Hi does anyone have problems sleeping all night, since I started chemo. 2 down 2 to go.

Hi @Superzap Sleepless nights are part of the course I am sorry to say. I finished what they call ‘active’ chemo in Oct 2018, continued with Herceptin until August 2019. I still have many sleepless nights. Once a week I take a restavit which turns my brain off so I can get to sleep. Lack of sleep isn’t really helpful when your body wants to heal. Try mindfulness, aromatherapy or whatever you think might work for you. My psych told me to do the abc game as it works to turn off your brain from other things but it just frustrated me and kept me awake for longer. Sending big hugs.

Are frogs waterproof? Do bears poop in the woods? Sorry about that, but sometimes black humour is all that stops me from just pulling the plug. Sleep for me, is something that other mythological creatures do, but not me. I do retire to a horizontal padded sleeping platform, that I believe some call a bed. I call it my padded torture rack. But seriously, after forty years of marriage, my husband and I now sleep in different rooms. When I finally decide that tonight is another of those rinse and repeat, rinse and repeat nights, I just put on the light and either read or knit. If I feel any hope of drowsiness coming on, I try again. I think that for me it's a mixture of past bad insomnia, along with current stress and discomfort. Fortunately my GP (new GP) is very compassionate and prescribes me sleeping tablets...three different kinds which we rotate as I become accustomed to them.

@Superzap For me, it was the steroids they give you at the time of chemo to minimise nausea that kept me awake. I spoke to my onco and she reduced the dose by two thirds (!) which really helped me to sleep and cut down on my hyper behaviour. Might be worth considering if this is a cause and ask your onco about your dose. Caz x

Superzap said: Hi does anyone have problems sleeping all night, since I started chemo. 2 down 2 to go. Ugh it's the pits right! Are you on steroids also? I feel like they were my cause of sleepless nights during chemo. I just made sure I slept when I could, 6am - 9am was my time but sometimes nothing works. I used an over the counter short term medication for sleep but only with my oncologist approval. You're half way there! Good job

Chemo often causes insomnia. It did with me. Beg your doctors for sleeping pills if you're OK with taking them. When I finally got some I treated myself to them once a week. Still need them sometimes. K xox

Can’t sleep all night, after chemo.

StarGirl
Member
6 years ago
After the first cycle, I refused the steroids. There are other anti-nausea medications. No issues with sleep after that. Good luck with it. X
Superzap
Member
6 years ago
It’s so annoying. Also I have a lump where he cancer was removed, it’s all fluid , size of a mango, they think if they remove it I’ll get an infection,so uncomfortable xx
Tinks
Member
6 years ago
@Superzap I found the steroids were the first culprit! Wide awake by 1am and in full party mode, crystal clear brain and energy hyped. Exhaustion crept in by the early dawn hours, got some sleep and this prompted fragmented sleep patterns in the day. After steroids wore off, fragmented sleep patterns persisted and now I’m in RT it’s pretty much the same...I did not help myself by turning to the iPad when bored at 2 am....love Tinks xxx
Louweezer
Member
6 years ago
hi @Superzap so true otherwise you end up in a spiral of oh god I am not sleeping -panic now I am stressed about not sleeping - but I need to sleep to get well - oh god maybe that’s why I got sick and repeat 10,000 times!!! Oh yes, we’ve all been there haven’t we?!!! Ok - back to Grey’s Anatomy...... xxxx
Superzap
Member
6 years ago

Louweezer said:

hello! I hear you - While I was in hospital with the initial diagnosis (de novo stage 4 with spinal mets) I binge watching The Good Wife. Seriously and I know it’s weird but it kept my mind off the whole situation.

I did a meditation course at the Kinghorn Cancer Centre in Sydney which was fantastic and also saw the psychologist there. Now it is a year later and at night I watch Grey’s Anatomy. Currently up to season 15!!

I just go with the sleeplessness now and watch my iPad until I fall asleep. And again when I wake up. Also books on my iPad so it doesn’t wake my husband up with the light.

I agree with you @Superzap we can do whatever we want and if it’s binge watching telly all night then so be it.

See you in the wee small hours xxx

Louweezer said:

hello! I hear you - While I was in hospital with the initial diagnosis (de novo stage 4 with spinal mets) I binge watching The Good Wife. Seriously and I know it’s weird but it kept my mind off the whole situation.

I did a meditation course at the Kinghorn Cancer Centre in Sydney which was fantastic and also saw the psychologist there. Now it is a year later and at night I watch Grey’s Anatomy. Currently up to season 15!!

I just go with the sleeplessness now and watch my iPad until I fall asleep. And again when I wake up. Also books on my iPad so it doesn’t wake my husband up with the light.

I agree with you @Superzap we can do whatever we want and if it’s binge watching telly all night then so be it.

See you in the wee small hours xxx

Louweezer , I decided no use in getting angry, it is what it is, just go with the flow, and hope with more sleep ,xxx
Louweezer
Member
6 years ago
hello! I hear you - While I was in hospital with the initial diagnosis (de novo stage 4 with spinal mets) I binge watching The Good Wife. Seriously and I know it’s weird but it kept my mind off the whole situation.

I did a meditation course at the Kinghorn Cancer Centre in Sydney which was fantastic and also saw the psychologist there. Now it is a year later and at night I watch Grey’s Anatomy. Currently up to season 15!!

I just go with the sleeplessness now and watch my iPad until I fall asleep. And again when I wake up. Also books on my iPad so it doesn’t wake my husband up with the light.

I agree with you @Superzap we can do whatever we want and if it’s binge watching telly all night then so be it.

See you in the wee small hours xxx
Superzap
Member
6 years ago

Thank you so much, sending bug hugs xx
Superzap
Member
6 years ago

Shellshocked2018_ said:

Hi , yes I can say I think we have all been there.
I commenced a mindfulness course and started meditation.
During the hardest times I saw my GP and was prescribed a sleeping tablet that would at least give me 4 hours of good quality sleep. I found that I could cope with more once I had a good night sleep, and your body uses so much energy to heal, so sleep is very important.

Sending hugs x
Shellshocked201
Member
6 years ago
Hi , yes I can say I think we have all been there.
I commenced a mindfulness course and started meditation.
During the hardest times I saw my GP and was prescribed a sleeping tablet that would at least give me 4 hours of good quality sleep. I found that I could cope with more once I had a good night sleep, and your body uses so much energy to heal, so sleep is very important.

Sending hugs x
Superzap
Member
6 years ago

Blossom1961 said:

Hi @Superzap Sleepless nights are part of the course I am sorry to say. I finished what they call ‘active’ chemo in Oct 2018, continued with Herceptin until August 2019. I still have many sleepless nights. Once a week I take a restavit which turns my brain off so I can get to sleep. Lack of sleep isn’t really helpful when your body wants to heal. Try mindfulness, aromatherapy or whatever you think might work for you. My psych told me to do the abc game as it works to turn off your brain from other things but it just frustrated me and kept me awake for longer. Sending big hugs.

Send big hugs back to you too. Thank you so much for your ideas, I will try . Wish you all the best.