Plagued by Insomnia and need a new approach
By funygirl38
@funygirl38 (19)
United States
January 6, 2007 7:35am CST
I'm in the process of being diagnosed with Fibromyalgia and as of late, i've been plagued by a bout of insomnia. I rarely take a nap during the day and I know I use the bedroom for other things besides what the experts say to such as watching a movie and reading but I don't watch movies at night before sleeping and I do read until I get sleepy. Nothing has been helping however and I suspect I might be on edge because of the way I've been feeling and my current job situation. Does anybody have this problem and do they have any suggestions to combat this problem?
1 person likes this
3 responses
@jody451r (36)
• United States
9 Jan 07
I have fibromyalgia and a sleep disorder among other things. Sleep disorders seem to be closely connected with fibromyalgia. The doctor did have me taking amitriptyline to help me sleep through the night; it's a anti-depressant but is also used for sleep disorders. Not sleeping through the night causes fibromyalgia to worsen and fibromyalgia causes sleep problems. It's a nasty cycle that gets worse from time to time.
I know that they advise you to only use your bedroom for sleep, but that's not an option for me. Not taking naps does help. The amitriptyline did help, but I seemed to need larger and larger doses. I finally just stopped taking it. I still have problems falling asleep and staying asleep. Getting some exercise does help, as long as it's early in the day. Too close to bedtime and it has the reverse effect.
Pain is a large factor in my sleep disorder. Arthritis in the spine causes pain when standing, sitting or laying down. The muscle pain from fibromyalgia also causes sleep problems.
I hope you find a solution that works for you.
@funygirl38 (19)
• United States
9 Jan 07
It sounds like you have a lot of the same problems I'm having. I'm supposed to be going for a sleep lab in a couple weeks and my chiropractor is hopeful that this will help tremendously to lessen my symptoms. He suggested I try an over the counter medication by the makers of Tylenol called Simply Sleep to help me. I've not gotten any as of yet and I don't seem to have problems falling asleep when I do but based on my experiences in the past i'm sure i'm a victim of sleep apnea so even if I don't conciously wake up during the night I know i still do. I've been suffering with back pain as well but the chiropractor has helped there also. I've got a bone scan tomorrow that is going to determine if I have osteoporosis or arthritis and it should shed a lot of light on my problem as well. As for the muscle pain, i'm not sure what to do about it because pain meds don't seem to touch it, only rest. It's a nasty disorder, Fibromyalgia. My mom has it too. Thanks for your advice, it's given me food for thought. Also my rheumatologist had suggested a book to me written by a doctor with Fibromyalgia and her experiences, it's called "The Fibromyalgia Advocate" I got it from the library and it's got tons of information in it. Thanks again!
@youdontsay (3497)
• United States
28 Jan 07
Yes, I found it difficult to sleep when first experiencing my fibro. What seems to help the most is a subclinical dose of amytriptoline. It not only helps me sleep but also helps manage the pain. It is an antidepressant, but at subclinical levels it really does help with sleep and pain. Ask your doctor about it.
@bam001 (940)
• United States
13 Jan 07
I suffer from fibromyalgia and I do have trouble sleeping. I can actually go to sleep, but don't stay asleep very long. For instance, last night, I took a series of 30 minute naps. It is incredibly aggravating and makes life miserable.
I also am in constant pain. Between pain and fatigue, there isn't much else to my life. Other than asking your doctor for medication to help you get restoring sleep, I can't think of anything else that might help.
