SLEEP TIPS (sleep hygeine)

I started this topic b/c I'm in desperate need of some ideas or ways that people on this forum who actually get regular consistent sleep do so...how do you do it?

I'm seriously open to any suggestions at this point. I take Seroquel, melatonin & drink SleepyTime Extra tea. I've read that its good to have some kind of ritual or regular habits prior to getting in bed - I guess that means brushing teeth, praying if you're religious, reading an old textbook & things of that nature.

My body gets to the point of tiredness where I have to lay down whether I can sleep or not...I'll sometimes get up & go to the fridge & 'sleepeat' as opposed to sleepwalk due to the Seroquel/Depakote munchies.

What do you do? Thanks

-kby-

I read at night, ( not some old textbook) but a book that I enjoy...maybe you should excersise a few hours before bedtime, take a nice hot bath and wind down by reading, there are lots of great books out there..this always helps me sleep!

Hi Mandy,

I'm one of those people that reading will often keep me up unless its something tedious or mundane. My body might be tired but my mind will be interested.

Likewise w/the hot bath - too refreshing OR it will make me sweat. That's why I mostly shower in the morning to wake up.

Exercising definitely helps as long as its not to close to bedtime. The SleepyTime Extra tea works okay on me as well.

I'm going to try what you suggest anyway. Thank you so much for responding. I'll let you know how it goes after 1week.

-kby-

I see that you take Allopurinol. I am guessing that you have high uric acid. The reason I mention this is that my husband was having a terrible time with gout. His hemoglobins were also too high. The cause for both is sleep apnea. It can wreak havoc on your system and may be why your sleep is poor. My husband used to get up several times in the night, but now that he has his cpap, he sleeps through the night. His hemoglobins are going down and we hope that the uric acid does too. Perhaps you should consider a sleep study. Could also be why you are having a hard time controlling weight as well-your body likes to hold onto fat when sleep deprived.

Thanks Madog,

Sleep study has been suggested to me by many people yet I think p-doc has looked into it & my insurance won't cover it. A friend of mine was dx'd w/Bipolar & he had a sleep study done & they found that he woke up at least a hundred times during the night. He got one of those cpap machines & all his BP symptoms magically dis appeared.

I go to the Univ of Utah medical Center on the 19th & I'll see what they can do...for now I take the allipurinol & celery seed pills. I met someone who can't take allipurinol b/c he gets that lethal rash w/the two names (Steven-Johns or something?). The one they warn you about before taking Lamictal. Anyway he takes organic celery seed pills 3times a day instead & it has worked for years he said.

I'm not sure how well the cherries work for staving off my gout. I have tofi in my elbow joints & have had gout in my wrists, hands, fingers, feet, ankles, etc. Since I was 27-28yrs old. 44yrs old now & grateful to not get it in the more major joints (yet) like my knees, hips & shoulders.

I really may have this sleep apnea thing - thanks again

-kby-

Kby,

I sure hope you can get the study done. If you think you have sleep apnea, it is worth the money even if you have to save for it. Not sure how much it costs but I have to say your health is worth every penny to find
out.

Never heard about the celery seed, but my husband does try to eat a lot of celery and cherries. I will have to have him try the celery seed. Thanks for the tip.

Take care,
Madog

Hi Kby,

I have the opposite problem, but not sure about advice I can give, all I know is every night I definately fall asleep, even when I try to will myself up. I keep busy during the day like everyone else. I do an hour of cardio about 5 days a week its dance and dance is peaceful, I used to do cardio kickboxing I remember feeling like protect was important and watch your back, walk confidently, but I also remember having bad dreams, my meds gave me that side effect where i would wake up at night yelling because my dreams felt like reality. Now my eyes just close before I even want them too, not that i go to bed before 10. If I forget my meds like after 10 forget it I'm in trouble my mind begins to get over alert and my thoughts rev up and i get more awake than is fair, and i know you know what i mean. Manic I guess.

K -zoey I think all work fun play and rest that are positive choices for your health are good, cardio weight training napping drawing crocheting word seek puzzles sketching reading praying sunset gazing

Thank you kzoey,

You must be in good shape doing an hour of cardio 5 times a week. Today I did at least an hour & I'm wiped out. I usually only do 15-20 minutes then go to the weights. I'm going to make time for more this week & see if it makes a difference.

On Mon & Tues I slept for 18 to 20 hours (each day). There's no balance whatsoever. I'm meditating again ~ trying everything to get some kind of regular sleep. Even if its 6hrs a night. Consistency.

Thanks for your post. I'm especially grateful for the reminder of how beautiful it can be to watch the sunset. Sometimes I'm moving so fast I forget to smell the roses.

-kby-