how long to stay in bed?
Question:
- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text ->> You mention soreness going up your leg… >> Can you take one finger and trace the path of the soreness down >> your leg? Is there any pain associated with the numbness? Do >> you recall any kind of severe pain right before the numbness >> starting? Did the numbness and soreness start at the same time? > There’s no pain associated with the numbness, except the soreness > going up the leg on occasion. I don’t think the soreness started > at the same time as the numbness, but maybe a month or two later. > The soreness is intermittent. When I first started getting the > numbness I noticed that when I took ativan — which still worked > to knock me out then — it went away. Ativan no longer has this > effect as it no longer works to get me to sleep anyway. As i’m > not experiencing the soreness down the leg at the moment I’m > not sure if i could trace it with a finger but i suppose i might. > Also, the numbness is more severe on the bottom of the right foot > than the left foot. On the left foot it is barely noticeable and > sometimes not at all. > tomw
I would consult a neurologist about the soreness and numbness. thats not normal and could be the result of a bulging, or herniated, disc. Wendy —
Response:
Hi. I have difficulty sleeping through the night sometimes, often. Melatonin, sold at health food stores is good. Glad to get all the info on ambien…I take it sometimes. Benadryl is highly recommended by Loren Mosher, but it makes me drowsy all morning and the sleep I get on it doesn’t feel very productive. Eating helps often, Especially adding honey or fruit. Honey especially. Advice welcome. Is it OK to take melatonin long term? How much to take? Are there adverse reactions? Chaya ngrossb…@yahoo.com
Response:
Wendy Hankins <partm…@bellsouth.net> wrote in message <news:Xns944BF30FFF8partmapsbellsouthnet@216.77.188.18>… > tlwet…@ix.netcom.com (Tom Wetzel) wrote in > news:e86cade9.0312071752.3e3d9b05@posting.google.com:
To answer the other person first, I don’t think sleep apnea is my problem and neither does the sleep doc. I don’t breath through my mouth or snore. I’ve always slept by laying on my stomach or side, usually with my chin against a pillow, so i couldn’t sleep through my mouth. My ex says I never snored when we were still together, ten years ago. The first time I had the hoarseness in the throat was about five years ago before the beginning of the insomnia. At that time a nose-ear-throat specialist diagnosed it as an allergic reation, that is, the sinuses were swollen and were leaking down the throat, hence irritating the throat. (That time it went away after about a year.) This is one reason i thought this insomnia might an allergic reaction to mold, since i was diagnosed as allergic to wood mold and my house is very old. since i’ve cleaned out the black mold in the basement and started keeping the house clean and running air cleaners these things haven’t made a difference in my sleep but i do notice freer breathing passages in my nose, I think. not right at the moment as i have a oold but in previous weeks. > You mention soreness going up your leg… > Can you take one finger and trace the path of the soreness down your > leg? Is there any pain associated with the numbness? Do you recall > any kind of severe pain right before the numbness starting? Did the > numbness and soreness start at the same time?
There’s no pain associated with the numbness, except the soreness going up the leg on occasion. I don’t think the soreness started at the same time as the numbness, but maybe a month or two later. The soreness is intermittent. When I first started getting the numbness I noticed that when I took ativan — which still worked to knock me out then — it went away. Ativan no longer has this effect as it no longer works to get me to sleep anyway. As i’m not experiencing the soreness down the leg at the moment I’m not sure if i could trace it with a finger but i suppose i might. Also, the numbness is more severe on the bottom of the right foot than the left foot. On the left foot it is barely noticeable and sometimes not at all. tomw
Response:
tlwet…@ix.netcom.com (Tom Wetzel) wrote in news:e86cade9.0312071752.3e3d9b05@posting.google.com: – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -> At the end of last December I suddenly became > unable to sleep. I mean, it went on for weeks. > But I’d never had insomnia before. > Had noticed during the previous year that > drinking alcohol, in particular, seemed to > make it harder for me to get to sleep or > stay asleep. The stumulus that provoked the > bought of insomnia was being invited to give > a talk at a conference. But I know what > performance anxiety is, it was never before > like this; i’d never had a stark inability > to sleep for night after night. So, I think > the invitation was the provoking event, something > more deep-seated is involved. > I’ve tried to think of things that might have > contributed to the onset, and then have > changed those things, one by one. Drinking was > one (several beers a night, several > nights a week), so I gave up alcohol some months > back. No change. I’d started working out at a gym > the previous October, and gravitated to nights. > So, I switched to days… > no change. I had an onset of hoarseness with > the insomnia. Thought maybe there was some > allergic reaction going on, maybe to mold. So, > I cleaned some mold I found near the central > heating system a couple months ago, > totally cleaned the house, and > installed air cleaners. No change. I’d gone > off of some drugs I’d been taking to keep my > blood sugar down the previous October, > so I thought maybe elevated > blood sugar (I have a tendency to diabetes) > might contribute. So last March I went onto > not one but two anti-diabetic drugs, and got > my blood sugar lower than it had been the previous > year. Still no change. I’d been in the habit of > eating bedtime snacks. So I gave that up about > six months back. No change. > One thing I did notice is that drugs seem to > make things worse. When this first started > I didn’t know what to do other than take > drugs. Was taking various things practically > every nite for several months — ambien, > ativan, sominex etc. After several months > of doing that I got to the point where i was > severly exhausted, I’d lay in bed at night > and I could feel my blood pumping, my muscles > tremoring. I started getting new symptoms, > bottom of the feet became numb, sometimes a > soreness runs up the right leg. (This numbness > thing hasn’t gone away.) > Last month or so I’ve started trying sleep > deprivation therapy, i.e. the "behavior > modification" approach. This has a certain > plausibility in my case. One of the things > that had changed in my life the previous > year was that I had been out of work all > year. So, that means I’d probably gotten into > the habit of staying in bed later. I work as > a writer which is pretty sedintery occupation > anyway, so lolling around the house all day, > not getting out in the sun, probably didn’t help > either. > I think my sleep has gotten marginally better > since I’ve gone off the drug wagon. Instead > of my blood pounding endlessly, I find that > my heart and circlatory system quiets down > in a few minutes after going to bed now. > Typically I enter a sort > of half-awake, drowsy state in about 15 minutes > or so. From there i think i go in and out of > sleep, including dreams sometimes. On some > occasions I actually sleep without awakening > for a number of hours. Nonetheless, despite > this seeming improvement, I still feel dinghy, > exhausted and not very clear-headed almost > every day. > So, I haven’t found a miracle cure here yet. > I do notice that if I allow myself to stay in > bed later than my designated wakeup time — 6:45 — > my sleep is worse the next few nights. Thing is, > I’m not sure how to judge how much time I should > allow myself to stay in bed. The sleep disorders clinic > doc I talked to suggested 7 hours. Most of my life > I’ve usually stayed in bed longer than that, > typically 8 or 9 hours. That’s why 7 hours sounded > plausible to him, I suppose. I’ve also noticed > that if I take any drug — and I’ve done so three > times in the past two weeks — they no longer > work at all. In fact, I think they make things > worse the following nights. However, I’ve only > been seriously pursuing this sleep deprivation > approach the past three weeks. So, maybe this is > too early to tell if this is going to work or > not. > Tom Wetzel > (age 57)
You mention soreness going up your leg… Can you take one finger and trace the path of the soreness down your leg? Is there any pain associated with the numbness? Do you recall any kind of severe pain right before the numbness starting? Did the numbness and soreness start at the same time? Wendy —
Response:
Interesting details you’ve provided. Has anyone observed you sleeping lately? A lot of what you said, despite you not mentioning some the most typical symptoms, indicates there may be a problem with sleep apnea here. Some of the things that made me say this are as follows. – problems getting to sleep, or waking up very shortly after dozing off – worse with alochol consumption – worse with sleeping medications – hoarse throat – history of diabetes problems – feeling exhausted, foggy headed – I don’t have time to respond in more details but i’m sure others will bounce of what i’ve said as well as offer insights of their own — Beth in Australia (I am not a medical professional and anything stated in my posts is my opinion only unless specified otherwise) =================== FAQ for alt.support.sleep-disorder can be found here http://talhost.net/sleep Newsgroup Archives http://talhost.net/sleep/archives.htm this site is a work in progress – feel free to submit info/articles Remove my name to reply "Tom Wetzel" <tlwet…@ix.netcom.com> wrote in message
news:e86cade9.0312071752.3e3d9b05@posting.google.com… – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -> At the end of last December I suddenly became > unable to sleep. I mean, it went on for weeks. > But I’d never had insomnia before. > Had noticed during the previous year that > drinking alcohol, in particular, seemed to > make it harder for me to get to sleep or > stay asleep. The stumulus that provoked the > bought of insomnia was being invited to give > a talk at a conference. But I know what > performance anxiety is, it was never before > like this; i’d never had a stark inability > to sleep for night after night. So, I think > the invitation was the provoking event, something > more deep-seated is involved. > I’ve tried to think of things that might have > contributed to the onset, and then have > changed those things, one by one. Drinking was > one (several beers a night, several > nights a week), so I gave up alcohol some months > back. No change. I’d started working out at a gym > the previous October, and gravitated to nights. > So, I switched to days… > no change. I had an onset of hoarseness with > the insomnia. Thought maybe there was some > allergic reaction going on, maybe to mold. So, > I cleaned some mold I found near the central > heating system a couple months ago, > totally cleaned the house, and > installed air cleaners. No change. I’d gone > off of some drugs I’d been taking to keep my > blood sugar down the previous October, > so I thought maybe elevated > blood sugar (I have a tendency to diabetes) > might contribute. So last March I went onto > not one but two anti-diabetic drugs, and got > my blood sugar lower than it had been the previous > year. Still no change. I’d been in the habit of > eating bedtime snacks. So I gave that up about > six months back. No change. > One thing I did notice is that drugs seem to > make things worse. When this first started > I didn’t know what to do other than take > drugs. Was taking various things practically > every nite for several months — ambien, > ativan, sominex etc. After several months > of doing that I got to the point where i was > severly exhausted, I’d lay in bed at night > and I could feel my blood pumping, my muscles > tremoring. I started getting new symptoms, > bottom of the feet became numb, sometimes a > soreness runs up the right leg. (This numbness > thing hasn’t gone away.) > Last month or so I’ve started trying sleep > deprivation therapy, i.e. the "behavior > modification" approach. This has a certain > plausibility in my case. One of the things > that had changed in my life the previous > year was that I had been out of work all > year. So, that means I’d probably gotten into > the habit of staying in bed later. I work as > a writer which is pretty sedintery occupation > anyway, so lolling around the house all day, > not getting out in the sun, probably didn’t help > either. > I think my sleep has gotten marginally better > since I’ve gone off the drug wagon. Instead > of my blood pounding endlessly, I find that > my heart and circlatory system quiets down > in a few minutes after going to bed now. > Typically I enter a sort > of half-awake, drowsy state in about 15 minutes > or so. From there i think i go in and out of > sleep, including dreams sometimes. On some > occasions I actually sleep without awakening > for a number of hours. Nonetheless, despite > this seeming improvement, I still feel dinghy, > exhausted and not very clear-headed almost > every day. > So, I haven’t found a miracle cure here yet. > I do notice that if I allow myself to stay in > bed later than my designated wakeup time — 6:45 — > my sleep is worse the next few nights. Thing is, > I’m not sure how to judge how much time I should > allow myself to stay in bed. The sleep disorders clinic > doc I talked to suggested 7 hours. Most of my life > I’ve usually stayed in bed longer than that, > typically 8 or 9 hours. That’s why 7 hours sounded > plausible to him, I suppose. I’ve also noticed > that if I take any drug — and I’ve done so three > times in the past two weeks — they no longer > work at all. In fact, I think they make things > worse the following nights. However, I’ve only > been seriously pursuing this sleep deprivation > approach the past three weeks. So, maybe this is > too early to tell if this is going to work or > not. > Tom Wetzel > (age 57)
Response:
At the end of last December I suddenly became unable to sleep. I mean, it went on for weeks. But I’d never had insomnia before. Had noticed during the previous year that drinking alcohol, in particular, seemed to make it harder for me to get to sleep or stay asleep. The stumulus that provoked the bought of insomnia was being invited to give a talk at a conference. But I know what performance anxiety is, it was never before like this; i’d never had a stark inability to sleep for night after night. So, I think the invitation was the provoking event, something more deep-seated is involved. I’ve tried to think of things that might have contributed to the onset, and then have changed those things, one by one. Drinking was one (several beers a night, several nights a week), so I gave up alcohol some months back. No change. I’d started working out at a gym the previous October, and gravitated to nights. So, I switched to days… no change. I had an onset of hoarseness with the insomnia. Thought maybe there was some allergic reaction going on, maybe to mold. So, I cleaned some mold I found near the central heating system a couple months ago, totally cleaned the house, and installed air cleaners. No change. I’d gone off of some drugs I’d been taking to keep my blood sugar down the previous October, so I thought maybe elevated blood sugar (I have a tendency to diabetes) might contribute. So last March I went onto not one but two anti-diabetic drugs, and got my blood sugar lower than it had been the previous year. Still no change. I’d been in the habit of eating bedtime snacks. So I gave that up about six months back. No change. One thing I did notice is that drugs seem to make things worse. When this first started I didn’t know what to do other than take drugs. Was taking various things practically every nite for several months — ambien, ativan, sominex etc. After several months of doing that I got to the point where i was severly exhausted, I’d lay in bed at night and I could feel my blood pumping, my muscles tremoring. I started getting new symptoms, bottom of the feet became numb, sometimes a soreness runs up the right leg. (This numbness thing hasn’t gone away.) Last month or so I’ve started trying sleep deprivation therapy, i.e. the "behavior modification" approach. This has a certain plausibility in my case. One of the things that had changed in my life the previous year was that I had been out of work all year. So, that means I’d probably gotten into the habit of staying in bed later. I work as a writer which is pretty sedintery occupation anyway, so lolling around the house all day, not getting out in the sun, probably didn’t help either. I think my sleep has gotten marginally better since I’ve gone off the drug wagon. Instead of my blood pounding endlessly, I find that my heart and circlatory system quiets down in a few minutes after going to bed now. Typically I enter a sort of half-awake, drowsy state in about 15 minutes or so. From there i think i go in and out of sleep, including dreams sometimes. On some occasions I actually sleep without awakening for a number of hours. Nonetheless, despite this seeming improvement, I still feel dinghy, exhausted and not very clear-headed almost every day. So, I haven’t found a miracle cure here yet. I do notice that if I allow myself to stay in bed later than my designated wakeup time — 6:45 — my sleep is worse the next few nights. Thing is, I’m not sure how to judge how much time I should allow myself to stay in bed. The sleep disorders clinic doc I talked to suggested 7 hours. Most of my life I’ve usually stayed in bed longer than that, typically 8 or 9 hours. That’s why 7 hours sounded plausible to him, I suppose. I’ve also noticed that if I take any drug — and I’ve done so three times in the past two weeks — they no longer work at all. In fact, I think they make things worse the following nights. However, I’ve only been seriously pursuing this sleep deprivation approach the past three weeks. So, maybe this is too early to tell if this is going to work or not. Tom Wetzel (age 57)
