Normal Sleep.

[mirry]

Went to bed at at 10 pm last night, and got up at 6.30am., which should mean 8.5 hours sleep for me " I WISH".

I find myself laying awake in the night unable to sleep, then when I am sleeping its not a deep sleep (if that makes sence?) its like I got my eyes closed yet just resting not sleeping .

So this morning I went to the school and to the local shops and felt terrible,
had lots of dizzy spells everywhere I went and I feel soooo tired.

So Im interested to know more about sleep problems, can they make you feel dizzy in the day ? Is there such a condition that makes you not do deep sleep ? How can I make sure I sleep ?

Any tips or advice much appreciated , thanks.

[nomorepanic]

Hi Mirry

I started writing a page for the website and never finished it. This is how far I got....

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

[liss]

hey mirry
sorry to hear about your sleeping probs i love my sleep
stress doesnt help with any kind of sleep and i know its hard to relax about sleep but it sadly is what you need to do
i have the odd dizzy spell at really weird times so it could be sleep related but probably more anxiety related
slow your breathing down it helps me if i concentrate
take care and i wish you sweet dreams
xxx
liss

[Filthy1]

hey;
ive found recently that i've got the same problem, actually thinking about it Ive always had trouble with sleep.
I cant seem to get to sleep very easily, then I wake up in the night or wake up early and am just lay there with my eyes shut and cant actually "sleep". Dont know if its somethng to do with anxiety or whatever's going on in my head it is damn annoying.

[MrB]

It's horrible when you can't get a good nights sleep when that's what your body really needs.

Before I started suffering with anxiety I could sleep for England. I could go to bed as early as 7 pm and sleep straight through to 9 am without waking.

Now on a good night I go to bed at 11 Pm and will be up at 7 am, and thats a good nights sleep for most people. But when I am stressed out I won't get to sleep till 1 am and will wake several times during the night and will not be able to sleep past 7 am.

I used to work shifts and could sleep well in the day. If I had to do shift work now, there is no way I could get anymore sleep that 3-5 hours during the day. It seems that I am very sensitive now and it takes me ages to settle down after being knocked out of my sleep pattern.

[Brandy snap]

Hi Mirry,

Can I join your thread please? I wanted to ask a bed question. We used to have a Slumberland posture springing bed which was what I call a 'bouncy bed'. If you moved it would gently bounce until you were still and settled again. It felt as if it was totally supporting you and pushing up ubnderneath you. Although I found it very comfortable, we used to roll together in the middle, so when it became time to replace it we chose a pocket sprung bed (Hypnos). Made the mistake of getting 'firm', although I'm sure the one in the shop wasn't as unyielding as the one which was delivered. Well, we don't roll together any more, but it makes my hip bones hurt and it feels as if they are being pushed out of alignment. As it took two years to choose this bed (!) - I am not good at making decisions - I have been putting off looking again as I hate lying on them in shops - I feel silly and they keep coming up to you asking how you're getting on - so we have now had it for 11 years (had the previous one for 30 years!). I know you can get mattress toppers, but they all seem to be foam and I get very hot on foam beds (had experience of them on holidays and have also tried a piece of foam on my side of the bed at home). So I don't think mattress toppers are the answer unless there are any which aren't foam. Regarding mattresses, can anyone recommend a really comfy mattress which feels the same when it is delivered as it did in the shop? I know everyone is different in what they find comfortable. I just want to feel supported all down my body, not just balancing on my hips and shoulders, but not so soft I get backache and not rolling together. Preferably bouncy. This Hypnos has no 'give' at all and it is an effort to turn over. I never wake feeling refreshed since we had this bed. Our old bed had a sprung base as well but the new one has a hard base with drawers under. Not sure if this might be part of the problem.

If anyone has any experiences to share regarding mattress comfort, I would be very interested to read them all.

Thank you.

Brandy Snap xx

[mirry]

Thanks Nic for the write up, it was interesting to read.

Thanks everyone for your replys, Brandy , I dont know much about matresses, our one is the elephant and the little duck , cant think of the name ?

[Piglet]

Mirry my sleep didn't really change because of anxiety (although this can affect my sleep if having a bad spell) it started the minute I became a parent 20 years ago.

From that point on a child just needs to turn over in their sleep and I am there with Calpol, a bowl, a cold flannel, clean sheets and a potty - think they are all getting just a little fed up with me now!

Piglet

[libbie]

hi mirry, you described my sleep pattern! it feels like your body is asleep, but your mind in still awake, your eyes are just resting. i dont think the dizzy spells are part of your lack of sleep, but they are part of anxiety. i have tried nytol and drinking horlix, they do help you nod off, but dont keep you asleep!
take care
libbie x

[mirry]

Piglet, tell me about it !!!
Im just like that with my kids ,I worry sick about them from the moment they were born.

Libbie, yep thats it, you lay there acting the part but really your not asleep, its really frustrating and ive been told the older you get the less sleep we need (grrrrr).