Sleep

[Guest guest]

,

One of the most common treatments for not getting restorative sleep in

rheumatic conditions, that many fibromyalgia patients swear by, is the

family of anti-depressants. They have a side-benefit of helping with

increased stage four sleep. I can't offer you personal anecdotal experience

with these, as they cause other intolerable side-effects in myself, but you

may be able to take them as many can. I hope this helps. Hang in there!

There is hope... This was a big problem for me, a life-long and

life-wrecking problem, and is one of the symptoms that completely

disappeared after a year on tetracyclines for rheumatoid arthritis. It has

not since returned for four years now, even though other symptoms have come

back. The antibiotics may eventually take care of this for you as your

overall condition improves, but ask the doc about anti-depressants in the

meantime and see what they have to say. I know how badly this can dominate

your life--if you can't sleep, everything else becomes such a struggle! I

lost several jobs because of this-not being able to get to sleep until dawn,

and them not being able to get into work on time, and also it makes it hard

to think clearly, and makes you just plain achy all over and cranky! Try to

rest anyway and listen to some soothing music when you can't get to sleep,

meditate, or take a warm soak in the tub, read a novel, whatever works to

give you a time out. Some gentle exercise like yoga-type stretches may help

also to wind down. Take care, Liz G.

PS if you also can't take old-fashioned anti-depressants, Soma works pretty

well for me too, and I found that an anti-histamine I was given for

meniere's (an inner ear balance condition) works like a charm, on the few

nights when worries or excitement are keeping me up.

---

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[Guest guest]

I forgot to mention, besides the lorazapan, which I take only

occasionally, I do take doxepin 25 mg, nightly. The doc said it is an

antidepressant which is effective in keeping the neurological area in

deep sleep stage (rem)? throughout the night. It seems mine was zipping

in and out of the most restful period and was having chronic problems

with 2am wake up, only to finally fall asleep at 6am, a half hour before

the alarm sounded. I have used this doxepin now for two years and never

have a problem with waking and unable to fall asleep again.\

gmcnj wrote:

> Hi. I'm new here and hope you all might have some advice. I'm

> diagnosed with reactive arthritis and my rheumatologist has me on

> penicilin therapy, plaquenil, ultracet, and celebrex.

>

> Question is, I've been given zanaflex (muscle relaxant)on theory that

> I'm not getting restorative sleep. That didn't seem to help much, so

> I just tried neurontin, and had terrible dreams and disturbed sleep

> from it.

>

> I get moderate regular exercise, have a very regular bedtime etc. but

> am not waking up refreshed. Does anyone have any good suggestions for

> aiding good sleep? I'm fairly sensitive to meds so am looking for

> alternatives. Thanks!

>

>

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

My daughter with severe apraxia is a great sleeper. She needs more

sleep than the other two, and it is usually hard to wake her. When

she gets to sleep as long as she wants, she typically sleeps about

an hour longer than her brother and sister. All of my kids are.

One of my daughters wakes up at night only when she's had an

accident. She's such a sound sleeper, she doesn't wake up when she

needs to pee. (Thank goodness it's only a few times a month)

[Guest guest]

The sleep issues are soooo difficult. The melatonin also helped our

daughter sleep. We used the regular as well as the sutained release

to promote what seemed like a decent 7-8 hours of sleep. She was

never one to prowl at night but also would be awake/instantly alert

whenever I checked on her, no matter what age. We actually stopped

this recently after about 4 years use and the improved sleep pattern

has remained. I would also suggest a nursing modality called Healing

Touch. It works with the bodies energy system, is gentle,

nonconfrontational etc. The basic techniques are easy to learn. You

can usually find a practitioner in your area. Their home site

Healing Touch International lists those who choose to be on the

list. There are many others. A local nursing school, hospital etc

might help you find one(might not, too, as some are just stuck in

mainstream). I know it sounds like one more come on/thing to do

but... this is one thing that has been so calming for our daughter.

She slept the whole day after her first treatment years ago -

unheard of in our house! We do it almost daily now before bedtime.

Her response encouraged me to become a practitioner.

From: " huffifer " <huffifer@c...>

Date: Sat Jun 5, 2004 8:49 am

Subject: Re: andy -was dosing schedule/single parents and chelation

>>>thank you moria.

if i wasn't continually sleep deprived without chelation maybe i

wouldn't have been asking in the first place. it's not about missing

some beauty sleep. it's about parenting 24-7 a non-verbal violent 6

yr old needs machine who would eat his own poo if i didn't stay awake

with him, like this morning when he was up from 1:30 to 5:30. i

don't have a partner to give me time to take a nap later. i just

deal with it. so i asked for advice on how to add another thing on

top of everything else -- and i have been chealting, slowly, as i

had mentioned previously -- for a year. i wondered how other people

coped, whether they went to the 8 hour schedule or not, etc... i

certainly didn't expect to have my devotion to my child's getting

better questioned by non-parents or ubermoms. like you all, i want

my child to get better. which is clearly why i'm here in the first

place.<<<

[Guest guest]

yeah, we had two years of night nursing too. we do melatonin, it works about

50% of the time or more, but if he gets a bit of g/c food nothing helps. yeast

may also be a problem, he also had phenol issues. i am not giving up on

chelation, i will be looking at dana's files.

Message: 11

Date: Sat, 5 Jun 2004 21:21:51 -0400

From: " nne Skoog " <marianne@...>

Subject: RE: Re: andy -was dosing schedule/single parents and chelation

Oh I truly feel for you. My child was up for 4 years straight. I thought I

would loose my mind. And I had a husband to take 1/2 of the trouble Except

for the first 2 years when I was nursing, I was the only one who could help

out at night.

Melatonin definitely helped him sleep. Now if he is awake a night, it seems

to be yeast.

A funny thing happened this week, when we went for a long round because

school is out. He was actually better on the round than since we stopped. I

don't know if the yeast built up or he just did better with the ALA or not,

but it was a definite difference. This was our first long round (6 days) and

maybe that was why it was so obvious. We had never seen him so on, for so

many days. Now it seems sad, with the regression.

I am planning the next long round.

Also, for the 2 nights since we stopped, neither of us has slept well....so

much for thinking the ALA timing was interfering with the sleep!

At least if I am sleepy from the chelation dosing, I feel good about what I

am doing...

And it sounds like you are awake anyway,,,,at least you could be chelating.

Have you tried the dosing Dana did? If I were you I would try that before

giving up. Hey, it worked great for her 4 kids. Probably worth a try.

nne

_____________________________________________________________

hipMama.com = Raucous + Opinionated + Iconoclastic

[Guest guest]

I have trouble staying asleep sometimes. Various herbs and melatonin help.

Betty

[Guest guest]

Some, mostly my brain would not shut down at night. kept having

fantasys. and they were all over the board. I got over it after my

levels settled down.

> Has anyone had insomnia from low T. Does it affect sleep in any way?

>

> G

[Guest guest]

Amber,

Our son didn't sleep until we implemented melatonin and 5HTP.

Melatonin gets him sleepy and the 5HTP keeps him asleep (instead of

waking at 4 am). We give Noah 3 mg of melatonin and 1/2 capsule of 5

HTP about 30 minutes before bedtime.

Hope that helps.

- In , " kennetheriklucy "

<eislerfamily@g...> wrote:

>

> I am getting really tired of my son not sleeping at night. Last night

> I got about 2 hours of sleep AGAIN. I am thinking about a probiotic,

> but am not sure which one to start with, and how much to start him on.

> Then I read about rotating different kinds. How often? Every few days?

> Months? and should I get 2 or more kinds to start, or order in 1?

> Has anyone got any info on kirkmans super cranberry extract for yeast?

> And should I give it at the same time as GSE and oil of oregano ( thats

> what I'm giving him now. He gets 2 drops of GSE, for 4 days, then 1

> drop of oil of oregano for 4 days.) ? Should I give the cranberry

> extract too? And I really need help on what kind ( preferably from

> kirkmans ) of probiotic to get, how often to rotate to a different

> kind, and what dosage to start him on. Do you think that will help him

> with sleeping at night? Thanks. Amber.

>

[Guest guest]

I give him 1 kirkman melatonin ( 1 mg ) at night, and it works well to put

him to sleep. I have never heard of 5HTP- can you tell me a little more

about it? I have heard of slow-release melatonin, I've heard it's

a capsule that has to be swallowed whole, it can't be broken open. or

it loses it's 'slow-release' and becomes a regular melatonin. I doubt if

my son would swallow a whole pill- he's 4. How old is your son? Do

you know what wakes him up at night? I've heard it could be yeast

overgrowth, seizures, active bowels, I'm sure there are more things-

I don't know what wakes my son up at night- he's ALWAYS been like

this. Thanks, . Amber.

On 12/5/05, borntoshopjc <borntoshopjc@...> wrote:

>

> Amber,

>

> Our son didn't sleep until we implemented melatonin and 5HTP.

> Melatonin gets him sleepy and the 5HTP keeps him asleep (instead of

> waking at 4 am). We give Noah 3 mg of melatonin and 1/2 capsule of 5

> HTP about 30 minutes before bedtime.

>

> Hope that helps.

>

>

>

> - In , " kennetheriklucy "

> <eislerfamily@g...> wrote:

> >

> > I am getting really tired of my son not sleeping at night. Last night

> > I got about 2 hours of sleep AGAIN. I am thinking about a probiotic,

> > but am not sure which one to start with, and how much to start him on.

> > Then I read about rotating different kinds. How often? Every few days?

> > Months? and should I get 2 or more kinds to start, or order in 1?

> > Has anyone got any info on kirkmans super cranberry extract for yeast?

> > And should I give it at the same time as GSE and oil of oregano ( thats

> > what I'm giving him now. He gets 2 drops of GSE, for 4 days, then 1

> > drop of oil of oregano for 4 days.) ? Should I give the cranberry

> > extract too? And I really need help on what kind ( preferably from

> > kirkmans ) of probiotic to get, how often to rotate to a different

> > kind, and what dosage to start him on. Do you think that will help him

> > with sleeping at night? Thanks. Amber.

> >

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

I'd like to know an answer to that night waking question too. How

does 5-HTP work?

Our son Cody (3yo) usually falls asleep with melatonin, but will

often wake up once or twice a night (1 a.m. and/or 3 a.m.) - cries

out when he wakes - and throw a fit if he doesn't see me or DH

shortly. He's now sleeping in our bed at night b/c he was beating

holes in his walls with his head when left alone in his own bed for

even a few minutes.

Sometimes he'll do the sign for " change me " and I'll change him, but

he'll have very little pee in his diaper. Other times he'll cry out

and after a period of time will fall back to sleep without needing

to be changed (I think this is probably reflux). Sometimes it

sounds like he's gurgling or gagging on water when he's sleeping.

I've seen improvements in his falling asleep since using enzymes,

melatonin, GSE, OLE, zinc, and now a probiotic, but nothing has kept

him asleep all night long.

Peace,

Bobbie

[Guest guest]

5 HTP is a precursor to serotonin. Serotonin is what helps regulate

sleep cycles. I was told this by a DAN doctor (Kartizinel) at one of

his conferences. It has worked well for Noah.

ps- i get my melatonin at walmart, might be cheaper?

-- In , Amber Eisler

<eislerfamily@g...> wrote:

>

> I give him 1 kirkman melatonin ( 1 mg ) at night, and it works well

to put

> him to sleep. I have never heard of 5HTP- can you tell me a little more

> about it? I have heard of slow-release melatonin, I've heard it's

> a capsule that has to be swallowed whole, it can't be broken open. or

> it loses it's 'slow-release' and becomes a regular melatonin. I doubt if

> my son would swallow a whole pill- he's 4. How old is your son? Do

> you know what wakes him up at night? I've heard it could be yeast

> overgrowth, seizures, active bowels, I'm sure there are more things-

> I don't know what wakes my son up at night- he's ALWAYS been like

> this. Thanks, . Amber.

>

>

> On 12/5/05, borntoshopjc <borntoshopjc@y...> wrote:

> >

> > Amber,

> >

> > Our son didn't sleep until we implemented melatonin and 5HTP.

> > Melatonin gets him sleepy and the 5HTP keeps him asleep (instead of

> > waking at 4 am). We give Noah 3 mg of melatonin and 1/2 capsule of 5

> > HTP about 30 minutes before bedtime.

> >

> > Hope that helps.

> >

> >

> >

> > - In , " kennetheriklucy "

> > <eislerfamily@g...> wrote:

> > >

> > > I am getting really tired of my son not sleeping at night. Last

night

> > > I got about 2 hours of sleep AGAIN. I am thinking about a probiotic,

> > > but am not sure which one to start with, and how much to start

him on.

> > > Then I read about rotating different kinds. How often? Every few

days?

> > > Months? and should I get 2 or more kinds to start, or order in 1?

> > > Has anyone got any info on kirkmans super cranberry extract for

yeast?

> > > And should I give it at the same time as GSE and oil of oregano

( thats

> > > what I'm giving him now. He gets 2 drops of GSE, for 4 days, then 1

> > > drop of oil of oregano for 4 days.) ? Should I give the cranberry

> > > extract too? And I really need help on what kind ( preferably from

> > > kirkmans ) of probiotic to get, how often to rotate to a different

> > > kind, and what dosage to start him on. Do you think that will

help him

> > > with sleeping at night? Thanks. Amber.

> > >

> >

> >

> >

> >

> >

> >

> >

[Guest guest]

5HTP is a precursor for serotonin and serotonin helps regulate sleep

cycles. My Noah (2 1/2 yrs old) was waking a couple times a night,

too before we started adding 5HTP to the melatonin.

Reflux- Noah suffered from severe reflux til he was15 months old. He

woke every hour. We finally found a combo of meds to fix that. Are you

giving your son anything for his reflux? As I have reflux, I cannot

sleep if I don't take anything for it as well. I crush up 1 zantac

pill each night and put it (along with his melatonin and 5HTP) in his

milk. Of course, I learned the hard way to rinse off hte red dye on

the zantac before crushing it (made him hyper).

Keep me posted.

>

> I'd like to know an answer to that night waking question too. How

> does 5-HTP work?

>

> Our son Cody (3yo) usually falls asleep with melatonin, but will

> often wake up once or twice a night (1 a.m. and/or 3 a.m.) - cries

> out when he wakes - and throw a fit if he doesn't see me or DH

> shortly. He's now sleeping in our bed at night b/c he was beating

> holes in his walls with his head when left alone in his own bed for

> even a few minutes.

>

> Sometimes he'll do the sign for " change me " and I'll change him, but

> he'll have very little pee in his diaper. Other times he'll cry out

> and after a period of time will fall back to sleep without needing

> to be changed (I think this is probably reflux). Sometimes it

> sounds like he's gurgling or gagging on water when he's sleeping.

> I've seen improvements in his falling asleep since using enzymes,

> melatonin, GSE, OLE, zinc, and now a probiotic, but nothing has kept

> him asleep all night long.

>

> Peace,

> Bobbie

>

[Guest guest]

Hi ,

What brand and where do you get 5-HTP? I'd be interested in trying it

with Cody.

Thanks,

Bobbie

[Guest guest]

It is " NOW " brand. veggiecaps- 100 mg. I got mine at our local health

food store, but I think I saw it at Walmart the other day! I break

open capsule and give him 1/2 about 30 minutes before bed w/the melatonin.

He's 2 1/2 years old. Good luck, keep me posted.

-- In , " bmorin2017 " <bmorin2017@y...>

wrote:

>

> Hi ,

> What brand and where do you get 5-HTP? I'd be interested in trying it

> with Cody.

> Thanks,

> Bobbie

>

[Guest guest]

Have you tried melatonin? it was a miracle for us and after taking

it for a month or two we were able to stop giving it to our son and

his body was used to sleeping by then.

>

> I am getting really tired of my son not sleeping at night. Last

night

> I got about 2 hours of sleep AGAIN. I am thinking about a

probiotic,

> but am not sure which one to start with, and how much to start him

on.

> Then I read about rotating different kinds. How often? Every few

days?

> Months? and should I get 2 or more kinds to start, or order in 1?

> Has anyone got any info on kirkmans super cranberry extract for

yeast?

> And should I give it at the same time as GSE and oil of oregano (

thats

> what I'm giving him now. He gets 2 drops of GSE, for 4 days, then

1

> drop of oil of oregano for 4 days.) ? Should I give the cranberry

> extract too? And I really need help on what kind ( preferably from

> kirkmans ) of probiotic to get, how often to rotate to a different

> kind, and what dosage to start him on. Do you think that will

help him

> with sleeping at night? Thanks. Amber.

>

[Guest guest]

I should have read your other post first! If your son won't take

the tablet, consider buying tablets, crushing them with a pill

crusher and putting them in his favorite drink. that's what we did

with our son.

About 5HTP...in my drug taking days (of the illegal variety) people

often took 5HTP after they were coming down from ecstasy to help

them sleep.

> > >

> > > I am getting really tired of my son not sleeping at night.

Last night

> > > I got about 2 hours of sleep AGAIN. I am thinking about a

probiotic,

> > > but am not sure which one to start with, and how much to start

him on.

> > > Then I read about rotating different kinds. How often? Every

few days?

> > > Months? and should I get 2 or more kinds to start, or order in

1?

> > > Has anyone got any info on kirkmans super cranberry extract

for yeast?

> > > And should I give it at the same time as GSE and oil of

oregano ( thats

> > > what I'm giving him now. He gets 2 drops of GSE, for 4 days,

then 1

> > > drop of oil of oregano for 4 days.) ? Should I give the

cranberry

> > > extract too? And I really need help on what kind ( preferably

from

> > > kirkmans ) of probiotic to get, how often to rotate to a

different

> > > kind, and what dosage to start him on. Do you think that will

help him

> > > with sleeping at night? Thanks. Amber.

> > >

> >

> >

> >

> >

> >

> >

> >

[Guest guest]

Amber,

For us, sleep was very closly tied to magnesium and the B vitamins.

When we upped his magnesium drastically (from 100 to 300 mg) per day,

his sleep changed immediately. Also, my son can't tolerate high

doses of B vitamins. Even if we only gave him the vitamins in the

morning, he would still wake at night. He now regularly sleeps all

night long 10-11 hours Yippee!!! I wish you luck. One thing we did

was a hair test that showed his mineral deficiencies. This is what

led us to increase his magnesium. It was the best $90 I have spent!

If you would like information about getting the hair test, please let

me know and I will forward that along!

mom to Sam 3.5 who finally sleeps all night!

>

> I am getting really tired of my son not sleeping at night. Last

night

> I got about 2 hours of sleep AGAIN. I am thinking about a

probiotic,

> but am not sure which one to start with, and how much to start him

on.

> Then I read about rotating different kinds. How often? Every few

days?

> Months? and should I get 2 or more kinds to start, or order in 1?

> Has anyone got any info on kirkmans super cranberry extract for

yeast?

> And should I give it at the same time as GSE and oil of oregano (

thats

> what I'm giving him now. He gets 2 drops of GSE, for 4 days, then

1

> drop of oil of oregano for 4 days.) ? Should I give the cranberry

> extract too? And I really need help on what kind ( preferably from

> kirkmans ) of probiotic to get, how often to rotate to a different

> kind, and what dosage to start him on. Do you think that will help

him

> with sleeping at night? Thanks. Amber.

>

[Guest guest]

,

What is 5HTP?

My son did not sleep from Friday until Sunday at 2:00AM. We use 1 mg

of melatonin, if we give more that this he has nightmares and fights

sleepiness to avoid nightmares.

Thanks,

Dave

> >

> > I am getting really tired of my son not sleeping at night. Last

night

> > I got about 2 hours of sleep AGAIN. I am thinking about a

probiotic,

> > but am not sure which one to start with, and how much to start

him on.

> > Then I read about rotating different kinds. How often? Every few

days?

> > Months? and should I get 2 or more kinds to start, or order in

1?

> > Has anyone got any info on kirkmans super cranberry extract for

yeast?

> > And should I give it at the same time as GSE and oil of oregano

( thats

> > what I'm giving him now. He gets 2 drops of GSE, for 4 days,

then 1

> > drop of oil of oregano for 4 days.) ? Should I give the

cranberry

> > extract too? And I really need help on what kind ( preferably

from

> > kirkmans ) of probiotic to get, how often to rotate to a

different

> > kind, and what dosage to start him on. Do you think that will

help him

> > with sleeping at night? Thanks. Amber.

> >

>

[Guest guest]

Here is a source for liquid melatonin so your don't have to crush

the tablets (because they taste really bad!) This melatonin tastes

great and works fast.

www.thehealthy-shopper.com

Dave

> > > >

> > > > I am getting really tired of my son not sleeping at night.

> Last night

> > > > I got about 2 hours of sleep AGAIN. I am thinking about a

> probiotic,

> > > > but am not sure which one to start with, and how much to

start

> him on.

> > > > Then I read about rotating different kinds. How often? Every

> few days?

> > > > Months? and should I get 2 or more kinds to start, or order

in

> 1?

> > > > Has anyone got any info on kirkmans super cranberry extract

> for yeast?

> > > > And should I give it at the same time as GSE and oil of

> oregano ( thats

> > > > what I'm giving him now. He gets 2 drops of GSE, for 4

days,

> then 1

> > > > drop of oil of oregano for 4 days.) ? Should I give the

> cranberry

> > > > extract too? And I really need help on what kind (

preferably

> from

> > > > kirkmans ) of probiotic to get, how often to rotate to a

> different

> > > > kind, and what dosage to start him on. Do you think that

will

> help him

> > > > with sleeping at night? Thanks. Amber.

> > > >

> > >

> > >

> > >

> > >

> > >

> > >

> > >

[Guest guest]

i have melatonin from source naturals. it is orange flavored sublingual,

2.5 mg ea tab. i give 1/2 for an 8 yr old 80 lb boy. doesnt taste bad but i

still give a chaser of water. does the trick for us.

vicki

[Guest guest]

Hi Dave,

I'm so sorry your kiddo has nightmares. 5 HTP is a precursor to

serotonin which helps regulate sleep cycles. It is usually recommended

to start with 50 mg. I think I have seen it at walmart (Now brand).

Lavender oil and chamomile oil is great for calming little ones. It

won't put them to sleep on it's own, but every little bit helps. You

can mix with water and put in a spray bottle or mix with lotion.

I give my son Benadryl every night for allergies (he gets a stuffy

nose if I don't) and I'm sure that helps with the sleep thing, too.

Keep us posted.

> > >

> > > I am getting really tired of my son not sleeping at night. Last

> night

> > > I got about 2 hours of sleep AGAIN. I am thinking about a

> probiotic,

> > > but am not sure which one to start with, and how much to start

> him on.

> > > Then I read about rotating different kinds. How often? Every few

> days?

> > > Months? and should I get 2 or more kinds to start, or order in

> 1?

> > > Has anyone got any info on kirkmans super cranberry extract for

> yeast?

> > > And should I give it at the same time as GSE and oil of oregano

> ( thats

> > > what I'm giving him now. He gets 2 drops of GSE, for 4 days,

> then 1

> > > drop of oil of oregano for 4 days.) ? Should I give the

> cranberry

> > > extract too? And I really need help on what kind ( preferably

> from

> > > kirkmans ) of probiotic to get, how often to rotate to a

> different

> > > kind, and what dosage to start him on. Do you think that will

> help him

> > > with sleeping at night? Thanks. Amber.

> > >

> >

>

[Guest guest]

> Has anyone got any info on kirkmans super cranberry extract for yeast?

> And should I give it at the same time as GSE and oil of oregano ( thats

> what I'm giving him now. He gets 2 drops of GSE, for 4 days, then 1

> drop of oil of oregano for 4 days.) ? Should I give the cranberry

> extract too?

All three of these things are high phenol, and might be causing the

sleep problems. Do you give them with No-Fenol enzyme? You might

consider it. Also, don't give any of them later than maybe 4pm, see

if that helps.

Dana

[Guest guest]

>

> yes, I use no-fenol with every meal. And he gets the GSE, oregano

oil, or

> cranberry extract with breakfast.

Try just keeping one for a day or two, then rotate to another one. It

is possible that he is not tolerating GSE, oregano oil, and/or

cranberry, even with the No-Fenol.

Dana

[Guest guest]

Adequate sleep is essential, you bet. However, despite the often-heard,

often-read medical suggestions about the importance of " 8 hours of sleep " , I can

say that 8 hours of sleep for me is hideous in its effects. 5 1/2 hours to 6

maximum is really ideal for me, and has been for years.

If I wanted to induce my PA symptoms, I would know exactly what to do:

oversleep, even by 15 minutes to a 1/2 hour! No doctor, including a

rhematologist, has ever had an explanation. The " excess " sleep also induces

brain fog for me, which is a crummy way to try to make it through the day. I was

hoping that a physician would have an explanation, which could then be parlayed

into an unusal therapy that would mimic the effects that limitation on sleep

might signify. I welcome suggestions on what might be the physiology here! My

own hunch is that there is something a bit parallel with the fact that I love

exercise, and that it's usually good for both the PA and the overall-me.

My case is highly unusual, I would say, and eight is likely more the

average-need. But it does go to show us that we are really unique creatures.

Don

in Boston

woeisme247 <woeisme247@...> wrote:

Hi all,

I stopped my MTX in October (my decision) so am just surviving on

Celebrex at the moment (very low dose). Three days ago my left foot

and toes were quite inflammed and I was beginning to regret my

decision. The reason for this post is that last night I slept for

about 12 hours straight - no work/school today so no alarm clock going

off at 6am + my teenagers all slept in too. I usually manage about

6-8 hours sleep per night. I woke up this morning feeling wonderful,

with great improvement to the inflammation and usual painful bits -

feet, hands, shoulder etc. Also, my diet wasn't brilliant yesterday

- even having red wine in the evening - so it would seem that the 12

hours sleep was the thing that really made the difference.

Has anyone else noticed the difference a good night's sleep can make

given the chance?

[Editor's Note: I retired last July after working in a high pressured finance

job in NYC for 36 years. I averaged 5 - 5 1/2 hours sleep a night and couldn't

sleep more, even on weekends and vacations. Since retiring, I go to bed when I

want and wake up naturally rather than because of an alarm clock. I now get

about 7-8 hours sleep a night and it DOES make a tremendous difference in how I

feel throughout the day. It has NOT done anything for my PA which is largely

unchanged, however, it has done a lot to help my brain fog. In addition, my

stress level has reduced dramatically which is partly due to the elimination of

work and commuting stresses but also due to getting enough sleep. So, yes,

adequate sleep is making a big difference for me. Kathy F.]

---------------------------------

TV dinner still cooling?

Check out " Tonight's Picks " on TV.

[Guest guest]

Absolutely! Sometimes, though, I wonder which comes first - the

improvement in the PA or the sleep. Am I feeling better because I got

such good rest, or was I able to sleep so well because the inflammation

and pain were subsiding? Either way, it's wonderful when I can get a

good sleep!

happy for ya,

sherry z

>

>

> Has anyone else noticed the difference a good night's sleep can make

> given the chance?