I want to talk about one I havent spoken about before

[Calathea]

So it seems to be the melatonin/antihistamine combo, then? That's useful to know, especially if you can cope without that particular combination.

would my over head lights before bed the colour they are affect things? (I try to avoid fluro lights in my house as they affect me but still have some in some places).

Absolutely, yes. Unless you are restricting your light exposure to lights which are between yellow-orange and red (some people think only red will do, though most are happy with yellow-orange), and that means absolutely ALL light, including bits coming in at the tops of windows and alarm clock displays and so on, you are getting exposed to blue light. And blue light suppresses melatonin release. Apparently it only takes a few seconds of white/blue light exposure to stop all melatonin production for the next few hours, so merely turning the light on to go to the toilet at night can be enough to wreck your night's sleep. I've managed to mess up a night's sleep by simply having warm white fairy lights on for half an hour around midnight, which at the time I didn't think would be enough to bother me (I was putting on my orange specs at about 9pm back then). It doesn't make much difference what the light source is, if it's white light then it will contain enough blue to disrupt circadian rhythms. Some lights contain more blue - fluorescent as you've noticed, also cool white LEDs, computer screens, TV screens - which mean that they may make you even more wakeful, but even a fairly dim incandescent white bulb will suppress melatonin.

With the lists for the carers, are you getting them to tick stuff off as they do them? That makes a big difference, I find. How often are you getting carers in, and how many different carers do you have on the go at any one time?

 

[taniaaust1]

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and alarm clock displays

I dont have any of those int the room at all, the light from those drive me crazy.. I realised many years ago that the light coming from those are very bothersome to me if Im trying to sleep (and also will sleep more restless with one of those alarm clock displays in a room).

I currently use the tv to help me fall asleep but strangely that light dont seem to annoy me while Im going into the state ready to sleep (the tv as I get tired acts as like white noise to me and the images as I start to daze out put me more into a sleepy state). To put tv on and try to go to sleep by that was one of the best suggestions my specialist ever made to me.. it really helped some.

I used to lay in bed in the dark doing nothing but trying to sleep and that didnt work at all for me. I used end up still just laying there still awake come dawn( nd by that time annoyed, frustrated and sooo bored.. i'd almost be crying by morning throu having to force myself to lay in the dark all night. (so i guess that would count as darkness therapy as I'd lay in complete blackness for 6-7 hrs, no light in room at all but still not be able to sleep.. I'd count sheep forward and backwards, up to 5000 etc all without any luck of getting to sleep.

I suspect my body may be almost completely lacking the ability to make melatonin and hence why i can lay in complete darkness all night but still not sleep... Im deficient in many of my body hormones.

(I was putting on my orange specs at about 9pm back then).

Im interested in your orange specs? Thou tv helps get me to sleep by making sure I dont get frustrated while trying to sleep... I wouldnt be surprised on the other hand if getting rid of any light from that while still able to watch it may help me further. Where do you get orange specs from? and would they be suitable for watching tv in?

Yeah getting up to go to the loo or to get a drink can not be helpful when trying to go to sleep.. hence I keep a drink right by the bed and if I get up to go to the loo (which i do JUST before i go to sleep.. i usually lay in bed for 2-3 hrs first being that need happens).

I dont put any lights on at all to go to the loo and feel my way there along the walls (thou I worry about stepping on a poisonous spider when doing that.. but even so.. its perferable taking that risk then turning that light on and making it even harder for me to get to sleep).

Currently my routine is.. lights/computer out at 10-11pm (I dont always easily get off of computer at 10pm)..only tv from there in my bedroom while allowing myself to try to drift .. take melatonin at 11-11.30pm.. then sleep at midnight to 1am

With the lists for the carers, are you getting them to tick stuff off as they do them? That makes a big difference, I find. How often are you getting carers in, and how many different carers do you have on the go at any one time?

I only have the one regular carer and only others if she's sick or I have to get another one in due to a doctors appoinment. As i only have her here for 2 lots of 2.5hrs.. I dont put much on the list as not much gets done in that time (takes a lot of the time just doing my dishes and taking me shopping).

The list is really just for me.. so I dont forgot to ask her to do something. We only tend to get 3 or 4 things done in that time.

 

[Calathea]

Yes, I can watch TV or use the computer with the orange specs on. If you don't go for the tinted glasses option, the alternative is coloured lightbulbs and coloured filters to put over the TV/computer screens. Do you wear prescription glasses? If you don't, it's fairly easy: you can just pick up any pair of sunglasses which is orange, brown or red (not that I know anyone who uses red), and make sure that they will block all blue light. There are plenty sold as blue-blockers etc. No idea about where to buy them in Australia, but you can have a look on Amazon.com to see what sort of glasses other people are buying (and reviewing) for this purpose, such as these. If you need prescription specs, then either you can get fitover glasses (didn't get on with them myself but I was going for the very cheap ones, I think this varies) or else get prescription glasses made up which have an orange or brown tint (which is what I did in the end). Since it is usually quite expensive to get prescription specs made up, I would recommend testing out the method with something cheaper first.

I put my orange specs on at 9.30 and then go to bed around midnight, by the way. You need a good few hours of melatonin before you actually try to sleep, or so I've been told.