Insomnia

[Degs58]

Hi

I’m still having trouble sleeping, some nights only getting 2-3 hours and the only thing I can associate it with is since I’ve been taking levothyroxine, but doc reckons it can’t be them that is causing it

I have Hashimotos I think as my antibodies are high, I’m taking 100 mgs at the moment.

Has anyone else had this problem with levothyroxine and what solved it if anything,I’ve tried ashgawanda (think that’s how it’s spelt) but they gave me palpitations.

Wondering wether switching to NDT would help although doc says not,really at my wits end with it now being going on since October last year

[MaisieGray]

"and the only thing I can associate it with is since I’ve been taking levothyroxine" - Remember, correlation is not causation!

Hypothyroidism causes metabolism and many other bodily functions to slow down. Because thyroid hormones are involved in so many bodily processes, when they are low you can have both daytime and nighttime symptoms, including fatigue during the day and poor sleep at night; in addition to which, hypothyroidism increases the risk for some sleep disorders and it's estimated that c30% of people with hypothyroidism have sleep apnea (it’s the drop in oxygen and the struggle to breathe against a closed airway that disrupts their sleep). Undertreated hypothyroidism can also prevent the deepest, most important sleep. So the first thing to do is ensure you are optimally medicated ie it's not the Levothyroxine that is causing your sleep problem but possibly an insufficiency of it. 100 mcg is not a particularly high dose and if you haven't been tested since your last dose increase, you need to do so - including both FT3 and FT4, not simply your TSH. You mention antibodies being high, but which antibodies were tested and what were the levels and their reference ranges? If you were diagnosed only in October, and haven't yet optimised your Levo and your hormone levels, it's not appropriate to be thinking of swapping to an NDT right now. I'm not sure that as an adaptogen, Ashwaghanda is necessarily a sleep aid. It is said to help some people balance their cortisol levels (which might explain the palpitations) and help with anxiety, and if it were those things that were disrupting your sleep, it might help; but ensuring optimal thyroid levels is perhaps the first thing to consider. Do you have any blood test results to post for members to advise?

[Degs58 in reply to MaisieGray]

Hi just had blood results

TSH 4.59 range 0.35 to 5.50 so doctor says in normal range so no increase in levo

T4 11.1 Range 7.86 to 14.41

They don’t test for T3

[greygoose]

Ashwagandha could have lowered your cortisol - it does in some people - which might not have helped.

[HIFL]

Insomnia can occur when you're over OR undermedicated, according to this article: tiredthyroid.com/blog/2014/...

Based on your TSH, I would guess you're undermedicated, and could ask to try the next highest dose, just to see if it helps? Do you snore or have sleep apnea?

[Degs58 in reply to HIFL]

Hi thanks ..don’t have sleep apnea but do snoresometimes , think the thyroid may have something to do with it, but think it’s become psychological now

[Lesleynotts]

Hi - I know from first experience how bad insomnia can be. I am opening up a can of worms here but I have found taking T3 in combination with T4 has helped me although it has not been perfect. My T4 readings have always been low but I function as long as I get enough sleep. I feel that not enough is known about individual variation both to T4 and T3 and Endos do not seem interested.

[gdhlth]

have you given chamomile a try?

[experimental1]

Though this is an old thread, your TSH is high. And your doctor told you it's 'normal' because it was in lab reference range. He or she is an idiot. Hope you're doing better or you've found a more knowledgeable doctor.