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link between insomnia and flare-up.

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Posted 6/14/2015 6:30 PM (GMT 0)
I have uc and insomnia. I have tried everything for insomnia. Im not on prednisone currently, but in a flare. I want to know if there is a link between insomnia and flare ups. Maybie the body not getting the nutrients from food necessary to sleep. Please help! I might go to the er. Been everaging 3 hours sleep a day for about 4 months.
Posted 6/14/2015 6:41 PM (GMT 0)
What meds are you on or what things have you been doing to stay in remission? Are you talking about going to the ER because you can't sleep or due to your flare symptoms? What are your flare symptoms? Do you know any reason at all for your insomnia? I also have trouble sleeping but a lot of it has to do with home temperature and sore knees, not really anything to do with UC. I'm not sure mine is technically insomnia because when I address those underlying issues I sleep better.
Posted 6/14/2015 7:03 PM (GMT 0)
is it possible that you have anxiety from your flare?
I know i havent slept since I got UC but ive been on steriods for 2 months so it could be that as well
Posted 6/14/2015 7:36 PM (GMT 0)
It's hard to know which came first--bad sleeping or flare. In other words does the flare cause insomnia or vice versa. I can tell when my gut is unhappy because I'll wake in the middle of the night whereas pre-UC slept like a log.

I've taken one 50 mg gelcap of generic Benadryl every night for years but also have to watch what I eat to keep gut quiet. Have you eliminated caffeine from your diet?

Getting enough sleep is important for over-all good health. Once you get your flare under control your sleeping should improve too.
Posted 6/14/2015 7:46 PM (GMT 0)
I don't have insomnia but one thing I've learned since this whole thing started is that sleep is absolutely fundamental to good health. I was on aza for a while and my bloods were always good but it gave me the most ridiculously vivid dreams - to the extent that I felt like I'd been awake while I was sleeping. Often during a flare I really struggle to sleep and it just makes things much worse.

These experiences have made me realise just how important restful sleep is. The better sleep I get, the better I feel in general - it makes a massive difference.
Posted 6/15/2015 2:05 AM (GMT 0)
Any tips for falling asleep aside from the usual?
Posted 6/15/2015 2:16 AM (GMT 0)
UC gives me insomnia because as soon as I hit the bed and all is quiet I start thinking about my flare... Or if I have pain it is even worse.

How old are you ? Woman or man ? Since I turned 40 I have been having more problems falling a sleep. I'm now 45. Insomnia can have so many causes.
Posted 6/15/2015 3:16 AM (GMT 0)
just got back from er. went to er for insomnia. They told me due to this disease and other stressors of the cause of my "depression" is why I don't sleep. She told me to see my primary and get on anti-depressants. Im a 36 year old man. I only take 1600 mgs of asacol hd a day. I have just excepted that this first tier of medicine is not enough and Im steriod dependent. Im going to reduce my work schedule and if Im still not sleeping I will start taking anti-depressant. oh yeah I dont dring caffiene at all or alcohol...at all or sugar past noon...very sensitive. Can anyone recommend a drug for uc in the second tier( immuno suppresants) that is covered by cen cal.
Posted 6/15/2015 3:32 AM (GMT 0)

Dikid said...
Any tips for falling asleep aside from the usual?


easy peasy = become a man - sleep is unstoppable smilewinkgrin
Posted 6/15/2015 4:03 AM (GMT 0)
Just stud sorry no can do over there
Anti anxiety might be the solution until I'm off the steroids I seriously have not slept more than 4 hours a night since I started them
Some nights I don't sleep at all and most I average 2-3 hrs
In sure my body would heal faster if I slept like a normal person
Posted 6/15/2015 6:16 AM (GMT 0)
For me insomnia became a sign that I was at risk of flaring-- during my working life. And it seemed that stress led me down the path to insomnia, which could trigger flares until I got on effective UC maintenance med. / Old Hat (34 yrs with left-sided UC; presently in remission taking brandname Colazal)
Posted 6/15/2015 4:11 PM (GMT 0)
Smoking MJ before bed every night=falling asleep quicker and staying asleep all night...even as a kid I was a terrible night sleeper, tossing and turning and exhausted (did terrible in school through all the grades) MJ works like a charm!!
Posted 6/16/2015 12:10 AM (GMT 0)
If it's a mind-racing type of thing, which most of my sleep problems are, I either read until I fall asleep or when that doesn't cut it, I take my iPad to bed and watch/listen to a relaxing video. There are soooooooo many videos out there made specifically as sleep aids. You need to try a few different types to see what works best for you. There are meditation types, soothing voice types, sounds, music, etc etc.
Posted 6/16/2015 2:17 PM (GMT 0)
I'm barely sleeping at the moment. I managed to wean off the zoplicone, but I'm going to go back on them again if this doesn't improve soon. It's partly a mind-racing thing, partly a skin problem that I've had since surgery two years ago: a prickling/itchy sensation that instantly becomes 100x worse when I lie still in bed prior to trying to fall asleep. I'm not sure if it was the surgery itself which triggered it, or the oxycodone, but whatever it is it's a massive pain up the backside. Every time I think I might be on the verge of dropping off, a random itch appears that is impossible to ignore. I take an antihistamine, but I don't think it does a lot (which it wouldn't if it's nerve-related).

I can't fall asleep listening to or watching something either - it has to be silent. If I could sort the skin problem, I think I could fall asleep much more easily. It's the sort of thing that any GP is going to be utterly clueless about though.
Posted 6/16/2015 4:39 PM (GMT 0)
You're on prednisone?

1600 mg Asacol HD not enough. You should also be on a rectal med.

q
Posted 6/17/2015 1:22 AM (GMT 0)
I've had insomnia all my life but didn't show signs of ulcerative colitis until my early 30s.

I'm currently having a horrible bout of insomnia, averaging 4-5 hours per night over the past six months, but my colitis is 100% under control.

So for me, insomnia has nothing to do with my colitis. It may be different for others but I'm going to say that generally, insomnia doesn't cause flares.
Posted 6/17/2015 11:30 AM (GMT 0)
I'm convinced my UC came about after a year of not sleeping well and high stress followed by a pregnancy. Now, I really try to manage my stress and sleep. It's much better but not perfect. Things I do : try exercise or even yoga to get better sleep, diffuse pure lavender oil in the bedroom while sleeping, if I wake up the least bit hungry I eat some almonds or pecans, and take my daily medicines before 7:30 so I don't have much more to drink in the evenings.
Posted 6/17/2015 4:03 PM (GMT 0)
Hind-sight is always 20-20. It's easy to say I for uc because of X, it's an interesting statement but I doubt that was the actual cause of your uc. We tend to create correlations that aren't necessarily true. Correlation doesn't necessarily equal causation.

I've always been a sound sleeper without sleep issues, yet I got uc.
Posted 6/17/2015 10:51 PM (GMT 0)
I have to pop in to state that UC causes low serotonin, which results in insomnia and depression. Pred apparently compounds this, creating even more insomnia, depression and anxiety. I'm sleeping like a baby now for the first time in years on a low dose SSRI. Hope you feel well soon.
Posted 6/19/2015 2:31 AM (GMT 0)
With my first job out of grad school, I chose to do many 24 and 16 hour shifts. I was eager to work and make some cash since I had been a poor grad student. I had moved to a new state and had a new GI doc and she was the first to rx rowasa enemas. I was not well controlled and I will never forget her telling me to stop working night shifts because they would make my UC more problematic. Anyway, that was 2003-2005 so fast forward to summer of 2013 now in another state and a different doc. I had not worked night shift since 2005 and decided I wanted to work a specialty that required nights. After about 2 weeks of 3 shifts a week, I started to flare and had to excuse myself from that opportunity. I'm a believer now that disruptive sleep schedules can be a deal breaker for us.
Posted 6/21/2015 6:41 AM (GMT 0)
Just thought I would toss my 2 cents in here.

I have had long-term chronic insomnia (mainly difficulty falling asleep vs. maintaining sleep) that slightly predates my UC diagnosis (1999).

Although you don't see it discussed much, one side effect of steroids is insomnia - so steroid use to treat UC might be causing the sleep issue.

But one possible point that I've *never* seen discussed is the fact that the human body produces its own level of natural steroids in response to inflammation (although less than the artificial level of drug steroids used to get UC under more complete control).

But I wonder if natural steroid production (in response to UC) may also cause insomnia - I think there is a distinct possibility.

I mention this because back in 2011 I was shocked to find that melatonin not only helped me to sleep, but also reduced my left sided UC symptoms to the point where I could get off Asacol (for the first time in about 12 years).

There are a handful of Pubmed articles discussing melatonin as a UC treatment but I just brought this all up because there may be more of a sleep/UC nexus than is commonly discussed.
Posted 6/21/2015 9:11 AM (GMT 0)
@ TD10 have you started antidepressants? Do they help ?

@sca721 I believe that what you say about the melatonin makes sense.
Posted 7/21/2015 11:01 AM (GMT 0)

NiceCupOfTea said...
I'm barely sleeping at the moment. I managed to wean off the zoplicone, but I'm going to go back on them again if this doesn't improve soon. It's partly a mind-racing thing, partly a skin problem that I've had since surgery two years ago: a prickling/itchy sensation that instantly becomes 100x worse when I lie still in bed prior to trying to fall asleep. I'm not sure if it was the surgery itself which triggered it, or the oxycodone, but whatever it is it's a massive pain up the backside. Every time I think I might be on the verge of dropping off, a random itch appears that is impossible to ignore. I take an antihistamine, but I don't think it does a lot (which it wouldn't if it's nerve-related).

I can't fall asleep listening to or watching something either - it has to be silent. If I could sort the skin problem, I think I could fall asleep much more easily. It's the sort of thing that any GP is going to be utterly clueless about though.



OMG I go through this too, nearly every night, since as far back as I can remember. I've always just thought it was my normal. I have to fidget & scratch phantom itches for a good 30 minutes before I can fall asleep. Will be interested to hear what your doctor says about it.
Posted 7/22/2015 11:15 AM (GMT 0)
I wish I had more time to respond, but I have to get ready for work. I used Ativan when sleep was almost impossible, and meditation helped with anxiety also feeding into the insomnia. See my recent posts if interested. Good luck...I know how awful it is to have no respite from UC, not even sleep.
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