I’m sure that there are others who have difficulty with sleeping. I have tried melatonin which helps fall asleep for 30 minutes. I tried silenor and amatrytalene. Neither one worked and I’m about to try trazadone 50mg. Anyone help help me get a solid 7 - 8 hour sleep. Now im up every hour for a good 10 to 15min
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Unfortunately there may be no treatment for our insomnia. I too have tried melatonin and Clonazapam with little to no success. the melatonin helped get me to sleep ok for a while. The Clonazapam was to help treat sleep disorders like REM behaviour disorder. They both, however, seemed to make me miss important washroom breaks! and my sleep was really no better. So I quit them all together and just learned to deal with the interrupted sleep. Occasionally I sneak a nap in the afternoons if it is convenient.
With Ataxia, nerves don’t work properly. Central nervous system disorders can affect sleep. I had a sleepstudy done and have used a cpap for 10 yrs which has made a huge difference in my quality of sleep. Ask your neurologist for a referral. GP probably won’t understand the relationship of sleep disorder & Ataxia. Also, Trazadone is an anti-depressant and did work for me when I was actually depressed. Consider whether or not you need treatment for depression. Adjustment to Ataxia isn’t easy.
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You could try magnesium. There are packets that you add to water, kind of fizzy as I recall, called CALM. You can take more than the amount in CALM, but I would consult a naturopath, doctor/nurse practitioner, DO, or natural pharmacist. And I have also tried some specific yoga positions that you can do in bed or right before you get into bed—look up yoga for insomnia on the internet. My naturopath might have more suggestions, I can ask her if you’d like.
I take trazodone and find it helpful. I also take Trileptal as prescribed by my psychiatrist for sleep. The 2 together give me 5-7 hours.
I also use essential oils when I need to calm down or for pain
Please seek out a sleep study. My husband has had a CPAP for 2 years and it made a huge difference in his sleep patterns. However, he still has dreams that disturb him. For that…we keep tv and book material on the “gentle” nature side. Hope this helps.
I completed a sleep study, they can help. Although, the CPAP machine was helpful, it was too expensive. Even here in Canada where most of the machine’s cost is covered by our provincial healthcare program. It was still out of my financial reach at $600+. A simple change of my sleep position helped me (elevating my head and neck) However, this may not help everyone.
This is an interesting topic. As the years have gone by, I’ve been having trouble with sleep. Not falling asleep [no problem with that] but staying asleep. I get up every couple of hours to go to the bathroom. It’s a if I have BPH - I don’t have an enlarged prostate. Had the test and it was negative. I do #1 at least 10 times a day. Drives me nuts.
After I finish each time, going back to sleep is difficult at best. I toss and turn. Is this an Ataxia thing?
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It sounds like you are describing my sleep patterns to a T. The trazadone Im taking makes me feel super drunk if I have to go to the bathroom in the middle of the night. Last night was bad couldn’t find a comfortable spot(tried the lazyboy, the couch, my bed of course) all proved in effective. Usually a new drug will prove effective for a while than useless. It must be an axatia thing because before all this I would sleep like a rock.
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Yesterday, I spoke with someone who’d undergone a strict therapy regime prescribed by a doctor to conquer insomnia. It involved forcing yourself to waken at specific times over a set period. It was harsh but I’m assured the therapy worked xB
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Chas, it surely must be an ataxia thing. Many share the same. Thank goodness for TV! And I know flipping the tube on at night is a bad thing, however it is my only saviour. Peeing frequently is a nuisance for sure. Especially now, I have to self catheterize every time. I’m so tired of this! I’ve tried everything, there really is no remedy.
What do you mean you have to self catheritize why?
It’s called clean intermittent catheterization. Essentially the muscles responsible for elimination (urine) have quit working. Muscles that would normally relax and or contract during urination no longer function, thus not allowing urination at all. Catheterization is required each time. A more permanent solution (Folly catheter) may be required in the future, but not at this time. Typically, this type of catheter would be used in the event it becomes physically imposable to do clean intermittent At one point medication to help with urination worked, but quit working.