Sleep problems?

[4Seasons]

Anyone deal with sleep issues? I am a terribly light sleeper and wake up at every little sound. We do have an HEPA filter in our bedroom that runs so I have that "white noise" (which I need) but I feel like I wake up so many times a night that even when I do get 8 hours of "sleep" I'm still dead tired.
This has gone on for years and I'm to the point where I think i need to speak to my dr. about it. I hate the thought of taking meds (although I do sometimes take Melatonin or Tylenol PM). It does seem to get worse when PMS hits so I'm wondering if it's at least partly hormonal.

If you're a light sleeper how do you deal with this? It's making me crazy!!

 

[Tuffcookie]

OP, I have sleep issues as well. Last night I tried Melantonin. It is a natural sleep aid and you can buy it over the counter. (I hate to take meds too)

I took 1 tablet 1 hour before bedtime and it helped!!!

TC

 

[HM]

Is your mattress older than 10 years? If so, get a new one. Get new pillows, and I'd also suggest trying a lavendar spray on your sheets. Also, make sure your room is dark, get darkening curtains/drapes if needed.

Make sure you aren't eating or drinking things with caffeine after 3pm each day. Don't eat or drink before you go to sleep. Don't exercise in the hours before bedtime.

Good luck!

 

[4Seasons]

Mattress is about 8 years old but I did buy a very nice 2" memory foam topper and pillows which helped a little.
I drink 1 cup coffee in the morning and water the rest of the day, no sodas or caffeine. No exercise prior to bed.

Taking the Melatonin (or tylenonl PM) does help but I feel groggy the next morning. I just wish I could wake up in the morning and feel refreshed and rested, but most times that just isn't the case.

 

[teacups]

Ive had this problem for a long time. It takes its toll on you. I have the added curse of being an early riser.

 

[HM]

Are you getting exercise every day? Maybe your body needs more action during the day, so that it wants the sleep at night to recover?

 

[SaraJayne]

OP, you sound just like me. I had sleep apnea. I did a sleep study and found out I was waking up over 50 times every hour! No wonder I was exhausted.

I had surgery to correct it.

Talk to your doctor, who will refer you to an ENT. He will probably recommend doing a sleep study.

Good luck ~ I know exactly what you are going through.

 

[minkydog]

Another vote for a sleep study. There are a lot of things that can disrupt sleep--medications, peri-menopause, sleep apnea,& restless leg syndrome among others. All are treated differently. If this has been a problem for a long time, you should know that it is very likely treatable, most of the time without expensive drugs or surgery.

Sleep disorders can wreak havoc with your life. I have severe sleep apnea; I used to waken about 70 times an hour all night long. Now I wear CPAP at night and it has made a HUGE difference in my life. I no longer fall asleep at the wheel. I don't fall asleep in front of the TV. I have more energy and I feel less stressed & irritable. My whole family is happy for CPAP.

I"m not saying you need a CPAP machine. You just need to find out why you're waking so often. There is probably an organic reason that could be corrected. Good luck.

 

[moon]

OP, you sound just like me. I had sleep apnea. I did a sleep study and found out I was waking up over 50 times every minute! No wonder I was exhausted.

I had surgery to correct it.

Can you post more about the surgery, please? was it out patient, long recovery?

 

[4Seasons]

Another vote for a sleep study. There are a lot of things that can disrupt sleep--medications, peri-menopause, sleep apnea,& restless leg syndrome among others. All are treated differently. If this has been a problem for a long time, you should know that it is very likely treatable, most of the time without expensive drugs or surgery.

Sleep disorders can wreak havoc with your life. I have severe sleep apnea; I used to waken about 70 times an hour all night long. Now I wear CPAP at night and it has made a HUGE difference in my life. I no longer fall asleep at the wheel. I don't fall asleep in front of the TV. I have more energy and I feel less stressed & irritable. My whole family is happy for CPAP.

I"m not saying you need a CPAP machine. You just need to find out why you're waking so often. There is probably an organic reason that could be corrected. Good luck.

In the back of my mind I was wondering about sleep apnea. I have an appt. next month for my routine physical and bloodwork, I will talk to dr. about it then.
What is CPAP?

 

[SaraJayne]

Can you post more about the surgery, please? was it out patient, long recovery?

Sure! It was in-patient and I stayed overnight one night. It was a very extensive surgery.

For those that are squeamish, you may want to stop reading now.

I had my tongue shrunk (they basically zapped it down smaller), my tonsils taken out, my uvula (hangy-down thing at the back of your throat) removed and the back of my mouth carved out.

Recovery was hard and I couldn't eat anything but soft foods for about 14 days. The first couple days was the worst...after that, it wasn't bad at all.

 

[Katlyn]

Ive had this problem for a long time. It takes its toll on you. I have the added curse of being an early riser.

Me too

 

[moon]

Sure! It was in-patient and I stayed overnight one night. It was a very extensive surgery.

For those that are squeamish, you may want to stop reading now.

I had my tongue shrunk (they basically zapped it down smaller), my tonsils taken out, my uvula (hangy-down thing at the back of your throat) removed and the back of my mouth carved out.

Recovery was hard and I couldn't eat anything but soft foods for about 14 days. The first couple days was the worst...after that, it wasn't bad at all.

Oh, wow....I've had problems sleeping virtually my whole adult life. This year has been particularly bad. I have an awful time falling asleep, wake up easily and even when I sleep I'm tired. I've wondered if I have sleep apnea, but this has been a very, very stressful year, so that may be it.

I asked about the surgery because I know I could never sleep with a CPAP machine. I move a lot, and it just wouldn't work....but after reading about how major the surgery is I don't know if I could do that either

Thanks for the info, I'm glad it worked out for you!

 

[ahutton]

A friend of mine didn't think she would be able to sleep with a CPAP either. She's had one for 4 months now and said she thinks she was moving around so much because of the apnea and now she sleeps well and wakes rested. YMMV. I'm going to talk to my doctor about a sleep study after I get my insurance plan changed at open enrollment.

 

[jemgumby]

I feel your pain.....I do think PMS makes it worse too!! Something that works for me sometimes is to combine melatonin, suntheanine and valarian root. You can buy all these at GNC.....Hope it helps ya!

 

[themarquis]

Oh, wow....I've had problems sleeping virtually my whole adult life. This year has been particularly bad. I have an awful time falling asleep, wake up easily and even when I sleep I'm tired. I've wondered if I have sleep apnea, but this has been a very, very stressful year, so that may be it.

I asked about the surgery because I know I could never sleep with a CPAP machine. I move a lot, and it just wouldn't work....but after reading about how major the surgery is I don't know if I could do that either

Thanks for the info, I'm glad it worked out for you!

I move around a ton and I do great on CPAP. There's no reason not to try it! It is a much better option than surgery. I know that some folks have had great results with surgery, but it is not a "first resort" treatment. It is something to turn to if other possible treatments haven't worked out. There are a number of dangers associated with surgery to the airway, and in addition, there are high rates of people who are not helped by it. CPAP is a proven effective treatment that has minimal to no risks. And even though tons of folks think they won't be able to tolerate it, most people can.

Of course, surgery has its place, too. For folks who have tried CPAP and used different masks and types of therapy, surgery might be a really good option.

 

[SaraJayne]

Oh, wow....I've had problems sleeping virtually my whole adult life. This year has been particularly bad. I have an awful time falling asleep, wake up easily and even when I sleep I'm tired. I've wondered if I have sleep apnea, but this has been a very, very stressful year, so that may be it.

I asked about the surgery because I know I could never sleep with a CPAP machine. I move a lot, and it just wouldn't work....but after reading about how major the surgery is I don't know if I could do that either

Thanks for the info, I'm glad it worked out for you!

For me, it was major surgery. Not everyone has that much done. Mine was so extensive because when I would lay (lie?) down and breathe in, I had 100% blockage at the back of my throat.

I tried a CPAP machine and it just wasn't for me ~ I couldn't stand the mask on my face, so surgery was my only option.

Well, other than an early grave, that is.

Talk to your doctor and see what she/he recommends. Good luck!