Sleep disturbances

[Guest guest]

Hi everyone! Hope you've all had a good weekend.

I was pleasantly surprised to find I'm not the only new member to the

group. The support here is terrific. Kudos! I have tried a few other

groups but the postings were few and not very helpful. So wanted to

thank you all and let you know you are appreciated.

I also wanted to put my two-cents worth in on sleep disturbances and

those devilish jumpy legs. Don't you just hate them? It's hard enough

to get to sleep when your joints hurt. Then to be awakened by legs

cramps and spasms is just insult to injury!

I've tried a few things that have helped. Of course it goes without

saying that everyone is different, and we all have our own blend of

medication stew. So I wouldn't recommend anything except doing your

homework and checking with your MD before trying something new. But,

that said, here's a few things that I've found helpful:

" Healthy Legs " - herbal supplement with horse chestnut seed extract.

Lots of calcium + D.

At bedtime: valerian root extract for sleep (hold your nose -phew)

(otc),

5-HTP (hydroxytryptophan) for sleep (otc),

low-dose anti-depressant for sleep and the blues (rx).

And I decided to try quinine. It's an anti-malarial drug but is also

used for leg cramps (rx or otc). Also helps with sleep.

I also had to look at what I was trying to sleep upon. Wanted a good

firm mattress for support but often found it painful. So, remedied

the hardness by putting a featherbed between the mattress and the

pad. So now I get the best of both worlds and can actually lie on my

shoulders again. What a relief! And we all know how much better we

feel, joints and outlook, after we've had some good sleep.

Nothing is perfect, of course. Some nights are better than others.

But over-all I sleep a whole lot better and longer than I did a

couple of years ago. So hope this helps.

Oh, and thank you, , for mentioning the B + D Scumbuster! I

already have a Gizmo and love it. But I still need all the help I can

get. That Scumbuster sounds like could really use. Great tip!

Wishing you all less painful days and.....sweet dreams.

Cris in Ohio

[Guest guest]

Hope you are sleeping well now, Cris! You've found some interesting

solutions to your sleep problems. Thanks for letting us in on some of

your secrets. No matter what I do, I can't sleep on my shoulders

comfortably anymore!

[ ] Sleep disturbances

> Hi everyone! Hope you've all had a good weekend.

>

> I was pleasantly surprised to find I'm not the only new member to the

> group. The support here is terrific. Kudos! I have tried a few other

> groups but the postings were few and not very helpful. So wanted to

> thank you all and let you know you are appreciated.

>

> I also wanted to put my two-cents worth in on sleep disturbances and

> those devilish jumpy legs. Don't you just hate them? It's hard enough

> to get to sleep when your joints hurt. Then to be awakened by legs

> cramps and spasms is just insult to injury!

>

> I've tried a few things that have helped. Of course it goes without

> saying that everyone is different, and we all have our own blend of

> medication stew. So I wouldn't recommend anything except doing your

> homework and checking with your MD before trying something new. But,

> that said, here's a few things that I've found helpful:

>

> " Healthy Legs " - herbal supplement with horse chestnut seed extract.

> Lots of calcium + D.

> At bedtime: valerian root extract for sleep (hold your nose -phew)

> (otc),

> 5-HTP (hydroxytryptophan) for sleep (otc),

> low-dose anti-depressant for sleep and the blues (rx).

> And I decided to try quinine. It's an anti-malarial drug but is also

> used for leg cramps (rx or otc). Also helps with sleep.

>

> I also had to look at what I was trying to sleep upon. Wanted a good

> firm mattress for support but often found it painful. So, remedied

> the hardness by putting a featherbed between the mattress and the

> pad. So now I get the best of both worlds and can actually lie on my

> shoulders again. What a relief! And we all know how much better we

> feel, joints and outlook, after we've had some good sleep.

>

> Nothing is perfect, of course. Some nights are better than others.

> But over-all I sleep a whole lot better and longer than I did a

> couple of years ago. So hope this helps.

>

> Oh, and thank you, , for mentioning the B + D Scumbuster! I

> already have a Gizmo and love it. But I still need all the help I can

> get. That Scumbuster sounds like could really use. Great tip!

>

> Wishing you all less painful days and.....sweet dreams.

>

> Cris in Ohio