my girlfriends mom....

[R1balla]

Didnt know where to post this, so thought this area would get more attention vs general chat...

my girlfriends mom is 47 y/o. 5'4" about 110 pounds very lean. A problem that she has had most of her life is she cant sleep. She is currently using ambien but that always doesnt work. She has tried other prescribed medications and most of them have had a paradoxical reaction with her. Her blood work is fine but has not seen an endo in a very long time for her hormones. She gets about 2-4 hours a night on average. She claims that she will take a medication and it will relax her for a few min then "i feel like my body fights it off and my heart races and keeps me up". She also has palpitations that keep her awake at night. anybody have a clue on how I can help her???? mr.cooper69

 

[kenpoengineer]

Is this accompanied by temperature increase and sweating? Of so it's change of life time, menopause.

 

[R1balla]

Is this accompanied by temperature increase and sweating? Of so it's change of life time, menopause.

It's happened almost her entire life. Idk about sweating and temp

 

[puccah8808]

I think it's just insomnia. I can only sleep about 4-5 hours a night and I'm usually tossing and turning, waking up throughout the whole night. It totally sucks because I use to be on sleep meds and would sleep for 16-24 hours straight but feel super groggy throughout the day. Kicking the sleep meds was probably the hardest thing I've ever done.

 

[Johnston]

I had a friend who was having serious sleep issues, night terrors etc. and he went to a sleep clinic which helped him loads. That would be my recommendation. There are sleep specialists who can offer far more insight than anyone on here or even a regular doctor. Throwing powerful prescription meds at the problem certainly isn't the solution. There will be an underlying cause to this, but she needs to see an expert to get to the bottom of it.

P.S I thought this was going to be a much more exciting thread when I clicked on it...

 

[xR1pp3Rx]

I force lights out perhaps? nimbus abyss?
I heard there is new data showing some people just don't need that much sleep.. perhaps she feels ok in light of the situation but only seeks a remedy because she thinks she needs to get more sleep?.

 

[R1balla]

I think it's just insomnia. I can only sleep about 4-5 hours a night and I'm usually tossing and turning, waking up throughout the whole night. It totally sucks because I use to be on sleep meds and would sleep for 16-24 hours straight but feel super groggy throughout the day. Kicking the sleep meds was probably the hardest thing I've ever done.

yeah she didnt always use meds. this has been an issue for a while. She also has atrial flutter which causes her heart to race...etc

I had a friend who was having serious sleep issues, night terrors etc. and he went to a sleep clinic which helped him loads. That would be my recommendation. There are sleep specialists who can offer far more insight than anyone on here or even a regular doctor. Throwing powerful prescription meds at the problem certainly isn't the solution. There will be an underlying cause to this, but she needs to see an expert to get to the bottom of it.

P.S I thought this was going to be a much more exciting thread when I clicked on it...

yeah done on purpose to get more readers to help me out!

I force lights out perhaps? nimbus abyss?
I heard there is new data showing some people just don't need that much sleep.. perhaps she feels ok in light of the situation but only seeks a remedy because she thinks she needs to get more sleep?.

she gets 3-5 hours a night (around there) and has most of her life.

 

[JudoJosh]

She needs to discuss this with her doctor, not look for opinions on the internet. (No offense intended)

 

[R1balla]

She needs to discuss this with her doctor, not look for opinions on the internet. (No offense intended)

She already has

 

[michelle82]

Didnt know where to post this, so thought this area would get more attention vs general chat...

my girlfriends mom is 47 y/o. 5'4" about 110 pounds very lean. A problem that she has had most of her life is she cant sleep. She is currently using ambien but that always doesnt work. She has tried other prescribed medications and most of them have had a paradoxical reaction with her. Her blood work is fine but has not seen an endo in a very long time for her hormones. She gets about 2-4 hours a night on average. She claims that she will take a medication and it will relax her for a few min then "i feel like my body fights it off and my heart races and keeps me up". She also has palpitations that keep her awake at night. anybody have a clue on how I can help her???? mr.cooper69

Women over the age of 40 are more likely to develop sleeping disorders. Does she take any kind of vitamins or supplements? Prescribed medications? I'm asking this because sometimes the answer to the lack of sleep is in our pantry or drawer. Many vitamins like vit b or c are link to this kind of sleeping disorders as well as ginseng. Steroids for asthma and beta blockers for high blood pressure and some heart problems are link as well. You said she has a heart condition which is a big reason why she's not able to sleep more than 2-4 hours. My suggestion would be to tell her to make an appointment with her physician and take with her all the vitamins supplements and over the counter and prescribed medication and ask her physician if there's something in there that might be interfering with her lack of sleep. Also another thing to remember is she might be getting into the menopause stage which is a huge huge factor for women and greatly associated with problems falling asleep. Hot flashes, night sweats and the whole revolution of hormones inside her body causes a lot of times sleeping disorders. Next thing I would kindly suggest is to go to a sleep clinic if her physician says nothing in her medicine cabinet is affecting her sleep habits. She might have restless leg syndrome, sleep apnea or any other problem she might not be even aware of. But I would say her heart condition plus the fact that she might be or is already into menopause are basically two big factors and are definitely important enough to say they might be responsible for her insomnia. There's so many other things I can keep on telling you, lol, but so far this are my most important things to say. I'm a foreign medical graduate btw I'm not inventing this. Best of luck!

 

[R1balla]

i dont think you all are reading this all the way through. she has had this issue for most of her life, not just recently.

 

[Johnston]

Again I'd highly recommend sleep specialist/clinic. This is like asking people on the internet what's wrong with your car... take it to a mechanic lol.

 

[michelle82]

i dont think you all are reading this all the way through. she has had this issue for most of her life, not just recently.

No mean to offend, but if she has had this issue for almost all her life what are you asking for? People that have been dealing with insomnia get to a point where if they've tried everything and found nothing is wrong, kind of give up and get used to the fact they are only able to sleep 4 hours throughout the night. Plus if her physician has checked her and said everything was ok I guess there's no problem then.

 

[Johnston]

Plus if her physician has checked her and said everything was ok I guess there's no problem then.

Not at all, sleep disorders are hardly going to be the specialty of your average physician. Likely they know little more than you or I could learn reading up on Wikipedia!

 

[R1balla]

No mean to offend, but if she has had this issue for almost all her life what are you asking for? People that have been dealing with insomnia get to a point where if they've tried everything and found nothing is wrong, kind of give up and get used to the fact they are only able to sleep 4 hours throughout the night. Plus if her physician has checked her and said everything was ok I guess there's no problem then.

Because the past few years it's been hard on her sleep. And I guess you have no experience in the medical field because then typical physician knows nothing about specific problems love this one. I have no say in what doctor she goes to see, I'm just wanting to get others opinions on the matter. Don't you think I know she needs to see a doctor? I can't make her to anything.

 

[R1balla]

Not at all, sleep disorders are hardly going to be the specialty of your average physician. Likely they know little more than you or I could learn reading up on Wikipedia!

Exactly.

 

[michelle82]

Not at all, sleep disorders are hardly going to be the specialty of your average physician. Likely they know little more than you or I could learn reading up on Wikipedia!

I agree. We in Central America aren't trained on this area nor have any sleep clinics. It's totally a new world for me. But he has stated she has had this issue for almost all her life. So if there isn't anything the Physician can find as abnormal health related that's why I said she should than try to go to a sleep clinic. I know there's a wide number of factors that can be affecting her sleeping habits. So I agree 100% with you, I have no in depth knowledge of sleeping related issues more than what I've slightly read while studying for my boards or what I've heard from good close family and friends who have sleeping disorders or work in sleep clinics!

 

[thyrod]

My doc pushes all that **** on me. **** ambien shot will fuxk your head eventually. What works for me is accepting it. And not trying to force. Some nights 2 hour and other 10 but luckily I just listen to my body. Not everyone needs 8 hours of sleep.

 

[veaderko]

I have a hard time trusting some docs knowing a lot of them just give a drug that costs an arm and a leg to fix everything. So instead of the high price crap I just try a few things out myself. I dont remember or maybe I missed it if she has tried some of the OTC stuff before but I personally use Lights Out when i cant sleep. I havent had any issue nearly as long as she has. Your a good guy for trying to help her out.

 

[R1balla]

I have a hard time trusting some docs knowing a lot of them just give a drug that costs an arm and a leg to fix everything. So instead of the high price crap I just try a few things out myself. I dont remember or maybe I missed it if she has tried some of the OTC stuff before but I personally use Lights Out when i cant sleep. I havent had any issue nearly as long as she has. Your a good guy for trying to help her out.

Nyquil and ZMA she has tried. both kept her awake.

 

[veaderko]

Nyquil and ZMA she has tried. both kept her awake.

Wow, Nyquil kept her awake?! (Not a question, just in shock)

Well happy to hear your making an effort to help.

 

[R1balla]

Wow, Nyquil kept her awake?! (Not a question, just in shock)

Well happy to hear your making an effort to help.

yeah she said it calms her for a few minutes but then "i feel like my body fights it off and i cant sleep" (her words). so weird.

 

[Spaniard]

yeah she said it calms her for a few minutes but then "i feel like my body fights it off and i cant sleep" (her words). so weird.

Tell her to go to a specialist, get a second opinion, look into sleep therapy, sleep hygiene, trazadone (ask her Dr about it), and breathing techniques.

 

[xR1pp3Rx]

you could always tell her to count sheep?? :smokin:

 

[kenpoengineer]

Is she eating before bed? I've heard of people consuming carbs just before bed (you know, that big bowl of ice cream! Lol). Some report that this keeps them up at night. Hearsay but a suggestion nonetheless.

 

[michelle82]

You can suggest her buying natural calm. It's a really good sleeping aid and relaxer. It helps a lot lowering stress levels and having a restful night sleep. It's magnesium powder with no artificial ingredients. It's sweetened with stevia and tastes like heaven. Maybe this would help.

 

[Spaniard]

You can suggest her buying natural calm. It's a really good sleeping aid and relaxer. It helps a lot lowering stress levels and having a restful night sleep. It's magnesium powder with no artificial ingredients. It's sweetened with stevia and tastes like heaven. Maybe this would help.

Mag deff helps aid with sleep... I love mag

I think she's passed the the point of supps tho.

 

[MuscleGauge1]

I know one thing that helps me sleep is turkey thirty minutes before bed. Really does the trick for me. Gives me good zzz throughout the whole night. This is what I would suggest for sure,

 

[Jackriddle]

:thinking:

 

[Johnston]

I'm baffled why this thread exists tbh, if she won't go to a specialist doctor, why would she listen to random advice from people from the internet lol?

 

[thescience]

I know a women who had mood problems and migraines her whole life. i dont know how long the insomnia had been going on, maybe always. she was waking up after 2.5 hours with killer headaches. anyway, she resolved it by 4oomg enteric coated 5-htp taken at bedtime and then again when she wakes up at some point during the night. she was not taking any ssri drugs for depression at the time (as it is advised NEVER to take 5-htp with those). anyway, the 5-htp killed the migraine. when she reduced dosage at one point, the headache started to come back so in her case i dont think she makes enough seratonin and a constant supply is pf 5htp is necessary. anyway, this helped her alot when nothing else did. strangely, 20mg doses of melatonin didnt work on her, which is weird because i wouldve thought he 5htp worked because it was converting to melatonin.

 

[ThaGerGuy3000]

Man I so hoped this thread would have naughtier content
Anyway, I know nothing about sleep but eating healthy (some form of paleo) and excercising appears to be the answer to 99% of mankind's health problems.

 

[cheftepesh1]

I would have her have her doctor recommend a sleep study. There could be health issue that would come out when this is done. Best way to find out what's happening when she sleeps. Could be apnea.

 

[jon777]

like another member mentioned there are physicians thats are specialized in sleep medicine. yes that is a thing. I mean most medical students dont go to medical school and think hey im going to speciailized as a sleep doc! I didnt even know that even existed before then.

Anyways, again like that member said, get off the internet and speak with someone who studied his ass off for YEARS (undergrad, med school, residency, sleep med fellowship) specifically about sleep.

 

[HIT4ME]

+1 on the sleep study.

More to the point, has she seen a psychologist? Many people look for physical ailments because they want to pop a pill and they believe that physical ailments can be caused in this manner - but I think there is often a psychological component to all of this. Sleep is a pattern, and humans are creatures that love to run patterns in our head. We also love to have "roles". The, "Nothing works for me and I have a problem" bit is a pattern/role that she has grown accustomed to.

She claims she has had this "all of her life" - so you need to ask her, "Can you ever remember getting a good night's sleep?" This is a question, which logically, she cannot answer without breaking from her role. If she says "No" - then what's the problem? If she says "Yes" then - how can it have been all of her life?

My bet is that she has patterns of anxiety that she runs before sleep. We all do this and it is normal when it happens sometimes. Some people do it here and there, and then they get a little more used to it, and a little more used to it, and next thing you know it is just normal to them and they don't even realize they are doing it. You know, when you lay there and your mind is racing, but you can't fall asleep at all? You may be exhausted but you can't stop thinking about that big test, or the big presentation at work, or the project you are working on, or some stupid thing. You may lay there and say, "I'm wide awake" - but if you think about it, you are totally exhausted and can't get into your sleep pattern.

Does she have a TV in her room? What are her habits before she goes to bed?

I'm not trying to insinuate that your gf's mom is crazy or has any "serious" psychological problems, so don't get me wrong. We all do this and it is easier than you think to take something that happens occasionally and fall into the trap of doing it all the time - it is a fine line - and then it becomes unhealthy.