HELP! Can’t Wake Up!!

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Postby cadence » Thu Mar 17, 2005 12:56 pm

#ed_op#DIV#ed_cl#Okay, Dee, this is long, but I work in medicine and constant fatigue can be a sign of something more serious than just getting to bed early enough.  First tho, some people actually need a lot of sleep. While everyone says 8 hours is the "magic" number, it's not always the case.  I do best on 9.  Teenagers can sleep 12-14 hours!  Also, some people are just not morning people.  Do you find your are wide-eyed and bushy-tailed after noon and well into the evening?  I am.  I have to dim lights in our house starting at 7 p.m. to fool my body in winding down so I can get to bed by 9:30-10. #ed_op#/DIV#ed_cl##ed_op#DIV#ed_cl# #ed_op#/DIV#ed_cl##ed_op#DIV#ed_cl#Here are some tips: #ed_op#/DIV#ed_cl##ed_op#DIV#ed_cl# #ed_op#/DIV#ed_cl##ed_op#DIV#ed_cl#Around 4-4:30 p.m., start wearing sunglasses.  It makes your body think dusk is coming sooner and starts the chemical reactions needed to slow your body's circadian rhythm into sleep mode.  Doing this over a period of weeks shifts your "clock". #ed_op#/DIV#ed_cl##ed_op#DIV#ed_cl# #ed_op#/DIV#ed_cl##ed_op#DIV#ed_cl#Take melatonin pills.  Be judicious with this and best done under a doctor's supervision.#ed_op#/DIV#ed_cl##ed_op#DIV#ed_cl# #ed_op#/DIV#ed_cl##ed_op#DIV#ed_cl#Never exercise later than noon.  Exercise revs up the metabolism and the effects last for hours.  #ed_op#/DIV#ed_cl##ed_op#DIV#ed_cl# #ed_op#/DIV#ed_cl##ed_op#DIV#ed_cl#Do not eat after 6 p.m.  Drink only water.  Eating also spikes your metabolism and calories are "awake" food.  #ed_op#/DIV#ed_cl##ed_op#DIV#ed_cl# #ed_op#/DIV#ed_cl##ed_op#DIV#ed_cl#Eliminate caffeinated or sugar beverages from your diet.  Even sugar drinks such as pop, Kool-Aid, or other drinks cause a "wake-up factor".  Pop, even 7-Up and some rootbeers, have caffeine in them.  Drink non-sugar, de-caffeinated drinks, but watch how much because studies are showing the false sweeteners are not healthy in big doses.#ed_op#/DIV#ed_cl##ed_op#DIV#ed_cl# #ed_op#/DIV#ed_cl##ed_op#DIV#ed_cl#Ask your sleeping-partner if you snore?  If you make a lot of noise at night, it might not be the number of hours, but QUALITY. Also, do you move around alot at night?  Restless legs syndrome (constant moving, twitching of the legs) is very real and a nuisance not only to yourself, but your bed partner too.  Do you have sleep apnea?  If you pause in your breathing, your oxygen levels plummet.  This causes your brain to scream at you to wake up and breathe - you don't remember waking up because it only causes mini wake-ups as your brain struggles to keep you breathing.  As well, snoring and restless legs syndrome also causes mini-wake ups.  #ed_op#/DIV#ed_cl##ed_op#DIV#ed_cl# #ed_op#/DIV#ed_cl##ed_op#DIV#ed_cl#Try putting those Breathe-Right strips on your nose.  If that doesn't make a difference, ask your doctor for a Sleep Study to be done on you - this checks for any of the three things I mentioned above, and also monitors your heart rhythms - if you are suffering from "cardiac sinus pauses", which means your heart rhythm pauses periodically, it will also cause fatigue.  You might need a CPAP mask... it is a pressurized mask that supplies air in pressurized form and keeps your airway open, thus keeping you breathing without any pauses.#ed_op#/DIV#ed_cl##ed_op#DIV#ed_cl# #ed_op#/DIV#ed_cl##ed_op#DIV#ed_cl#Sleep with your bedroom window open a notch, even in the winter.  Pile on more comforters if you get cold - it reduces in-home pollution which is atually more concentrated inside our homes than it outside because outside has nature to vent itself. You can close the window during the daytime, if you want.  At night, my hsuband and I close our door and open the window.  We both sleep much, much better and now I find a closed room presents a serious breathing dilemma for me. #ed_op#/DIV#ed_cl##ed_op#DIV#ed_cl# #ed_op#/DIV#ed_cl##ed_op#DIV#ed_cl#Keep pets out of your room at all times.  Build-up of dander can cause nasal congestion even in people without allergies.  #ed_op#/DIV#ed_cl##ed_op#DIV#ed_cl# #ed_op#/DIV#ed_cl##ed_op#DIV#ed_cl#Vacuum your mattress regularly.  Your personal dander can cause nasal congestion too. #ed_op#/DIV#ed_cl##ed_op#DIV#ed_cl# #ed_op#/DIV#ed_cl##ed_op#DIV#ed_cl#No TV in the bedroom.  Reduce watching disturbing shows, heavy dramas or horror flicks before you go to bed.... studies have shown your brain continues to think on it while you sleep and sleep patterns have been proven to be disturbed and sleep quality poorer. #ed_op#/DIV#ed_cl##ed_op#DIV#ed_cl# #ed_op#/DIV#ed_cl##ed_op#DIV#ed_cl#Or, you just might be a person that needs to be in bed by 9 p.m. and sleep more hours.  If your "resting bank account" is near empty, it will take a few weeks to build it up again.  #ed_op#/DIV#ed_cl##ed_op#DIV#ed_cl# #ed_op#/DIV#ed_cl##ed_op#DIV#ed_cl#Too much constant fatigue could also be a sign of other problems.  You need to talk to your doctor.  He or she will probably get some blood tests - iron studies, thyroid and parathyroid studies, cortisol levels, etc.  If blood work doesn't show a problem, then he or she will get down to the nitty-gritty.  So, keep a sleep log of what time you went to bed, what you ate and drank for lunch and supper, plus snacks, and how you felt in the morning when you woke up.  Also get your bed partner to add to the notations of how disturbing and noisy your sleep was - while you weren't aware, he probably was.  #ed_op#/DIV#ed_cl##ed_op#DIV#ed_cl# #ed_op#/DIV#ed_cl##ed_op#DIV#ed_cl#Or, perhaps your bed-buddy has one of these problems and it is causing YOU to have mini-wakeups in the middle of the night.  #ed_op#/DIV#ed_cl##ed_op#DIV#ed_cl# #ed_op#/DIV#ed_cl##ed_op#DIV#ed_cl#Hope any of these things helps.  Don't let it go too long, Dee.  Good luck! #ed_op#/DIV#ed_cl#
Patience! Practice! Persistence!
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Postby tbbrat » Thu Mar 17, 2005 3:26 pm

#ed_op#DIV#ed_cl#Hey Cadence, those are some good tips - but here's my problem.  I don't snore - he does! for at least the first hour, anyway.  I wear earplugs (dang, it's getting expensive!) and they help some.  Unfortunately, I am just starting into the hot flashes/night sweats#ed_op#IMG src="http://forums.equestrianconnection.com/richedit/smileys/Shocked/5.gif"#ed_cl# so that's waking me up several times a night.  I kick off the comforter, start dozing off then I'm freezing and have to pull it back up.  Any suggestions?#ed_op#/DIV#ed_cl#
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