Anxiety, sleep apnoea or narcolepsy

[justabovewater]

Hi everyone!
I was wondering if someone could help me, because I really am at my wit's end.:wall:
Ever since my depression/panic/anxiety started, I have always had trouble sleeping. I either can only manage 4 hours a night or I sleep so much i am sleeping 10-12 hours each night as well as napping during the day :blush:. Howveer, 4 weeks ago I got tonsillitis, cold, tonsillitis again, chest infection etc (scary enough as I suffer from major health anxiety and thought I was not going to make it through any of these infections) and I found it harder to sleep at night because of fear of not being able to breathe due to blocked nose, temperature, pain etc. However, those symptoms have now gone (except for post nasal drip which is making me snore majorly :winks:) but I still find I am waking up every hour and just looking around, maybe having some water and then going back to bed. I can't sleep later than 7 am and I never used to get up before 10 am! My brain feels more tired after waking up but the weirdest thing is that during the day I keep falling asleep like when reading, watching tv, sitting comfortably etc. I don't understand it. Everyone laughs at me in my family. The even stranger thing is, when I go to lie down for a nap, I can't sleep.
I have trawled the internet for hours and found that I definitely have narcolepsy or sleep apnoea but all the symptoms don't fit. Like I have 1 symptom of each.
Please help me.
What shall I do? Does anyone have any initial thoughts what it could be? Has this ever happened to anyone? I just want this to go away...obviously I want lots of things to go away...panic, anxiety, phobias etc but this symptom has really confused and thrown me
Thank you so much for taking the time to read this
better go and slumber through the rest of my day now
Love
Just above water
xx

[nomorepanic]

Hi there

I am a terrible sleeper and always have been. I wake constantly all night and find it hard to doze off again.

I went to the doctor's but he wasn't much help and wouldn't prescribe anything for it.

There are loads of things you can try so have a read of this ......



Sleep

How many times have you woken up in the morning and said “I didn’t sleep a wink last night”?

How many times have you struggled to get out of bed because you had such a restless night and feel as though you only managed a couple of hours sleep if any?

How many times have you gone to work and struggled through the day because you were so tired?

Most of us have been there at some time or another but for some the problem is recurrent and troublesome and affects our daily lives and ability to function well. You are certainly not alone.

I have had sleep problems for many years and talking to people in the Chat room and reading messages in the Message Forum it seems that I am most certainly not alone and there are many others like me. I decided to research the subject and here is my article that I hope will be of some help to you.

I am going to try and keep this information to the point and I am not going to bombard you with facts and figures about sleep as this can be found on any site that you search for on the topic of “sleep”.

I will try to provide you with some useful tips on how to get a good night’s sleep and explain what sorts of things can interrupt that sleep process.

Some interesting facts about sleep


Sleeping pills should not be taken for more than 21 days and preferably on non-consecutive days

Problems with sleeping are the second most frequently reported health problem – the first is a cold.

It takes an average of one week to adjust to the summer/winter clock changes.

Weight loss or gain can effect sleep patterns

The rate of alcoholism amongst insomniacs is twice that of good sleepers.

It is more common for adult women to have sleep problems than any other group of people.

Don’t smoke just before going to bed – the average smoker sleeps 30 minutes less than a non-smoker.

Early morning awakenings tend to be a symptom of depression. Sleep in depressed people is usually un-refreshing.
Why can’t we sleep?

Now that is the burning question! It is rarely due to a single cause but more to a set of circumstances that form a vicious circle we call insomnia.

The “causes” or reasons that we find we have difficulty sleeping vary from mildly irritating – a dog barking or a car going past in the street – to unexpected traumas, grief (e.g. bereavement) and most frustrating of all, free-floating anxiety of all kinds.

It can also be caused by medical illnesses, or various physical sleep disorders such as sleep apnoea. Psychological and emotional issues are other obvious causes. Lifestyle factors that disrupt sleep can be drugs, poor diet and even a snoring partner.

Maybe one of these sounds like you?

Anxiety insomnia – Where anxiety rules, manifested by general anxiety, tension and feeling on edge and by physical symptoms such as butterflies in the stomach, frequent diarrhoea, dry mouth etc.

Tension insomnia – Where stress and tension rule, manifested in an ability to relax, muscle ache, head-aches, finding it hard to let go.

Sleep-centred insomnia - Obsession with not sleeping well / enough and believing that you can’t cope, can’t concentrate, feel unwell, look awful, etc if you don’t get enough sleep.

Stimulus control insomnia – Being awake, watching TV in bed; falling asleep somewhere other than your bed (e.g. the living room) or sleeping better in a bed which isn’t yours.

Worry centred insomnia – Worrying about not being able to sleep, being unable to unwind, worrying about the day, the next day, the day after …


How much sleep do we need?

There is no definitive answer for this question as it varies between the sexes and ages but the average is around 7 hours. Some individuals can function on much less (4-5 hours) and some need slightly more (up to 9 hours).

A “good” sleeper will fall asleep quickly, and have serene, deep and uninterrupted sleep; they rarely snore; they wake up feeling refreshed, and do not feel sleepy during the day. They are getting enough sleep – whatever that amount is.

A “poor” sleeper will wake up more than once during the night, they are more likely to snore more and they feel tired and sleepy during the day.

Common Sleep Disturbers

Children
Dreams/nightmares
Needing the toilet
Snoring partners
Restless partners
Room temperature
Uncomfortable bed/bedclothes
Noisy pets (I personally can relate to this one because my 3 cats are always waking me up).
Thinking
Worrying


Sleeping Environment

Look at your sleeping environment as several things will have an effect on your sleep. The main factors are as follows:

Light – Use thick curtains or blinds. Make sure the room is dark. If you can’t do this then invest in an eye mask.

Noise – In our own homes we become accustomed to the general noises that go on overnight – e.g. passing traffic, birds, the milkman rattling bottles, aircraft noise, trains, and even simple things like the heating switching on/off. You may notice that you sleep better or worse when you go on holiday or to stay away with friends/relatives and even in a hotel. I find that my sleep is even worse in hotels as there are so many more noises that wake me up and hotels are never the quietest of places! You could get the room double-glazed to reduce the noise levels or may even consider ear-plugs. Be aware though that sometimes you need to be able to hear noise e.g. a fire alarm going off – so try not to cut noise out completely.

Bedroom Temperature – It is impossible to give an exact temperature that the room should be as it is a combination of the sleeper’s own temperature, what bedclothes the sleeper is wearing and the ambient temperature. Most of the literature I read suggested the room should be around 62F (16C). Cooler temperatures are generally appropriate and some people actually like to sleep with the window very slightly open (even in the winter). Overheating will disturb sleep and can damage the skin too.

Beds – You need to get the right bed and pillows to get a good night’s sleep. Mattresses should distribute the pressure evenly over the body. If the mattress is too hard then you may get pressure leading to numbing and pain. If it is too soft then the neck and spine sag causing muscle tension and pain for some. Pillows should support your neck as well as your head. Some people (myself included) are allergic to feather pillows so a hypoallergenic material is preferable. Pillows don’t last forever so change them at least every 2 years and turn them over occasionally.

Sleeping Posture – Your spine will be aligned if you sleep on your side or back but is twisted if you sleep on your stomach, perhaps with one leg drawn up, bent at the knee.

Clocks - Most of us nowadays have digital clocks but they are illuminated at night so you can always see what time it is! Most sleep experts advice against clock-watching – keep it turned away from you and then you can’t keep checking the time and worrying because it was only x number of hours since you last looked at it.


Sleep Aids

Over the counter aids

These include brands like Nytol (there is also Nytol herbal if you prefer a natural remedy), Sleep-Eze and Sominex. The active ingredients in all of these are anti-histamines which have a sedative effect. Diphenhydramine is the most common of these. They don’t put you to sleep but make you drowsy so you fall asleep faster. They should only be used for short periods of time and they don’t work for everyone. If your insomnia is temporary they will probably work well but if it is chronic then they will certainly not help. They take a long time to clear from the body so only take them before you go to bed and not when waking in the night. They are not suitable for everyone and you should check with the doctor or pharmacist that they are suitable for you and mention any medication that you are on.

Another thing that I have tried is “Night Nurse” (a cold and flu remedy) and it does have a sedative effect on me but I do wake feeling “hung over” and groggy so again this is should only be used short-term and check that you are suitable for taking it.


Lavender
Pillow inserts, plug ins, lavender scented balls.


Sleeping pills


Nightcap?

Some people swear by a hot toddy or a glass of whiskey/brandy before bed. Hot milk is best – contains triptophan

Hot bath

[Adrian]

Hi everyone
The symptoms you describe are virtually identical to my own. There is no easy answer as you are obviously well aware. The really potent sleeping medications can have serious side-effects, and alcohol is best avoided, although it appears to have a short-term effect. I've found the only solution is to ride it out-in other words live with it until our circumstances change. Ridicule from others does not help. Let's just hope they never suffer this,; and suggest they do likewise! They would then expect us to be sympathetic. No-oneis alone in this. Hope this helps.

[andrea568]

Hi, I am a narcoleptic, I was born with it but only diagnosed a few years ago, I always knew what it was but it wasn't recognised until 2000 so before that doctors would either put you on anti-depressents or send you to a psychiatric ward. I was lucky as I went to America when I was young for diagnosis so I always fought my doctors here.

I fall asleep, on average, about 10-50 times a day without medication. I take zopiclone at night to regulate my night sleep and provigil in the day to keep me awake.

Before I started medication I fell asleep all the time in the day and didn't sleep at night, people always asume that your night sleep must be good but it isn't, it's either non-existent or broken.

If you fall asleep without warning then it does sound like a mild case of Narcolepsy, but there are lots of different types of Narcolepsy,a lot of people have a specific view with what they read or see on the TV but there are many different effects... mine is cataplectic Narcolepsy with associated hypersomnia, which means I've woken up to find myself in a morgue twice.

You really need to get yourself a good GP.

Unfortunately being diagnosed with Narcolepsy will end life as you know it, I was a Chemistry Professor, I lost my Job, my Driving Licence, respect, a lot. I've even had people sit elsewhere on the train after I've fallen asleep then had to say I'm a Narcoleptic!! I reckon they must think I'm saying I'm a leper!!!

Think long and hard before you chase a diagnosis, sleeping tablets would be a start to regulate your sleep at night but you really need to go to a sleep clinic. Hypersomnia on it's own can cause a lot of problems and sometimes people get Glandular fever and get Narcolpetic like symptoms for years while the virus stays in their bloodstream.

I hope this helps.

Andrea xx