Who else can't sleep?

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  • Sister
    Sister Member Posts: 4,961 ✭
    There's been lots of suggestions including meditation/mindfulness recordings, chamomile tea, no blue light (screens), warm milk, cold air, melatonin (which I'm going to try at my onc's suggestion) - I don't think I've missed anything...
  • SoldierCrab
    SoldierCrab Member Posts: 3,429 ✭
    Sarah Edelman has a CD called Letting go I find that helps me get to sleep..... 

  • JJ70
    JJ70 Member Posts: 983 ✭
    Hellooooo!
    Been away for Easter to our Nannup property with some friends. So relaxing down there smongst the trees. I have posted a photo or two here.
    Had one shite night on Friday....230am OMG!! With people everywhere in our shed it was difficult to get through the wee hours. Then the other nights were reasonable. 1.5weeks past last chemo and I actually enjoyrd my first glass of wine! Did not taste like metal and chemicals!!
  • Sister
    Sister Member Posts: 4,961 ✭
    It's so hard when you're sharing sleeping space with a lot of people, isn't it. I woke up everyone and the cat.
  • kmakm
    kmakm Member Posts: 7,974 ✭
    I.5 weeks to get your tastebuds back... you give me hope @JJ70! Glad to hear you had a good Easter break despite the lack of sleep. Gorgeous photos, that blue sky!
  • arpie
    arpie Member Posts: 8,129 ✭
    Thanks @kmakm,
    In the old days, I'd even just use a 1/2 a Temase just to 'get me asleep' as back then, that was enough to get me about 5-6hrs a sleep - but not now!  :(   I've tried whole ones recently & they don't often work at all!  I'd always been told not to use them more than 3 days running due to their addictive nature ..... 

    Yeah - they were never designed to give you more than 3-4hrs sleep anyway.  :( 

    ah well .... good excuse to get out yak fishing again ... soon!  ;)  But as you say, not sustainable really!
  • arpie
    arpie Member Posts: 8,129 ✭
    Thanks @Sister  .... In the hot nights of the last month or so - I've tried the cold air (portable aircon) but it didn't really work either ..... I just needed to push the earplugs in further to hide the noise!  LOL

    I don't think I have the patience for recordings - I've tried counting backwards & forwards, pretending to already 'be asleep' (this USED to work) and also deliberately slowing down my breathing so it 'appears' I am asleep .... maybe the sound of the sea would work??  

    @SoldierCrab ..... Sarah Edelman's tapes are available on Youtube!  Not sure someone talking to me (with my ear plugs in LOL) would work .... 

    It is a Work In Progress!!   Hopefully one day, I'll sleep peacefully again! 
  • Sister
    Sister Member Posts: 4,961 ✭
    Although I've never been a good sleeper, I've always been able to eventually relax myself in to sleep but not anymore.  And once upon a time, any strong painkiller would have knocked me out for hours - anything designed to make someone sleep would have left me a zombie for the next day.  Now, I'm lucky if I can get a couple of hours.  I don't know if it's underlying anxiety or chemo - nothing works anymore.
  • kmakm
    kmakm Member Posts: 7,974 ✭
    4.75 hours in a row. Might not sound like much but that is the biggest block of sleep I've had in months.
  • JJ70
    JJ70 Member Posts: 983 ✭
    Yay Kate........almost hit the 5 hour mark...almost respectable. Been awake since 3...up since 4. That's 5hrs pretty much on the dot....beat ya by 15 mins :)
  • SoldierCrab
    SoldierCrab Member Posts: 3,429 ✭
    edited April 2018
    Well to let you know that we do go back to a more normal sleep pattern ...I wear a fitness tracker that tracks my sleep also. 
    8h 25 mins last night total sleep.
    2.41 mins deep sleep
    5.44 mins light sleep
    0 mins awake 

    woo hoo ......
    It has taken me about 4.5 years to get back to this but it has happened I am now more regularly sleeping longer at night. 
    I do  still have the nights where sleep evades me....  But I want to encourage you all that it will come back.....
    Learn to practice some good sleep hygiene  NO blue light (screens) If needed use a mediation style track to help you relax and go to sleep.....  No caffeine late in the evening.  

    My routine is PC's off  clear up around the kitchen sink etc then bath with Epsom salts and 2 drops of pure lavender oil 
    Bed read a little .... then my mediation track if I feel unsettled and off I normally go now about 3/4 way through the track... 
    You will come back to a more natural sleeping pattern once your body has readjusted from the onslaught that chemo has inflicted on your body 

     
    Soldiercrab


  • kmakm
    kmakm Member Posts: 7,974 ✭
    I bow down to your extra 15 minuteds @JJ70! Five hours, whoo hoo... I have to think we'll get there one day like @SoldierCrab says.
  • Sister
    Sister Member Posts: 4,961 ✭
    @SoldierCrab I had forgotten about lavender oil - I always use to use it for the kids when they were having trouble sleeping.
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