Sleep Disorders Community

I'm still searching for a answer I work 2nd shift 4-12:30 sometimes 2:30am and couldn't fall asleep for hrs took ambien it helped alittle but still having this issue

I'll ask you as well as An_246103 how often and what type of exercise you do DAILY? Also do you have a firmly set ritual that you do before you go to bed?

How what type of exercise you do DAILY? Also do you have a firmly set ritual that you do before you go to bed?

Sorry but I combined two questions. Maybe I didn't get a good nights sleep? Do you exercise daily and if not daily how often?

Hi An_246103
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Right now, my exercise is just a 1 to 2 mile walk around the common daily. I injuried my hip, which looks like a pulled hamstring for which my doctor didn't give exercises to get better. I've reinjured it a few times since. So I went on Youtube to find exercises which I believe should help prevent reinjury. I would normally be biking 15-20 miles 2-3 times a week this time of year but cannot bike 1/4 mile without reinjuring the hip. Also, in the winter I run on the treadmill at least 1.5 mi at a time, 2.25 is about optimal. I've done Yoga of various sorts although I would say I am just a beginner. I hurt my hip doing 2 60 minute Yoga sessions in a day, which has really sucked. Probably going to be at least another 4 months before I even think about running again and Yoga scares me now.

For rituals, I typcially spend time in robotics (either programming or designing) because that is what I did my whole life before I got really sick from not sleeping. Some nights I do watch TV but I can't really say that I remember much of it. It's like it never gets recorded in my mind. Same thing with books and magazines. I can't retain new information easily. I had a 3.7 GPA both undergrad and grad and it's frustrating to see.

Just saw this Kalgoth. The app didn't send me your response or I just missed it. Either I'm sorry about the delay.

First. WOW! You do have your plate full! I can only hope you've had some relief since this thread was visited by either of us. Is your injury (is it hip or hamstring?) any better? I suppose as I read down it must be the hip. I would say if cycling is injuring your hip you've likely got an issue with fit. If it's an injury from some trauma or due to repetitive stress it needs to be examined by a COMPETENT doc. If you've got major pain issues and all your doc does is write a script GO ELSEWHERE! I'm a big fella, 6'4", 230ish. I ride from 80-150 miles weekly and struggle at times with my hips. My FAVORITE hip pose is Eye of the Needle.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pHG3IbfqM8A

If you notice there is a series of hip poses on the page. Don't let yoga scare you! Just slow down, take it easy and listen to your body. Go back to or find another instructor and tell them your issues and ask them to help you find a short, low intensity series of poses for your specific issues that you can do daily and build up as your body allows. Ask about some simple 'pre-sleep' routines to relax you!

Second. So far as the routine goes I'll be blunt. I take Flexeril and Melatonin nightly. But I also go to bed at the same time every night if possible as well and I read myself to sleep. I get in some nights around 9pm so I watch just a little news, check emails (NO BUSINESS ONES!!) and head to bed. I do these things to disconnect me from the work day. Most anything I do after work is 'same stuff, different day' things. I let the worry of the day stay IN THE DAY. After 6-7pm there isn't much you can achieve business wise in my opinion. If reading is something that relaxes you read things that aren't complex nor need be memorized. What's it matter if you don't remember who Jason Bourne killed the night before as you drifted off to sleep? Everything you eat that's good for you may not taste great and everything you read to help you sleep/relax doesn't need to be the next great American novel.

Third, for now. Get a high quality memory foam bed. No pressure points and no 'struggle' with the bed just to sleep on it as many innerspring beds cause ESPECIALLY with injury's. I can REALLY, REALLY help you there if you need it.

Holler back if this helps or if I can be of any more encouragement. A sleep study may be in the future as well.

Doug

Well, I did worse at 6 mg of Ambien than 7 or 8 but I actually improved when I went to the 5 mg tablets just the past 5 days. I believe I must actually be somewhat sleeping after I awake when the ambien wears off after just over 5 hours. I stay in bed for another 5 hours with some new sleep finally that came after dropping down on the Ambien. I'm pretty sure the Klonopin is helping me attain the needed sleep the last 5 hours. At least it was giving me rest when there seemed to be no hope in sleeping on my own. I hope when I get down to 4 mg or lower that I do feel better. I don't know what to expect because of my poor sleep situation for the last few years.

I believe I was close to death this January, I was suffering so severly that I had suicidal thoughts. My whole body went weak for weeks. I had trouble with my sitting muscles while sitting in my chair for about 1 month in December. My pysciatrists knows that I had suicidal thoughts and prescribed the Klonopin. I believe it was a vein (and benign from what a neurologist told me). I have healed (I saw the Amen clinic book on PBS, picked it up, went to the website and now eating much healthier foods and spices to prevent alzheimer's) but wondering what really happened (I suspect two or more blood clots in the opposite of the injured hip). I tried manually massaging these things out. It appears to have helped. When I walked on the leg in January I could feel the blood flow to the right hemisphere of my brain stop. There was a stretch that I used to try to push blood flow up through my neck. I would feel my neck and know whether I had blood flowing or not. It would be obvious. All the muscles on that side of the hip got severly strained one day on an all-day fishing trip when I had to stand on one leg because of an injured ankle. I could have ran or walked on the treadmill too much. I felt bad things happening inside my brain, loss of blood flow. At some point I was taking cayenne pepper to increase blood flow.

Yes, the hamstring injury has been a bummer. I feel like 4 inches of bone down the leg on the injured hip could shatter sometimes too. I am walking 2 or more miles per day and doing about 1 hour more exercise based on youtube fitness videos perhaps twice a week. I'm hoping that these strengthen the leg/hip for running again during the winter and probably biking again next year. I can only bike a 4-6 houses down in low gear without hurting the hip/hamstring.

I might be able to do a little Yoga but based on the severity to that joint it's not something that I will do right away.

My routine is dynamic as I am always having different types of days. Although, I don't usually program at night any more. I did this for a couple of months after not doing almost anything for a year. I do what work I can to keep myself in my field as a programmer. I don't have high hopes if I have to remain on an pysciatric medicine. When I switched from Seroquel to Saphris on the meds all my good memories came back for 1 day only (1 1/2 years ago). I hope when I get back to better sleep (7-8 hours of sleep per night) that I am able to reduce and eliminate Saphris. My memory is bad.

With all the meds I take right now my matress doesn't bother me but it is too firm and I will remember to do something about that when I do reduce the Ambien if it bothers me.

I might do a sleep study soon but it hasn't happened yet. I'm seeing a new neuro/pysciatrist specialist in Worcester, MA this month.

My blood pressure was low enough (116/70) last visit that they are now having me take half the dose. I measured it today and it is 121/88 after just 1 night of taking 25 mg instead of 50 mg Cozaar dose.