Sleep deprived- any help will be much appreciated!
#17869 - 08/20/03 02:44 PM
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I'm new here and have only been eating "Heather's way" for past 2 weeks. So far it's brought significant relief during the daytime from my very severe constipation (for more than 20 years!!!) and its associated symptoms of terrible bloating, tons of trapped gas and a frequent inablity to think clearly or calmly, due to how uncomfortable my abdomen used to always feel before starting this diet.
However, since starting H's diet, I'm falling asleep fine and staying asleep soundly from 10 until 3, BUT THEN I'm having a TERRIBLE time with early AM wakening due to my abdominal symptoms reoccurring starting about 3AM.
Before starting Heather's diet, I usually woke up at 6-7 AM due to abdominal discomfort.Then if it was a good day (happened 1-2x per week with luck!) I'd have a BM after doing some abdominal massaging for 20-30 minutes while on my knees.
Now I'm waking so early ie: around 3 AM every day this past week (and then am unable to fall back asleep thereafter until about 7 AM, but I can't go back to sleep then b/c I have to get up and go to work on M-F) that I'm becoming severely sleep deprived and thus depressed due to the accumulating fatigue, even though I'm having more frequent BMs and my daytime constipation symptoms have decreased alot.
ANY suggestions would be much appreciated and thanks for responding to my post! 
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I also have a hard time sleeping at night. So i do know how you feel but don't have an answer either i am sorry.
I hope someone will be able to help you. hang in there
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Hi and welcome to the board!
Maybe you should not eat after a certain time. What time is the last time you normally eat?
Try taking a fiber supplement just before bed. Also, try drinking a strong cup of peppermint or fennel tea just before bed.
Hopefully this will help you get started solving this problem. 
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Although I think the suggestion of drinking some herbal tea in the evening is good; you might not want to drink it right before you go to bed. If I do, I know I wake up about 3 a.m. and have to pee!
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Hi, there - and welcome!
I occasionally have bouts of insomnia and my primary care doc has prescribed Ambien 10mg to be taken for a couple of weeks, just to break the cycle. I've taken it in the past and it helped - and it's helping now. The whole tablet - 10mg - just about knocks me out and I can get 6 hours straight sleep. Since I go to bed late, it works well. (If you try it, wait until you're actually IN bed before taking - it works quickly and can make you really woozy at first). My doctor also told me that I can use half a tablet if I wake up in the middle of the night (that's if I haven't taken the 10mg at bedtime - NOT in addition to!). That strategy works, too, and allows a solid 4 hours of sleep. Since I'm IBS-D, I don't have to worry too much about "C" - but you could ask a pharmacist about constipation as a potential side affect. Some people don't like to take meds for sleep but this one is supposedly "safe" and non-habit forming - and only to be used for a couple of weeks to break the cycle. It's sure a relief not to be staring at the ceiling at 3AM!
If you don't like the idea of meds, you might try taking a warm bath one to two hours before bedtime - the theory is, as your body cools off, you get sleepy. Also, if you can stand it, try to turn your thermostat down a couple of degrees in the evening - again, the cooler temps help with sleep. (This really helped when I was dealing with hot flashes! My doctor said that I could reduce my nighttime hot flashes by 50% if I kept my thermostat at 66 degrees! It was wonderful!). If I keep the temp at about 70 now, I sleep better. Hope this helps.
Blessings,
Kaybee C
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I'm so sorry you can't sleep at night. Since I've been on Heather's diet I now sleep at night. Talk to your doctor and see if he/she can help you for now.
Hope it gets better soon.
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The only thing that helps me sleep when my tummy is bad (except for a Vicidon, it's a rx pain pill) is my heating pad. I know the label says not to sleep with it, but I have been doing it for 15 years without any problems. I don't like to sleep in PJ's (can't stand the pressure) so I put my heating pad in a pillow case and set it on the medium setting. This does tend to make you warmer all over, so as someone else mentioned turn the thermastat down! I always sleep with a fan on. Not only does the breeze feel good, but I find the steady sound of the fan to be relaxing. I also have a few CD's that are espeacially made for sleep, the sounds are meant to help you fall asleep faster and stay asleep longer. If your concerned about leaving a heating pad on all night, you can buy portable packs that you put in your pantys that I use during the day if I'm really bad. You can get them at the drugstore buy the femine products, I think Therm-Care makes them.
Hope you get some good sleep and feel better soon!
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Taking it one day at a time.....
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Sometimes I get into bad routines like getting up at 2am to go to the bathroom....then it would be so tough to break.
To break this cycle I would stay up about 2 hours later than normal. Then go to bed. I would sleep through the night. When I got home from work I would be exhausted and then I would NOT nap when I get home. By the time my bedtime hit I was so tired and slept through the night.
Also - to make sure I didn't have to go pee in the middle of the night I would not drink anything for about an hour before bedtime.
Hope this works
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Lana_Marie
Proud Mommy to Bentley Taylor
Born May 12, 2004 9lbs, 3oz
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Whenever I suffer from insomnia, I take GNC's Melatonin 1 Sub-lingual tablets. They only cost about $6 for 120 tabs. Start out with one before bedtime, and increase to up to three tablets. They work fabuously!
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~jules
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Chamomoile tea makes me very relaxed. Just don't drink it too close to bedtime, so that you don't have to get up to go to the bathroom.
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