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Sleep Has Been Destroyed! Pain: Sub Conscious? Anxiety?

Messages
41
For the past 6 months my sleep routine has been destroyed. The only thing that I can think of is when I started having back pain only while sleeping. I have no back pain when walking around doing stuff but only in the morning when I wake up. Once every few days or weeks it seems like a can get a full night sleep in I am lucky but lately it has been where I wake up at 2:00 then 4:00 then 6:00 and then finally 8:00 or 9:00. Seems like I sleep a little better right at the end because I am probably exhausted from all the stress of trying to go to sleep.

History:

A year and a half ago a played around with some GNC products like pro-hormones and stuff and worked out a lot. Been off of that for a while now. I worked out pretty hard. After coming off of that I use to jerk when falling asleep and freaked out. Thought I had something major but probably my muscles where just coming off of exhaustion. Went to the Doctors and had blood work done and he check me out and gave me a physical and said everything was fine.

About nine months ago I needed a club to play golf so I went to golf pro shop and swung a club for 4 hours straight and I believe hurt my back. I swung pretty hard for a while. And believe it or not I did it the next day as well; to the point where I had a hard time breathing for a second. I know I am an idiot. I stopped everything and chilled. Maybe only driving range stuff after that.

Relaxed for a while then played Disc Golf and threw the Disc as hard as I possible could about six months ago. Played for about 4 hours throwing the disc incredibly hard. Idiot again.

Penalties:

Well low and behold now I am having back problems only when I sleep and in the morning. But it seems more than that. I do not know if I created a mental loop in my mind but I cannot get a decent nights rest.

I have gone to the Doctor again and have had multiple x-rays done and bloods tests taken. Everything came back fine.

The pain is only in the morning and there is zero pain during the day.

Update:

Now after reading all of this what do you propose? I have been to the Doctors and they do not have the answers. Do I just chalk it up to getting old? I am only 33. I use to play pretty hard but I do not think I destroyed my body or did I?

I am going back to school and I do know school and no job is stressing me out. But can it be creating this much havoc?

All I know is that I am kind of afraid to go to sleep and it’s a real problem. I have some pain relievers and muscles relaxers but I do not really care for them.

I just know that my sleep is absolutely horrible and it is not like it used to be where I could fall asleep like a baby and get 9 to 10 hours a sleep and nothing could wake me up. What in the world happened? I feel like I was just sleeping like this not too long ago.

Please help me any way you can! Please leave comments below!

Best,
Astrongtower
 
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SOC

Senior Member
Messages
7,849
@Astrongtower,
This is a board for people with the neuroimmune illness myalgic encephalomyelitis. I saw in a previous post of yours that you don't have it and don't know what it is. You are welcome to post here, whether or not you have the illness, but we are not really able to help you with much that doesn't apply to our illness.
 

Sherlock

Boswellia for lungs and MC stabllizing
Messages
1,287
Location
k8518704 USA
Most of that sounds very familiar to me, though I never went to a doc or chiropractor and instead worked it out on my own. When any joint can be cracked, that means it's out of place. When a joint is out of place, the surrounding muscles will tense up to stabilize the joint to try and prevent injury. That tension can eventually lead to pain.

I used to have to crack my lower back all the time. One day, I was going to do deadlifts and started with a light weight for warmups, like 100 lbs. But I never even got the weight off the ground because I could instantly feel that I would badly hurt my lower back if I tried. So, I then cracked my lower back, and heard that familiar sound in one or two vertebral joints. I then did the warmup set and immediately went on to lift over 300 lbs without any problem. The difference was like night and day, only a minute or two apart. That to me was superlative proof that when a joint can be cracked it needs to be cracked or else it is not going to be right.

So, you should probably go to a chiro again (not one who wants to put you on expensive machines, but just a simple bonecracker type).

Or try to do it yourself. Here's how I have been able to crack that elusive middle back area in the past by myself: grab two dumbbells about only 50 pounds or so, and lay on a bench with the upper body unsupported. The joint you want to crack should be out in space, unsupported. You can sort of just maneuver around and heft the two dumbbells up and down to put extra force downward on the upper spine. If everything goes right, you'll hear the crack and then probably be okay until/if that spot goes out again. Come to think of it, maybe you should start out with zero weight and gradually increase just to be on the safe side.

I think that I probably have always had a Connective Tissue Disorder which contributes to all of this, which is also related to CFS. Your one previous experience with the chiropractor is probably a clue that you might have a CTD. A CTD means you don't make collagen well, and so are more prone to having joints out of place. You don't have to be the double-jointed type. I'm not.
 
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minkeygirl

But I Look So Good.
Messages
4,678
Location
Left Coast
I can't comment about your pain but when I found that when my sleep was messed up, worrying about it made it worse. So when I'm in a phase of not sleeping I just try to accept it and know it will pass

There are plenty of OTC things you can try ranging from melatonin and tryptophan to antihistamines. Some of us won't sleep at all unless we layer a number of things, mostly prescription.

There are threads here about all that people take if you're interested.
 

Sherlock

Boswellia for lungs and MC stabllizing
Messages
1,287
Location
k8518704 USA
Also.... the flip side to not making collagen well is having overactive mast cells. Mast cells release a connective-tissue degrading enzyme called tryptase. That might be causing your current joint inflammation.
 

Iquitos

Senior Member
Messages
513
Location
Colorado
For sleep I have found medical marijuana/cannabis to be the best thing I ever tried. I haven't slept this well in 20+ years. It also helps a lot with pain but doesn't completely eliminate it. I make my own herbal tincture; I don't smoke anything.

Re: jerking as you fall asleep, I did that in teens, 20s and 30s. I don't do it anymore but I think it's just the muscles relaxing and flexing one more time before sleep.
 

Little Bluestem

All Good Things Must Come to an End
Messages
4,930
A good physical therapist might be able to help.

I injured my back several months ago. It is mostly OK now, but every so often I wake up barely able to move.
 

taroki

Senior Member
Messages
132
Location
Ontario, Canada
Maybe you have Lyme or another pathogen which went into your spinal cord after the injury? I know my fibromyalgia and inflammation started after my low back injury. Turned out to be chronic Lyme and I had it my entire life.