INSOMNIA

ALL, My sleeping habits have gotten so crazy its insane. I can barely sleep anymore. I am a year post op and have lost a lot of weight. I had a sleep study done and nothing unusual was found. I find myslef awake most nights until 4 or when I take Lunesta I awake bolt right up at 2 am. I have tried ambien, rozerem, all otc stuff, elavil, and my doctors is stumped. the only slight saving grace is that i can get about 3 hours of sleep if i take a lunesta. i am a teacher and im off during the summers and i used to love taking naps but cant do that anymore cuz i cant fall alseep. any suggestions anyone?????

Tim, University Professor here! Loving my Summer Break! I had quite a little struggle with Insomnia myself During my first year Post-Op. I had complications and some extended pain that Basically knocked me into bad sleep habits. What is the issue? 1.) Difficulty in falling Asleep? 2.) Staying asleep? 3.) Or the absence of restful sleep, or poor quality sleep? Looks like 1+2 for you? Each can have totally different causes. Here's what I "picked up" along my way. Insomnia is a symptom and not a disease. The most common causes of insomnia are medications, Psychological conditions (e.g., Depression, Anxiety), Environmental changes (e.g., travel, JetLag/schedule changes, even altitude changes), And / Or Stressful Events. Insomnia can also be caused by faulty sleeping habits Such as daytime naps or caffeine consumption. Some of the things that led to mine were- The Loss of a "High-Carb" late-night snack, that I had depended on for years. I had always relied on the Blood Sugar drop and "full as a Puppy" feeling To lull me off to sleep. There was also a little "Post-Traumatic-Stress" from my drawn-out Complications. I was having a touch of depression as well. So? A low dose of Trazodone was the "Fix" for me. It's an Anti-Depressant that works well, but the side effect Is that it makes people Too Sleepy to use normally. It is Cheap as Dirt, like Aspirin, Knocked me out in less than 30 minutes And I popped up Every Morning full of Energy and Exuberance. Mine was a "Trouble Falling Asleep" Problem. Once I got in the habit of going to bed a certain time And getting right down to Sleeping, The dose was stepped back To non-existent. Now? I fall asleep without the worry of insomnia. Have you added all of the "Non-Pharmaceutical" sleep aids? :Regular sleep times; :A comfortable bed and quiet room at a comfortable temperature; (I bought a new bed! Love it) :Appropriate lighting; (even dim light stimulates optic nerve through eyelid) :Regular exercise but NOT close to bedtime or in the evening; (this helped me more than any I think) :Bedroom Not used for work or other activities that are not related to sleep; (lose the TV / Lap top) :Avoidance of stimulants (e.g. caffeine, tobacco), alcohol, and large meals close to bedtime; :Relaxation techniques such as breathing exercises; (These helped me as well) :Avoidance of naps during the day. Back before surgery, my job requires Much Travel And I often had good results from Melatonin (Melatonex was the Brand I think) It's the Over the Counter hormone that helps get rid of insomnia. Melatonin helps regulate the body's clock or sleep-wake cycle. It's sold as a "dietary supplement" so it's not regulated by the (FDA) like a drug. Ask the doc about it? It used to be my "Go To" Solution. Don't know if any of this is helpful. When your in the middle of it, Insomnia is maddening! Now, I also wanted to drop by a bit of an Invitation. It's great to see other men out here. We make up such a small percentage (12%) Of the people having Weight Loss Surgery, But tend to reach our goal weights quicker and with less Or at least Different hassles than the Gals Due to Male physiology. Drop by the Men's Message Board And check out what other men like you are going through. It's a diverse make up of Dads, Singles, Older, younger, etc... Pre-Ops, Post-Ops new and some Old (at Goal) Post-Ops. Lap-Banders, RNY'ers DS, etc... There was even a discussion of Insomnia /Alcohol there, at- http://obesityhelp.com/forums/men/postdetail/8425.html?vc=0#8425 The Alcohol in the mix post... http://www.obesityhelp.com/forums/men/postdetail/8508.html?vc=0#8508 Just a Great bunch of guys with the mutual understanding That WLS for Men can be a totally different Journey. Stop by to add your questions, advice, opinions, and info at- http://www.obesityhelp.com/forums/men/ It's Great to know we're not so alone, And that there are others pulling for you. Hope you're back on track sleeping soon! And, Hope to see you 'Round the Boards! Best Wishes- Dx

Tim, I have had and am still having the same problem. I could fall asleep, but after about 2 to 3 hours of sleep I was ready to get up and start my day at 2am. Crazy! I tried ambien, lunesta, restoril and others and would fall asleep quickly, but couldn't stay alseep. Now that I am 19 months out it is starting to regulate itself. My doctor said it was all of the changes that my body has been through and that it would work itself out. Sorry I can't offer much hope, but it seems that it's just something you will have to wait out. My advice is to take the sleeping pills and get as much good sleep as you can. Are you waking up tired the next day? I wasn't even tired on 3 hours of sleep, so I figured that's all my body needed at that point. A good night's sleep might be the only thing I miss about being 370 pounds! Lily

Hey Tim, I had insomnia before surgery...and now it is really bad.... I have tried all the above mentioned cures, except the melatonin....I need to try that.... I'm not a drugy, I never even opened the pain med after surgery...but you wouldn't know it from what I take to sleep at night....my doc is stumpped.... If you feel comfortable with it....I take a benadryl with my ambien..it helps add about and hour to hour and a half.... If you ever find some tranquilzer darts that they use on bears, maybe we can get a group discount Good luck Russ

and I thought I was the only one with this problem.....WRONG..... Well, my doctor prescribed remeron (sp) which is a antidepressant. It knocks me out cold.....I take one and 15 minutes later I am out like I flipped the light switch. Exactly 2-3 hours later I am WIDE AWAKE. If I add benydryl (2) I get maybe another hour of sleep. Now, right after surgery I had no problem, in fact all I did was sleep the first 6 months, but not anymore. I do take advantage of times I am sleepy now. If I have had an exhausting day at work and can barley keep my eyes open driving home I go straight to bed. My husband actually knows now that if I am sleeping at a wierd hour to let me sleep......but 2 hours later I am up and full of energy. I am very lucky that my husband sleeps no matter what. He has a cpap machine and at one point I thought that was keeping me up, but it's not. I am getting pretty good at the tv line up at 2-3 in the morning. And house cleaning at night actually goes pretty good..... Good luck.... PS. I am reading alot more now also. This does relax me and sometimes I fall back to sleep for an hour our two. If I would have been like this when my kids were babies we would have been on the same schedule....haha