Not being able to sleep

Not being able to sleep (Full Version)

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LadyConstanze -> Not being able to sleep (5/1/2012 3:03:01 AM)
I am having serious trouble getting to sleep, despite sometimes feeling so exhausted that I think I might faint. Back story, looking after a friend who had an organ transplant, he's a delight and I am so happy to have him around, though he's on pretty heavy medication and the steroids he has to take are getting reduced every 2 weeks, he tries his best but he's just much more agitated, super sensitive and the moods change a lot, it takes much more of a toll on him than on me, and he's suffering from not being able to sleep (which does not help when steroids are reduced) now for some odd reason (possibly nerves) I have problems going to sleep or having a deep and restful sleep. Being a continent away from my other half and my pets (my beloved girlie is going through hip surgery and I am away) doesn't make things easier. Biggest worry is that with the sleep deprivation I might become irritable (not good if somebody is going through steroid withdrawal) or I might mess up some meds because it's hard to focus when you're constantly tired. I tried about everything when it comes to natural stuff (no dairy products though as I am lactose intolerant), I'm having tons of physical exercise to tire me out (in fact so much that I buffed up), so melatonin is something I have used before when changing time zones a lot - would it be an idea to induce sleep? Tried teas, herbal remedies, baths, more physical exercise, meditation, CDs.... Bone tired most of the time but unable to sleep... Any ideas what to do? Might give melatonin another try the only problem I have with it is that I can't seem to shake the slight daze for hours after I wake up. Oh and before I forget it, anybody who doesn't have an organ donor pass - please think about it, if you would have an accident or a condition where you need a transplant - don't you think it would be fair to be willing to give what you hope you should be given?

VanessaChaland -> RE: Not being able to sleep (5/1/2012 3:28:02 AM)
Lol.

LadyPact -> RE: Not being able to sleep (5/1/2012 3:49:38 AM)
I've heard that a lot of folks have success taking melatonin. I don't happen to be one of them. It may very well work for you since your lack of sleep is probably due to the factors that you describe in your post. You could always defuse the morning fuzz by adding a B complex vitamin, if it isn't already part of your routine.

LaTigresse -> RE: Not being able to sleep (5/1/2012 3:56:22 AM)
Both Generic Dude and I take melatonin but for different reasons. We take 5 mg about an hour before bed. I've never had the problem with feeling fuzzy in the morning unless I've taken it too late.

DarkSteven -> RE: Not being able to sleep (5/1/2012 4:49:19 AM)
Do you snore? I used to snore something horrible, and it progressed into apnea. It was discovered during a sleep study.

kalikshama -> RE: Not being able to sleep (5/1/2012 5:35:22 AM)
I take 1 mg melatonin every night and do not have side effects the next morning. I have found the sublingual works best for me. This company also makes sublingual in 2.5 mg, which my mom takes, and 5 mg. (We lose our ability to produce melatonin as we mature.) http://www.iherb.com/Source-Naturals-Melatonin-Orange-Flavored-Sublingual-1-mg-100-Tablets/24650 I have to read myself to sleep to quiet my mind. I have a light with a timer that I set for 30 minutes, as reaching over to shut off the light wakes me and if I fall asleep with the light on the light will eventually wake me. Has your friend consulted with his doctor? Is he well enough to do gentle yoga? I recommend gentle yoga in the evening for you as well, but do try the melatonin first.

LaTigresse -> RE: Not being able to sleep (5/1/2012 7:51:10 AM)
Yoga rocks to calm the body and mind.

LadyConstanze -> RE: Not being able to sleep (5/1/2012 10:58:25 AM)
I don't think he can do yoga, I do, I think it's more the situation, the being on edge, trying to be alert. I had problems with insomnia in the past and usually managed to sort it out, but it's quite an intense situation so the inner rest is a bit elusive, when I had a break in March and got home briefly, I arrived and slept almost for a week. DS, has nothing to do with snoring, I think it's nerves, the need to make sure that everything goes right and the constant monitoring... For my friend it's mainly a problem that the meds have a side effect and he gets bad acid reflux at night, we got it somewhat in check by raising his bed, changing the diet, him changing from OJ to apple juice, ginger and honey before he goes to bed, seems to help and he gets at least a few hours of sleep in, he's got clinic appointment this week where they give him a complete check up and might make changes in the meds. I usually sleep with the door open so I can hear if anything would happen, and that's a bit like sleeping with one eye open and after close to 5 months, it's just taking a bit of a toll. I take vitamin B, but I might give it a try upping the dose, dunno why I react so strongly on everything that is a sedative, guess it's just body chemistry. Just need to do something because I won't be much use to my friend if I keel over or if I'm just not alert enough in case of an emergency, then the added worry that if I am not sleeping enough, I'm just more prone to any kind of infection, now that's something that has to be avoided around my friend due to his artificially lowered immune system. Actually what I haven't tried is hot baths before I go to bed, that might help.

OsideGirl -> RE: Not being able to sleep (5/1/2012 11:10:05 AM)
I started taking a liquid vitamin called Passion 4 Life and it helped immensely. I'm now sleeping through the night (well except for the stress of the last two weeks).

LadyConstanze -> RE: Not being able to sleep (5/1/2012 12:26:26 PM)
Thank you, I give that a try. I think it's just nerves interfering with my sleep, at this point (after a few months of not getting enough sleep or good sleep) I notice that it does take a toll and rather do something than add strain. Last thing my friend needs is another worry, I'm here to help him and not add additional stress..

Aswad -> RE: Not being able to sleep (5/14/2012 8:24:41 PM)
You need to let life take it's course more, Constanze. Instead of being worried about him when you go to bed, learn to be happy that he's still there when you wake up. If something happens, something happens. It's unlikely to be preventable by excessive vigilance. You're more likely to miss something from being tired. Letting go can be incredibly hard sometimes, but it's also necessary. At the risk of sounding like I'm repeating what you already said: the first rule of helping others is taking care of yourself, and without letting go a bit, you can't take care of yourself. You need this sleep. He needs you to sleep. Soundly. IWYW, - Aswad.

littlewonder -> RE: Not being able to sleep (5/14/2012 9:14:47 PM)
I have a severe case of insomnia. I can go days without any sleep at all and it takes a rough toll on my body and mind. I've tried every single natural relief as possible to no avail. I have a dr right now who is working with me and so far I've tried about 10 different meds to help me and again, none of them do a thing for me. Both she and Master are in shock that nothing works on me. I wish I could give you some advice except that it seems you can't sleep due to the stress of taking care of someone. when my sister had to take care of our dad she had this problem. So when this would happen, one of us would step in for a little while to take care of him so that she could have a break and some well needed rest. Is there someone that could maybe do the same for you? I think maybe getting a chance to take a breath is what you need.

LadyConstanze -> RE: Not being able to sleep (5/14/2012 9:25:54 PM)
I am going back in a few weeks, so I'll get some rest then, but things have improved a hell lot, his health is much better (we had some tough times with the acid reflux due to some heavy meds, so I woke up from him coughing and gagging) but that seems to be sorted, they're bringing his immune system back and we past the magic 6 months. It was simply the stress, but that's getting much better now and I had a few nights of sleep, still not 7 hours but at least 5, and the other day just nodded off by the pool. I started to also "prepare" myself for bed, you know, just sit there and do breathing exercises, stretching, a warm bath and sometimes even a glass of wine, though I am not comfy with having a drink, because in case anything happens, I have to be fully there. What added to it was that I had a wisdom tooth out and some oral surgery (infection in the jaw bone), it hurt like hell but I could only take very mild pain killers, the heavy stuff that took care of the pain also left me dazed and if you feel like somebody inside your mouth is poking needles around, that's also not great for sleep. All in all just a bad combo, but it worked in the end, I had bouts of insomnia before, so I wasn't too alarmed first, only when I worried that I might just be keeling over, I started to get concerned but luckily we seem to be through the worst now and that is one hell of a weight off my shoulders.

Aswad -> RE: Not being able to sleep (5/14/2012 10:43:49 PM)
quote: ORIGINAL: littlewonder Both she and Master are in shock that nothing works on me. Tried stuff like chlorprothixene, levomepromazine and meprobamate yet? IWYW, - Aswad.

DesFIP -> RE: Not being able to sleep (5/16/2012 6:37:26 PM)
Respite care. Caregiver burnout is common. You need someone else to take care of him for a weekend while you check into a motel and pamper yourself.

littlewonder -> RE: Not being able to sleep (5/16/2012 6:44:05 PM)
quote: ORIGINAL: Aswad quote: ORIGINAL: littlewonder Both she and Master are in shock that nothing works on me. Tried stuff like chlorprothixene, levomepromazine and meprobamate yet? IWYW, - Aswad. quote: levomepromazine Those are all antipsychotic drugs and make you gain weight as a side effect which defeats the purpose of my anti-depressive meds.

amaidiamond -> RE: Not being able to sleep (5/16/2012 6:45:24 PM)
A second for respite care even if it's just for one night... When my charge was really bad I wouldn't have survived without respite help

LadyConstanze -> RE: Not being able to sleep (5/16/2012 6:48:41 PM)
I had a night off the other day as my charge was rather well and just hung out with friends, I was a bit on edge but always had the mobile with me, so he could have called at any point. Made a big difference and I have Saturday off to go to DomCom... He was actually quite happy that I went out as he's concerned about the burn out.....

amaidiamond -> RE: Not being able to sleep (5/16/2012 6:54:56 PM)
It's SO easy to get run down, For me my Owner has been a lifesaver - he helps me with caring and whilst I still do the main stuff, meds, finances, appointments, letters etc it does mean that I can go away overnight sometimes (my friend lives within a few miles so I can get back in 15 mins but to be able to be out is amazing) And even little things like calming me when I am drained/frustrated etc (charge has severe epilepsy/psychosis (voices/phantom sensory input) social anxiety, depression, paranoia etc ) and just keeps me level - I also have a friend of my charges from before he got bad who come over and my Sir and I can attend markets and the like together

LadyConstanze -> RE: Not being able to sleep (5/16/2012 7:58:16 PM)
Well, you just get so caught up in it that you forget about yourself, it wasn't greatly planned, but then how do you plan a congestive heart failure and emergency transplant? We had 4 weeks and that was just enough for me to get all bloodwork done (as to make sure I wouldn't carry any infections or have a weak immune system), sort dog sitters out for when other half needs to be away, work arrangements and all that and booking the flight. For the first 6 weeks he had a family member helping out on occasion but said family member caused a lot more stress for anybody involved...

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