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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