Monday, December 15, 2008

Still Not Sleeping Well

Two weeks ago I posted that I was having trouble falling asleep at night. While I haven't been completely successful overcoming this problem, I've made some progress. Eventually I do go to sleep but I agonize about it for a long time each night.

I seldom nap and I'm not gong to bed until I'm really tired. I'm trying to go to bed at the same time every night while my wife comes to bed a few hours later. That's a problem as I wake up then and that's the point where I have the most trouble getting back to sleep. This is the point where I get panicky that I'll never get to sleep again and I start feeling very anxious.

Psychological issues are part of this too. My PD hadn't progressed much in the five years I've had it but lately there has been a progression - harder to get dressed by myself, gait worse, left arm weaker...I'm starting to look a year or two ahead instead of staying in the present. I think that's where the panic that I feel in the middle of the night originates.

I've started exercising more Aqua therapy, Nautilus machines, dumb bells, Total Gym at least one of them every afternoon. I don't smoke and I only drink decaffeinated coffee.

I don't want to take sleeping pills because of my Parkinson's disease but I'm taking an aspirin and two CoQ10s just before I go to bed and when my wife gets into bed with me because it helps me fall asleep again.

I was reminded that I used to fall asleep almost instantly. I don't have somnipathy, a sleep disorder. The period of time between my lying down and sleeping is at the far end of the 1-20 minute normal range.

And yes, I still do get up at night to urinate, so that doesn't help the sleep continuity.

I have trouble moving on the bed as do many Parkinson's patients. That worries me because it gives me a foreboding sense of what it would be like to be trapped in my body.

This is a tough thing to turn around but I'm trying to stay calm, breath steadily....and let my mind get carried off into sleep.

3 comments:

  1. I find for myself that if I start getting too far ahead worrying about tomorrow or down the road a bit...well it serves me no purpose other than stress I don't need. I can't sleep when this happens and I am way too emotional and fear starts to set in...I have learned to grasp today for it is the present and all I have at the moment...yesterday is the past I cannot change it but I can learn from it and well tomorrow it's not here yet so I try to leave it there...in the future...
    Here's hoping you get some well deserved rest!! Hugs B'nana

    ReplyDelete
  2. Hi, This is my 7th year with Chronic Fatigue and two years with Parkinson's which first manifested as a sleeping disorder. If only I could sleep I thought, all would be well. Something that might help is to sleep alone on a larger bed which is what I had to do and it does make a difference.

    Any further news on Isradipine which you felt was a cure finally?

    Ken

    ReplyDelete
  3. Last night I slept in a different bed by myself. I had no trouble getting to sleep and when my bladder woke me up during the night I got right back to sleep.

    I know I should stay in the moment but it's hard to do sometimes.

    I've been back on dynacirc for a month now it's helping but not as much as I hoped. Time will tell.

    th

    ReplyDelete

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