Hi, I've been reading some posts about sleep problems with fibromyalgia, and I wanted to share my story. My story is about sleeping too much. About a year ago, I found myself sleeping for 12-15 hours at a time, getting up, doing some housework, sitting down to watch tv, and being ready to sleep again already! So two hours after getting up, I was laying down again for a 2-3 hour nap. Then I'd get up again, eat dinner, enjoy my children for an hour or two, then back to bed again. My quality of sleep wasn't good, I would toss and turn and when my fibro was flaring up I couldn't sleep well because of the pain. This
went on for about 6 months before I realized that it was not going to correct itself. I thought it was a result of the various medications I was taking, and I'd have to live with it.
I finally went to a doctor who realized that this amount of sleep was a serious issue. He did some tests to rule out diabetes. He was also concerned about depression since sleeping a lot is a major symptom. He recommended me following some of the suggestions that he found on a sleep website to see if they helped.
I followed these suggestions, and within a few weeks I was down to 9-10 hours of sleep at night, and one short nap during the day. It was HARD to get up and force myself out of bed when I still felt so tired, but I did it. My body had been trained to oversleep,
and oversleep can make you feel just as tired as not getting enough sleep. But I am so happy that I did it, I feel so much better, and I feel more awake then I have in a long time.
It will be very hard for you to follow these steps, and there's nothing you'll want to do more than to just go back to bed, but it will be worth it in the end. You'll stop feeling like you're tired and in a daze most of the time. The two things that helped me the most were setting a sleep and wake up time (AND sticking to it!) and reducing the length of my nap time.
Here are the tips that I used, I copied these so they are NOT mine:
1. Fix a bedtime and an awakening time. Do not be one of those people who allows bedtime and awakening time to drift. The body "gets used" to falling asleep at a certain time, but only if this is relatively fixed. Even if you are retired or not working, this is an essential component of good sleeping habits.
2. Avoid napping during the day. If you nap throughout the day, it is no wonder that you will not be able to sleep at night. The late afternoon for most people is a "sleepy time." Many people will take a nap at that time. This is generally not a bad thing to do, provided you limit the nap to 30-45 minutes and can sleep well at night.
3. Avoid alcohol 4-6 hours before bedtime. Many people believe that alcohol helps them sleep. While alcohol has an immediate sleep-inducing effect, a few hours later as the alcohol levels in your blood start to fall, there is a stimulant or wake-up effect.
4. Avoid caffeine 4-6 hours before bedtime. This includes caffeinated beverages such as coffee, tea and many sodas, as well as chocolate, so be careful.
5. Avoid heavy, spicy, or sugary foods 4-6 hours before bedtime. These can affect your ability to stay asleep.
6. Exercise regularly, but not right before bed. Regular exercise, particularly in the afternoon, can help deepen sleep. Strenuous exercise within the 2 hours before bedtime, however, can decrease your ability to fall asleep.
7. Use comfortable bedding. Uncomfortable bedding can prevent good sleep. Evaluate whether or not this is a source of your problem, and make appropriate changes.
8. Find a comfortable temperature setting for sleeping and keep the room well ventilated. If your bedroom is too cold or too hot, it can keep you awake. A cool (not cold) bedroom is often the most conducive to sleep.
9. Block out all distracting noise, and eliminate as much light as possible.
10. Reserve the bed for sleep. Don't use the bed as an office or work room. Let your body "know" that the bed is associated with sleeping.
11. Try a light snack before bed. Warm milk and foods high in the amino acid tryptophan, such as bananas, may help you to sleep.
12. Practice relaxation techniques before bed. Relaxation techniques such as yoga, deep breathing and others may help relieve anxiety and reduce muscle tension.
13. Don't take your worries to bed. Leave your worries about job, school, daily life, etc., behind when you go to bed. Some people find it useful to assign a "worry period" during the evening or late afternoon to deal with these issues.
14. Establish a pre-sleep ritual. Pre-sleep rituals, such as a warm bath or a few minutes of reading, can help you sleep.
15. Get into your favorite sleeping position. If you don't fall asleep within 15-30 minutes, get up, go into another room, and read until sleepy.
16. Most people wake up one or two times a night for various reasons. If you find that you get up in the middle of night and cannot get back to sleep within 15-20 minutes, then do not remain in the bed "trying hard" to sleep. Get out of bed. Leave the bedroom. Read, have a light snack, do some quiet activity, or take a bath. You will generally find that you can get back to sleep 20 minutes or so later. Do not perform challenging or engaging activity such as office work, housework, etc. Do not watch television.
A Word About Television
Many people fall asleep with the television on in their room. Watching television before bedtime is often a bad idea.
Television is a very engaging medium that tends to keep people up. We generally recommend that the television not be in the bedroom. At the appropriate bedtime, the TV should be turned off and the patient should go to bed. Some people find that the radio helps them go to sleep. Since radio is a less engaging medium than TV, this is probably a good idea.
17. Several physical factors are known to upset sleep. These include arthritis, acid reflux with heartburn, menstruation, headaches and hot flashes.
18. Psychological and mental health problems like depression, anxiety and stress are often associated with sleeping difficulty. In many cases, difficulty staying asleep may be the only presenting sign of depression. A physician should be consulted about these issues to help determine the problem and the best treatment.
19. Many medications can cause sleeplessness as a side effect. Ask your doctor or pharmacist if medications you are taking can lead to sleeplessness.
20. To help overall improvement in sleep patterns, your doctor may prescribe sleep medications for short-term relief of a sleep problem. The decision to take sleeping aids is a medical one to be made in the context of your overall health picture.
21. Always follow the advice of your physician and other healthcare professionals. The goal is to rediscover how to sleep naturally.
Post edited by: AngieK, at: 12/10/2008 10:13
Post edited by: AngieK, at: 12/10/2008 10:13
