DID I EVER SLEEP 8 HOURS?????

[silkie]

Hi Everyone,

It is the middle of the night again I am up and wide awake
Knowing full well some time during tomorrow i will drop asleep while peeling
veggies or eating my lunch. I would LOVE a full nights sleep What bliss that
would be to put my head on the pillow . close my eyes, and wake to the dawn.

I think i have more chance of winning the Lottery.

Why does my bladder decside to go into overdrive through the night?
Is that the reason for my sleepless nights?

Or could it be my legs deciding to go on a ten mile hike while i am sleeping?

I have tried reading, music to send you asleep, a boring programme on TV
nothing works i can get to sleep but 2 hours and You got it I AM WIDE AWAKE

Meditation and relaxation are something i find easy to do and i can fall asleep
quickly, 2 hours and yup i'm awake

I thought EXCERCISE WEAR MY SELF OUT
i do more walking my stretching my desk routine and even more walking
i do the Climbing up and down the stairs till my legs ache and wobble
crash out in a heap on the couch. You guessed it two hours later with painful limbs
my eyes open.

I stopped the coffee cheese after a certain time not a bit of difference does it make

Other than popping sleeping pills (which i am determined not to do) i think i have to resign myself to churchillian "cat naps" Take it where i can get it

I know from talking to others in the chat room this is not my problem alone
but seems to be one we all have difficulty with

Has anyone got any Good Tips? has anyone beat this problem?
Does anyone EVER SLEEP 8 HOURS ANYMORE??????????

love and hugs Silks xxxxxxxxxxx

[patoco]

Hi Ya Silkie

OMG...sleep

I've heard of that word before Isn't that something you're suppose to do at night

Afraid I'm like you....here it is a little past 2:00am and I'm wide awake

Gotta be a beter way other then hitting yourself over the head with a hammer

hugs

Pat

[silkie]

Hiya Pat

You would be a great assett to Em right now she could sleep thru and you could do the thru the night feeds lol


The sledhammer would i think be a little drastic

and counting sheep i leave to our friend in NZ u know the one with the wellies

I don't believe this but am chatting away to a member on msn a few minutes ago and i suddenly woke up unbelievable good job she knows silkie

didnt dropsy used to be an old nme associated with lymph
Now that i understand now

I think if we could sleep sitting up i would sleep longer
does that make any sense at all lol


Maybe were like the sailors they have sea legs and adapt to the mostion of the sea

We have lymph legs and are so used to walking round with the in balance of being bottom heavy with fluid that when we lie the fluids distribution alters and we have to find our "SLEEP" legs
???????????????????????????
lol i dont know pat just wish there was some SA out there that could help

hugssssssssssssssssssss

ilks xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

[Kim]

And here I thought I was the only one having those sleepless, restless nights!! I thought it was menopausal...guess not!!

Between the bathroom calling my name to often and my arms giving me fits, it's so hard to stay asleep. Like the two of you, it's about 2 hours and i'm awake. Crazy! I lay there and work on my arms until I can fall back to sleep, or I turn on the tv and watch until I can't keep my eyes open any longer. But then an hour or 2 two later, i'm awake again! Between my hubby's bad back and my restlessness at night, we no longer share the same bed. Boy, has that been tough; but better that one of us can sleep!

It would be so great to be able to sleep through the night. I can't help but think that good solid rest would help our condition. If our bodies are always exhausted, then it's starting out with a minus every day.

Here's to cat naps,
Kim

[h_festa]

LOL I think the last time I got 8 hours of sleep was when I was a child. I force myself to stay in bed as long as possible. It's one of the only times I can elevate during the day. I'll lay in bed for as many as three hours before I even feel a little drowsy. I sleep about 4-5 hours a night maybe, but in the AM, I can see my ankles. So, it's well worth it!
My best to all

[gottahavesun]

Gosh maybe we should open the chat room at night, since we all seem to be up at the same time-lol--can laugh now but not in the middle of the night when I wake up--I don't go to bed until 12 or 1 and I wake up anywear between 2-4, for about an hour. I get up to rip off my reid sleeves so I can go pee, pee(no matter how much I limit fluids at night) and then I lay there for a little while before I can go to sleep, normally without my reids on. I normally just lay in bed to rest my body. I do this because I'm only up about 45 minutes to an hour. I think if it were longer I would get up too, to see if I can do something to make me tired.
I do take an hour nap in the afternoon. I was taking 2 hour naps or however long I slept until the doctor told me at max to sleep for an hour so I didn't mess up my sleep clock. I either set an alarm or time my sleep to be over when my son comes home to wake me up.
Eight hours sleep in one stretch is very rare for me but when I sleep thru the night until my husband wakes up to go to work at 6:30 it is heaven. It only happens a couple times a month but the next time I'm so alert and I just feel better all over.
Kim--I'm sorry that better your restlessness and your husbands back you can't share a bed. Ever thought of getting a kings size bed like the ones on tv where if you are moving aroung your husband's side stays still? I'm in a Queen bed right now and we have issues too because of me in all my gear and my husband's bad back and restlessness but I don't even want to move to a king size bed yet because of I want the closeness. I guess eventually we will move up in size and get one of the beds Ive seen on TV, but Im not ready for that quite yet.
Here's hoping we all come up with a solution that works for us to get our necessary sleep!

[silkie]

Hi Lisa

i got an idea but dont want to shock Pat

But i wish they would bottle Richard Gere

Sorry Pat

But i think id sleep then

love

Silkssssssssss ( naughty again ) lol

[gottahavesun]

oh yeah and I just saw one of my favorite movies yesterday---Runaway Bride----that man is flat out sexy!!!!! My hubby always says your man is on when we sit down to watch a Richard Gere moview--omg and I love him in the dancing movie too......lol

[donsuzbee]

Sorry - but I must confess - I take a sleeping medication. I am still working full time at age 66 and if I didn't get some sleep I would be a mess. Having said all that I still don't sleep more than 4 hours straight. Get up, eat some crackers, drink some milk, back to sleep - in my lounge chair. But I am rested or wouldn't be able to even function thru the day. And I decided to take my rest when I can - that way I don't have quite as much pain. I have too much anyway, I think - 2ndary in my arm and upper body. If I lay day every 4 hours or so I can rest my arm and then not so bad. I even found a place a work to quietly slip away to and rest for 45 minutes on my lunch hour. Nothing is "normal" anymore so why I should try to make sleep normal.
God bless!
Susan

[gottahavesun]

Hey Susan,
I too take a medicine to help me sleep and I still wake up in the middle of the night. The medicine helps me get too sleep and I'm not ready to mess with the dose to keep me asleep, as long as I'm able to get back to sleep when I try and also am able to take my 1 hour afternoon nap.

[silkie]

Hi Susan Hi Lisa

It really is a problem . I can get to sleep its staying asleep

that seems to be our problem. I can do meditation relaxation

no problem its once im asleep .

Susan i "cat nap" to infeact thats the strangest thing

i can fall asleep in the middle of a conversation

and if i sleep accidently in a chair i can sleep a lot better than lay down

im sure its has to do with the fluid (the actual fluid capacity)

Ah well another day to ponder the strange world of lymphedema

or fall asleep while dusting lolllllllllllllllll

We sure are a resiliant lot us lymphers

hugggggggggggggg

Silks xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

[suzeeq]

Hi Silkie, Lisa and Susan,
I too occasionally have trouble sleeping at night. I usually can fall asleep, but then wake up later and can be up for an hour or two. But I don't have a problem with falling asleep during the day as Silkie does. Have you ever been tested for sleep apnea? Alot of people stop breathing at night numerous times and don't get their needed REM sleep. So since they don't get adequate rest at night, they tend to fall asleep during the day. Just a thought.
I do too take an occasional sleeping pill, but that is in order to sleep during the day, because I work the night shift. I take around 2 a month. I tried Ambien, but was up in 5 hours. Tried Tylenol PM. same thing. I now take Restoril and I can sleep 8-9 hours. Lunesta is new. I haven't tried that yet. But if you ask for sleeping medication, get one that will help you fall asleep plus keep you asleep. Im not sure, but I think Ambien CR does that.
Sleep tight and don't let the bed bugs bite! Another Susan

[silkie]

Hi Suzeeq

Many of the people i chat with in the lymph group have a similar problem to me. Not sleeping and real fatigue problems to during the day

As i say going to sleep isnt the problem staying is

I think it is more for me my bladder than a sleep disorder

and i know it sounds crazy but i think it is to do with being horizontal

during the day my bladder seems underactive during the night overactive

it was every hour at one stage during the night

And i can sleep wonderfully sat up.

Pre elephantitus i slept and slept and slept

Hugssssssssssss

Silksxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

ps my bladder is fine no problems they can find

[gottahavesun]

In addition to the 4 reid sleeves and girdle I wear at night I also use a cpap machine, hence why I have meds to help me go to sleep-lol. I get a deeper more restful sleep at night, but still wake up in the middle of the night. I think because most of us wrap or wear other things with more compression than what we have during the day that our bladder gets a workout at night and just can't hold all the fluid until morning. Look on the bright side-at least we do WAKE UP to pee, think of the alternative--peeing in the bed--omg I was a pee in the bed girl too long as a child and don't want to do that as an adult!!!!

Have a good night everyone!

[Kim]

Oh gosh, Lisa! I hadn't thought about that! Peeing in the bed! That would be awful! So you're right; we need to be thankful that we wake up!!

You mentioned, Lisa, getting a king size bed so my hubby and I could be in the same bed. How nice that would be. However, we don't have the extra money to put towards a new bed. Without insurance, my condition has totally drained us. I'm not sure how we'll continue to manage as it is. Thanks for the thought though. I so miss that closeness, but we try in other ways. We watch tv together in the evenings while i'm doing my therapy and get some cuddle time in afterwards. Have to deal with the situation as best we can.

Ambien! When I was in the hospital a couple of years ago, they gave me Ambien one night instead of an injection to help me sleep. Talk about a WILD night! Every time I would doze off, I would have these horrific nightmares, and I was hallucinating like crazy! One of the nurses came in, took one look at me and said, what in the world did they give you?? My eyes were so dilated, and I was making absolutely no since at all! I know i'm extremely sensitive to meds, but that was crazy! Never do I want to relive that, I tell ya!!

I take benadry at night; helps me doze off. I've tried some wonderful chamomile/lavender tea which helps to. Just seems there is nothing to really knock me out. But then, I guess I really don't want to be out cold....would probably wake up in a wet bed!!

Here's to dry beds!!!!!!
Kim

[PamelaS]

OH brother - and I thought all these sleep problems were just me - guess not. I can get to sleep at night but don't stay asleep. Something like 3 or 4 AM I'll be wide awake and cannot get back to sleep. Hubby does not understand.

Pamela