branv
<font color=blue>The safety feature in my parents
- Joined
- May 20, 2005
- Messages
- 3,892
DH did a sleep study due to chronic fatigue. He had to go to a lab, where he was hooked up to a number of sensors, under observation, in a dimly lit room. He said it was hard falling asleep, no surprise there.
In DH's case, it turns out that while he didn't have sleep apnea, he wasn't going into a deep enough sleep. So even when he technically had enough hours of sleep, he would doze off during the day, have problems focusing. His long drive home after work became an actual issue of concern because he was so tired. In addition, he also has occasional restless legs, but in his case it only acts up when he's exceptionally tired. Then his leg would jerk in the middle of the night and wake him up more. It was a vicious cycle. They put him on Neurontin, which is actually an anti-seizure med that is used off-label for issues like his. He's been on it for a long time now, and it's worked wonderfully (sadly, it has some scary side effects in some, but thankfully not for him). If he forgets to take it, his sleep is less than stellar.
Nowadays, when he is fatigued, it's just the regular culprits: either not going to bed sufficiently early, extra stress/anxiety affecting his sleep, or illness. Like almost everyone with a desk job, he gets that post-lunch, 2 pm drowsiness, but has discovered that if he works out during part of his lunch (his work has a small gym and shower), he doesn't get that crash. So now if he doesn't work out, he takes a brief walk around the building around that time.
Edited to add: I suspect, in DH's case, it's a family issue. Almost everyone who is a blood relative on his dad's side can nod off as soon as they sit down. Doesn't matter where you are, practically, they sit down for a while and it's not a surprise to see one or more of them quickly snoozing. And i mean FAST. It's sort of a family joke. But I've often wondered if it's just a family neurological issue that disturbs their sleep.
In DH's case, it turns out that while he didn't have sleep apnea, he wasn't going into a deep enough sleep. So even when he technically had enough hours of sleep, he would doze off during the day, have problems focusing. His long drive home after work became an actual issue of concern because he was so tired. In addition, he also has occasional restless legs, but in his case it only acts up when he's exceptionally tired. Then his leg would jerk in the middle of the night and wake him up more. It was a vicious cycle. They put him on Neurontin, which is actually an anti-seizure med that is used off-label for issues like his. He's been on it for a long time now, and it's worked wonderfully (sadly, it has some scary side effects in some, but thankfully not for him). If he forgets to take it, his sleep is less than stellar.
Nowadays, when he is fatigued, it's just the regular culprits: either not going to bed sufficiently early, extra stress/anxiety affecting his sleep, or illness. Like almost everyone with a desk job, he gets that post-lunch, 2 pm drowsiness, but has discovered that if he works out during part of his lunch (his work has a small gym and shower), he doesn't get that crash. So now if he doesn't work out, he takes a brief walk around the building around that time.
Edited to add: I suspect, in DH's case, it's a family issue. Almost everyone who is a blood relative on his dad's side can nod off as soon as they sit down. Doesn't matter where you are, practically, they sit down for a while and it's not a surprise to see one or more of them quickly snoozing. And i mean FAST. It's sort of a family joke. But I've often wondered if it's just a family neurological issue that disturbs their sleep.
