Question:
I can't sleep. Is this normal?

B4 GBS I would fall asleep in 5-10 minutes after going to bed. Now sometimes it takes a couple of hours. I'm generally not even sleepy. I am sleeping less & less. Can anyone shed some light on this for me?    — [Deactivated Member] (posted on December 1, 2000)

December 1, 2000
There could be many reasons...are you drinking any caffeine during the day? Now, after surgery, I can have one cup of coffee in the AM and stay wired all day long...and even have trouble getting to sleep.
   — Tracey D.

December 1, 2000
Hi, Gary! I'm now 22 months post op and can relate to what you're experiencing. It very well could be that you're taking in too much caffeine, but when I was going through the very same thing, cutting down on the caffeine helped some but not entirely. I finally figured out that ... well ... at a lower weight, I just plain ol' didn't need that much sleep any more. I used to need well over eight hours to function properly. Now I can go strong on a minimum of four hours, though I almost always get at least six. Not everyone needs eight hours of sleep a day. I'd use that excess energy to take on a new hobby or complete a project or something. The new you is coming through and it just might be that he's tired of ... well being tired. ;-)
   — Mavis C.

December 1, 2000
Hi Gary, I am 7 months post op and I have trouble going to sleep every night. It all started right after the surgery so I thought that was why. But here it is 7 months later and I still can't fall asleep at night. Every thing I drink is caffeine free so I know that is not the problem. I take 2 Tylenol PM almost every night to help me get to sleep. About 30 minutes after taking it I can't keep my eyes open. If it wasn't for the Tylenol PM I would be up all night. I have 2 other friends that have had this surgery and we all have trouble falling asleep. WHY? We have no idea. My Doctor seems thinks the problem sleeping may be from anxiety, so he gave me Lorazepam. But I rather take the Tylenol. Maybe you should ask your Doctor what you can take to help you get to sleep. Good luck to you.
   — Betty H.

December 1, 2000
Hi Gary, I'm glad you posted this question, because, I, too am able to function on much less sleep than I used to before I lost 90+#. I only allow myself one cup of regular coffee in the mornings and if I must have coffee later in the day, I have decaf (but that's not too often). Most of my evening fluids are limited to sf koolaid, crystal lite or caffeine free (clearly marked as such) tea. So I don't think that excess caffine is the culprit. When I was pre-op, I used to joke that "sleep" was my hobby...and that I did it very well too. But now, I can get by very nicely on a maximum of 5-6 hours of sleep within a 24 hour period. Even on nights when I do feel tired and go to bed earlier than I usually do, I wake up considerably earlier than my alarm is set to go off and am refreshed and rarin' to go. I sometimes allow myself to doze for awhile longer, but it really isn't necessary. I'm sure it has something to do with my current body weight but I'm not sure of all the physiological reasons for this new-found phenomena. It would be interesting to find out exactly what's happening tho'. But I for one, share this experience with you. Continued good luck and God bless, cj
   — cj T.

December 1, 2000
This is going to sound weird to the rest of you who can't sleep. I am pre-op and I could sleep 20 hrs a day and I am so tired of sleeping my days away, but I just can't seem to stay awake. One thing I am hoping for after surgery is that I can stay awake AND have energy to do something else (besides sleep all the time). Of course, I may be back on line saying I can't sleep after surgery either. I hope you find your answer ... when you do please let us know.
   — [Anonymous]

December 1, 2000
Gary, I am 19 months postop and have trouble every night getting to sleep no matter how tired I feel. I have resorted to Benadryl because it's non habit forming and also because all of the sleep medicines (most) are just that, Benadryl but they charge more calling themselves something else. doc said this was fine but also said that my anemia is causing some of this lack of sleep. she said that anemia can do strange things to the body and mind. Could this possibly be the culprit? Good luck and let us know.
   — Barbara H.

December 1, 2000
Before my surgery I could fall asleep setting in a roomful of people. I had undiagnosed sleep apnea and the pain from my arthritis caused me to wake several times a night. Now I usually get 6 to 7 hours of sleep a night which is far less than what I "thought" I was getting before. I have found that the quality of my rest is much better and that I have more and more energy as I lose weight. Right after surgery I had some problems sleeping and my PCP was considering prescribing a sleep medication if it became a prolonged situation. Once the anesthetic and the morphine and the Lortab cleared my system this went away.
   — Nanette T.

December 2, 2000
I too use to sleep alot. I use to sleep until 1pm or so on my day off and then I could still go to bed at 10pm and sleep all night. Now I go to bed between 11:30 and 12:00 at night and IF I can sleep until 8:30 on a day off it's a miracle. I get alot more done now, because I'm not in bed all the time. I also don't feel as tired as I did before. My daughter tells me I don't snore anymore so apparently my sleep apnea has resolved. I'm sure that not having sleep apnea and carrying 98lbs less has helped my body not need as much sleep. I'm certainly not complaining. Now I can enjoy my life instead of sleeping it away
   — Jeannette S.