Less sleep -feel better! Decent sleep -feel dodgy! What is going on?

[lenora]

Hi Dubitat.....I have tried to gradually move my sleep time and wake time in the past. I just seem to go through periods of changed sleep patterns. I make certain that I spend quiet time before sleep, although pain has interfered with that lately. Read a lot before sleep, that type of thing. Often I'll be up for the entire night and will make it through the next day....and then day by day, I'll fall asleep while watching evening TV.

I think/know that steroids make everything worse for me. Even my so-called normal sleep cycle is interfered with. My neuro doesn't know what to do...and we've tried everything. I've accepted it now, but as I age and pain is becoming more of a problem, I'm turning into a grouch and I don't like that and feel my husband shouldn't have to live with someone like me.

The cold affects me, but then I've noticed that I seem to sleep better in colder weather. It's not unusual for me to awaken ten or more times during the night, no matter if it's cold or hot weather. Too many liquids after 4:00 p.m. is a guarantee that I'll be using the bathroom all night.

I do appreciate your suggestion, it was kind of you to make it and anything anyone else has would be helpful. See, I haven't slept properly for days now. The sleep clinic didn't believe me when I told them my story (at least that's the feeling I got) but after two rounds of going to the clinic, they also learned something new. No suggestions for me, though. Just the usual sleeping pills, but everyone leaves with them. Maybe like @Mary, I'm taking too much Vitamin C, but I don't take as much of that as I probably should. I'm always tired. Yours, Lenora.

 

[Wishful]

It's not unusual for me to awaken ten or more times during the night, no matter if it's cold or hot weather.

Have you tried avoiding proline and taking a significant amount of CLAs (conjugated linoleic acid, found in ruminant meat and dairy products)? For years I thought my frequent wakings were due to the need to pee, but it turned out to be due to too much proline, and CLAs counteracted that. With a normal diet, I wake every 90 minutes or so. With low proline, and enough CLAs, I can sleep much longer (6 hrs is my record so far). This proline/sleep connection was really unexpected.

 

[Wishful]

I recently had a couple of nights of longer than usual sleep, and the following days were higher than usual lethargy, brainfog, and aches. I think it's more that something will make me feel worse the next day, and that also causes me to sleep longer, so the longer sleep is an effect rather than a cause. I can't think of a way to test that. This is just a "don't be too sure that longer sleep is a cause of worse symptoms rather than an effect" comment to think about.