Do You Get Enough Sleep??!! Yeah, YOU!!
#71974 - 05/20/04 12:58 PM
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LauraSue
Reged: 01/14/04
Posts: 4812
Loc: New York City
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Okay, one of the triggers for IBS is fatigue and stress, right? And one of the best ways to reduce fatigue and stress is to make sure you are getting enough sleep every night. Did you know that more than half the adults in this country are chronically sleep deprived?
There's a real easy way to test for sleep deprivation. It was in the NY Times. If you lie down in a darkened room during the day and fall asleep within 15 minutes, you're sleep deprived and should make every effort to get more sleep every night or there will be long term consequences for your health, as well as short term consequences for your IBS.
Most adults THINK they only need six or seven hours of sleep. Studies have proven that most adults actually need EIGHT OR NINE HOURS of sleep a night. I bet each one of you a dollar that you're not getting enough sleep to stay healthy. Take the test. Prove me wrong and I'll pay up in Vegas.
I know it's not easy. But neither is sitting on the pot with IBS or having your health collapse when you're fifty with some chronic stress-related illness.
TAKE CARE OF YOURSELVES, DAMMIT!!
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Laura
Keep it simple!
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Yeah I THINK I do..... we are always in bed by 10-11pm watch the 1st part of the news (on at both 10 & 11 where we live).... and the TV shuts off automatically. So, unless "something else" keeps me awake  .... I'm out ZZZZZZZZZZzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz by either 10:30 or 11:30pm and Shane wakes me up at 6:40am
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My sleeping is so bad that I look forward to Friday and Saturday night so that I can take a sleep aid just to sleep until 7:00 am.
I usually fall asleep about 9:30-10:00 and wake up about 3:30 am (my hubby comes home at 3:00 am). I can't fall back asleep once I'm awake. I don't wake up intentionally but can't seem to get out of that vicious cycle!
Oh well, someday I'll learn to sleep in!
Barbara
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So prove it! Test yourself this weekend. If you fall asleep in 15 minutes, then you shouldn't be watching the news!! But that "something else" keeps us healthy too.
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Laura
Keep it simple!
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Barbara, next time you wake up at 3:30 am, try taking one Benadryl or the equivalent to get back to sleep. That might help you break out of that vicious cycle!! Sweet dreams!!
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Laura
Keep it simple!
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You know I don't get enough sleep! I was doing pretty well in the winter and then it gets bad around the end of the semester. But I get PLENTY of sleep in the summer However, my grad committee chair told me that I had probably been sleep deprived since childhood, or at least high school, and so no wonder I can sleep for 9-10hrs on nightly basis for months on end. (Yeah, she's opinionated and blunt. I made the mistake of yawning in seminar at 9am  ). So, I wish she would just let me sleep that much, darn it! Instead of demanding so many things from me all at once...grumble grumble.
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--Julie
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Yep, high school is exactly when it starts!! (And I just answered your other post in the living room, sweetie.)
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Laura
Keep it simple!
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You are so right. Sleep is very important for EVERYONE! The test you are speaking of is actually quite reputable. It's called the MSLT (mean sleep latency test) and as the name implies you should actually take a few readings. Perhaps stretch them out over a few different times of day over a few days. I know if I don't get my much needed 8-9 hours my tummy gets angry! It is now my #1 priority and I am doing much better! 
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Wow! REally good to know. I recall hearing something a few months ago that too much was bad, but that was the first I heard of that and kinda ignored it. Especially for up IBSers, I think more sleep is perfect. Sleeping almost always relaxes my gut.
I think I get at least 7-8 hours. I usually fall asleep around 11pm (sometimes earlier) and wake up around 7-7:30am-unless I get a D attack...that night is usually gonna be sporadic and not a full night's rest.
So i think I'm ok in that area. Thanks for sharing the info.
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Hey Laura Sue!
Nice to know we have someone looking out for our health. See, this is why I need a girlfriend  . However, I do know that not getting enough sleep is one of my main triggers. In my old position I was on call and would often get paged at stupid o'clock am after I had only been sleeping for a couple hours. This would wreak havoc on my system. Now my number one concern is to make sure I get as close to 8 hours of sleep or more as I can. Unfortunately I still have the occasional morning where I have to wake up at 430am and getting to sleep at 830pm is just super tough.
I'm not going to start taking them, but just out of curiousity, has anybody taken sleeping pills? How quick do they put you to sleep and how well do you function the next day?
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Sleep...with a husband in grad school coming home in the middle of the night...reading in bed...NOT!! Thanks for pointing this out though. I know it is true. I am much more stable on the weekend when I am relaxed and rested. We IBSer's are just stress management experts in disguise!
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God is Faithful!
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Hi,
I take Benadryl (OTC antihistamine) 30 minutes before bedtime and it really makes me drowsy and I sleep pretty good. Although, sometimes I wake up about 5PM and can't go back to sleep. My husband takes Melatonin (herbal) and it helps him.
Barbie
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I'm in law school; we're not allowed to sleep. 
I am FINALLY done with finals, though, so I can look forward to lots of zzz's. I went to my parents' house for a few days this week and did lots of sleeping. Now I am back in the city and doing some late-night partying, but I get to sleep late in the mornings so it's not too big a deal. I doubt I'll sleep much during my 8 weeks in London this summer -- the boyf lives there and we NEVER get to see each other, so we might have to stay up all night talking
Really though, I'll have my own place so I should be able to sleep at least during the week. Unfortunately I will be living in a dorm for the first time in a couple of years, so I don't know how I'll react to that -- especially the part about the one common bathroom for the whole floor .. 
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Amanda
I live in the Big Apple, but I don't eat the skin
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I could get 5 hours of sleep or 12 hours of sleep and I'd still be able to pass out anywhere in 15 minutes!!
Is that really bad?? 
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Ah, I'm not a doctor, but if that's really true, then I'd say you are getting what's called non-restorative sleep. You might want to do some research online about common sleep disorders to see if anything rings a bell.
Or it could just be that your sleep deficit is so great that one night of 12 hours isn't enough to catch up. Maybe if you got 10 hours a night reliably for a week or two, you'd pass the test!!
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Laura
Keep it simple!
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Jamie, I haven't taken any of the actual prescription sleeping pills, but what they prescribe for fibro patients is a low dose of Elavil or other tricyclic antidepressants combined with over the counter sleep aids such as Sominex or the antihistamine Benadryl (same active ingredient).
Some of the newer sleeping pills are apparently quite good from what I've read but are not necessarily for long term use.
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Laura
Keep it simple!
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Quote:
stupid o'clock am
i'm up at that time, almost every night!
as for sleeping pills, i wish i had some. i'm on low-dose tricyclic antidepressants to encourage deep sleep, but i'm not sure they're working that great. i mean, i think i'm sleeping, but i spend a lot of time in a shaky dream state. hard to describe.... anyway, i want to look into Ambien and Sonota- they're not supposed to be habit-forming, depending on what account you read.
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Shaky dreams
#72334 - 05/22/04 01:42 AM
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Linz
Reged: 09/01/03
Posts: 8242
Loc: England
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Oh, I get that too and I HATE it. It's worse than not being able to sleep at all I think.
Have you tried warm soy milk to make you sleepy? I couldn't drop off last night (achy hips, twitchy legs!) and had some and then slept like a babe. Just not for long enough!
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Hi, I have problems sleeping too AND I know that lack of sleep is one of my main trigger. The pain is always really intense when I can't sleep at least 5-6 hours.
My problem with sleep is that I can't sleep in the morning. (I have this problem since I was a kid). I usually get out of bed between 3h00 and 5h30am. I wake up by myself and I feel fine. I feel that I slept enough. I usually go to bed around 10-10h30. So in general, I sleep about 5-7h.
To deal with my IBS symptoms, I see a psychologist on a regular basis. She says that I can't sleep because I'm too hyperactive. I never stop.
This week, I triid to stay in bed until at least 5h00am. It was not always easy but I need to learn to sleep in the morning. What's funny about all that, is that I don't work in the morning.
Mu sleeping problem is difficult when I go to bed really late (ex: 3-4h00am) after a party because I continue to wake up early (6-7h00). So I only sleep 2-3hours. The pain is really bad when I sleep only 2-3hours!!! so, I don't go out late often...
Anyone having the same problem?
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I sometimes wake up in the middle of the night and to make me go back to sleep I get up and make some warm soy milk or Chamomile tea (or both?). They're pretty good at making me sleepy again.
But if you really can't sleep, try lying in the yoga pose "corpse". It's incredibly relaxing even whilst awake.
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Hi Linz, thanks for the suggestions!!!!
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I find that when I wake up on my own, at whatever time my body wants, usually anywhere between 7am and 9am, I feel ok, but if I wake up with an alarm clock I feel pretty crappy for a number of hours.
Mind you, I think if I lived in a great party city like Montréal I wouldn't get any sleep anyways. (the drinking wouldn't help either )
But seriously, the thing that I have found is that if I constantly get my body used to getting up early and going to bed earlier it helps things out. Although going to bed when it's still light outside takes some getting used to.
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i think i'll try that. and a hot shower before i got to bed, too. i said i was going to try that a week ago and never did.  
yeah, well, i need to get on top of this sleep thing! do you take any meds to get sleep???
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Well, I am in bed long enough. In fact, most people would probably think I am in bed too long. As far as that equaling me feeling refreshed like a t-shirt coming out of the dryer on a laundry detergent ad, not really. Let's just say I went to bed at 9:15 last night, and got out of bed at around 10:15 this morning.  Some people would probably say I slept too long which is why i'm still tired..but who knows, I don't know how well I slept. LauraSue: my ice pack for my head melted so i woke up in a puddle of water..lol! (the reusable kind was used up earlier in the day)
Jen: I had that breathing thing on my stomach twice in the middle of the night! I thought it only happened on my back!
Anyhow, at least I got some sleep! And no D this morning, so far!!! Coincidence?
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If you live life to love, you'll love to live life.
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Yay, Tara! 11 hours is NOT too long when you need it! I was regularly sleeping 11 or even 12 hours every night last year until I got caught up. I still sleep at least 9 or 10 hours a night.
Yeah, waking up not refreshed is a problem. You might actually want to put that on your list for your nice doctor. Funny about your icepack! And totally NOT coincidence that you got lots of sleep and your tummy's better this morning!! Maybe getting enough sleep is the BEST treatment for IBS??!!
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Laura
Keep it simple!
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Quote:
Yeah, waking up not refreshed is a problem. You might actually want to put that on your list for your nice doctor.
Yes, I believe I'm going to. Or at least about the extreme tiredness. Like having to hold myself up on an Advil fixture in the pharmacy or on a grocery cart, or just being so exhausted. I understand there's not really much that can be done and it will get better over time and who even knows what it is? But I need to give a whole picture instead of just "i'm tired." I told my parents how if i hadn't experienced this it would sound ridiculous to me, and I think they maybe understood then. BTW, LS...can migraines cause you to like not be able to move barely for like a few days to a week?
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If you live life to love, you'll love to live life.
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Migraines are a neurological disease that affects the whole body not just a headache so it's certainly possible. Why don't you go do some research on about.com. There's a lot of good stuff there.
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Laura
Keep it simple!
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Jen, I take sleep meds, and I have for years. I've had to change many times because like so many other meds I became immune to them.
Right now, I take Ativan, a very low dose. I think it actually helps with some of my pain. Like everything else it is addictive, I really do not care. If I dont take it,I will never go to sleep, I lay down so tired, but my brain will not shut off. I figure it is better to sleep than to be awake. Hope this helps. gayla
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