sleeping problems

i read alot of posts but havent really posted myself but once i think. i just wanted to know if alot of u have problems sleeping. Ever since i became ill, about a year ago, i have alot of problems sleeping. Then when i dont sleep well i fell worse the next day. Should i ask my dr about this? I dont want them to think that i am complaining, but i really believe that i need to be sleeping well in order to feel as well as i can be? do u have any suggestions? Ive tried warm baths at night, tea, taking things that have sleeping pm stuff, but nothing seems to help

thank you joan

Hi joan,

You'll find lots of people here have trouble sleeping at night. Do you take prednisone? If so, what time of day do you take it? When I was taking mine in the morning I had a horrible time sleeping at night. My rheumy suggested I take it at bedtime, and it helped quite a bit. Every now and then I still get a bought of insomnia, so I also have a prescription for a mild muscle relaxer; this way I don't become dependent on it to get to sleep. Definately talk to your doctor. If you have a good rheumy, he/she won't think you are a hypochondriac.

Good luck, and good dreams to you.

For most people, prednisone is the culprit when it comes to not being able to sleep. Taking it as early as possible helps, but most people end up taking some kind of sleep-aid before they can get good restorative sleep. So yes, do mention it to your doctor. As a matter of fact, *everything* should be mentioned to our doctors -- there are often small things that they have observed while treating other lupus patients that we might think are totally unrelated, but that will mean something to them. Sleep-aids vary widely, and your doctor will help find something that works with your other medications and your other symptoms -- sometimes they have over-the-counter suggestions, sometimes they suggest muscle relaxers, benadryl, other cold medications, anti-depressants, ot straight out sleeping pills. Something different for everyone, it seems, as they want to make sure no side effects increase our other troubles, and instead help us out! My personal med is Trazadone...and if my mind is spinning wildly, a little Xanax. Wishing you deep restorative sleep soon,

Hi-I have troubles sleeping at night, and I often wonder if its just a matter of getting my body to relax.  I notice that if I don't have comfortable relaxing sleep at night then I am extra tired and somewhat achey all day.  If you want to try a few things before using meds to help you sleep, I can offer a few suggestions. 

 

First of all, make sure you are not up all night concentrating on things or problems that need to be handled the next day.  Concentrate in your mind on a single candle flame undisturbed, and if any other thoughts try to come into your mind, your candle will flicker and maybe go out.  The goal is to let that flame burn. 

 

Try concentrating on each part and muscle of your body, starting with your toes up.  Flex them for 5 seconds and let it go, completely relaxing each area.  By the time you get to your head, you should notice an overall calm in your entire body.  If your muscles still tend to tense up, go back to those original spots and try again. 

 

My personal favorite is to take a nice warm bath before bed.  It always relaxes me and makes me feel calmer. 

 

Never sleep with your television on.  If you have troubles falling asleep, try to read a book instead or magazine, nothing dramatic or too much action though, that might keep you involved in the book and before your know it you've been reading for 3 hours. (its happened to me)

 

Sometimes if I am having troubles staying asleep at night, I will get up, go to the bathroom and get a drink of water.  I will also pet my cats for a few minutes before going back to bed.  Lately though  with the cold weather they are the reason I wake in the middle of the night-they are such bed hogs.  

 

As a child I also used to drink warm milk before bed.  It not only warms you up, but it also has a way of helping you sleep. 

 

I hope I didn't just hit on the obvious methods of trying to sleep.  I have a pretty firm belief that I will try almost anything to not have to take any extra meds, I understand that sometimes thats just not possible. Good luck! 

Joan,

Don't hesitate to talk to your doctor about this. Difficulty sleeping is not unusual for people with lupus who are on a variety of meds, so your doctor won't be surprised when you bring this up. There are other problems that can bring on lack of sleep, such as sleep apnea and restless leg syndrome, and a good doctor will help you sort it all out.

A few years ago I went through a long period when I could hardly sleep, and in my case it was caused by a high dose of prednisone plus restless leg syndrome. Once I had a sleep study that diagnosed the RLS, I was prescribed lunesta and Neurontin. Not only did it help me get a good night's sleep, but my overall health improved. Now that I'm on a low dose of prednisone, I've been able to give up the lunesta.

We all have our own techniques for getting to sleep. In my case, if I awaken in the middle of the night, I put on a headlight and read in bed. I usually don't make it more than a couple of pages. I'll often wake up to see my hubby reading with the headlight on his head.

You said it. When you don't sleep well, you feel bad the next day. Restful sleep is important for your health and healing, and lack of sleep can bring on more problems than you already have. I hope you'll call your doctor tomorrow and discuss this with his nurse.

Pat

I have RA and I think I'm one of the few people who can sleep on prednisone and the Medrol dose packs and I don't have any trouble falling asleep.  However, I normally do have insomnia and I was taking Lunesta and it worked great, but with my insurance not wanting to cover it, I have been trying Trazadone for the past few nights and they seem to work well and I only take 1/2 of a 25 mg tablet.

My rheumy and I just had the discussion about not sleeping and he agreed 100% that sleep is important and only aggravates symptoms.  He was more than happy to prescribe something for my insomnia.  Please don't hesitate to talk to your doctor so you can start sleeping..for people with Lupus and RA its critical that we get the rest we need.

(((((((( Joan )))))))) ???????? does sound weird to give/get a flu shot when you are already sick ?????? but I'm not doctor ????? Sorry you are dealing with so much right now. I wonder what makes us so dedicated to work??? sometimes I wonder if that is part of what makes us sick . . . we are so determined to carry our load! I hope you sleep well tonight. Will watch for updates. And I hope you don't feel any worse!! Blessings!