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[anxiousalice]

Hi everyone

I've had trouble with sleep for the last 2 years. It started when I had thyroid problems coupled with a death in the family,and it's still as bad as ever.
I'm forever looking for a good remedy.
My main problem is that when I do sleep, I have really vivid dreams and wake up feeling as if I haven't rested at all!
I also have stiffness in my legs when I first emerge from bed in the mornings and a high level of anxiety which generally lessens as the day progresses.
I've been taking half a Zopiclone tablet most nights with the occassional full one when I have a few bad nights in a row.
I would much rather find something else, but I've tried some herbal remedies with no success.
I do try and grab a ten minute rest in the afternoon when I can, and this seems to help a little.
Will continue to search for a better remedy.
Ah, just thought of one......................no stress!!
In my dreams.............

Alice

[catweazle]

I seem to be able to get off to sleep ok, it's when I get up during the night to go to the loo that I can't get back off. I've been awake since 4.15 this morning 
I'm going to try rescue remedy night spray. Boots have kindly sent me a voucher through the post for rescue remedies (*how did they know?  )

Will report back if it works.

Catweazle x

*Oh it must be because I've used my advantage card for the many, many purchases of regular rescue spray.
Hmm must be careful what I use that card for! 

[ziggy1955]

I am so tired I don't quite know what to do with myself. The hot flushes that were disturbing my sleep very night for the last few months seem to have gone away since I started HRT last week but now I'm plagued by restless legs. The last 2 nights they have woken me up and kept me awake for ages. Last night was so bad, I couldn't bear to keep my legs still and I couldn't get any relief from the horrible creeping sensation in them. My poor husband must be sick of me wriggling around in bed trying to ease my  legs. I've read on here that bananas help so I suppose it would be worth eating more of them to see if it helps. I don't know what else to do.

[Taz2]

Hi Ziggy - Restless Legs Syndrome is a very real problem for a lot of people. There is even a society to help sufferers http://www.rls.org/Page.aspx?pid=477   I have odd spates of this in the past and find one way to ease them for a while is to lay with your feet much higher than your head i.e. lie on the floor with your legs against the wall - as high as you can get them comfortably. Have you had this before? Is it down as one of your HRT side effects I wonder.

There is more info here http://www.patient.co.uk/health/Restless-Legs-Syndrome.htm  which does mention exercise being helpful. I hope that you soon get some rest!

Taz x

[ziggy1955]

Thanks Taz, they do feel like raising them would be helpful but so far I've only had the energy in the middle of the night to put them up on the end of the bed frame but I think I'll try lying with them up the  wall to see if it works. I've had this in the past but not for years and it seems to be worse than it was. I think it is a meno symptom for me.

[doodles]

hi girls new to the site, had hysterectomy and oophorectomy in january and every day since leaving hospital i have yet to make it past 3 hours sleep a night. My doctor will not prescribe me zopiclone as he says its more likely to be stress from my job (acute cardiac nurse) and not the menopause.  Any suggestions girls on wot over the counter remedies other than kalms (useless) are supposed to be any good.  I am so desperate for a nights sleep..........

[catweazle]

Hi doodles
Welcome to the forum 

Nice to have you on board 
There's 20 pages in this thread so if you've got time to trawl through it, I'm sure there'll be some suggestions of things you can try. I've been having a spell of poor sleeping recently so you have my sympathy. I'm going to try rescue remedy night spray. My sister says it works for her (she's a nurse). Anythings worth a try eh?

Catweazle x

[PowerSurgeBiddy]

Generally, I don't sleep too badly but when the hot flushes get bad then its another thing altogether.  Bedclothes on, bedclothes off; leg out of the covers, leg under the covers!  One thing I have found helpful is a hotwater bottle filled with cold water.  A cheaper alternative to the Chillow (I think that's what it is called.)  When i get a flush, which feels like my spine and back of scull are on fire, then I stick the water bottle under my neck and top of back.  Absolute heaven! (for a minute or two at least).  This forums great.  Wish I'd found it years ago.

[Rosebush]

Last 2 nights i have used Melatonin (3mg) which was recommened by a member, i had to order via web site, the hot flushes still get through, but i have been getting back to sleep quicker..

[doodles]

since my last blog i have took advice and started valerian so far this is working, i slept for 6 hours last night and feel great this morning. there was no sleepiness of slugglishness that you get with nytol when i woke up.  hope it works for some of you guys out there as well.  now i just need to work out how to cope with mood swings ie wanting to throttle husband permanently since op then i will be well away

[Rosebush]

Doddles so glad Valerian is working for you  i did try it years ago but sadly for me it did not work..i took Melatonin again last night, as i have such a lot on at the mo and need to get back to sleep after all the flushes..i slept for 2hrs 20mins, in one go something i only normally get from Zopiclone, so it seems when needed Mela is working for me..

[catweazle]

I am trying a new tactic for getting back to sleep in the middle of the night. I usually get off ok but wake up several times; for the loo, feeling thirsty, feeling hungry etc and once I've woken up I find it very difficult to get back off.

I've always been a bit of a clock watcher and notice exactly what time it is when I wake up. Then I can't resist doing the maths - how long have I been asleep, how long have I got before I have to get up, if I don't get back off how many hours will I have had and will I be able to cope with that amount etc etc. 

So, last week, as an experiment I decided to cover my clock so I can't see the time, just to see if it made any difference. I know the alarm will still wake me up in the morning if necessary, but, get this, I've discovered that if I don't know what time it is when I wake in the night I seem to be able to get back off to sleep no problem! Amazing. When I wake now I just say to myself 'oh it's probably about 1am' and I drift straight back off!
Woo hoo - I hope this is a permanent solution to my sleeping problem

Catweazle x
PS I bought some rescue remedy night spray last week and I haven't needed to use it yet!

[Rosebush]

Another success story well done Cat

As i reluctantly 5mths ago went on HRT for my nights sweats, i time them, just to check if or when Hrt will start to help...maybe soon...

Cat i might even cover my clock tonight and stuff my diary..

[Tigerlilly]

Well i don't take this for my sleep problem, but i had to take a anti-histamine about a year ago as i had a bad insect bite, i was given by the pharmacist the drowsy version, i kept nodding off in the afternoon, it was quite funny and i slept like a log! But oddly enough, even tho i know it will make me sleep, i won't take it for that, am i a bit mad?

[residualheat]

I have a clock that needs prodding for the light to come and show the time, so I just don't prod it anymore and it helps enormously.

The other thing I do, and this sounds silly but it works, I keep saying to myself 'go to sleep, come on now, off you go, go to sleep' and it can work surprisingly quickly.

Oh, and earplugs, they're wonderful. I wake up if a fly farts in the next room, so earplugs stop me waking up in the first place.