Sleep issues & viamins

Are there any vitamin deficiencies that can cause sleep issues?

I know lack of quality sleep can be at the heart of so many problems.

According to WebMD

Sleep disorders and chronic sleep loss can put you at risk for:

• Heart disease
• Heart attack
• Heart failure
• Irregular heartbeat
• High blood pressure
• Stroke
• Diabetes

According to some estimates, 90% of people with insomnia -- a sleep disorder characterized by trouble falling and staying asleep -- also have another health condition.

It can also stall weight loss or make you gain weight.

When it comes to body weight, it may be that if you snooze, you lose. Lack of sleep seems to be related to an increase in hunger and appetite, and possibly to obesity. According to a 2004 study, people who sleep less than six hours a day were almost 30 percent more likely to become obese than those who slept seven to nine hours.

Recent research has focused on the link between sleep and the peptides that regulate appetite. “Ghrelin stimulates hunger and leptin signals satiety to the brain and suppresses appetite," says Siebern. “Shortened sleep time is associated with decreases in leptin and elevations in ghrelin."

Not only does sleep loss appear to stimulate appetite. It also stimulates cravings for high-fat, high-carbohydrate foods. Ongoing studies are considering whether adequate sleep should be a standard part of weight loss programs. 

It can age your skin (don't need help here).

And I know there are other issues.

Anyway, I've been on the sleep depravation end for several years now. Many nights and I mean many, I get an aveerage of 4-5 hours.

If I go to bed at 11, I wake about 1-2 and can't get back to sleep, If I go earlier, I still wake about 1, I've even gone to bed as early as 9PM only to be wide awake at midnight and unable to go back to sleep.

So I'm thinking that I need to finally find the cause if possible.

One, could it be a deficiency in a vitamin? Which ones can I look at if there is a corolation?
Two, could I be lacking melatonin? Or just plan out of it altogether?

I've checked my current medications, the prescription ones.
Amytriptyline .05 mgs (an extremely low dose but I am sensitive to it so this is as high as I dare go) - drowsiness is it's main side effect
Mirapex (the generic, used for RLS) and it's main side effect is drowsiness
Tramadol (I use it for pain control) but it causes drowsiness too
Levothyroxine (One of my thyroid meds)
Liothyronine (the other of my thyroid meds) This one can cause insomnia but I have to take it.
An over the counter PPI so I can take an NSAID

And the rest are all vitamins.

One would think as much as I take that causes drowsiness, sleep would not be an issue.

And no, I don't typically take naps unless I end up seriously sleep deprived as in a week of no or 3-4 hours of sleep a night.

Any ideas would be welcome.

And yes, going to talk this one over with my PCP to see if he can help but if there is idea I haven't thought of or something else I need to look into such as the side effects of the vitamins/minerals I take, I need to let him know.

Liz

Sorry you are going through this Liz.

Glad you posted, cant wait to see some of the replies.

I just recently started not being able to sleep to well. I fall asleep fine then I wake up at 1 or 2.
Was thinking about adding melatonin before bed, have to see if it competes with my iron.

I am not sure if it has to do with being periomenopausal, low iron or the anemia I am dealing with. I know all can contribute to problems sleeping. I have been doing a progressive relaxation tape when I wake up, sometimes it helps to fall back to sleep but only about half the time.

Hope you can get some relief, this sleep deprivation is awful!

Here's to sweet dreams in your near future!

Maria, I'm post-menopausel so it can't be that, can it? Dh hasn't mentioned me snoring and altho I had sleep apnea at one point, I had surgery to correct the issue. And have lost more than enough weight for my weight not to cause it to return. Plus I sleep on my side as much as I can.

My iron is low but working on it to bring it up...not so low that iron infusions were nessary but low enough. And I am not anemic according to the last blood workup I had.

So I'm not the only one having issues...it's the pits, isn't it?

Liz

Dont kow where I had heard it from but I was told that with WLS, we will tend to have more bouts of insominia. I have suffered BAD from it also and found that the melatonin does help quite a bit. I was going through the same issues. Not sure if it is a vitamin def or not.

Stacey, that makes sense but mine is an ongoing issue (hence the amytriptyline to HELP me sleep) and I've been on that since 2008 timeframe.

That's why I'm exploring the possible vitamin/mineral issues as that is the one area that was not really EXPLORED pre-op.

Liz

Melatonin is a natural hormone which is produced in our bodies which helps us feel drowsy and sleep..after menopause our bodies produce much less of it and so taking it really helps with sleep...
I am menopausal and ever since wake up every three hours and can't go back to sleep...when I take melatonin I fall asleep again faster....but it can be so many things...good luck with it...I think it's part of the aging process also :(   SEAVIEW 

Sorry you guys are going through this.  Sleep isn't one of my issues.  I am in bed by 10, many nights by 9 and up at 6  I do wake up earlier, sometimes 4;30-5 but can usually go back to sleep.  Mine depends totally on what is happening in my life.  When there is a lot going on, good or bad, I tend to process it when I wake up and can't get back to sleep. 

Lucky you, Price.

I don't know of any serious stressors (other than we both had surgery 5+/7 months ago. Money is not an issue...esp when you don't have any but also nothing major happening. And besides, I let dh worry over the budget and he sleeps very well. (THE BRAT).

Liz

I talked to my PCP about my sleep issues and she put me on trazadone and melatonin. The combination helps me both fall asleep but also to STAY asleep.

I don't think it has anything specifically to do with vitamin deficiencies. Pre-op I was only deficient in Vitamin D and now my labs are better than before. But that didn't help with the sleep issues.

The other thing that helps me a lot is to have a regular schedule, going to bed at the same time, walking up at the same time. This means no "sleeping in" on the weekends or staying up late either. I'm in bed by midnight and up by 7:30-8:00 am as much as possible.

I have an apt with my PCP on Thursday (the 14th) and will discuss that then. Not sure I want to add the trazadone as I am not sure how it will mix with my other prescription meds but the melatonin is a real option I am gonna ask about.

I don't think it''s vit D either but since I was low in several and just barely normal in most pre-op, I was wondering if a low normal could also affect me.

I do try to have a regular schedule but had been trying options to see if going to bed at 11PM would give me the sleep all the way thru the night. Didn't work, so I went back to heading to bed about 8:30/9PM and getting up about 1. At least that way, I get a minimum of 4 hours.

I typically do not nap cause if I do, it's not the 15-30 min kind but SEVERAL hours and I know that a nap monkies up your schedule, except for the "power naps".

Liz