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Thyroidictomy & Sleeping

Since the removal of my thyroid about 6 weeks ago I just can't fall asleep. Before I could nap and fall asleep anytime.
I am on .15mg synthroid for the past couple of days....was on .175mg before that. Anyway, for the first 3 days after the operation I just got maybe 3 hours of sleep....though I was losing my ming. Went to the for some help and I got some sleeping pills.....now it almost 6 weeks I still can't fall asleep..the doc told me I am thinking too much...I really don't know what is the problem because before the operation I could fall asleep anytime.....please help....does anyone have similar experiences....any suggestions.

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Avatar universal
These are my thyroid levels at the Dec 13th, at this time I was on .175mg synthroid that the Endo give me....then I went to see my family doctor and he lowered it to .15mg synthroid....I have an app. with the Endo on Jan 11...I will know then what my new levels are. Based on my understanding the synthroid takes a while to work in your system...I don't know what my new levels will be with the new dosage of .15mg synthroid...I still have problems sleeping...when I fall asleep I will wake up within half hour..cannot sleep for any extended period of time.....my docs give me some sleeping pills...I really don't like to take them....I never had any problems sleeping before any of this.

How long did you meds take to work before you sleep better?


TSH  .05 (.35 to 5)
T4     22  (10 to 20)
T3     5.6 (2.6 to 5.7)
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139126 tn?1255036991
What are your thyroid levels?   I had a TT in June.   Took a little while to get the meds balanced correctly.   At one point my levels were on the hyper end of normal.   My Dr was ok with that until I told him I wasn't sleeping more than 3 hours a nite.   He knows that I never, ever had trouble sleeping before.   Anyway, he lowered my synthroid dose just a little bit; my levels are now in the mid-range of normal and most nites I sleep really well.   It took about 2 months to get to that point but for me it was all about the dose of synthroid that I was taking.
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Avatar universal
Thank you all for you comments and support....it is very frustrating when my mind won't go to sleep...last night I give in and took a sleeping pill to help and I got a couple of hours...I really want to discontinue this....I am starting a yoga class this evening and hopefully this will help calm my mind over time....honestly, i never has sleep issues until this operation and its very frustating. Because this is the first time in mylife I experience this I am have a very difficult time coping with it....hopefully, I will find some sort of peace soon.

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Avatar universal
Yes sleep is something that no longer comes easy since I had trouble with the thyroid 15yrs ago.

Nothing being OTC, rx'd, will work. I have just become used to the 3-4hr sleep. Your right, my brain will NOT shut off, but like I said, "used to it".

Insomnia was the ONLY side effect that my body carried over..
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Avatar universal
Have you tried yoga (a routine specifically geared for getting ready for bed), meditation, nightime tea or reading a really engaging novel before bed?  Or a bit of a combination of some of those things?

I haven't had my thyroid removed but I can sympothize with what you are going through.  I have hypo with heart palps along with mild narcolepsy which equals a nightmare for trying to go to sleep.  I've battles sleep problems for many years, it's ridiculously frustrating.  While I'm not AT ALL saying it is in your head, I do believe in mind over matter and have found that even with so many things against me with my own sleeping issues I found that having a good bedtime or stress relieving tea along with some bedtime yoga and deep breathing has helped immensely.  I used to think I wasn't someone who could meditate but laying in a pose and tuning into my body and thinking about my controlled breathing really helped me like I can't even tell you.  When I first tried it, I found that I had a hard time doing the long controlled breaths and that I had a hard time relaxing my body.  After a few tries I got better, more relaxed and mentally able coax my body into sleep.  Sometimes an engaging novel helps too, getting me thinking about the story and not my heart trying to pound it's way out of my chest.  

After having so many issues with docs and watching family members and friends get on drugs to help problems only to have others surface, I've been seeking out whatever alternative or natural methods possible and have tried to keep my hands off my lovely sleeping pills.  So far seems to be working for me, although not perfect for every night of course but about 8 out of 10 which is pretty decent.  

Best of luck to you and I hope you are able to catch those beautiful z's very soon!
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458072 tn?1291415186
welcome to my world!! This has been going on for me for 4 years now. Sleeping pills? Might as well take a tic tac.  I haven't found anything to help.
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