Not sleeping? Me too

I thought I was the only one not sleeping. I will go 2-3 nights with very little sleep then I will sleep 10-12 hours the next night. When I tried to get help from my PCP, he told me to get benadryl. (Of course that worked for a little while) Now I try anything I can get over the counter with a sleep aid. Some days I feel as though I can hardly function. (I do not take afternoon naps anymore either.) Has anyone been able to attibute this to our surgery? I am afraid to take another prescription as I take so many now. I also contribute some of the not sleeping to my lower back pain that runs from the lower back to the femor nerve down my legs. I did have an all body massage on Tues that seemed to have helped. Any remedies working for the rest of you??? Martha-catlady

Martha, I'm in the same boat, but I've never been a good sleeper. I've always gone on just a few hours of sleep each night, but would love to get more. Hip pain wakes me up all night and no matter how potent the meds are, I wake up anyway so I've cut way back on the meds. The only thing that helps at all is to take a nice long soak in the hot tub to relax my muscles before bedtime. It's still around 100 degrees at night around here so that option is out during the summer. Let me know if you find a good solution. Hugs, Connie

I take showers in the middle of the night too. If I do not take a loretab at bedtime I wake up with the nerves in my legs doing the "saint vidas dance" as my mom used to say. It is not a hurt, but you cannot sleep thru it that's for sure. It is more like a tingling up and down my leg. I catch myself rubbing that nerve up and down and sometimes trying to put a pressure on it hoping it will stop. I eventually go back to sleep, usually in the recliner, not the bed. I really wonder if this has to do with the weight loss and surgery....

I don't think this has to do with the surgery, but I'm not sure. I try to take Meletonin at night, which we get at the Vitamin Shoppe. I can't believe benedryl doesn't put you to sleep...it knocks me out totally. Also, there is another vitamin shoppe thing you can get to help you sleep called ZMA. It's zinc, magnesium and another thing and it does help. It's worth giving it a shot. Joanie

thanks Joanie, I wrote the information down. I will look for it the next time we go shopping. I live in a small town that has no red light and the nearest Walmart is almost 30 miles away. I am not sure where the nearest Vitamin shop would be..but I will see what I can find. I will also check with the local druggest and see if they have something over the counter that will help or has the ZMA ingredients.

The Vitamin Shoppe has a website and you can order from there. It's easier than trying to find it elsewhere. I hope it works for you. Lately, my problem has been not being able to get up in the morning. And I got this new laptop computer. Typing on it is a real struggle. As we live, we learn, no??? I hope the ZMA helps. I understand the Meletonin helps you fall asleep and the ZMA helps you stay asleep. The website should have it all. Good Luck!! Joanie

I'm sorry to hear that your not sleeping well. since the weight loss I sleep the best that I ever have. my head hits the pillow and I"m out like a light. thank god for the alarm or i'd still be sleeping! granted before weight loss I di'nt have a major problem with staying asleep but i would wake up3 or 4 times during the night. good luck with getting what ever you need to compat that problem! we all need our sleep.

I don't thing the not sleeping thing has anything to do with the surgery, becasue my Mama had the same problem after she got about 50. My sister does too and she has not had surgery and is a size 2. Getting older sure is not fun!! I have musle relaxers because of back pain and some nights I can take it and go to sleep, the next time I take it my legs will not stay in the bed!! I just get up because I know Charles can't sleep and me "running" in the bed! School starts back the first week in August and I'll be getting up at 5 A.M. again! I sure do dread it!! At least now when I don't go to sleep till 4 A.M. I can stay in the bed till I wake up, if it's 8 or 10. Oh well, I used to work with a lady that said "It's a rough life, but somebody's got to live it!" Judy

10 or so years ago (in my mid-late 40's) I was seriously pre-menapausal and had serious sleeping issues. I would sleep maybe 1 1/2 to 2 hours then be awake at least 2 hours before I could fall back to sleep. This of course was accompanied by the night sweats and general hormonal nonsense. After my hysterectomy at age 49, I was in full blown menopause but also was on an HRT patch. I think I started sleeping better, but definitely not through the night. The good news was that when I would wake up, I generally went back to sleep fairly easily. I phased out the patches and completely gave them up about a year ago and I'm back to having sleeping issues. I am lucky to sleep 2 hours at a time and I don't always go back to sleep. I've talked to my gyn and she offered the option of a HRT again, but I've sort of put that on hold for the time being. I'm trying Melatonin and that seems to be helping, though when I first started with it, I would sleep DEEPLY but have very vivid dreams and then still only sleep for 2 hours at a time. I seem to be sleeping now for 3 to 4 hours before I wake up and can generally get back to sleep, though after that first 3 to 4 hours I am waking every 1 to 2 hours until it's time to get up. I'm back to not having night sweats specifically but night 'warms' .. sort of mini hot flashes which may be what is waking me up. Another option is to try an estroven or other black cohash (?) remedy to work through the 'flashes'. I guess my answer to y'all is that this sleeping thing is a hormone / menopausal thing!!!! I've got a head start age wise on y'all at 58, but it's going to hit every one eventually! Hugs, Mo

Thanks Mo At least I am not having the night sweats. That is one reason I have not related it to hormones. Guess it could be that. thanks again, Martha