aching like mad today

Hi nicola 51831 sleep is a very big problem with having fibro. its 1 we aall have problems with. what I do is no caffeine after 8 pm have a warm relaxing bath empty my head of everything make sure Im as comfortable as I can be. use ear plugs and a eye mask Ive been having a milky drink. some times it work sometimes it doesnt. sometimes it doesnt matter what you do or try nothing will work. I had 5hrs sleep last night some nights I dont sleep at all.We all try different think Im sure the girls will tell you what they do. hope you manage to sleep tonight gentle hugs xx 

you sound just like me, i go to bed at 11.30 settle to sleep around 3/4am then wake at 6/7am then do it all again the next day, ive had the pain just like you but i take pain killers anyway  so pain did subside for a while. woke up this am stiff neck and left arm n shoulder. who knows what it is maybe  old age setting in but hey im only 55, as for sleep ive tried it all and the more i try to go to sleep the more i stay awake, just lay down think about a nice exotic place close your eyes and hey presto, i know that sounds easy but hey give it a try. doesnt work for me but may for you. all the best x

Hi Nicola. You could try a relaxation cd. The physio I saw in the hospital gave me one to try.. I used it in the afternoon and used to get a couple of hours of complete rest. It gives you breathing exercises to do. But like everything else we all try, sometimes they work and sometimes they don't. Hope you find something that works for you.

Take care and gentle hugs x

Nicola51831,

I wish someone out there would give us all the perfect sleep method.

If there is one.I know there is a sleep-aid drink that works occassionately for me.

A friend of mine found at a neighborhood store.Other than that and taking an

Aleve that will sometimes give you a few hours-its a toss/turn all evening until

Day Break-then I get my best rest.

 

Hi Nicola, I personally try to take a warm shower an hour before bed, and constantly do yoga stretches in the evening, otherwise I'm in too much pain to sleep.  I take a muscle relaxant (Methocarbamol 750mg, prescribed) just before bed.  To help with getting deeper sleep,  I've been using chinese herbs (ask your chinese herbal practitioner/acupuncturist for sleep remedies). Lately I had a bad flare up of pain for a few days in a row which was excruciating, and I couldn't sleep at all, and gave in to the dreaded man-made medications which contain toxins: I let my doctor give me amitriptyline.  It left me so tired I was dragging myself around each day and sleeping loads, BUT on the upside after only a few days (they say it can take a few weeks to kick in) my pain pretty much vanished.  It was so much better than I felt before, in terms of the pain.  But I was so tired I couldn't feed myself or eat, and  I hate the idea of the toxins in the medication, so once I read the back of the packet and had been on them for maybe two weeks I came off.  Now I do like some others do with fibro and dip into the meds from time to time.  I hope this information helps you.  Rock and hard place, that's what comes to mind with trying to sleep versus being so tired that one can't do anything.  Even the chinese herbs are quite strong so I don't take them every night or else I start sleeping for ages.  But it is wonderful to sleep.  I used to only get 4-5 hours a night, for about 5 years, getting worse... But something changed for me, I think being off work helped my body to relax out of that tense feeling and I suddenly started sleeping ten hours a day and napping for five hours!  Mind you, my GP thought it had to do with me starting the chinese herbal remedies.  Maybe it was a confluence of  a few things.  Acupuncture worked for me too but I hear one has to keep it up.  I can't afford it cany more :-(

Meditation CDs also helped me and I feel almost refreshed when I wake up after listening to them.  I have ones on my computer that you can drift off to sleep to.  Look up Glenn Harrold - he does lovely guided hypnotic meditations that allow your whole body to relax.  Very pleasant feeling if you can manage to relax into it.  Hope you get some beter sleep.  There's nothing worse than sleep deprivation... except the constant pain on top of it. Sending you sleepy thoughts.

Just saw your other replies on this thread and that you have tried amitriptyline, sorry it didn't work for you.  It's the side effects from the meds that makes them so hard to take isn't it?  Definitely cut out caffeine, strictly no coffee, that's made a huge impact on my anxiety, I can't tell you.  All the boring old remedies like that, hot milk, water bottles, sound a bit pathetic but they're very effective!  Deep breathing and ensuring your muscles are as relaxed as possible should help (I know you may find the yoga exercises too painful to do, but try to do a little - there are masses you can do sitting or even lying down, they don't have to be strenuous!  I go on doyogawithme, they have free videos you can stream.  Try one on just the neck to start.).  As you breathe out, imagine all the tension in your body releasing..  If I have been tossing and turning for two hours or more I'll get up again if I can and have a hot drink and do some more stretches. That lessens the pain at least for me - it's the pain that really keeps me up.

Well, I have a couple of glasses of Vodka and Orange. I can manage 4 hours on that, otherwise I really struggle with sleep.