Constant issues with sleeping now beginning to take its toll
Posted , 8 users are following.
For as long as I remember, I have never been a good sleeper. About 15 years ago, I remember waking up one day feeling completely fresh, a feeling I hadn't felt in a long time. I felt light, energetic and was in an extremely good mood throughout the day. That experience reminded me that what I am going through is not normal.
The reason I am now seeking alternative advice through this forum (been to the doctors many times) is because it's starting to take its toll at work. Even with my constant fatigue and sleep problems, I was always able to work through it and had at least the bare minimum motivation. Now, I can't be bothered to work at work and literally did nothing in my last job for as long as I could until they figured me out and fired me.
One of my main problems is that my whole body feels crooked when I try to go to sleep. I lay down and I feel strain in my neck, back and legs. It's almost like my body is twisted. I have spent a lot of money on memory foam mattresses, slept in numerous beds, hotels etc. and the problem is always the same.
And this is all in addition to waking up early in the morning, snoring and struggling in general to get good quality sleep.
Anyone else experience this or have any advice?
0 likes, 8 replies
lily65668 NathanialEssex
Posted
Just one point, Nathaniel. You say you've been to the doctor many times. But were you referred to a sleep clinic? This sounds very like sleep apnoea, which can only be diagnosed in the sleep lab.
angela55814 NathanialEssex
Posted
john94307 NathanialEssex
Posted
I agree with Lily. If you haven't already done so, you should see a sleep medicine doctor and have them do a sleep study. Also, you might want to go to a chiropractor (find a good one) that can adjust your spine. It may be the case that you have some scoliosis or arthritis. Also, if you are snoring, this is a possible sign of sleep apnea. If you are overweight and your neck size is greater than 17", you may very well be suffering from sleep apnea. Get to a sleep medicine doctor ASAP.
mark27155 NathanialEssex
Posted
Do you fit the profile of a sleep apnea patient? Neck circumference, large tongue, overweight, etc? They can't tell a thing until you've had a sleep study. Lab effect tends to interfere but they can get a reasonably good read on what's happening. Put a camera on yourself at home with audio or have someone watch you sleep. Snoring can cause spontaneous arousals which will send you to a lighter stage of sleep Stage 3 is best and in contiguous chuniks. Hard to say without a PSG. It could be that your sleep if very disrupted or normal. Breathe Right nasal strips (get the beige ones with lavender) -- those can help alleviate snoring and a Lunesta can suppress some microarousals -- you will not be aware of these. You need to see a sleep specialist. Could be IH, UARS, apnea/hypopnea, RLS, and possibly even narcolepsy.
?If you go to a sleep clinic and they give you an ESS survey or want to do an MSLT the next day, leave. Do you experience any form of muscle weakness with emotion? In the knees for the example.
lily65668 mark27155
Posted
Just a note to all on here. Although sleep apnoea is more likely to occur in middle-aged, overweight males with a thick neck, modern research suggests it can equally occur in younger people with normal weight. And some outrageous medical heretics (OK - that was sarcasm) actually believe it could occur in women!
Also, I don't quite understand why Mark is warning Nathaniel against a Multiple Sleep Latency Test, or taking the very simple Epworth Sleepiness Scale questionnaire. Both can be useful tools for diagnosing narcolepsy, which might also fit some of Nathaniel's symptoms. For what it's worth, I'm a former neuro nurse who shares many of Nathaniel's symptoms.
mark27155 lily65668
Posted
From my experience, the MSLT is a lousy test, along with ESS. My sleep doctor doesn't use them. When I asked why, he yelled, "because they're crap!".
The MSLT has poor repeatability. 50% of patients who score with Narcolepsy on one day, will score as IH the next. Lab effect produces performance anxiety and that screws up the result. It's just unreliable and has hurt more people than it helped. 4% of the population will test positive. Psychomotor vigilance testing or just believing your patient is much better.
?The ESS is pretty bad -- it measures involuntary sleep, not hypersomnolence. A question will read "do you fall asleep while reading". I say "never", put 0, but then, to confuse them I say well, I do get sleepy, but I'll put the book down and then fall asleep. They interpret that as an always, but that's not what the question asks. I did not fall asleep WHILE reading. The SSS is OK, but the ESS is like a cumulative rate your husband point score. 16 = DIVORCE, 15 = STAY MARRIED. It's bad science because you can't draw the line anywhere. It doesn't measure fatigue, and that's a major problem.
?I would walk in and hear "2 sleep onset rem periods and a mean latency of 8 minutes of less ... long pause, and then a Carol Burnett Eunice SOOOOOOO WHAT!"
venkatesan21677 NathanialEssex
Posted
Hello. I am aged 55 Male. I am a CSVD Patient and for the past 1.6 years I have been suffering a lot. I have been suffering from Vivid dreams followed by Headache. Even after taking Sertalin & Clonazepam my sleep pattern has not changed. I am addicted to these medicines. Even a small portion of sleep is disrupeted the next day's whole work would be spoiled. I am a Ulnar neuropathy patient and I don't knowl whether this is responsible or not but if I do slightly hard work then immediately my body will be tired and I can't move my legs and hands. Tired..Tired..Tired. Whats the solution. Searching..Searching. No answer sofar.
andybb NathanialEssex
Posted