Resource Insomnia - Do You Have It? (You might be surprised)

[Cort]

Cort submitted a new resource:

Insomnia - Do You Have It? - Nestmaven provides easy to understand way to diagnose insomnia

[bimg=fright|no-lightbox]https://www.nestmaven.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/nm-logo-yellow-subline.png[/bimg]Did you know that insomnia doesn't just apply to those who can't fall asleep? Check out a nice overview of insomnia with treatment options from Nestmaven.

From the website:

• Does it take you a long time to fall asleep once you’ve tucked yourself in for the night?
• Do you frequently wake up during the course of the night and experience difficulty falling back asleep?...

Read more about this resource...

 

[Merida]

Cort, insomnia is another symptom that is related to my neck. My neck is inevitably affected by picking up grandkids, and there is a definite correlation with poor sleep. I went back to my chiro just yesterday ( after a 4 year absence) and his neck adjustment was not good. I only slept 3 hours total despite exhaustion.

I am still amazed at how few people are considering structure and function, especially the neck, as a major source of symptoms.

 

[Rob Rainford]

If related to CFS, then yes.
My inability to sleep properly and function the next day causes havoc. It's like the brain is on full alert but the body is exhausted.
Perhaps those zombie movies are a peek into the future of the human race.

 

[Not dead yet!]

Since I've been taking choline and eating more liver, I've had my dreaming restored. I didn't even know it was a "lucid dreaming" vitamin. I don't care about that, but it was disturbing that I couldn't sleep in any satisfying way, or remember if I'd had any dreams. That's ok for a week, but I had no memory of dreams for past several years. And sleep was getting to be more of a struggle than a rest.

That doesn't mean I can sleep normally. It just means that I can feel more of a benefit from sleep. Any port in a storm, eh?

I never had an issue falling asleep or enjoying sleep, or being rested when I woke up. I consider it a symptom of my illness that I feel like "ugh, it's morning" when I wake up now.

Possible reasons I'm awake at night ( all of these must be fixed if I'm going to get any rest):

1. Maybe I took two pain meds too close to each other, this makes me wake up in 2 hours, so I'm careful not to.
2. Maybe I'm in physical pain (did I remember to take Celebrex? did I do a bit of stretching before bed?...)
3. Maybe I got all worked up about some stupid news story, or I started ruminating about things I can't change
4. Maybe I'm trying to wean myself off of having the lights on while I sleep? ( I can't turn them off anymore.)
5. Maybe I'm physically hungry, this is becoming more of an issue as I stay up and my body expects to eat every 5 hours or so, even if it's 2 am.
6. Maybe I haven't succeeded in standing up long enough to shower in a few days - this make me extremely uncomfortable, so usually my husband makes a bath for me when I'm feeling particularly weak.
7. Maybe I forgot to brush my teeth and now they're all grimy and gross?
8. Maybe my CPAP is out of water and my throat is drying up?
9. Maybe I'm having a night sweat?
10. Maybe I'm particularly scared of insects today? This can happen if I saw one earlier or if I know I opened a window because we have noseeums, and those go right through the screens and painfully bite. They also can breed in the sink drains, so we got int he habit of dumping a bit of bleach there weekly.
11. Maybe I forgot to give the cats their night snack, yes they will wake me, lol.
12. Maybe I'm thirsty?
13. Maybe I'm wheezing, it's hard to tell if I'm using a CPAP, but I get a breathless feeling and I sometimes need my inhaler.
14. Maybe I have a new infection? Having just a cellulitis infection can set off a bout of insomnia.

All of these are probably because I'm so darn uncomfortable that any little thing will wake me, then I get frustrated, and then I'm angry about being frustrated again, and the anger wakes me. I'm sick of being sick.

The "having the lights on" thing is interesting. I"ve talked to other people who have PTSD or just horror stories in their biography. Everyone I know like that, sleeps with the lights on. Further, I also play a small DVD player (the kind usually used in cars), just so I have something for my mind to focus on. In the past month, I've been trying to sleep with just a normal night light and no DVD. It's amazing how restless and "in danger" I feel.

My biography affects me in two ways, I think, it makes it harder to sleep "properly" and it takes a huge effort for me to change my diet. Once you've experienced poverty to where a single banana is all you get for 4 months, and everything else comes from cans, it's hard to self-deny. Harder. Not impossible, I've done it a lot, even fasting, it's just, I can't dismiss my minds objections as easily as others.

And yes I do see a psychologist. Have done so for decades. It helps to talk it out and be heard, then I don't have to horrify my friends with the stories I can tell. There's no need to spread the miasma, I'd rather talk about my grandchild, or theirs.

 

[Michael Purnell]

Yes, I do face difficulty in falling asleep at night. It causes due to nose allergy, itchiness, coughing that are constantly troubling me to get a good sleep at night. I have consulted a doctor, he asked me to take some medication and also asked me to change my mattress. He told me that a bad mattress could cause you allergy and a sleepless night. Because of which I have been looking for a good mattress and got to know about this site for organic mattress, as I have read online that organic mattress are hypoallergenic in nature and will help in getting rid of allergies.

 

[Merida]

@Michael Purnell
Observe how position affects your sleep issues. My nose and breathing can can be very difficult in one position, and dramatically improve when I roll to my right side, or another position. Also, A firm mattress and thick pillow make things worse. Try folding a queen or king comforter in thirds and sleep on it. If you find that position/ other adjustments make a difference, think about your neck. Injury/ misalignment there can cause any symptom imaginable, as spinal fluid drainage from the brain is affected - causing pressure in brain stem and cranial nerve areas.