can't sleep

[peggy64]

Hello Dr.

I have a sleep issue and no one seems to be able to help me. Thought I would post a question to see if you have any clues.

Over 3 years now, I wake up every 1.5-2 hours all night long, wake up with adrenaline rush. I am taking naturopathic medicines(5 months) for adrenal issues,  but it is not helping the sleep problem. I am improving in some areas, so I don't know if this is just a sloooowww process.  My dr is at a loss as nothing seems to help.

before I saw a ND, I tried almost every Rx sleeping pill there is to no benefit. I was so desperate one day I took 8 dalmane throughout the day and it had no effect. My regular MD had also given me 100 mg of Visteral IM, I woke wide awake in an hour.

I have had a sleep apnea test and I have no apnea at all or restless leg.

My FSH was normal, but I am having some "issues" going on there now. I believe it is because when one gland goes, if not managed, they all will. I am going to see a dr about some bio-identical hormones to see if this will help.

And I have been on dilantin for about 10 years, don't know if that could affect it or not. But it had never been a problem before.
I am doing everything I can to keep my sanity at this point due to the exhaustion.  My memory is, well, emabarrassing.
Do you have any ideas?  Thank you for your  help.

[peggy64]

I thank you for getting back to me.

I looked at my sleep study, and I have "during sleep 57 rousals were identified. 16 with respiratory events, 0 with PLMS and 41 appearred spontaneoulsy. overall arousal index was 9.5".

"Total number of obstructive sleep apneas recoreded was 0, hypopneas 18, central apneas 0 and mixed apneas 0. RDI was 3.0"

I guess I need the full report to see if there are any that are 0-9 seconds.

Can a hormonal imbalance cause this as well?

Again thank you for your help. Hope you enjoy your weekend.

Peggy

[Steven Y Park, MD]

I went through your post as well as what Stella5349 added, and I have to admit, it does sound complicated. The one thing that I have to suggest is to revisit a sleep-breathing possibility for the following reason: You wake up consistently after 1.5 to 2 hours. This the length of one sleep cycle. It's possible that as you start to get into deeper levels of sleep, your muscles relax, and you wake up suddenly (in your case, violently). I've seen many people have these "episodes" with a state of panic, with heart racing, sweating, etc. This can be interpreted as a panic or anxiety attack, but it can also be from an abrupt breathing stoppage.

Despite your sleep study being normal, you can still have this for the following reason: Apneas and hypopneas are breathing pauses that last more than 10 seconds. You need at least 5 apneas or hypopneas every hour to say you have obstructive sleep apnea. But if you stop breathing for 1-9 seconds, then it's not counted. So you can stop breathing and wake up 20 times every hour and your sleep study score (the apnea hypopnea index) will be 0. Take a look at my article on upper airway resistance syndrome. This condition prevents you from staying in deep sleep, causing a chronic physiologic stress response, leading to a heightened nervous system.

Do you normally prefer to sleep on your side or stomach? If so, even more reason to pursue this line of reasoning. It's hard to say for sure without examining you, but one other option is to find a dentist that can treat upper airway resistance syndrome using an oral appliance.

[peggy64]

I forgot, I also take Licorice, L- glutamine, Tyrosine.

This has been going of for over 3 years. I was only diagnosed last march with hypothyroidsim.

I wake up in a panic, like adrenaline surges or something.

This has been going on prior to my supplementation so that is not causing this.

I have not had a life for about a year now, but I do see some improvement since going to the ND, at least I know who I am and where I am and can stay on the couch as opposed to the bed. I was in the bed for about 3 months.

The ND is helping but I just can't afford  to keep on that vein.

[peggy64]

Dr Park, thank you for your time. I do appreciate it.

I am taking some supplements from the NPD that she says would "knock out a horse." One has high quality b vits, magnesuim,GABA, Inositol, Taurine, MSM.

Another formula called for female support containing Dioscorea Opposita Radix, Rehmannia Glutinosa and other herbs.

I am also taking some stomach enzymes. She said my body was not producing any, which I can believe by the symptoms.

Something else for sleep called Soothing sleep by pacific biologic, Jitters Away by pacific biologic, a formula called mega-adrenal. There sound like they contain Chinese herbs.

I am taking about 10 gms of vit c a day, using celtic sea salt.

I have tried so many things, western and eastern and nothing is helping so far. It just is so perplexing and frustrating and after 3 years of this I am past exhaustion. My body is now starting to show signs of getting tired of this as well.

The sleep study that I had done showed no problems whatsoever.

Any thoughts you could give me would be appreciated very much.

[stella5349]

HI I am adding for Peggy here too.

She had attempted ProgesE and found that didn't help at all. She has been looking over adrenal disfunction and finds she strongly mocks many of those symtpoms too. She was on Armour thyroid and had a big crash from it back in May and attempted Levoxyl. Her doctor has now removed her from the T4 Levo and she is on no thyroid medication at all. I am asking her to post all the herbs and supplements she takes each day and would really appreciate you giving her some avenue to go. She is miserable with this anxiety and insomina and can't go on much longer with no sleep. She has had a sleep apnea test. and She will be able to go into more details with this.

[peggy64]

Forgot to add, I have no trouble falling asleep. I just can't stay that way. Before this, I would sleep from 9p-6a without waking up.