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lack of sleep

milo
milo Community member Posts: 129 Pioneering
Here I am, awake since about 4am again. Not sure how much of my lack of sleep is the cp and how much is down to the meds to control the spasms. Since I started them, I seem to have periods of almost being a bit hyper then crashing for a few hours but the spasms seem to be better so guess i have to choose living with the side effects which aren't painful and spasms which are .Having spoken to my physio about it, she is aware of several patients with cp who have odd sleep patterns for whatever reason and she advises sleeping when im tired and do stuff when i'm not. This kind of works but have to say that tv is awful at 5 am. Ive tried a number of relaxation techniques, I'm listening to calming music on my tablet as I type, but nothing seems to really help. My GP has offered sleeping tablets but im reluctant to take yet more meds as the ones I'm on cause fuzziness from time to time. Does anyone have any suggestions on improving sleep patterns? Sorry its such a long post but feels good to be getting it off my chest while the family is all sound asleep.

Comments

  • Noah
    Noah Community member Posts: 425 Pioneering
    edited August 2014
    I've had big problems with sleep in the past......
    Sorry to hear that you are to, things that I have found helpful are:

    1. Trying not to take rests during the day, however tired I am, sometimes this is not possible.

    2. Extremely comfortable bed which has a special tempur Mattress, this helps me be in less pain and supports my body wonderfully, I wouldn't be without it.

    3. I try and go to bed and the same time every day, and I try and avoid eating or doing anything too stimulating a couple or so hours before bed.

    4. I have blackout curtains to make my bedroom dark.

    5. I don't have any TV or computer in my bedroom

    6. Quite often I take a nice hot bath an hour or so before bed, this helps my body relax.

    7. When my brain is still very active, I find just focusing my thoughts on my breathing and nothing else, normally works to get me asleep.

    Hope you find something that works for you, make sure you talk to your doctor about it.

    All the best
  • niceboots
    niceboots Scope Member Posts: 198 Pioneering
    I have very odd sleeping patterns.... Sometimes I just can't get to sleep no matter how tired I am, then I end up sleeping in the next day which then throws my sleep pattern out totally....
    If I can't sleep I tend to read or knit until I feel like I'm about to fall asleep, as I was told that the worst things you can do is watch tv or use a computer or phone, due to the light interrupting the production of melatonine, the chemical that makes you sleep.
    I also have a good stretch out before bed to help me relax.
  • milo
    milo Community member Posts: 129 Pioneering
    I've tried not sleeping during the day, the problem is that with these meds the tiredness hits me in waves and I can't keep my eyes open. It's one of the reasons I've had to stop driving. Because of this it's not so much that I can't sleep at night but that it's only for a short period, maybe 4 or 5 hours. It's not all bad, now I've got the powerchair,the dog gets early morning walks and we've seen some beautiful sun rises over the summer
  • niceboots
    niceboots Scope Member Posts: 198 Pioneering
    That's definitely one bonus of an odd sleeping pattern.... I love the peace and quiet of the early mornings, and my dog likes the company first thing!!!
  • NSM
    NSM Community member Posts: 14 Listener
    Milo, thanks for this post. It has made me realise that I am not the only one. In my 20s I slept the all the time - sometimes 16 hours a day. I still get as exhausted, but now I find I am awake for hours at a time. I refused sleeping pills too, changed my anti-spasdodics instead, which helped for a bit. I am thinking of trying mindfulness so we shall see
  • milo
    milo Community member Posts: 129 Pioneering
    Since my last post on this subject I've made some changes. The biggest is that while I still use the power chair, I've invested in an ultra lightweight manual chair which is incredibly easy to push even when my hands aren't great. Originally this was to make it easier on the bus but it's had the added benefit of being great daily exercise, which in turn, has tired me out and made me sleep better at night
  • Noah
    Noah Community member Posts: 425 Pioneering
    Great to hear your update Milo, and that you have found a lightweight manual chair which is is giving you the added benefit of daily exercise, which is helping you sleep. Thank you for sharing what you have found to be helping you.
  • Sophie Buckley
    Sophie Buckley Community member Posts: 12 Connected
    I know tv is the worst but it takes the consration away from spasm ect and as hard as it is I sleep when i tierd which is hard when you in bed way before i tired or the opsite I try to say awake and because i in bed i drop off early
  • benjy
    benjy Community member Posts: 9 Connected
    Well that's something I have been able to find out thought it was just me waking up at 4am maybe it does have something to do with cp.

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