening, no caffeine late in the day, and doing the things mentioned above. But all else being equal the thing which changed was adding the calcium supplement after being on pred for about three months, which was when I discovered I shouldn't be taking calcium at the same time as pred.

[5lupins in reply to HeronNS]

Thank you so much for your detailed reply. My life is a bit stressful at the moment so everything helps. Have a lovely day. J

[HeronNS in reply to 5lupins]

While i was in the throes of a major reno of the place we were due to move to, and still living with my son who had bought our house, I used to wake up in the night and have a little worry. In fact I felt my brain was spinning like a squirrel in a wheel. It was awful, because our contractor was awful and his workers were incompetent (although we'd done due diligence to find a recommended business). That was an exceptional time when I didn't sleep well through the night, but even then I didn't feel I needed to get up and do something else. I'd end up getting up very very early, but I can't say it was in any way a return of the lifelong insomnia. And as soon as we moved the spinning squirrel left!

[5lupins in reply to HeronNS]

I feel dreadful in the dark hours of the night no amount of sguirreling 🤔 can alter things. One son going for MRI for severe head aches, one has not got a job after studying for a PhD,and OH waiting to be well enough to have chemo for non Hodgkin's lymphoma.

Everything seems manageable in the day but not in the night., it will pass but I am going to get the calcium. Thanks.

[HeronNS in reply to 5lupins]

Oh I do feel for you, what a lot you, indeed your whole family, have on your plate. Is there some technique you can use to concentrate your mind away from these worries? One of the things I used to do was name all fifty United States in alphabetical order. When that got too easy (usually there's at least one you can't remember, I would count them off on my fingers) I would do it backwards. It seems sort of mindless but eventually the brain would switch off and I'd be asleep. There must be other things people do like that, variations on the counting sheep theme?

[5lupins in reply to HeronNS]

I could try English counties 😌 I think it is just one of those times in life... The nice thing is both OH and sons are really nice solid Yorkshire types who don't make much fuss, so I am very lucky to have them in my life. Thank you for chatting and take care. J

[PMRpro Ambassador in reply to 5lupins]

"both OH and sons are really nice solid Yorkshire types who don't make much fuss"

Which isn't always good for them or us

All the best - know where you are, got the t-shirt xxxx

[PMRpro Ambassador]

Have you spoken to your doctor? I wouldn't increase the dose again - you will only have to reduce again, that is still quite a high dose. It is unusual for insomnia to appear as you go down the doses though!

[piglette]

I always used to go out like a light until I started on pred. Since then I find I lie awake for hours although I find I will go to sleep in front of the TV in the evening but only for a shortish time. I listen to the BBC World Service, I am becoming quite knowledgable on the most obscure things. Some people get up and clean the house, I don’t think anything would induce me to do any cleaning.

[DorsetLady PMRGCAuk volunteer in reply to piglette]

No, quite agree that’s definitely a step too far!

Did used to enjoy an early morning cuppa in the garden though. - luckily it was summer time!

Fortunately now back to my “sleeping for England” mode now!

[DorsetLady PMRGCAuk volunteer]

No, don’t increase as others have said. I found a Nytol (bought over the counter) suggested by GP every 3rd or 4th night got me through.

As PMRpro recommends speak to GP, especially if it’s something new.

[Blearyeyed]

What aids have you tried specifically to try to help with the insomnia ?

Don't want to give you advice that you've already tried if it failed.

As others have said though don't increase the Pred as this won't help your insomnia .

[Ryliefew123dogcat]

Thank you all for your helpful advice. It is good to find other people in the same boat as me.My Doctor gave me Trazadone .......not good gave me nightmares. Sleepeez worked the first night but hasn't worked since. Gravol is a travel sickness pill here in Canada but doesn't let me sleep through the night. I am going to try sleepeez again tonight and hope it works.

[SheffieldJane]

I have found 10 mgs of Amitriptylin taken one hour before bed broke the cycle and made me comfortable enough to sleep. I rarely go right through the night though and am back to napping for about 90 minutes in the day.

[S4ndy]

I agree with Sheffieldjane, Amitriptyline has helped me. However my sleep pattern has changed. I have difficulty falling asleep but when I do I go off for about 4-5 hours of deep sleep. I am on 5mg pred but I also take adrenaline and tapentadol. Both have an effect on serotonin levels which may explain why my sleep pattern has changed. So I work with it. I doze off about 2am until 7am, then get up for yoghurt and pred and I then meditate and usually doze off for another few hours. Some days I need an afternoon nap too. So I get about 8h a day but in two or three sleep chunks

[BoaterAnnie]

I have had insomnia for over 10 years and have tried everything under the sun. The thing that has worked the best for me might sound silly, but it works. It's sleepy music. I have an album that is called "insomnia" you can get on itunes. Also, I have a meditation app called headspace and part of that is a selection of "sleepcasts" as well as sleep sounds. You can use earbuds or get an underpillow speaker. I hope it helps!