How Many Hours A Night Do You Sleep?

[jmjm530]

Pre-treatment averaged around 7-8 hours a night. During treatment maybe 6-7. Lately (seven months post treatment) been averaging closer to 10 hours a night.

Of course, there could be many reasons for this, both physical and psychological, but one avenue of thought is that my greater need for sleep is related to the treatment drugs.

Wondering how this compares to everyone else's sleep patterns -- where relevant -- both pre-treatment, during treatment and after treatment. Maybe age is a factor, I'm 59.

Currently, I'm on zero medications.

Be well and don't let the bed bug bite :)

-- Jim

[Anne1717]

3

[orphanedhawk]

This thread is from 2006. Not likely many of the posters are still here.

[Bill200]

Do you guys who can't sleep try exercise?  Even just a mile or two walk helps me sleep.  Provides just enough of the resting or relaxed feeling in my muscles to help.  

No, I don't sleep well at all but something or two or three hours straight is better than nothing.  I would exercise more but you know how it is on treatment with the low RBC.  Still any I can get helps me sleep.

[breeana_mccloud]

I sleep atleast 15+ a day and I'm 22weeks Pregnant

[azgrl]

I think I'm a little opposite than most.  It figures I'm always the weirdo....

pre-tx slept 8-9 hours a night.
during tx slept 12-14 hours a night....odd I never had a problem sleepign on tx.
post tx sleep 2-4 hours a night and soooooo tired.

I never thought after tx I'd have problems.  But I'm 6 weeks post so I figure my body must still be trying to adjust.

deb in az
(if you ever need a really good laugh watch 4 year olds try and play soccer)

[jmjm530]

NY: "... I just know from personal experience it's NOT the Interferon making me depressed - it's just about everything else. I can't wait to be normal again. Have a LIFE again instead of sitting on my bed or laying on the couch watching tv every single night sure hasn't helped...
--------------------------------------------
Well, I certainly hope your right. But let me tell you this ... I was couch potatoes of couch potatoes on treatment, looking at food made me sick, even water caused me to reflux, infections all the time, antibiotics were my company, lost 30 pounds, skin outbreaks everywhere -- I looked like sh*t and ten years older,  and the list goes on and on.

OK. 7 months post treatment. I was running stadium steps the other day. Food tastes great. Gained all my weight back. Skin is looking good. I'm looking good :) BUT I still ain't my ole chipper self by a long shot. By a long shot. As I said before, there's situation depression and there's the other kind. Inteferon can cause the other kind.

All the best,

-- Jim

[NYgirl]

As any shrink will tell you, depression doesn't have to be tied to external stimuli such as looking like sh*t from treatment

Nobody said it HAS to - in fact I repeatedly just said it was my personal experience that it is NOT.

To say everybody that is suffering depression on treatment it is caused by the interferon - is an absurd statement because there is only a small population that has this problem.

The rest of us go to work every day and try to deal with outside life and issues and don't have the pleasure of just sitting home all day - and it DOES get depressing to have to face the world when you KNOW you look and feel like sh*t.

[bobbyullc]

i sleep 10 hours a night and a 2-3 hour nap in the afternoon. i go out like a light switch at 3 pm. no energy. 4 months post tx. no initiative. bummer...

[NYgirl]

If you have any doubts that Interferon alone can cause depression, please google "interferon depression" and/or read Dr. Miller's article from the Projects In Knowledge Website (page 3):


Everyone knows they CAN...but I still think it's a big blanket statement that people go "it's the meds" and sometimes quite simply...it's not.

As always - everyone is different and I just know from personal experience it's NOT the Interferon making me depressed - it's just about everything else. I can't wait to be normal again. Have a LIFE again instead of sitting on my bed or laying on the couch watching tv every single night sure hasn't helped...


Amirtracy = I have never really known what week I'm on...right now I'm somewhere between 55 and 56 I THINK.  I try NOT to think about it...I really do.

[jmjm530]

Thanks Alg, that's really on the money. As any shrink will tell you, depression doesn't have to be tied to external stimuli such as looking like sh*t from treatment. As you suggest, some people have everything going for them and can still be profundly depressed. The Interferon connection is clear. BTW, in regards to your formula, is VL in copies or IU/mls?

Be well,

-- Jim

[Algernon]

Even the drug companies acknowledge that these drugs have major effects on our bodies and minds.

I agree that lots about TX can make you depressed (lost hair, fuzzy brain, crashed cars, etc.)

BUT what about all of us you are post TX and (knock on wood, so far) SVR?  Those of us who started TX in great physical and mental condition.  Those of us who had and still have lots of friends and families and great jobs and great kids, etc.

WHY are we having lasting post TX side effects?  Because they are REAL, not imagined.

I don't mean to rain on anyone's parade.  But going the TX route means weighing the costs and benefits of treating versus not treating.  The math is VERY complicated.

log VL * SVR (0,1)*(y > = K)/ X4 + a = Hours of Sleep

[Kalio1]

Depression can cause you to sleep longer hours although 10 hours is normal for many people. My husband has always slept 10 hours a night.

[jboyhk]

Depression usually makes you sleep less.

http://www.medicinenet.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=47548

How Are Sleep and Depression Linked?

An inability to sleep, or insomnia, is one of the signs of depression. (A small percentage of depressed people, approximately 15%, oversleep, or sleep too much.) Lack of sleep alone cannot cause depression, but it does play a role. Lack of sleep caused by another medical illness or by personal problems can make depression worse. An inability to sleep that lasts over a long period of time is also an important clue that someone may be depressed.

[Pauly Boy]

Before tx I slept just about the same amount of hours you did. Within a few weeks of starting tx, i became very fatigued. I started falling asleep during the day, things I never did before that were caused by fatigue. I sleep 10 hours at night and as much as I can during the day. My fatigue and fogginess of mentality, lack of clarity etc. made it necessary for me to take some time off work. I asked the doc about this and he told me that my body was telling it to get the rest, that I needed it. When my HMGB tanked and I needed to go on Procrit, I thought that was the reason for my sleepiness all the time, but even after I got rid of the severe sx the drop in HMGB, I was still tired all the time. Doc said that people that have had the type of fatigue I've shown has left with any other sx when they stopped tx. I'm your age so maybe all of us 59 year olds sleep more...LOL. After I read about the drugs we're on it wasn't hard for me to understand why the sx are severe at times. Enjoy the rest while you can. Best Wishes !!   Keep killing those little critters!!!     Pauly

[Forseegood]

gee Jim, I'd do anything to sleep 10 hours a night, I simply can't...the kid is dead asleep, slumbering for hours, and I sit around green with envy. I don't even remember when I used to simply fall asleep when I felt tired, and then sleep throughout the night...I actually feel like a "shawdow person" maybe getting 3 or 5 hours uninterrupted sleep on a good night...

mostly I just get up and read and then try to fall asleep again, till it happens anew...maybe shuffle to the kitchen and stare into the refrigerator, trying to remember why I went there...when it's really bad, I feel that body tension, anxiety and pinky type sore eyes that comes with little sleep...

Groucho said the bane of his existence was insomnia, he would of been a much happier guy throughout his life if he didn't have it, with probably a different name...I know what he means...

I've read that as we age we can need more or less sleep, maybe you've been through a lot and just need the extra right now, later on it might be different...just a guess...

[GoofyDad]

Goofy (in his younger days) said: The existence of my insomnia is my bone. Oooops, rereading Groucho's quote, I guess he called it his bane. Whatever, he can call it what he wants, still probably looked just as funny.

BTW, speaking of Groucho, did a self-written skit with the kiddo in a talent show on Sat. We called it Duck Stew. Pretty funny, it was, considering one must tame down the material for elementary kids.  

1AM and I just got back from a midnight run to the airport post office with tax returns. Yikes! Don't tell the Bean Woman.

Last year I was doing the October tax thingie about 6 wks into tx. I think I was a little less cloudy this time, but not a lot. My thinker still ain't what it once was. I'm blaming some of it on the state of the liver.

Back to the question at hand, 7 hours before tx and 7 now. 8-9 on tx. And lot's of coffee. Coffee by day, ambien by night. No wonder I'm so screwed up. LOL.

[returntosender]

I get about 6 hours tops.  During tx I was actually sleeping better believe it or not.  Pretx I never had problems, getting solid 8 a night.  The current problem is that I have very vivid dreams - 20 weeeks post tx. Those wake me up as my mind is racing a mile a minute.  After a couple nights of this I take a benedryl which usually helps me get through the night.

A real interesting thing that started this week is that my vision has started clearing up all of a sudden.  In addition, the rash on my head is suddenly gone. Just sort of happened out of the blue. At the same time I have to say that the last couple of weeks may have been worst of all physically - joint pain, back pain, stomach problems.  Could be from pounding all the food the last five months. Really made up for lost time in that dept. Just about put back all weight I lost on tx.  Food tastes soooo good now.  Hard to resist.  Anyway, better stop before I put you to sleep. LOL

[Lady E]

I get about 9 hours of sleep per night now. I used to take my pm Riba with supper (about 6:30)& was having trouble sleeping early. I now take my pm dose at around 3 pm, and I take it with something with fat in it...like chocolate cream pie or some kind of chocolate LOL. It seems to work for me..the treat tastes good, and I don't have the problem with going to bed earlier than usual.

I also wanted to mention that it seems I am losing my sensativity, as far as taste & physically too. I can hardly taste any foods now (except chocolate or salt-vinegar potato chips), which makes it difficult to enjoy most meals. I also feel desensatized (sexually, shall we say). My fingertips are starting to take on a shriveled look as well (and seem pretty sensative). Boo-hoo..I think I'm shriveling up like a prune.
E

[Cindy10]

I slept 8-9 pre-treatment, now about 6 with several interuptions during the night for bathroom trips. The riba is
making my skin crawl. I feel like I am speeding all the time.
But you bring up a good point. I was trying to take my pills at least 10-11 hours apart 7 am and 5-6 pm. But I was wondering if I could move up the second set to an earlier time say 3:00pm?

[NYgirl]

Had you ever had depression before and needed to go to a shrink or for an AD?

I never did. Maybe it has something to do with that...I've never been depressed EVER (and I've been through things much tougher than this is) so maybe it helped me with the interferon but like I said...if I felt fine and looked fine right now - I'd BE fine. Somehow just knowing I'll never be like I "was" before...well...I don't want to be left in this state afterwards you know?

Plus having no real thyroid to monitor stuff...probably makes it worse. But it is driven for ME by the 'external stimuli' because otherwise I'm pretty happy right now (until i remember). Then I obsess and stare at wigs for a few hours.  Finally picked one out hoping it will help. ;)

Take Care
Debby

[Kalio1]

According to the American Psychiatric Association, oversleeping IS a sign of depression. I found literally hundreds of lists of symptoms of depression and oversleeping was on every one. Depression can cause over sleeping or under sleeping, over eating or under eating, etc. Many if not all of the symptoms of depression are common complaints we hear from those who say that their tx for HCV "caused" their symptoms. Men usually have a harder time admitting they are suffering from depression according to many authorities. They blame something else or feel they should "tough it out" rather than using medication. Notice "brain fog" is also a symptom of depression..

Symptoms of Depression

Changes in appetite that result in weight loss or gain not related to dieting
Insomnia or oversleeping
Loss of energy or increased fatigue
Restlessness or irritability
Feelings of worthlessness or inappropriate guilt
Difficulty thinking, concentrating, or making decisions
Thoughts of death or suicide, or attempts of suicide

[NYgirl]

4-6 on and off waking up every hour or so. Sleep from 11 - 2 but even with extended Ambien it sucks.

Can't WAIT to start getting 8 hours again.

[friole]

I heard that goof!  Shame on you - and can't even blame tx this time.  PO here only stays open til 6 on the October deadline so you would have been hung! This is one tax deadline I was really really glad to see. The skit sounds like a gas. (don't get carried away with that one)

I basically slept my normal sleep time plus 2-3 hours on the couch during tx. So that's about 7 at night plus the couchtime. The meds did not give me insomnia.

[NYgirl]

How are you feeling lately? any better?  You know our prayers are with you. I certainly hope that the "sunburn rash" had subsided...my heart breaks that you have to go through this.  I worry about you big.