At about 8:00 pm or thereabouts, I will start to get sleepy while viewing TV with my family. So I struggle to keep myself awake.
On a good night, I can make it to 9:00 or even 10:00, but only with tremendous willpower (or if I'm watching a really good movie, which is rare.)
Then, I proceed to the bedroom to what I think will be a good night's sleep because I'm so tired, right? But I lie awake for a couple of hours, totally unable to be drowsy again--let alone fall asleep.
I could go right to bed at 8:00 I suppose, but I know I would be up in the wee hours, and I hate to miss the night time TV viewing with my family, as this is the only time that we are home together, and it is kind of fun - while I'm awake, that is.
Sleep has always been an issue for me in one way or another.
Posted by randibear (Member # 11290) on :
i am having the same problems. i will get sleepy during the afternoon,. think i will lay down for a nap but can't sleep.
then about 8 or 9 i get really exhausted. thinking i'll go to bed, i take an epsom salts baths or a shower and crash.
and i lay there, and lay there and lay there. counting sheep, corvettes, food, make up, you name it. 12 rolls around, 1 and 2, then maybe i get half an hour.
morning comes and i'm more tired than ever.
i've tried melatonin, ambien, flexeril, zoloft, lunesta, warm milk, you name it.
nothing works, nothing...you hear me ya'll, NOTHING no thing, nada, zilch, kaput, zip, nuttin...
Posted by KYForester (Member # 24695) on :
thejoje
This has been happening to me for about 6 months.....everynight. I'll lay down extra sleepy and wake up in an hour and then toss and turn throughout the night sleeping for 20 minutes at a time. It sucks, to be honest. I've done everything you can to eliminate the things that can effect sleep without any luck. I have tried Ambien & Lunesta before and it did help a little bit, but I was afraid of relying on it to sleep. However, I am reconsidering using it again and seeing if my LLMD will prescribe it. I have dark circles under my eyes from not enough deep sleep. Good luck.
KY
Posted by KYForester (Member # 24695) on :
I've never tried counting corvettes......maybe that will work for me!
Posted by canefan17 (Member # 22149) on :
Adrenals.
Classic adrenal fatigue symptom.
I spent yrs! forcing myself to stay awake... thinking i'd fall asleep right on time at 10 or 11.
then you catch your 2nd wind and your cortisol starts shooting up.
once that happens... GOODLUCK
Posted by Keebler (Member # 12673) on :
- Actually, it may be the nighttime TV that interferes with our sleep. Our brains need calm and dark in the evening hours in order to make the hormones needed for sleep. I love watching late, too, as it is a window to the world but I can feel its negative influence on my body.
And, as canefan reminds us, it is classic adrenal stuff. But our eyes really need to be in subdued light by 8 or 9 pm and the dark by 10 or 11 pm. Adrenal links included here: ------
Topic: NATURAL SLEEP - Links to articles & supplements -
Posted by randibear (Member # 11290) on :
so do you take cortisol or some kind of adrenal support?
what brand and price?
Posted by canefan17 (Member # 22149) on :
First it'd be wise to know your own circadian rhythm.
I'd get a 24 hr cortisol saliva test.
Posted by thejoje (Member # 19976) on :
Cane, I did the 24-hr adrenal test and was found to be criminally insufficient, so my ND gave me first cortef, then herbals, then glandulars.
These things gave me a pleasant little boost during the day, but a terrible curse at night. I was literally awake all night long-- not even corvettes could help this situation.
My daughter, on the other hand, functions beautifully on the stuff! The doc also gave her PhosSerine to take around 10:00pm to help her sleep thru the night. It helps to downregulate her elevated levels of cortisol which were too high at midnight. Big improvement for her sleep, I tell ya.
Not the case for her mom, though.
Posted by kidsgotlyme (Member # 23691) on :
I've been wondering what the heck has been wrong with me. Whoever asked this question, thank you! I knew my adrenals were messed up, but I sure couldn't figure out what was keeping me up. Now I know.
Christie
Posted by canefan17 (Member # 22149) on :
thejoe,
If you suffer from adrenal faitgue there's a GREAT chance you have hypoglycemia(blood sugar issues)
You may need to eat a protein snack before bedtime.
if your blood sugar is dropping very low at night there's no way you'll fall asleep and stay asleep.
your liver will get punished as well
Posted by MariaA (Member # 9128) on :
hey, does anyone know where to get the best adrenal test and is there one you can do by mail or through Labcorp or something (I"m away from my LLMD right now)?
Posted by thejoje (Member # 19976) on :
Cane, I would not be surprised at all if I was hypoglycemic, based on my eating patterns. The problem for me is however, that I cannot eat a single thing past 7:00pm or I have horrific stomach pain in the am. It kind of feels like bad arthritis- only in my stomach, and lasts about half an hour, then it disappears.
So I'm damned if I do eat, and damned if I don't.
Why is my liver getting punished ???????
Posted by sutherngrl (Member # 16270) on :
Its like pure exhaustion to the point of collapsing, yet not able to sleep. Its like the brain won't shut off.
I have tried Lunest, Trazadone, and a few others. Now on Ambien with my Xanax. Nothing really works for me. I get 4 hours of straight sleep and then the rest of the night sucks.
Posted by thejoje (Member # 19976) on :
MariaA, I got my adrenal test through my doc, who got it from Diagnos-Techs,Inc. PO Box 389662, Tukwila, WA 98138-0662 Tel: 425-251-0596
It was $99.
I think it is difficult to interpret without a doc, though. I wouldn't have known what to prescribe myself, just looking at the results, although it is pretty clear that my adrenals are depressed.
You could save yourself the cost of the test, and look up the symptoms of adrenal insufficiency to see if anything rings a bell.
Also, you could try a course of an adrenal formula that some folk are taking here, and see if you notice a diff.
My doc has recently ordered (for my daughters) something new from Standard Process which he took himself whilst on a conference about adrenals. He swears by this stuff, whatever it is. When it comes in, I can PM you if you want.
Good luck.
Posted by SOBS (Member # 23469) on :
I also had my adrenals checked through Diagnos-Techs with my LLMD - it was very helpful.
Recently I have been sleeping a bit better as my doctor prescribed a supplement called Cortisol Manager by Integrative Therapeutics. My LLMD told me to take at 1 tablet at night before bed and two if I have had a very stressful day. While it doesn't work for me every night - it has helped with my sleeping rhythms and I am getting much more rest than I used to.
Unfortunately I was unable to sleep more than a couple of hours before and was pulling all nighters on a regular basis. My LLMD noted that he has had many patients with this issue which makes recovery much more difficult. I don't know about you guys but it sure also makes me really grumpy when I have sleep deprivation.
If your LLMD doesn't carry this - google it online as there are several suppliers that carry this as well.
Get some rest!!
Posted by MorningSong (Member # 19989) on :
A book that was very helpful to me was "Say Goodnight to Insomnia" by Gregg Jacobs. Teaches how to overcome insomnia naturally without medication.
He is a Harvard graduate and runs a clinic to help people sleep. One of the things he states (among many)is to take a bath 2 hours before bed. If you take a bath right before bed, it raises your body temperature and can effect sleep.
He also states that watching TV or being on the computer too close to bedtime can cause insomnia because it effects the bodies production of sleeep inducing hormones.
I struggled with insomnia for 3 years and this book was an answer to my prayers.
Posted by canefan17 (Member # 22149) on :
suthern,
That is adrenal exhaustion. Treat it
Posted by nefferdun (Member # 20157) on :
If I am sleepy at 8:00 I go to bed at 8:00. That way I have an hour before my bed time which is normally 9, so that I don't worry about going to sleep. Everyone understand that insomnia has always ruled my life, way before lyme.
If you are female you could try progesterone, which is the hormone that helps you sleep. I must have been short on it most of my life because when I finally started taking it I slept normal for the first time in my life - unfortunately I was then bitten by a tick!
I have tried everything but what works best for me is the herb corydalis. It is as effective as a drug - never fails (when I first go to bed) and I have used it for a year without getting resistant to it.
Sometimes I wake up early in the morning around 2:00 and cannot go back to sleep for three hours - always three hours. Very strange but I deal with it by going to bed early and then going back to sleep at 5 for another 2 hours.
The drugs are doing on job on my sleeping now. Most of them have the side effect of insomnia.