I lie down and like magic I am... wide awake. Maybe if I just toss and turn for a while I'll tire myself out. 60 minutes, 90 minutes. Nope, not happening...get back up.
Wide awake now, let's see.... surf internet, check mail, write a little in next week's blog, bored.... I wonder what's on TV? Infomercials. A combination banana slicer, cheese-grater and corkscrew. I might have to get me one of those. OOH, buy 1 now get 2 free! I see why these shows are on in the middle of the night. That's when we are at our weakest.
Finally feeling sleepy enough to go back to bed. Dog took my spot, figures.
Sleep. Weird dream, wow that was so REAL! Eyes snap open. Feels like it should be morning by now. Nope, 3 am. Maybe if I could just get comfortable. Toss and turn again, ugh, now 4 am.
I wonder if I should just get up.
Hmmm, now it's almost 5 am, I must have dozed off briefly.
5:30 am alarm goes off. I'm dragging. It feels like I could sleep for hours. At last, the sleepy feeling I've been waiting for has come. It's not fair that it arrives just when I have to get up.
To sleep, perchance to dream; ay, there's the rub
I know Shakespeare's Hamlet was talking about suicide in this quote, but it has a different meaning to Parkies. You can't get to sleep and when you finally do you can't stay asleep. But, when you do happen to drift off, your sleep is either filled with vivid dreams or you act out one of them and punch your water bottle off the nightstand. Ay, there's the rub!
I can't remember the last time I had a good nights rest. For a while now it has been very repeatable:
- can't get to sleep will last a few days to a week
- can get to sleep, but can't stay asleep takes over for about another week
- then can't get to sleep and can't stay asleep hits which basically means you are up all night
Nothing has worked. Melatonin, sleep aids like zzzQuil™, sleepy time tea, warm milk, a jug of wine, nothing will break the cycle. I am able to get by at least a little more comfortable by taking a Sinemet CR (controlled release) right before bedtime. This helps to stave off the muscle soreness that would wake me up or prevent me from getting into a deeper sleep. However I am still, at best, getting 4-5 hours sleep a night and usually that's not all in a row.
I can't offer a lot of advice on this subject because I haven't figured it out myself yet. I have gone through the no alcohol, no caffeine, no tv routines to try and help me get to sleep. Plus, tried no computer screens when I am up in the middle of the night to keep from 'waking my brain up'. Nothing helps. When I am up...I'm up. At those moments, my body has no intention of resting so I figure I might as well be productive and get some work done. I look forward to retirement someday where, hopefully, at two in the afternoon, if I want a nap I can take one!
Here are some links to keep my Parkie friends busy in the middle of the night:
What lack of sleep does here
Why you need your sleep here
Effects of not getting enough sleep infographic here
An article from the Huffington Post on continued poor sleep here
Interesting take from Business Insider here
Sleep tips from Parkinson's Canada here
Acting out while sleeping here
REM sleep disorder and Parkinson's here
Why can't a Parkie sleep? here
Can't sleep? You are not alone here
Data from a sleep study here
Next up: Is there anything good about Parkinson's - Chocolate!
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