Effects of too little sleep
Posted , 14 users are following.
I'm 85 and I've never ever had enough sleep. Too many late nights all my life for differing reasons and for
years because of prostate problems making me go to the toilet several times
during the night. Laser surgery partially cured that. in 2012 heart surgery
made it difficult to sleep for a few months because of having to lie on my back.
I now probably but who can diagnose it have Fluoroquinolone toxicity syndrome due to treatments from those drugs for prostate infections and it is the cause of neuropathy that makes
walking difficult and can have many other effects including sleep problems Most
nights I get off to sleep OK but I leave it late to go to bed usually between
12.30 and 1am. Every night I waken after two hours and can't get back to sleep
again so I get up for about 40 minutes. They say that one should not use a
computer then but I do to read Emails and news articles. It takes a bit to get
back to sleep and about 90 minutes later I'm awake again . This happens once
more and then I'm awake for good.
I have tried melatonin that did not help. Many years ago in the 1970s and early 80's I took sleeping pills the name escapes me at the moment. I started off with one and increased it to two
and often took another two at 4am. Surprising that I still functioned well
during the day. I gradually weaned myself off them. More recently I tried Nytol
that did not help. My GP prescribed Furosemide that I did not take as
it is an anti-histamine and I did not want to chance it in case it affected my
prostate. He then prescribed Zolpidem that said not to take unless you could
sleep for seven or eight hours. I could not see that happening.
Recently for the first time I feel physically tired at periods during the day and it seems to have added to
my walking problems. I have of course tried different sleep routines as the
media has a lot about this at the moment ad going to bed earlier but that has
not helped either.
I now cannot see this ever getting better. How many of you are in a similar situation ??
If I do manage to sleep until about 7am I am wakened by a very noisy street cleaning vehicle that goes down our street and eventually comes back on the other side before turning into the
street behind our block of flats. That even wakens my sound sleeping wife but
she promptly goes back to sleep for another few hours. Don't you just hate
people like that 😃
0 likes, 52 replies
TKM derek76
Posted
Derek,
I am 70 years old and also have urinary frequency due to BPH. I also wake up one or two times during the night. I have found that eating a little bran cereal with a spoonful of yogurt can help me sleep. Also tart cherry juice helps. I have read that tart cherry juice can help the body create its own melatonin. Another thing that helps is making the room dark, the darkness also helps create the sleep chemicals like melatonin. Sometimes I wear a sleep mask covering my eyes to make it dark, especially towards morning when light comes in the window. For noise from the street cleaner you can try foam rubber ear plugs in your ears. It is probably better to read a book or magazine than watching TV or a computer but about half the time I watch the TV or computer, because I'm lazy. I also found it helps to empty the bladder as much as possible by either peeing or using a catheter. One last thing is, sometimes I do an excercise of arching my back up and down while on hands and knees 30 reps, just before going back to bed. It makes my back feel better when I get back in bed, I was told by a Chiropractor that it is good for the degenerated disks in my low back. It seems to make me urinate a little more, and makes me tired, and raises my metabolism so I don't feel cold in the bed.
I hope some of this can help,
Thomas
TKM
Posted
Derek,.
My last post did not go through correctly. Here it is again
I am 70 years old and also have urinary frequency due to BPH. I also wake up one or two times during the night. I have found that eating a little bran cereal with a spoonful of yogurt can help me sleep. Also tart cherry juice helps. I have read that tart cherry juice can help the body create its own melatonin. Another thing that helps is making the room dark, the darkness also helps create the sleep chemicals like melatonin. Sometimes I wear a sleep mask covering my eyes to make it dark, especially towards morning when light comes in the window. For noise from the street cleaner you can try foam rubber ear plugs in your ears. It is probably better to read a book or magazine than watching TV or a computer but about half the time I watch the TV or computer, because I'm lazy. I also found it helps to empty the bladder as much as possible by either peeing or using a catheter. One last thing is, sometimes I do an excercise of arching my back up and down while on hands and knees 30 reps, just before going back to bed. It makes my back feel better when I get back in bed, I was told by a Chiropractor that it is good for the degenerated disks in my low back. It seems to make me urinate a little more, and makes me tired, and raises my metabolism so I don't feel cold in the bed.
I hope some of this can help,
Thomas
derek76 TKM
Posted
I don't actually have a prostate problem now. I had Thulium/Holmium laser surgery in 2013. Checks since showed that I now empty my bladder and I don't have frequency problems. I mentioned that as one of the factors that over many years got me into bad sleep habits along with lifestyle and other things like the recovery from heart surgery. I am just a poor sleeper and cannot get into a routine conducive to good sleep. Age may also be a factor but it is reducing my quality of life.
My asking here an on an other forum was knowing that this forum had posters with disturbed sleep and how they function when continually tired. In my case I'm probably not getting that much less sleep now than when my prostate was the problem It is just that it is now affecting me now. An afternoon nap does not work for me either as I cannot drop off then.
tom86211 derek76
Posted
Derek,
I have been having similar sleep issues for the past few years - up every 1:15 to 1:30. May be a bad habit from urine retention, now mostly cured due to a bipolar TURP in April. Here are some ideas that may help you.
First, you need strong ear plugs - the silicon plugs are very effective. You also need a sleep mask. To block even more light, I add a second pillow over my head in the morning.
You could take a little bit of melatonin before bed, then again in the middle of the night. A small amount at first is recommended. I bought the 1mg pills and split them in half. Some people take a lot more. You have already mentioned antihistamines like diphenhydramine. Tylenol PM has this as part of the formula.
Recently I started taking 5-HTP. It's a serotonin booster and acts to calm me down - seems to be helping with no side effects. Passion Flower and lavender teas and Passion Flower drops also help - both have a calming effect.
I am planning on trying CBD Oil next. It's expensive but people claim it's a great sleep aid. Worth an experimental try. CBD Oil is currently very popular and there are many articles about it.
Like you I don't like sleeping pills - don't want to be knocked flat out. Ambien is effective but the reviews are all over the map - some people love it, some hate it. Anytime you alter your brainwaves you never know what will happen.
Wishing you the best,
Tom
derek76 tom86211
Posted
I've been buying the top quality CBD oil for about six months. It has helped to a degree with my neuropathy and back pain but not with waking after a couple of hours and getting back to sleep again. Its calming effect does perhaps make me less annoyed about not sleeping 😃
In the 70's and early 80's I took Mogadon/Nitrazepam in increasing doses to try to sleep so you see how long term my problem has been and by far pre dating any prostate issues.
derek76 tom86211
Posted
That is my problem I like to be in control of my mind. I think the person who wakes in the night is not me! My earlier reply awaits the moderator and I cant think what word in it could have highlighted it.
doug04815 derek76
Posted
I can pretty much tell what time it is by what nth time I've woken up to pee. It's N*1.5 hours since going to bed.
I do go right back to sleep. Fortunately, I'm retired so can nap during the day.
I just got a prescription for desmopressin, but haven't taken it enough to conclude anything. I don't think I have nocturnal polyuria, so I'm not sure it's going to be all that helpful.
hank1953 doug04815
Posted
It sounds like you have urinary retention, or you consume too much fluid, or both.
doug04815 hank1953
Posted
Thanks Hank for the link to the very informative article on urinary retention. Last night I was having trouble falling asleep so I took a very small dose (12.5 mg) of Xanax, as I sometimes do, to fall asleep. In fact, I've hypothesized that it might mask the urge to pee, but experiments were inconclusive.
Well, last night I awoke 5 times instead of my usual (lately) 4 times. I've just looked up Xanax, since the article says "Some muscle relaxants (eg, diazepam..." can cause urinary retention and lo and behold the side effect information about Xanax says it can do it also. It was a low dose, but I'm going to have to stop taking it.
I also made the mistake of drinking 6 oz of instant tea (177 ml) immediately before going to bed with a f--k it attitude. Result: add 1 time to nightly peeing .
hank1953 derek76
Posted
I take diphenhydramine. It's an antihistamine but I figure sleep is more important than a little worsen prostate symptoms.
derek76 hank1953
Posted
For many people it is not a little worse but complete retention. There are many posts on that.
hank1953 derek76
Posted
If one goes into complete retention just by taking a little antihistamine then he already has a bad problem that needs to be dealt with.
derek76 hank1953
Posted
There have been several on this forum who did not know they had a prostate problem until taking an antihistamine.
derek76 hank1953
Posted
Many on here have gone into complete retention after a couple of tablets. One poster who did not have a diagnosed prostate problem took a tablet after drinking at a party thinking it would help him sleep after a late night and went into retention.
doug04815 hank1953
Posted
Do you take diphenhydramine for its fluid retention properties? Why not take desmopressin, since it works on the kidneys to produce less urine in the first place?
According to Wikipedia, "desmopressin is a synthetic version of vasopressin, the hormone that reduces urine production."
I think 0.1 mg at bedtime is safe and has a very short half life. However, I'm told by my doctor that I have to get a blood test to see if it is causing an electrolyte imbalance (too much sodium I think).
Even if it does work, from what I see on the web, the effect is negligible -- maybe a 1x reduction in nightime voids, but I'll take anything I can get.
I don't think I have nocturnal polyuria, but don't know for sure because I've never kept a voiding diary. If I did have polyuria at night, desmopressin should work really well.
I think I need to do it -- spend one day measuring fluid intake and urine production.
hank1953 doug04815
Posted
I am taking diphenhydramine for its sleep aid property. I will ask for desmopressin next time I see my doctor. Right now I am not doing too always bad, going to sleep at 10, getting up at 4 or 5 to pee. Short naps during the day. Maybe desmo can help me to sleep until 6 or 7. I am always for experimenting.
hank1953 derek76
Posted
I was in complete retention before, but it was because of many reasons, not just the antihistamine. I had a bad cold or flu at the time, so I was taking antihistamines almost every few hours. But I was also drinking a lot of liquid and staying in bed, not getting up, even to pee. All that contribute to the AUR, plus the fact that I didn't know I had BPH at the time.
Years later, my experience told me that consuming too much fluid is the worst enemy regarding to retention.
derek76 hank1953
Posted
Prior to my first prostate operation (GL) in 2004 I used to be told at the hospital that I was retaining between 400 to 600 mls but I never stopped peeing.
arlington hank1953
Posted
Unfortunately, not in my case. I was prescribed an antihistamine cocktail for hives in 2014, went in to complete retention soon thereafter, and haven't been able to exist without a catheter since.