question: stress and not enough sleep
#43954 - 02/09/04 04:22 PM
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tuxedocat
Reged: 02/09/04
Posts: 279
Loc: Ithaca, NY
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Hi, I'm a grad student in Ithaca, NY and I'm new to this board. I was diagnosed with IBS last Oct. and got Heather's books in December and managed to stablize over the winter break. Now I'm back in school and that means stress and very little sleep! Does anyone have a suggestions on how to best manage symptoms under these circumstances? I'm eating all safe foods that I figured out I could eat, exercise 3-4 times a week, and do pilates or yoga a few times a week too. Even so, I'm always nervous I'll have an attack in the middle of a seminar! Also any other suggestions on bloating?? I've tried fennel (don't like taste, but I mix it with berry tea or chamomile)and lemon balm, but it just won't go away.
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--Julie
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Naps?
#43961 - 02/09/04 05:12 PM
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Heather
Reged: 12/09/02
Posts: 7799
Loc: Seattle, WA
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I was chronically sleep-deprived in grad school, and tried to sneak in naps wherever (and whenever) I could. Home, the library, my TA office - just 20-30 minutes could make a big difference. And I tried really hard not to stay up late for fun on Friday or Saturday nights, even when it was tempting because I needed to take a break. I probably rarely got a full night's sleep, but getting to bed as early as possible on the nights I could, and getting naps as often as possible, helped a lot more than I would have thought possible.
- H
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Heather is the Administrator of the IBS Message Boards. She is the author of Eating for IBS and The First Year: IBS, and the CEO of Heather's Tummy Care. Join her IBS Newsletter. Meet Heather on Facebook!
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In college I was in 13 clubs (yep, you read that right  ). 10-20 minute power naps saved me! I would have say an hour before my next class/club. I would rush back to the dorm and set the alarm and take a quick nap. I was like a new person! Sometimes if I couldn't actually fall asleep, just closing my eyes would help.
I have a friend with EIGHT children who naps around 4 times a day!  Without her naps she couldn't function!
If you decide to try it out, let us know how it works for you. It's always great to have fellow nappers out there 
Good luck! 
-<3-
Ruchie
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Formerly known as Ruchie
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What's lemon balm? Sounds interesting!
Have you tried drinking hot tea/water with lemon squeezed in it in the am? I know this helps get the bowels moving...and I seem to recall it helped a bit with my bloating as well. Also, do you eat a lot of sodium rich foods? Sodium can casue me lots of bloating! Sodium sneaks up in a lot of places...so read carefully to be sure.
Hope your bloating calms down soon!
*hugs*
Ruchie
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Formerly known as Ruchie
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I found naps helped a lot for the short term, but overall for me, having a fairly regular sleeping pattern made all the difference in the world. Going to bed and getting up at roughly the same time each day helps me out a lot.
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As another person who used to be chronically sleep deprived, I now put sleep BEFORE exercise. All the exercise in the world won't keep me healthy if I'm not getting enough sleep. Plus fatigue is a stressor and thus an IBS trigger.
Power naps are also a proven way to improve your cognitive functioning for the rest of the day. Studies have shown that a 15-20 minute power nap improves scores on tests, etc. But anymore than that caused grogginess. It was in the NY Times Science section a couple of years ago, Jane Brody's column. (She's terrific -- she's been promoting a low-fat, healthy fiber diet for years. I have all three of her cookbooks.)
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Laura
Keep it simple!
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Thank you all so much for the advice! I tried a nap today before my evening seminar and did feel better. Normally I don't like to nap in the evening, since I also have insomnia, so tonight will be a test if I can sleep or not. Stress and fatigue are my biggest triggers--everything can be stable and then, wham!-I don't sleep enough and I get an attack. I thought that all my sleep needed to be fairly large blocks of time to relieve fatigue, but I guess even naps help more than you'd think they would!
And, Ruchie, lemon balm leaf is an herb (melissa officinalis). I first found it in Austria, but you should be able to get it at a health food store or co-op. You just brew it like you would peppermint.
 Julie
(sorry, my name didn't appear on the last post for some reason)
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--Julie
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Hi Julie! What are you studying? I'm a grad student as well. The big thing for me is time management. A lot of the other theatre grads (that's what my PhD will be in) procrastinate something fierce... and then they can deal with the stress of writing a paper at the last minute. I can't do that. I have to get all of my work done in a timely manner so I can still go to Pilates and still get regular sleep.
Like Heather said, I sacrifice a lot of parties and social gatherings to make sure I stay healthy (seems like all grads student do is go to the pub anyway and I can't drink).
Hope you feel better!
Jenny
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I started grad school last semester and was a TOTAL wreck. My IBS was acting up, I was having a major problem adjusting to the water in my new city, and I was really nervous about school. This semester I just decided to get enough sleep, drink only bottled water, and do yoga at least three times a week no matter what! It's working GREAT. I'm far more efficient in the time that I am working and I don't have to spend as much time in the bathroom! Hang in there, you'll find a balance that works better for you, just keep trying.
And lemon balm, for those who are asking, is related to mint and is a lifesaver (for me anyway) when it comes to gas. Try it!
Laura
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I am an undergrad, and I had a semester where I began with insomnia and it carried into the summer. I can't remember what finally ended it, but more recently, when I took up yoga, I noticed I was all ready to sleep, especially if I ended the session with the corpse pose. I could fall asleep right there on the floor. Try doing yoga right before you go to bed or in place of a nap, if you can't get to sleep. Let us know how it goes.
*evie
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Julie, I'm also a chronic insomniac, and I relied on power naps a lot during my time as an undergrad! It's funny, if I took longer naps I could never fall asleep that night, but 15-20 minute power naps never seemed to disrupt my sleeping schedule. I also agree with Chinagrl and Heather, procrastination did nothing but make things worse for me. I'm not saying I did things right away, but I found out quickly that pulling all-nighters was just about the worst thing possible for my body! I know being a college student with IBS isn't fun, and yes it makes it harder to do your work and have a social life, but I can tell you from experience that it's possible to get through it and still have a great experience!
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"Anyone can exercise, but this kind of lethargy takes real discipline." -Garfield
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Formerly known as Ruchie
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Laura, I totally agree with you! The first semester of grad school is HORRIBLE. I'm in modern European history--so I have tons of reading. Even though I'm pretty good about not procrastinating, there's still too much to do. Things are going much better than last semester for me too, but I don't feel as good as I did over the break when I first found Heather's book.
There is phrase from Nietzsche that seems to apply to our situation. "What doesn't kill you, makes you stronger." Good advice for everyone!
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--Julie
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Hey, stressie people! Chill babes! Making myself chill out was the best thing I could do for my IBS. Yoga, Chamomile tea, whatever it takes. Try Bach's Rescue Remedy if you get stressed or panicky. And Lavender in EVERYTHING. Why not buy a little flask so you take Chamomile Tea into lectures?
Plus, make life easy by sitting near the door, etc. I know stress is hard to deal with, but with IBS, you get almost immediate benefits from chilling out, so it is so worth the mental effort.
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Ha ha ha ha Linz... you gave me the chuckles thinking of my teacher's reactions if I whipped out a flask in class.
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SO! ChinaGirl!
#44433 - 02/11/04 07:17 PM
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Bevvy
Reged: 11/04/03
Posts: 5918
Loc: Northwest Washington State
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Jenny, you "whipped out a flask in class"? Wow, you little devil, you! Did it have Jack Daniels in it?
I knew there was something about you I really liked!
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<img src="http://home.comcast.net/~letsrow/smily3481.gif">Bevvy
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I wouldn,t last the day if I didn,t have my nap.because I don,t sleep very good at night.I,m the Mid Night Writer.
please tell me some one else is up at mid night so I don,t feel so alone. Gerry10.
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Neta G.Yale
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I can't sleep at night either, Girlfriend. I think it's a hormonal thing. Fun, ain't it?!
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<img src="http://home.comcast.net/~letsrow/smily3481.gif">Bevvy
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Nah, that was Linz's suggestion (she said to put Lemon Balm in it, do you know if that goes with Jack?).
Some of my classes are so weird I might be able to get away with it though... doing a PhD in performance studies is different than other things...
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I get lemon balm at the heath food store. It's latin name is melissa oficianalis or something like that. Let me know if it works for you, or if it's just me????
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OK I,ll remember you tonight.we can sat an talk to each others,while them lucky young girls sleep.  Gerry10.
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Neta G.Yale
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Hey Tuxedocat,
Somehow I think if Nietzsche had had IBS-D he might have come up with a clause of exceptions! Ha ha.
Laura
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Were are you Bev,it is 1:21 am I,m waiting .Gerry
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Neta G.Yale
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