[PRESLA]

Sad to say I sleep c a ceiling fan, fan, and sound machine. I don't think I could sleep s them. But I still can hear other things in the house like family if they are still up and the animals if they need to go out for a minute so I don't get a full night sleep.

Lisa

[agent66]

Great thread Zoe, I must be the odd man out. I sleep great, night time, daytime. Have never had to use gravol, benadryl or anything. I can drink coffee all day long and does not bother me to go to sleep. Tea on the other hand makes me travel to bathroom way too many times after dozing off so now avoid it. I have been doing 12 hour nights only for almost 20 years and have no trouble switching back to day mode for my days off . To boot I can sleep after nights , get up at 3ish and go back to bed at 10pm and sleep right through the night! As for background noise does the kids yelling and the dog barking count?? Perhaps it is because I am high energy person while awake that I fall asleep so easily when I do crash, who knows. I sympathize with those of you that do not sleep well, have worked a night or two with those who have only slept an hour or two before coming in for their second nightshift, not pleasant!!

Tammy
66

[sarah_bellum]

Just out of curiosity, do any of you night shifties take Provigil? I was just wondering how it works on people without a sleep disorder.

I am a narcoleptic, and I take it to control my symptoms, I just noticed the other day it is now approved for shift work.

[zoeboboey]

Originally Posted by sarah_bellum

Just out of curiosity, do any of you night shifties take Provigil? I was just wondering how it works on people without a sleep disorder.

I am a narcoleptic, and I take it to control my symptoms, I just noticed the other day it is now approved for shift work.

Wow interesting idea - sad too to think one has to take meds to sleep when they work an abnormal shift, just lends credence to the theory eh?

Thanks Sarah!

And Hi Agent 66 didn't notice you had posted!

[sarah_bellum]

Provigil doesn't help with sleep patterns, it helps you stay awake. The chemical component in which it works on is complicated, but it has does not have the adverse health effects that the old treatments for narcolepsy has (Adderal) There is no treatment for narcolepsy that helps with our sleep pattern



Provigil saved my life, I am actually normal now. I just was wondering if anyone "normal" had taken it, and if it altered their awake state, as much as it does mine. It seems if someone was downright dangerous from poor sleep hygiene, this might be a temporary solution.

[gentle]

Zoe,

Wonderful thread my friend.

I do appreciate all the ideas listed in the original post.

Has anyone tried journaling?

My journal is composed of my letters to God. I have been journaling for well over a decade. It helps me to give my concerns to someone I believe cares for me. Some of the entries are raw emotion and that's okay. It helps and I do tend to sleep better.

Speaking of sleeping, I am wearing down. Sooo, off to bed very soon for me.

Thanks for the thread Zoe.

[hikernurse]

Z, nice to see you, my friend. Great thread and information.

I bought a yoga dvd that is extremely relaxing--the hardest part is getting up off the floor and into bed when it ends . I also have found there's a window where I am very tired, but if I don't go to sleep, I hit my second wind.

Shift work is hard. I end up taking benadryl usually once a week to make sure I get enough sleep to work safely. I'm seriously considering a move to more days just to get back on track.

[Angie O'Plasty, RN]

Excellent thread. I've developed the worst sleep patterns-I sleep an hour or two, wake for a couple, back to bed for a couple, up for a couple.

Nocturia is a problem. I'll be deeply asleep and then I have to get up and go. By the time I stumble back to bed, I'm often quite thirsty and can't sleep if I don't take a drink, but if I do, it wakes me up.

I also have RLS -- restless leg syndrome and leg/foot cramps that keep me awake some nights. Depends on how much I've been on my feet all day. Sometimes I'll take a few Advil to get rid of the pain and that works pretty well. I've tried drinking lots of water, taking K+, and various other remedies, but the only time I have the problem is when I've been on my feet a lot, and the only thing that seems to work for me is Ibuprofen.

It's rare that I can just get into bed and sleep for a few hours straight. If I get 6 hours at one stretch, I'm ecstatic.

I seem to do best if I have the TV on a channel that doesn't have commercials because the change from the program sound level to the louder commercial will jolt me awake. I'll sleep a couple of hours on the recliner, then get into bed for a few. My family is used to it at this point, but I envy those who can just have a real sleep all night with their spouses.

I've finally gotten to the point that if I don't sleep, I figure it's because my body isn't tired, so I might as well take advantage of the solitude in the wee hours.

When I'm awake and everyone else is asleep, I can get some housework or laundry done, catch up on the bills, take a shower, study, get on AN and do my thing here or play online games with the Australians & English (who whup my butt every doggoned time, BTW ). Sometimes I'll go out and do some shopping at the all-night superstore.

Benadryl turns me into Mr. Hyde. I had no idea how horrible I can behave until I tried that awful stuff. Makes me feel drunk and hung over. I really don't care if I say something that hurts someone's feelings, I just get all sarcastic and mean on the stuff, so I'm afraid to take any medication to help me sleep.

It's true, I hate going in to work on 4 hours of sleep, but we've recently gone to having set days off so I count the days till I can just stay home and catch up on my sleep. Which is what I did all day today.

So I guess this is just a vent, because I've pretty much come to accept that this is how it's gonna be.

I try to be nice to my family when I'm awake, because when I think about the future, I believe that my caregivers will be in for a rough time when I'm an old demented lady.