Sleep Apnea and Insomnia

GertbeatFroeb · Post by **GertbeatFroeb** » Fri Aug 24, 2007 5:47 pm

Hello everyone I've got a question for anyone who could tackle this and give me an answer. I've got "moderate" sleep apnea which is a real treat with the bonus of having insomnia. I've started CPAP and it's helped some but the real problem is getting to sleep. I've tried every med out there from Ambien, Ambien CR, Restoril, Lunesta, and pretty much everything out there. I also tried melatonin which I was told by my Doctor doesn't break the blood brain barrier which means it's useless. Anyone out there have a similar problem? It's killing me to the point where I've pretty much had enough.

echo · Post by **echo** » Fri Aug 24, 2007 5:55 pm

Ohhhhh yeah! The worse my sleep is, the more insomnia I get! My sleepiness starts shifting from midnight... to 1 am... to 2 am... I'm currently at a 4 am bedtime at the moment!

When I've gotten refreshing sleep for a few days in a row, I naturally start getting tired at around 11pm again.

My doctor prescribed Sonata .. and it worked really well for me. It's also nicer than the other sleep meds because you don't wake up groggy or drowsy. I've tried melatonin in the past in it didn't do sh*t for me.

You might want to look at whether your CPAP is really lowering your AHI. Maybe you have leaks, mouth breathing, pressure not high enough ...?

msheda · Post by **msheda** » Fri Aug 24, 2007 5:56 pm

Give the CPAP a chance to work for awhile... part of the insomnia might be an underlying fear not to gasp your way through the night, as you learn that you don't have to, it gets better.

That and of course the usual "sleep hygiene" (I'm starting to hate that term) but things like, use your bed for sleeping, not watching TV or reading, etc... if at first you dont sleep, after 15 or 20 minutes get up and read or do some unstressfull thing. (TV is bad btw.. you get caught up in a program which mean rather than perhaps being tired in 15 minnutes you will stay tuned to the end of the show).

jrfoster · Post by **jrfoster** » Fri Aug 24, 2007 8:30 pm

GertbeatFroeb wrote:Hello everyone I've got a question for anyone who could tackle this and give me an answer. I've got "moderate" sleep apnea which is a real treat with the bonus of having insomnia. I've started CPAP and it's helped some but the real problem is getting to sleep. I've tried every med out there from Ambien, Ambien CR, Restoril, Lunesta, and pretty much everything out there. I also tried melatonin which I was told by my Doctor doesn't break the blood brain barrier which means it's useless. Anyone out there have a similar problem? It's killing me to the point where I've pretty much had enough.

I have been there, done that, tried all presecription sleep aids, which the doctor was happy to write for me, etc. And for MONTHS nothing really helped. I was begining to think that dead was better!

I had stress induced insomnia that resulted from a work situation that forced me into early retirement. This insomnia also coincided with me being diagnosed with moderate sleep apnea also. I couldn't see straight (literally) my forehead felt numb and tingled, and I could not even lie down to take a one hour nap during the day. I hated the bed and the bedroom. Tired sleeping in a different direction, put a bar of soap under the sheets, and was really at the end of the rope. I also tried meditation music, cyrstals, you name it I tried it. I think you know what I mean?

About this time Brent came out with Pur-Sleep. What did I have to lose? I ordered some, and the aroma of the essential oils being difused through my CPAP mask actually helped me calm down, and be able to get to sleep in less than one hour! I began to use it faithfully, and before long I looked foward to sleep and the aroma therapy from Pur-Sleep. I can now fall asleep in 15-20 minutes or so, and when I do wake up I can get back to sleep. I still use Pur-Sleep to this day. (And no, I don't work for Pur-Sleep or get kickbacks if someone buys some!

It simply worked for me and it might for you. After all, what have you got to lose except another nights sleep?

Jeff in TN

GertbeatFroeb · Post by **GertbeatFroeb** » Fri Aug 24, 2007 8:56 pm

I guess that's worth a try as I'm really pondering the meaning of life. People don't understand how destructive lack of sleep can be. It's never a quick fix as I'm finding out.

frapilu · Post by **frapilu** » Sat Aug 25, 2007 5:25 am

When I was diagnosed with sleep apnea back in 2003, I hoped it would fix my insomnia too but it didn't. The doctor figured that perhaps my brain was afraid of my going to sleep for fear that I would stop breathing. We didn't want to go the route of sleep drugs so my doctor referred me to a psychologist who specializes in sleep disorders. I had about 10 sessions with her where I learned to improve my sleep hygiene and stuff like that. It worked so I'm ok now.

Sleep deprivation is definitely disruptive. Good luck at resolving yours.

France

Sleep Apnea and Insomnia

Sleep Apnea and Insomnia

Re: Sleep Apnea and Insomnia