insomnia anyone?

I don't see how this could be related to PC. my operation was a year and a half ago. this didn't start up until about 4 mos. ago. I used to think imsomnia was a touch of not sleeping well for a while. This has turned into a real thing.

There are sleep specialists out there as well. A lot of what Steve suggests can help.

One reality for me is that I truly think I need less sleep now than I did in my youth. What I do know is that when I can't sleep at night, the best thing to do is to get out of bed and read or internet surf or something.

IslandTime,

I used to joke that I had insomnia but that it was acute, not chronic. That is, the attacks were very intense but didn't last that long, but during those 45 seconds it took me to fall asleep I suffered horribly. Then I was diagnosed with prostate cancer, became anxious, and stopped sleeping.

Much of what you say is very familiar. The classic for me was being unable to stay asleep, as you describe. I would be sleepy, go to bed, fall asleep and then wake up 3 1/2 hours later and be unable to get back to sleep. I spent a lot of time on the internet. I got a scrip for sleeping pills from my doctor. At one point I was setting my alarm clock for 3:30 am to wake me up just enough to swill down a pill and go back to bed. That almost worked.

Eventually, I calmed down and the insomnia went away. I had gone on a very low carbohydrate diet and that might have helped. There have been some studies that showed that a ketogenic diet helps with anxiety. But I dunno. It just got better and I could sleep again.

On thing, though... While your daytime sleepiness is certainly consistent with insomnia, it is a classic symptom for something else. Are you, as are many of us here, a bit overweight? Do people tell you that you snore? Have you been worked up for sleep apnea? People with sleep apnea have a problem that their throat closes up as they sleep. Their snoring becomes so obstructive that they are finally unable to exhale without waking up just enough to adjust the muscles in their throat. Oxygen debt wakes them up many times each night. Often they aren't aware that they have woken up. This interrupted sleep makes them sleepy all the time. They spend their days looking forward to their next nap. Over time it can lead to many other health problems.

You should talk to your doctor about your sleep problems. Make sure to rule out sleep apnea while you are trying to get a handle on the problem.

We'll be here. The forum is often surprisingly active at four in the morning.

yawn morn'in' guys......

well it's noon...I'm up. I'll have to work fast though. I'll be asleep at 3 pm....

When I was puthospital....something was happening that had never happened before. When they put me back in the second time....I'd breath fine.....then I'd try and inhale...It wouldn't lol work....and then I'd "snort" like a pig....lol....and start sleeping again....or resting...again. It was loud. My brother spent the first night with me there....and he said he couldn't sleep at all because I was making these snorting noises all night long. I could tell I was doing it myself (hospitals are not good for deep sleep...just that light stuff)....and they kind'a went away for a few months...but they've come back a bit. I was even doing it in the daytime. I'd just snort before I could get air lol....I was snorting every 15 to 30 seconds or so...then I could go for a few hours and not snort.

Sounds like I have to go to the doctor again. lol I hate doctors with all of my soul. lol It comes from as very dark place lol


I weigh 190 and I'm 5' 10". I've got good muscle mass but I'm fat now around my mid section. Never been like this before. it used to be 190 5/10 proportioned right..now it's the same....proportioned wrong.

I too wake up at 3 am....and take a sleeping pill as soon as I do....and it .... umm...kinda works.

Andrew and Peterdisabelard ....I think I need to tell a doc about this. This is wrong. This is not a case of the nerves or whatever. It's a real thing.

@Almost a !0....mine began doing this on my second admission to the hospital after the surgery. I was having problems and had to be recathed....and was in there a 5 nights. Strange how this stuff can be seem connected....or is it coincidence? Difficult to ever really know for sure maybe.

@Steve and halbert....I used to do the same things as you all. To me...that was just normal stuff....nothing's ever perfect and I've always been a night owl anyway but it never bothered me that much. I was "normal" if you will. This ain't. It just isn't. thanks for your inputs too...

Sure sounds like sleep apnea to me. Each of those snorts is a recovery from stopped breathing. Over time, the loss of oxygen affects the heart and the brain. My ex-partner had a bi-pap machine. Then he got RF ablation of excess tissue at the root of his tongue. His tongue was falling into his throat as he slept and cutting off the airway. He had 4 RF ablation treatments, and then was able to sleep without the bi-pap.

Ok. I'm set up with my internist for in the morning. (He's the one I go to when I need real help. I've got different docs for different needs LOL)

I knew a guy at work who had this. (I just thought he was really laid back because he was always sleeping). He ended up having something done to his throat. It took care of it.

My best friend....Ben....a pug....had something like this done. I guess if he can do it, I can do it.

We'll see what the white coat has to say....

thanks men. It's like having my own personal medical team on here lol thanks

Sleep issues are very frustrating and your quality of life suffers.

Get a referral to a pulmonary doc. and ask for a sleep study. Keep us posted.

IT, sleep apnea, nerves, or old age. or a combo of all three.....thats my guess. But *** do i know, let us know what the doc says. Wait, i know, he'll send you to a specialist for tests...the black hole. UGH. Good luck.

@tennisplayer....you got that right. It's affecting my QOL. This thing is *weird*. Always in the past...not sleeping has been something I could mostly explain. This one....it's like....built into my body like my arm is.

@mattamx...I'm just comin' outta of a major depression. I've had 'em 3-4 times in my life. (this one lasted a year...maybe less). Feelin' much better now. the stigma is real. It not hard to see why people don't want to get help with it.

@Pratoman.....so two out of your three causes for me equal.....anxious old man. Thanks man. You're always there for me. (smile and a wink)

@curious.....good stuff. I'll see what the doc says in the AM. I'm gonna bring up a sleep study. I don't know if I can make this one go away without help. thanks man...thanks