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Not sleeping
Tue, 10/30/2007 - 14:06So I just came here to write...complain...about what's going on with me right now. I don't want to irritate my friends or family by putting on a 'woe-is-me' act and I think holding back my feelings helps the people close to me deal with my epilepsy.
I'm not sleeping. I'm getting at best 4 hours of sleep a night. I average around 1.5 - 2. There are a number of reasons for this:
1. My medication keeps me wired, so I don't feel sleepy until I'm totally exhausted. Usually 24 hours after I last slept.
2. For some reason, when I go to bed I lie there for 2 hours or so before I fall asleep.
3. When I do fall asleep, I have a seizure almost right away. In a night where I get 4 hours of sleep I'll have about 3 seizures. (I have nocturnal epilepsy)
4. I think, and this is the big thing, that I am afraid to sleep. I certainly was last night. My seizures are painful...they're the most pain I've ever felt in my life, like being lit on fire from the inside. So ya, I'm afraid of them.
My boyfriend says I should just try to go to bed earlier, but when I do that I lie there even longer...I could be doing something productive. This is starting to really affect me.
Le sigh.
Anyway, sorry for complaining. I'm just...tired and lonely :)
Thanks,
Kelly
Comments
Re: Re: Not sleeping
Submitted by Kelter on Tue, 2007-10-30 - 21:13
Thanks for your reply. I can only fall asleep on my tummy without using any pillows. SO COMFY. I'm going to try the warm drink thing, I think. Maybe warming up a bean bag too?
Thanks again,
Kelly
Re: Re: Re: Not sleeping
Submitted by Seruzies on Wed, 2007-10-31 - 00:42
Hi Kelly,
'Warming up a bean bag' never heard of that one. Have you ever slept on a waterbed? I had a heated waterbed and loved it. In the process of moving around here and there, I had to leave it when it wouldn't fit on the truck we were using. Now, I regret it! If you like sleeping warm, that's the way to do it. Right now, I'm sleeping with a heating pad that I turn on before I go to bed to warm up the covers, because I can't stand having cold feet. I still want another waterbed, best nights sleep I ever had.
Re: Not sleeping
Submitted by Seruzies on Tue, 2007-10-30 - 19:16
Hi Kelly, Your trying to get to sleep sounds just like mine except w/o the nocturnal epilepsy. I have had Grand Mals while sleeping, but most of mine are Grand Mals while awake. Sometimes, changing the way I'm laying in bed helps me to fall asleep. Rather than laying down flat, I'll stack up a few pillows so that I'm laying in more of an upright position. Drinking something warm before trying to fall asleep helps me too, (not coffee) I like to have a mug of warm apple cider on the table next to me to sip on while I'm trying to fall asleep, that helps sometimes. I hope you find something that helps you sleep, if you do, reply back so that maybe it will help the rest of us.