Painsomnia

Nigelrl
Nigelrl Online Community Member Posts: 31 Contributor
in Neurological impairments and pain
This is lack of sleep due to pain. I have CRPS and insomnia can be one of the lovely list of symptoms. However in bad flare periods sleep is out of the question. At times I feel like I have eyes in the back of ma head. I use relaxing music, never go on line tho as its not sleep inducing.
Any one else suffer this and any tips

Comments

  • feir
    feir Online Community Member Posts: 394 Empowering
    When pain keeps me awake i just find things to do, i tend to sleep every other day now and have been for a while. I've advanced a lot of basic skills this past few years as my pain has mostly been low level or only on moving, had to take time out from the more stimulating stuff that requires concentration this past year as i just can't manage my studies any more,so been doing less taxing stuff like coding.
    There have been times though when i've been unable to do anything at all because the pain was incapacitating, not sure what to do then because you can't do anything. My plan will be to go to call 111 at times like this and hope they don't send me to hospital but help me in other ways to sort out better pain relief.
  • Nigelrl
    Nigelrl Online Community Member Posts: 31 Contributor
    Have never tried 111 as all medics say there is nothing they can do, well except morphine. Not going there again unless its really bad. 
    I sometimes listen to audio books it helps to keep thoughts away fro pain 
  • GizmoTiddles
    GizmoTiddles Online Community Member Posts: 156 Empowering
    edited July 2018
    Hi @Nigelrl
    I've suffered chroic spinal and neck pain for many years ,and a cocktail of drugs to try to combat insomnia side of it . different doctors different medication 
    For a while 10mg diazapan at night would work then taken off that after a year or so .
    As on it too long.
    Tried home grown remedies  :)
     that works very well with both pain and sleep and no after effects ,in fact best sleep waking quite refreshed.so brief respite.
    But of course not quite legal ......just yet B)
    Tried listening to music to relax ,tried getting up and going for a walk)shuffle around.
    On 15mg Zopiclone at the moment which gets me off to sleep for a while .but wake early.
    One thing you may try if you drink tea is Red bush tea.it can be bought in most super markets 
    Lidl. £0.78p I find best Tesco. Asda Sainsbury's 
    Some have it a Tick tock tea.
    But it works in relaxing you ,and tastes ok .
    Good
    Luck
    Gizmo
    https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=red+bush+tea&oq=red+bush+tea&aqs=chrome..69i57.8965j0j7&client=ms-android-cubot&sourceid=chrome-mobile&ie=UTF-8#imgrc=EUQC5gBwnneMpM:

    https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rooibos
  • feir
    feir Online Community Member Posts: 394 Empowering
    Yeah whatever works for you.

    I only contacted 111 because my GP wasn't great and i never considered myself ill enough to go to hospital (as i wasn't dying) but realistically i should've gone to hospital more often and saved myself a lot of suffering. I have a phobia of hospitals now and that's why i'll be calling 111, they'll probably need to talk me into going in if i ever need to. My GP is getting better, probably coz i have a diagnosis, but i went in this week and whatever meds i asked for they gave me without question, even upped the dose on one when i explained why i wanted them.
  • ClaireSaul
    ClaireSaul Online Community Member Posts: 92 Empowering
    Painsomnia - only those of us who have had it will understand!!  When I was a night nurse I would never have dreamt that one day I would have any type of sleep problem!
    Mine really improved once I had been weaned off SR opiates (oxycontin) - I hadn't realised they were having such a huge effect on my sleep, along with mirtazepine.  
    I do still struggle with sleep, and although I have a spinal cord stimulator for back and leg pain I am not supposed to have it on at night - but this doesn't cover other pain throughout the body anyway.
    Heat is my best friend - so an electric blanket and an electric heat pad are always to hand.
    I also try to occupy myself, but without doing anything too stimulating! So a book or kindle (easier to hold) are always at hand, and like @Nigelrl I sometimes use audiobooks or the books & dramas on the radio iplayer. There have been a few occasions when I have to go back the next day when it has sent me to sleep! Some of the mindfulness type apps can also help to relax.
    Colouring! I started doing it before it became fashionable and have found it really helps to calm me in a very different way - so old colouring books of my kids and a pack of colour pencils sit of my bedside table!!

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