Hi everyone! I’m new here and so glad to have found group. A little about me: I was diagnosed with Fibro in April 2012. Tried Savella - which made me severely ill, so now I’m on Cymbalta which seems to be working a little. I think for awhile I was kind of in a state of denial as to how much this disease would change my lifestyle. I have now come to the conclusion that I need to do a complete overhaul of my life in order to deal with this. From everything I have read I have a fairly “easy” form of this - not too severe of pain, depression, anxiety and insomnia seem to be the worst for me. Here comes the problem I’m having - I can’t sleep! Last night it was 4:30am before I slept. I slept for a couple of hours and then was awake again. Right now I have a fairly physical job (I work at a dog boarding resort). I love it and will continue to do it as long as I can. There are days I have to be there at 6:30am. Anyway sorry for rambling - anyone have any suggestions about how to deal with the insomnia?
Hello Killian
Sleep is something that all people with fibromyalgia have problems with. First, there is a sleep disorder that goes with fibromyalgia. It does not allow your body to get to the restorative sleep level so even if you slept several hours at night, you wake up in the morning feeling as tired as when you went to bed.
There is another sleep disorder that some people with FM suffer with and that is Sleep Apnea. The diagnosis for this sleep disorder must be diagnosed with a sleep study.
The first thing you need to do is to talk with your doctor about your problems with sleep.
Gentle hugs
Rachel
Depending on when you take the cymbalta, this could also make your sleeping worse. You may need to take it in the morning, as it may cause increase in insomnia. I’d call your doctor and let him/her know.
Wish they could find a good sleep aid without side affects for those of us with FMS. Trying to continue to work without sleep gets old real fast! Welcome ~
You are so right Sandi. Trying to continue work with little sleep is a bad combination.
I have tried many ways of falling asleep, which was my biggest issue. Once I fall asleep I do pretty well for the rest of the night.
Before drugs, you might try turning off all technology (including your phone) at least an hour before bedtime. The latest thing that has helped me, since I live alone, is falling asleep to a book on CD. The other thing to try is, when you can't fall asleep and are just lying there wishing and hoping, get up and have a healthy snack, such as yogurt or some oatmeal and try sleeping again.
I have also found that Klonopin allows me to relax enough to fall asleep using any or all of the above ideas as well.
One of the best pieces of advise I was given regarding my pain is to accept it rather than to fight it. The energy it takes to fight it (worry about it) takes away from any form of relaxation you might try.
That’s odd because when they gave me Cymbalta it made me tired on top of my fatigue.
Hi Killian,
I have the same issue with regards to sleep. I just saw a pulmonologist for shortness of breath and he ordered a sleep study.. They discovered that I suffer as well from sever obstructive and central sleep apnea.. I am now being monitered with a C-Pap machine to assist me with this. It is something you could look into. I have had sleep issues forever it seems like. Now I am starting to actually get some rest... Amazing..Now if only my knee pain would quit waking me up!!! severe shooting pain from my knees..I guess this all takes some getting used to.. Good luck with this and check it out if you are able OK.. Big Hugs Lisa
Ambien (zolpidem tartrate) is a good sleep aid, and one that doesn't leave you feeling groggy in the morning. As with any sleeping pill, you can get habituated to it. I still think it's a better bet than sleeplessness. Warm baths, etc., are all good suggestions. But--you have a physical syndrome that includes sleep disorder as part of it--therefore it makes sense to take the medicine that will help!
Sleeping is a major issue and fibro is a life-changer. I used to be a licensed massage therapist in a world class resort but now I am going back to school for a less physical job. Try to get a night time routine. There are several postings on this topic. Ambien works in a pinch but can become a crutch that is difficult to get rid of.
Thank you for all the advice! I am on Triazolam to help me sleep. Some nights it seems to work other nights not so much :-/. I have been thinking about asking for a sleep study as sleep apnea does run in my family.
Hi Killian,
Welcome to the club. Never apologize for rambling. It is what we are here for! I have suffered from insomnia since I was 17 and now I am 41. I have been on many meds for insomnia. Some work and some do not. One thing to consider is sleep apnea. It is common in fibro. I have it and since I have been wearing a CPAP I have had great sleep. The other thing to consider is the cymbalta. It can cause insomnia. Did the problem begin after you started Cymbalta. On rare occasions, and I do not mean to imply anything, people who are bipolar but do not know it can go from being depressed to manic when put on some antidepressants. Cymbalta is an antidepressant. Manic symptoms include not being able to sleep plus feelings of being "high", lots of energy, ect.....
But most of the time people have insomnia from pain or anxiety. I have found that simple things like good sleep hygiene really help. Check out these sites
http://www.sleepassociation.org/index.php?p=sleephygienetips
http://www.metrohealth.org/body.cfm?id=1855
Good luck
Maria
Killian
welcome to this site. Sleeplessness is a hassle for most of us. Over the counter tryptophan helped me for a while as well as all the usual tips, limit coffee etc.
good luck and let us know how you go. Barb
i have found some relief from using melatonin. I don't take it daily but it does the trick most nights I need it. If I am up still at 11pm I take it and read a bit. By midnight I am out.
I also avoid tv, screen time, before bed. I don't have caffeine after lunch and find I sleep better on days I have worked out. Sleepy time tea...can do wonders.
When I was on Cymbalta, I had issues with sleep paralysis. It can be alarming and many people have thought issues with sleep paralysis is an actual haunting. (I work in a historically haunted location and have to be up to snuff on all the issues with the paranormal for our guests..I get a lot of questions)
Hi Killian, sleeping, & nighttime can be a nightmare for some… I am so grateful I can manage this with 1 mg of Ativan, 1/4 tablet of ambien, my sleepy time tea, and my ocean waves sound machine. And reading puts me out, I do wake sometimes every few hrs, but go right back to sleep. My problem is I can sleep 10 hrs, and I feel more tired after sleeping than I do when I go to bed… It’s awful … If I sleep less than 7 hrs I can’t function at all, and I feel physically ill, if I sleep more than 10 hrs my pain & fatigue, is much worse for that day, so I try to keep my sleep to about 9 hrs, and that sounds like a lot, but it only provides me with mild amount of ability to function, meaning I can get things done slowly, with multiple rest periods. I never feel rested no matter how much sleep I get.
If you have not tried the melatonin plus, check it out, and there are a lot of teas that promote relaxation…
A lot of research has pointed to increased in hormones that promote excitability in fibro pt’s , I’d have to look it up but it has to do with adrenal insufficiency and cortisol levels,
Yes there is documented scientific physiological reasons we have trouble with sleep, so we have to do all the thing needed to help promote sleep and that can help somewhat.
Some people manage with naps, once I take all my energy producing supplements, there’s no napping for me, but a lot of rest periods.
You have got some great ideas , also talk to your dr. About this, if he/ she understands fibro they will be well aware insomnia and sleep is a huge issue for fibro pt’s.
Hugs & blessings for a lot of ZZZZZZ !
dee
Hi Killian, nice to meet you. Your lucky to not have bad pain, I hope it stays that way. I take 15mg of melotonin, and ampytriptilene aat bedtime. It's the first time I've been able to get some sleep in a long time. I hope you can find something that works for you from the suggestions here. Good luck, Charlie :)
Talk with your doctor! This is very common with fibro but also with Cymbalta. I was so restless yet at the same time exhausted I was getting up and cleaning the house in the middle of the night! My dr explained that Cymbalta works on one neuro pathway and a drug like lyrica works on a different pathway. I went for 4 months with very little sleep and once he added a dose of lyrica at dinnertime things improved. A flair up caused me to not be able to sleep even with the lyrica so a low dose of mirtazpine before bed was added.
Hey Killian. Welcome. Here's the thing about sleep - the more you stress out about it, the less sleep you will get. If it is 1:30 AM and you are freaking out because you have a doctor's appointment at 9:00 AM and you are WIDE AWAKE, (here's the key..........ready??????????) BE WIDE AWAKE. At some point, be it 3:14 AM or 6:00 AM, you're going to get tired. Go with it.
The key is to not get freaked out because you are awake in the middle of the night. If you can be patient...and patience might take months, at some point, your body will catch up with you.
Now, the other thing is this. Do everything you can to give yourself every advantage. By this, I mean, if possible, visit a sleep neurologist. A sleep neurologist will try different medications and routines to get you to sleep. Chances are, the sleep neurologist will have you do a sleep study. My sleep neurologist once told me that she's had over 1,000 patients tell her they were true insomniacs and were worried that they would just lay in bed awake all night long. She would joke with them and say "so it'll be a normal night except you'll be wired up, strapped in bed and have someone watch you be awake in a bed." She also told me that she never once had anyone stay awake all night long. Personally, I was convinced that I would simply read all night and at 6:00 AM or whenever I finished the book, they would tell me it was time to go.
I got ready for my sleep study - dozens of wires were glued to my head and chest and I wore some straps so the battery pack would stay put. The tech told me to turn out the light whenever I felt sleepy. Now, at home, I'm reading for hours or watching TV until the infomercials come on at 4:00 AM. Of course, at the sleep study, I couldn't keep my eyes open past 11:00 PM and I slept straight thru until 5:45 AM when the tech woke me up. IT WAS THE BEST NIGHT OF SLEEP I'D HAD IN MONTHS!! I do not know why this works. Probably something to do with breaking you out of your routine and comfort zone and restricting movement, trips to the refrigerator, etc., My 78-year old father just had a sleep study and experienced the same thing...and he is usually up three times a night urinating!!!!
So if you really are having trouble sleeping, my god woman, go get a sleep study. you might find out you have sleep apnea or are able to tolerate better sleep meds. But at the very least, YOU'LL GET A SOLID NIGHT OF SLEEP!!!!!!!!
Excellent sleep sites, Maria. Thank you.
L
Hi Killian,
Welcome, it is a wonderful site, I just joined a couple of weeks ago. I have a question for you, how did the doctor diagnose you with fibro and how long did it take? Also did you know that you are eligible for SSI because you have diagnosed. Just a little fyi. I'm sorry your having so much trouble, ramble all you want. My doc put me on neotriptaline (sorry I can't spell it), it's for the pain and sleep. I've just started taking it and the doc started me on a low dose and go up everyweek. It's helping a little for sleep. It's just an idea. Hope it helps.
Anna
Again thank you all for your support, encouragement and advice. I am going to talk to my dr about a stronger sleep med and doing a sleep study. Today was bad - so exhasuted I could not do anything but sleep or lay on the couch doing nothing. I have so much I need to do on days off that it is frustrating. It took so much effort just to get up and get a shower 