no sleep, waking up all the time

[boukman]

My mother is suffering from almost no sleep most nights. She wakes up very easily and wakes up constantly during the night. I dont know why this is happening but I would not be surprised if it has to do with the levels of stress in her life. We had a stressful family life growing up and although things are better, life is still stressful.  

What steps should we take to research and treat this?

thank you

[Suri123]

Hi boukman, how is your mother doing? Hope she gets better and able to get her sleep as usual. Yes, as I mentioned regarding the sleep study, It is better you get her done early to know the cause of her sleep disturbance. I agree with jimgreg, Sleep apnea, is a common cause for such awakenings and needs to be addressed soon. Is she obese? Overweight, large neck circumference, an overbite, enlarged tonsils, a recessed chin, and a structurally abnormal airway, smoking, alcohol and sleeping pills can be some causes. Losing weight is one of the best things to do. Avoiding alcohol, smoking, excessive tea/coffee and sleeping on to your back is helpful. There are few devices to assist sleep and in severe cases, a surgical correction can be done depending on the cause. She needs to be regularly followed up with your attending sleep specialist. Take care.

[jimgreg]

i think ur mom should ask her dockter for a sleep study..for obstructive sleep apnea..this is a very common test its in a nice setting to get the study done,,takes 8 -9 hrs..this can be very serious if left untreated..does she have high blood pressure  and if so how high does it run?? WHEN UR  SLEEPING AND YOU HAVE APNEA YOU CAN STOP BREATHING UP TO 60 SECONDS..UR MIND SAYS  HEY MOVE UR LEGS SO YOU CAN WAKE UP TO BRETH AGAIN..SO THIS COULD HAPPEN  OVER 200 TIMES IN A SINGLE NIGHT.. WHAT HAPPENS WHEN UR THROAT CLOSES UP THEN YOUR HEART IS ROBBED FROM OXEGEN....I KNOW ALL OF THIS  CUZ IM SEVER SLEEP APNEA  LOWEST WAS 66% NOW  WEARING CPAP MASK,,AT 94% 76% AT MIN..SO TAKE THIS ADVICE AND GO ASK UR COCKU..IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTSHIONS MAIL ME ON HERE...................JAMES

[Suri123]

Hi boukman, how is your mother keeping? Hope you might have taken her for a sleep specialist consultation? Has she been taking any medications to help sleep? A sleep study would be of great help to decide the plan of care. Try to reassure her and make her to follow few of the healthy sleep habits as given in this link: http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/sleep/HQ01387
She need to overcome her stress and try to get daytime sleep if possible. Hope she gets to sleep well. Do update on the doctor visit and advice. Take care and share your thoughts.

[Suri123]

Hi boukman, how are you and how is your mother feeling now? Hope she is able to get some sleep? I do understand your concern regarding your mother's sleep, she might be going through a lot of mental stress due to family, personal and daily livings. She needs to relax and keep physically engaged. Is she suffering from any chronic illness and is under any current medication? She can go to sleep as early as possible and take warm bath with gentle body massage. Doing yoga and meditation can also be helpful. She can try taking Ambien which can be given for short period. It is better to get her evaluated by a sleep specialist and get a sleep study assessed. Take care and share your thoughts.

[boukman]

in her late 50s

[swampcritter]

How old is your mother? Swampy asks because it is common for sleep patterns to change as a person gets older.

[boukman]

thank you, i wil look into earplugs and white noise. she is thinking about going to a sleep clinic to have a sleep study. my dad has sleep apnea.

[KatEyes]

Don't know if she's a light sleeper that any external sounds wake her or if the waking easily is a problem within her. There are things she can do to help buffer outside sounds like adding white noise or earplugs. Practicing good sleep hygiene can help most sleep better. Some meds and alcohol can adversely affect sleep.

If she has a sleep disorder, all these externals are good but will not fix her frequent awakenings. If this is a long standing problem, she may want to have sleep disorders ruled out with a sleep study so she knows exactly what she is working with. If she has no disorder that needs treating, her doc may prescribe an appropriate med to help her sleep, or even to help with stress. But meds without knowing why her sleep is disrupted would not be the path I would choose.

Long term sleep deprivation can have health and mind consequences. You can encourage her to pursue answers instead of waiting for things to change.