Sleeping

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kellie01

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Relationship to Diabetes
Type 1.5 LADA
Good morning, is it just me or do the rest of you struggle to sleep ? I tend to wake up about 3 and then go and sit downstairs and read until about 6 oclock and then go back to bed. I struggled before i went in hospital but that was mainly as i got the munchies during the night and also with my feet playimg up.during the night, i didn't sleep much in hospital but i find that you never do, but now i am back home i am still struggling, but at least i can nap in the afternoon if i need to while i am signed off work x
 
I haven’t slept properly since 1983! Nothing to do with diabetes, it’s just me. Started when I was pregnant for the first time, then it just became a way of life as I was up with the babies, (I have three). Then the peri menopause hit at 39 and the night sweats started. I’m also a mega worrier and once I’m awake my mind starts whirring and that’s it, no chance of going back to sleep. I also have bad shoulders, pelvis, hip and lower back problems, all things not conducive to a good night’s sleep. Two lots of major surgery and long stays in hospital hasn’t helped my sleep pattern. I’ve tried different pillows and bedding, windows open, windows shut, nothing makes a blind bit of difference, I sometimes get up and read but it stimulates me too much so I tend to just toss and turn and get up early and just sit on my bum. Which is fine now I’m retired but wasn’t good when I had to go to work! If I get 4/5 hours on the trot I’m a happy woman. As I read all that back it sounds awful, but as I said, it’s just normal for me and I’m used to it. On 28th October 2018 I slept through for eight hours, it’s that rare I remember the date! We’d taken our three eldest grandchildren to Spain for four nights, they were 11 and 6, I was obviously so exhausted on the night we came home I conked out! We’re taking our three youngest grandchildren to Blackpool next week for two nights, I’m hoping for a repeat! It’s a bit extreme ( and expensive) having to book a holiday with young children to get the required eight hours!

Let’s hope yours is just a blip and you’ll be back to having a good night’s sleep soon.
PS after reading all that you’ll soon be dropping off! 😉
 
Sorry you are struggling to sleep.
A couple of suggestions
- can you avoid the afternoon nap? I would worry it was disrupting my sleep patterns so I need less sleep during the night?
- can you try so meditation techniques when you wake at 3am rather than getting up? Getting up is "training" your body and mind that it is ok to be awake at that time. When I wake in the night, I do silly things like try to count backwards from 100 in German. My German is not great but I know the numbers. So I have to think but can't think about anything else which clears my mind. On rare occasions, I read but do not get up. I am lucky to have a Kindle Paperwhite so do not need to put the light on. Not only would the light wake my partner but it would also make it harder for me to drift off with my book in my hand.
 
If I find it hard to get to sleep when there are too many things going round in my head, or wake in the night I try listing prime numbers or counting down from 100 in different patterns. Something to focus the mind and leave no space for the ‘to do list’.
 
Sometimes things can become habit, and it doesn't take long for that to happen. When my other half came home from a two week stint in hospital he has struggled to sleep, even went to the GP who merely gave him a leaflet on sleep hygiene. He resorted to taking Nytol herbal or Boots own or the pukka Nytol and it helped a bit. One of the medications he takes, which he was taking at night says it can cause sleeplessness so he now takes it in the morning and that has helped. But because he wasn't sleeping at night, he was napping during the day, vicious circle.
 
helli said:
Sorry you are struggling to sleep.
A couple of suggestions
- can you avoid the afternoon nap? I would worry it was disrupting my sleep patterns so I need less sleep during the night?
- can you try so meditation techniques when you wake at 3am rather than getting up? Getting up is "training" your body and mind that it is ok to be awake at that time. When I wake in the night, I do silly things like try to count backwards from 100 in German. My German is not great but I know the numbers. So I have to think but can't think about anything else which clears my mind. On rare occasions, I read but do not get up. I am lucky to have a Kindle Paperwhite so do not need to put the light on. Not only would the light wake my partner but it would also make it harder for me to drift off with my book in my hand.
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I don't always have an afternoon nap but i did today and went into town and think i overdid it. Am doing my diamond painting tonight as that relaxes me, so going to stay up quite late doing that and hope that it will help me sleep. I know my feet playing up is a big part of it but make sure i have warm socks on when i go to bed and that helps and they haven't been so pins and needley lately so don't know if that is due to my BG not being so high. Have to give my next lot of readings to my nurse tomorrow so will see if they alter my dosage again x
 
kellie01 said:
Good morning, is it just me or do the rest of you struggle to sleep ? I tend to wake up about 3 and then go and sit downstairs and read until about 6 oclock and then go back to bed. I struggled before i went in hospital but that was mainly as i got the munchies during the night and also with my feet playimg up.during the night, i didn't sleep much in hospital but i find that you never do, but now i am back home i am still struggling, but at least i can nap in the afternoon if i need to while i am signed off work x
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I can recommend several things.

-get a routine, go to bed at the same time every night
-don't have a clock in your bedroom or turn it around so you can't see the time.
-no caffiene drinks after 4pm
-no exercise late at night
-a completely dark room
-white noise helps me and a lot of people. An example is a fan
-you can get relaxation tapes
-meditation
-yoga
-exercise will make you more tired at night
-get outside, being indoors all the time affects your sleep
-background music at a very low volume may help
-blindfold, cover your eyes

There's probably more. I would also ask is it a problem. I've got a friend in Scotland who says she only needs 2 hours of sleep a day.
 
I tend to go to bed roughly the same time which is normally late unless i am on the earlier shift at work. I have a ceiling fan which makes a bit of white noise. I can't really do much exercise at the moment as still trying to get my strength back and put a bit of weight on. I am trying to do bits around the house during the day so not just sitting on my bum. Think a lot of it is probably in my head, am hoping it will settle down once i get my head around this condition. Thank you for the ideas though x
 
kellie01 said:
I tend to go to bed roughly the same time which is normally late unless i am on the earlier shift at work. I have a ceiling fan which makes a bit of white noise. I can't really do much exercise at the moment as still trying to get my strength back and put a bit of weight on. I am trying to do bits around the house during the day so not just sitting on my bum. Think a lot of it is probably in my head, am hoping it will settle down once i get my head around this condition. Thank you for the ideas though x
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It's ok. I've had broken sleep for about 30 years but don't see it as a problem. I just get on The Net. I'm up at 3am easy every morning.
 
I have always been a really good sleeper.... in fact Olympic standard .... even the 15 years when I was working rotating shifts .... 3 X nights ie.10pm-6am, quick changeover onto 2 X lates 2-10pm, quick changeover onto 2 earlies 6am-2pm.... I was one of those people who could sleep on a clothes line, even when really stressed, sleep was my refuge although admittedly I suffered some quite stressful dreams at those times but I could always get to sleep and go back to sleep.
Then I hit a bad patch and it was horrendous and so my heartfelt sympathies go out to those of you who have had long term problems with sleep struggles. Looking back I think it probably tied in with the menopause for me but because it didn't suddenly happen overnight it is quite hard to pinpoint when it did start. What I do know is that it improved dramatically when I started using HRT and now I am back to sleeping as soon as I get ito bed and unless my levels are really high or hypo, I sleep soundly and deeply until the alarm goes off in the morning and once again it is bliss and I appreciate it all the more now for having had that period of 5 or 6 years of poor sleep, before I was prescribed HRT. Of course it is well known that sleep is hormone regulated so I guess that makes sense.
 
Avoid caffeine on evening should help if you indulge, tbh I've always been good sleeper & can be in bed by 10pm most evenings & not get up till 6/7 next morning.
 
Last then 90 mins most night for me due to neuropathy, restless legs and plmd and my pancreas likes to play up around 1am most nights. It’s no fun, always been a bad sleeper since childhood, not even got caffeine as an excuse. Sleep better in Hospital as beds are better for my damaged spine.
Hope you can Adapt your routine to improve things, I have headphones on all night so not to disturb husband.
 
Sarahp said:
Last then 90 mins most night for me due to neuropathy, restless legs and plmd and my pancreas likes to play up around 1am most nights. It’s no fun, always been a bad sleeper since childhood, not even got caffeine as an excuse. Sleep better in Hospital as beds are better for my damaged spine.
Hope you can Adapt your routine to improve things, I have headphones on all night so not to disturb husband.
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Omg that sounds awful for you and there i am complaining when i am so much better off than you. Think i just need to get in a better routine than i have but easier said than done. Take care of yourself x
 
Very important sleep. And one thing I've used to lock the world out. The boss was not happy about me sleeping at my desk. However.
 
kellie01 said:
Omg that sounds awful for you and there i am complaining when i am so much better off than you. Think i just need to get in a better routine than i have but easier said than done. Take care of yourself x
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Please don’t feel you can’t reach out for support, we are all here for each other, really hope you get more settled routine wise soon and likewise please take care x
 
kellie01 said:
Good morning, is it just me or do the rest of you struggle to sleep ? I tend to wake up about 3 and then go and sit downstairs and read until about 6 oclock and then go back to bed. I struggled before i went in hospital but that was mainly as i got the munchies during the night and also with my feet playimg up.during the night, i didn't sleep much in hospital but i find that you never do, but now i am back home i am still struggling, but at least i can nap in the afternoon if i need to while i am signed off work x
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@kellie01, I'm just catching up on some of your posts. I wonder have you checked your blood sugar when you wake at 3am? I'm sure I read somewhere that 3am is when our blood sugar tends to be the lowest - hopefully someone can correct me on that if I'm wrong. Maybe your body is waking you up because it's not used to the blood sugar being lower (not suggesting you are low, more that you are lower than your body is used to during the day?). If that's the case, hopefully once your levels even out you might be able to start sleeping through. It's awful when you can't sleep or can't get back to sleep. Hugs!
 
kellie01 said:
Good morning, is it just me or do the rest of you struggle to sleep ? I tend to wake up about 3 and then go and sit downstairs and read until about 6 oclock and then go back to bed. I struggled before i went in hospital but that was mainly as i got the munchies during the night and also with my feet playimg up.during the night, i didn't sleep much in hospital but i find that you never do, but now i am back home i am still struggling, but at least i can nap in the afternoon if i need to while i am signed off work x
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Hi,

Some of the common things known to help sleep are:

Darkness
Quiet
Coolness
Calm
Exertion

Some things known to affect sleep:

Caffeine
Blue light from laptops, phones etc even several hours before bedtime
Vit D deficiency
Worry
Stress
MSG E621
Pain
Uncomfortable bed
Snoring partner
Partner moving
 
TwilightMidna said:
@kellie01, I'm just catching up on some of your posts. I wonder have you checked your blood sugar when you wake at 3am? I'm sure I read somewhere that 3am is when our blood sugar tends to be the lowest - hopefully someone can correct me on that if I'm wrong. Maybe your body is waking you up because it's not used to the blood sugar being lower (not suggesting you are low, more that you are lower than your body is used to during the day?). If that's the case, hopefully once your levels even out you might be able to start sleeping through. It's awful when you can't sleep or can't get back to sleep. Hugs!
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Hi, it is not a case of waking at 3 as i don't normally go to bed until 2 or 3, went about 2ish this moring and was downstairs again by about 4.15 until 5.45 and then got up at 9.30 but wasn't asleep the whole time. Went back to bed after doing my meds and having breakfast as felt so tired. Might get some nytol or something i think and see if that helps x
 
kellie01 said:
Hi, it is not a case of waking at 3 as i don't normally go to bed until 2 or 3, went about 2ish this moring and was downstairs again by about 4.15 until 5.45 and then got up at 9.30 but wasn't asleep the whole time. Went back to bed after doing my meds and having breakfast as felt so tired. Might get some nytol or something i think and see if that helps x
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Ahh I see. You must be exhausted with this going on on top of everything else! I really feel for you. Years ago I had a lot of sleep issues - I would not sleep until 4-6am (I would lie there in the dark from 10pm just waiting to go to sleep) and then I'd wake up at 10am and do it all over the next night. I tried a lot of the over-the-counter remedies and also a sleep hypnosis track. They did help I think, but eventually I was prescribed a low dose of amitriptyline to help me sleep and also help with pain in my legs. It's made a huge difference to my quality of life. If the issue persists it might be worth a chat with your doctor as they may have some suggestions to help you sleep better x
 
Am seeing the doctor today hopefully as need him to do me another sick note and order the right testing strips, but my sleep is even worse now so going to ask him about some sleeping tablets as only getting 1-2 hours sleep a night at the moment. I am now on gabapentin to stop my feet playing up at night and that seems to be helping, it is just the not sleeping i need to sort out x
 
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