Melatonin-My Hero

stunned1 wrote:Speaking of Thanksgiving dinner, this Sunday the whole family is going to the Old Mill for a turkey dinner. Do you remember the Old Mill when you lived in Etobicoke? I guess I should sleep good Sunday night!

Sure do remember; the reception for my brother's first wedding was held there. I missed his 2nd wedding; that marriage didn't last either.

I guess I was the lucky one with love: 23.5 wonderful years (on Saturday) and counting!

Happy Thanksgiving to you and your family,

Thank you, and the the same to you.

Just an update, I don't know if it's the cold, and I don't think so as I was able to breathe much better last night and was exhausted from the night before, but the melatonin is not helping one bit anymore. I don't even know if I'm going to bother or just call the doctor and try to get a prescription to get me to finally sleep through the night.

I guess I will just have to be thankful that it worked one night and gave me almost six hours straight. Although just getting a little taste of something and then never having it again can sometimes be worse than not having it at all.

I have been following this discussion with great interest as I have just the same sleep problems. I have no problem going to sleep but wake at 1.30am, 3.30, 5.30 it does seem to be a 2 hourly cycle I would just love to sleep for 6 or more hours without waking it would be bliss , I do hope someone has a solution.

If you want to use Tylenol PM but are reluctant to take Tylenol, you can always take Simply Sleep. I think it's made by the makers of Tylenol and is the same sleep aid but doesn't have any Tylenol in it. I've tried it several times but I never slept through the night with it. Also, it left me with a sleep hangover the next day but maybe it will work for some of you out there. I'm just greatful if I wake up twice instead of three times a night. I know what you mean about sleeping 6 straight hours and not being able to do it again. I remember the night I did it. I sure wish somebody could come up with something to stop this waking up every two hours but until then I guess I'll just keep taking Benadryl. It cuts it down to 2 sleep interruptions a night usually and that's better than the 3 or four I can get without it.

Lori

Just wanted to update you on my last couple of nights. I have now tried melatonin at 1.5mg, 3mg., and 6mg. different nights. It seems to keep me even more awake.

Last night I didn't use any melatonin, just 1 clonazapam and I slept much better.

One thing I am noticing that I have been looking into is that when I am ready to fall asleep my body does some twitching that I really never noticed before. It is different than what they describe as Restless Leg Symdrome. So I am reading articles on the computer regarding the body possibly have a very small movement disorder which can result in twitching and nightly awakenings. Apparently these movements can be so slight that you may not notice them while you sleep. It seems that especially in women we can have an iron deficiency from our monthly 'friend' and also from other things. The articles are suggesting an iron supplement over a period of time is the answer to this.

Have you heard anything about this?

I am curious. Are there any men out there having constant nightly awakenings which seem to be unexplained?

Tater pie,
Where do you find Simply Sleep? I'll try anything. I was reluctant to try Tylenol PM because of the acetaminophin in it that is not good for the liver. I would love to check into this SS stuff. Sounds like a possiblity. Thank you!

Stunned 1,
Someone else on this site once mentioned that the supplementing of iron in theirs or their mother's diet took away RLS. It is supposed to be helpful. When I had my titration study done, even though they claimed I had 14+ PLMD's per hour on night one, before they put a mask on me, they claimed zero on the second night with CPAP on. And it has been said to alleviate or eliminate it in some instances, so I haven't even given it a thought, actually. Thanks for sparking my imagination on this now.

I hate to resort to a prescription sleep aid to get straight sleep. I thought starting therapy was supposed to help me get to that stage. So far, I've maybe slept well three times in four months. I just keep thanking the heavens above that I feel as well as I do and that the migraines have eased up, as has the BP after getting on the water pill. So the therapy is helping, definitely. I just hate waking up so many times during the night.

And, yes, I find if I take the melatonin, I am more wakeful and stay up longer, finding it hard now to get back to sleep, which I never had before. So I am through for now with it. Maybe once a month just to replenish any deficit there may be. I'm not sure if I'll even do that, though, yet.

I usually find it right in the grocery store in the same area as the Tylenol PM or in the Drug Store in the same place. Like I said earlier, it usually lessens the number of awakenings I have but it doesn't do away with them all together and it does leave me with a hangover the next day but not a really bad one. I get it at Walgreens or CVS or just about any major grocery store in the sleep aids department. Walmart has their own brand of the stuff too. Just look on the Simply Sleep ingredients and then match them with the Walmart Brand. Hope you can find it and get some good results with it.

Tater pie,

Thank you again. In the meanwhile, I called my doctor and, against all my better judgment, asked her to prescribe something for a week or so to help me sleep. One of my best friends from high school has a sister who is a doctor and she discussed this with her. Her answer was Lunesta, stating it is safe to take and is non-addictive. I can't imagine a sleep aid being non-addictive, but she swears it's one of the best ones out there, and she is going to San Fransico next week to present a whole research study she did on the subject. So I got a script of 15 Lunesta tablets and will try one tonight and hope it gets me through a night. I am not hopeful anything ever will, but at this stage it's worth a try. If I can just break what I can only assume is a habit from the days of leaking masks and hoses, maybe I can get into the groove of not waking up all night long anymore.

I'll fill you in on what it does for me and to me tomorrow. Thanks again for writing back.

I've tried Lunesta before (2mg.) and it didn't work worth a flip for me but maybe it will do the trick for you. My doctor suggested taking 2 tablets which would make it 4 mgs. if the 2 mgs. didn't work but it's sooooo expensive that I never tried that. I think it comes in 1, 2, and 4 mgs. I could only afford 9 tablets and even if they did work, I couldn't afford them. I sure hope they do the trick for you though. Good luck and I hope you sleep the night through tonight!

Sleepless on LI wrote:

By the way, last night I had the worst head cold since starting CPAP and I ended up trying Afrin, which I am very careful with as my overly-cautious in everything he does father got addicted to it many years back where his sinuses would become swollen if he didn't use it.

I took 1/2 a 3 mg. pill last night and had a horrible night. I know it's not fair to judge it when I'm sick, although my nose stayed pretty clear through the night but I didn't feel well at all. But I was up probably at least five times.

Lori,
Way back (over 20 years ago) I used Afrin for several nights because I couldn't breathe through my nose, and I have a horrible time with dry throat and mouth if I have to mouth breathe. I could then breathe but kept waking up every hour all through those nights. At first I couldn't figure out what was happening but then realized it was the Afrin keeping me awake. Maybe I'm just sensative. Haven't used it since. I usually do the old Vicks on the end of the nose thing that my mama did when I was young. I also try to open up the sinuses early in the day with Sudaphed or similar. You can also try a nasal wash like Simply Saline. Not very pleasant but it might help. I wouldn't use the cheaper brands--I tried one, and it really burned! Simply Saline did not--I think it may be because it has no preservatives.
Esther

Esther,

Thank you for the advice, but I'm thrilled to say the cold has been gone for about two days now, finally. I am very careful with the Afrin because my dad got addicted to it, the overly-cautious man that he is. His nose would swell up until he used it again and only then would he be able to breathe. So believe me when I tell you he drilled it into our heads to be careful with it. So I only use it at night for a max of three days, no longer.

My problem with not sleeping comes from, I believe, having three months of therapy with leaky masks and a hose draped across me and I believe I reposition every two hours. So I got used to waking up every two hours when I turned over to check that the mask wasn't leaking and the hose wasn't under me or obstructing me in some manner.

Now since the past month I have a mask that works for me and the hose goes behind my pillow, I think I'm subconsciouly still waking up thinking I have to check those things when I don't. I am now on Lunesta as of last night to try to break this pattern. I am giving it one week and then if it doesn't work, maybe I'll chalk it off to perimenopause which I hear can cause this to happen, too, not that I have any other symptoms of it yet. But it could be one of the first to show its face as a result. And it's not my episodes as they don't happen that frequently and I've even checked my charts on the software to see if my wake-ups coincided with the events, but no.

Thanks for the thought. I am praying perhaps the Lunesta will get me a good night's sleep. If not, I just have to accept this and be grateful I'm not dragging during the day as a result. Hopefully that won't happen in the future, either.

stunned1 wrote:Lori

Just wanted to update you on my last couple of nights. I have now tried melatonin at 1.5mg, 3mg., and 6mg. different nights. It seems to keep me even more awake.

Last night I didn't use any melatonin, just 1 clonazapam and I slept much better.

One thing I am noticing that I have been looking into is that when I am ready to fall asleep my body does some twitching that I really never noticed before. It is different than what they describe as Restless Leg Symdrome. So I am reading articles on the computer regarding the body possibly have a very small movement disorder which can result in twitching and nightly awakenings. Apparently these movements can be so slight that you may not notice them while you sleep. It seems that especially in women we can have an iron deficiency from our monthly 'friend' and also from other things. The articles are suggesting an iron supplement over a period of time is the answer to this.

Stunned1,
Did your twitches start before or after beginning the Melatonin? Years ago I took Melatonin for a while--can't remember exactly how long--maybe a few months? It did help me fall asleep faster but after a while it started to make me feel nervous or jittery shortly after taking it each night. I would feel like I had to move my feet and legs. (RLS maybe?) After I stopped taking the Melatonin, the feeling also stopped. (I was still able to fall asleep faster than before starting the Melatonin.) I have had many years of twitching and jerking at night--my poor husband has been kicked on more that one occasion I'm afraid , but that has essentially stopped since being on CPAP.
Esther

Sleepless on LI wrote:Esther,

My problem with not sleeping comes from, I believe, having three months of therapy with leaky masks and a hose draped across me and I believe I reposition every two hours. So I got used to waking up every two hours when I turned over to check that the mask wasn't leaking and the hose wasn't under me or obstructing me in some manner.

Now since the past month I have a mask that works for me and the hose goes behind my pillow, I think I'm subconsciouly still waking up thinking I have to check those things when I don't. I am now on Lunesta as of last night to try to break this pattern. I am giving it one week and then if it doesn't work, maybe I'll chalk it off to perimenopause which I hear can cause this to happen, too, not that I have any other symptoms of it yet. But it could be one of the first to show its face as a result.

Lori,
I thought about you, tater pie, and sleepy in uk each time I woke up last night--about every 2 hours as well. My biggest problem at this point (since the leaking problem is sooo much better with Rested Gal's great pantyhose fix ) is aeophagia. I've been on CPAP over a year, and I think the aerophagia is getting worse rather than better. I've tried tipping my head back and the DIY tongue holder. The DIY seemed to help a bit but hurt under my tongue so I couldn't use it very long. After making it more tolerable, I don't think it works as well. I asked my Dr. to decrease the pressure. She said it is because I needed higher pressure--that my airway was closing and the only place the air had to go was into my stomach. So pressure went from 7 up to 9. That was much worse. It is now back on 7, but I'm waking up every 2 hours, sitting up to let the air bubble out. Of course all of it does not come up and that is so uncomfortable that sometimes I'm awake for an hour.
Would appreciate any other ideas. And if there are others with this problem I would like to know if autopap helped any. My Dr. is very resistant to my getting an auto. She only prescribes that to those with pressures of 15 or so.
Thanks,
Esther
Hope your new med helps you get a great night's sleep!

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CPAPopedia Keywords Contained In This Post (Click For Definition): hose, CPAP, auto

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CPAPopedia Keywords Contained In This Post (Click For Definition): hose, CPAP, auto

Esther,

Yes, auto did help me for awhile with it. And I found I got less and less of it as time went on, even though I'm on CPAP now at 10 cms. I even took OTC gas pills before I went to bed. They said they wouldn't do anything since it's not gas, but air in the stomach. I'm sorry, but maybe it was the placebo theory with my mind thinking that it would work, but it seemed to help me. Maybe part of the problem wasn't aerophagia but gas. I don't know. But it did seem to make a difference.

I still suffer some nights with a tummy that is less than cooperative. I try with all my might to remain lady-like, sometimes unsuccessfully. When it happens, I just lay there listening and praying I hear my husband's rhythmic breathing indicating he was asleep for the "slip." Isn't it wonderful the things we share on this site? It was like when we had babies, the topics of conversations that we had with mothers of other infants, truly amazing.

I wish I could offer you the answer, but I don't have it. You sound like you know most of the suggestions, like keeping your head elevated somewhat. Did you search the archives on this site for posts about it? Maybe something in one of them could offer you some insight. Sorry it's not me.

Yes, I searched and tried to follow the suggestions. Seems to me like the auto might help with this since there would be less air pressure all through the night--only when you need it. Would like to hear from more out there that the auto made a difference for with the problem of aeorphagia.
Thanks,
Esther

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CPAPopedia Keywords Contained In This Post (Click For Definition): auto