ZZZZZ, Sleep and Insomnia

 Sleep.........zzzzzzzz!

Sleep is one of the key components for repairing Fibromyalgia/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome.  It is so important to address this issue or the patient will never really recover.

I have a questionnaire that I use to cover the topics with my patients at the clinic, but I'll 
do an overview here for you at Lumigrate.  You might want to hit the Print button on this page and fill this out over a period of days and take it with you to your provider.  Not only will that rapidly communicate information with him or her, allowing more time for discussion, but they will see Lumigrate for themselves and hopefully come and visit the website sometime. 

A.  Do you have trouble going to or staying asleep..... or both?
B.  Do you have to get up at night to go to the bathroom?
C. Does pain interfere with your sleep? (Like rolling over and the pain wakes you up.)
D. Do you suffer from hot flashes or sweats at night?
E.  Have you ever tried sleep medication, and if so, which?
F.  Have you tried melatonin, tryptophan or 5-HTP?
G.  Have you tried herbal teas?
H.  Does your sleep partner keep you from sleeping?  (Snoring, etc.)
I.  Do you have Restless Leg Syndrome at night?
J.  Could you possibly have sleep apnea?  Do you snore?  Does your bed partner notice that you quit breathing for 10-15 seconds frequently?

These are just a few of the issues with sleep.  Of course, the sleep products over the counter that are natural may be helpful: melatonin and 5-HTP.  

Tryptophan may require a compounding pharmacist.

There are many prescription sleep products.

Progesterone is a wonderful sleep hormone for you ladies.  

Thyroid hormone, even though taken in the morning, helps with sleep also, as
it makes the brain function better.  

Aldosterone deficiency causes patients to urinate too frequently.

You must alleviate pain in order to sleep.  This disruption won't allow you to enter the deep sleep required for true restorative sleep.  

Restless Leg Syndrome won't let you enter into this phase of deep sleep either.  And sleep apnea is also a huge disrupter of deep sleep.

To deal with sleep appropriately, you should see a practitioner who is well versed in sleep problems to help you sort through all the things that may be interfering with your good sleep.  You may need to go to a sleep lab to diagnose some of your sleep issues. There are new testing options at home that are increasingly common and reliable.

Have a bedtime cup of chamomile tea for me!

Marc Spurlock, MD