🌱Wednesday Wellness - 06May26 - Sleep Health😴
Rest • Restore • Recharge This week, we’re focusing on something essential for overall wellbeing, including during and after cancer treatment: quality sleep. Sleep is not just switching off. It is a vital process that supports how your body heals and your mind copes. Good sleep helps with energy, mood, concentration, and recovery, all of which are especially important for people living with cancer. 🌙 Why Sleep Matters For people affected by cancer, sleep can often be disrupted. Factors like treatment side effects, stress, anxiety, or changes in routine can all play a role. When sleep is impacted, you may notice: Low energy and fatigue Difficulty concentrating or remembering Feeling irritable or emotionally overwhelmed Reduced ability to cope day to day Sleep is a key part of supporting both physical healing and emotional resilience. Many people affected by cancer experience insomnia. This may include: Trouble falling asleep Waking during the night Waking too early and not getting back to sleep Feeling fatigued but unable to sleep 💙 It is important to know that these challenges are common and support is available. 🌱 Small Changes, Big Impact While sleep challenges can feel overwhelming, small steps can support better rest: ✨ Keep a consistent sleep and wake time where possible ✨ Create a gentle wind down routine before bed ✨ Limit caffeine, alcohol, and screen time in the evening ✨ Make your sleep space as comfortable and calming as you can ✨ Allow yourself time to relax both physically and mentally Even small, consistent changes can help improve sleep over time. 🧠Support and Resources If sleep is a challenge, you are not alone, and there are trusted resources available: Sleep Health Foundation (CAN-SLEEP) https://can-sleep.org.au/patient-resources/introduction/ THIS WAY UP insomnia support https://thiswayup.org.au/what-we-treat/insomnia These resources provide practical, evidence-based strategies to better understand sleep and manage insomnia. 💬 Take a Moment Check in with yourself today: 👉 How has your sleep been recently? 👉 What is one small change you could try this week? Sleep is not a luxury. It is part of caring for your body and mind, especially during challenging times. Be gentle with yourself this week and know that it is okay to prioritise rest where you can 😴
Improving Night-Time Sleep Problems for people with cancer
Earlier this year in May, the Peter McCallum Cancer Centre in Melbourne held their Can-Sleep seminar on Improving Night-Time Sleep Problems for People with Cancer. This seminar was hosted by the Psychology Department at the Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre. Following the seminar, the Can-Sleep resource was updated and is now available. Can-Sleep: Making night-time sleep problems go away. A guide for people with cancer.
Sleep
"We know that as many as 6 in 10 cancer survivors have problems of insomnia, which is up to three times the rate found in the general population." @SoldierCrab pointed out the Survivorship Center and I found this leaflet in their resources: Can-Sleep making night time sleep problems go away from the Peter MacCallum Cancer Center. It's got a lot of very straight forward information as a starting point, but I want to hear what you've found that has helped you, and how you have handled 'the vicious cycle of sleep deprivation' if you've experienced it. I have felt fatigued, lethargic, and overall exhausted since it all started, and when it all finished (in that it-never-finishes way) I was left feeling not much better. I spent an entire year spending days and sometimes weeks as hit by fog, poor memory, physical weakness, and even nausea as hard as if treatment was starting again. For me this is a BIG issue. I'm sure I've posted and asked questions about it before, but all the conventional 'tricks' don't seem to cut it. No caffeine even eight hours before bed, exercise, cut out screen time and cut back on sugar? Done. [Tosess around for three hours and stares at the ceiling in the darkness for another hour doing the most mundane mind-calming exercises] Okay, cool, when does the sleep happen. Oh hey it's 6AM, guess I'll get up. [Fast asleep on the couch by 2, awake by 5, goes to bed at 10PM, wakes up at 3AM] This is better I guess, I'll stay awake all day and get a really good sleep tonight! [Falls asleep at 9AM] ...Damn it! What actually works?
Good price on Melatonin
Just went to pick up my script for 5mg melatonin. Had to find a compounding pharmacy but pleasantly surprised that they were only $18 for 30 capsules. This was from HealthSmart at Peter Mac in Melbourne. Also they were dispensed by a robot (the pharmacist wasn't a robot, he grabbed the drugs after they were sucked up and spat out the end of the tube, and acted like it was all totally normal).
Counterpart - Webinars - HUGE number of BC topics to check out
There are a HUGE number of BC Webinars on Counterpart ...... you can check them out here - everything from Sleep, to Mets, Fertility Preservation, Treatment Options for all stages of BC, Mindfulness, medicinal cannabis .... and MUCH MORE .... I'd actually signed up to watch their latest one on Medicinal Cannabis Workshop that was on Monday, but my BC scan recall stuffed that up - and by the time they edit it, it'll be next year before it is available to the public! https://counterpart.org.au/information/webinar-recordings I've also saved it as a 'PDF' so that you can open it up & flick thru it 'offline' if you like - then click on any topic you are interested in & it should open up for you on the Internet! You can save HUGE lists as a PDF & check it out at your leisure instead of always having to be 'online' .... I often do it when I find a terrific website with hundreds of copies of songs that are available to the public! Instead of trolling thru it then & there, I 'save the webpage' as a PDF & store it for later! ;)
3am
Is there something special about 3am. I had my first chemo on Monday and just starting to realise why I am on sick leave. Nothing serious just not me but I notice that 3am is becoming my friend, I sleep well, wake have a cuppa and something to eat and then read a bit and then back to bed for another couple of hours. A bit of constipation but am dealing with that.Sleep
I have put this post in the Choosing Breast Reconstruction group a few days ago however, I notice that there's a lot of activity in the Night Howls group so perhaps it is worthwhile being here as food for thought as well as! I was a stomach sleeper for a lot of years! These days I try to sleep on my back but side sleep seems to suit better! I had spinal surgery (neck) many years ago and was told that amongst other things my sleeping position didn't help the situation. https://www.health.com/health/gallery/0,,20479110,00.html#fetal-position-sleepers-consider-this so if you are trying to adjust please give consideration for what is better for you long term
