Sleeping problems

[Guest guest]

<<<I have been bothered by sleeping problems for the past few months>>>

I have also been experiencing sleeping problems for the last week. If I'm

not having problems falling asleep initially, I am waking up in the middle

of the night and not being able to fall asleep. Could this possibly be

caused by adrenal malfunction?

[Guest guest]

Re: Sleeping Problems

<<<I have been bothered by sleeping problems for the past few months>>>

I have also been experiencing sleeping problems for the last week. If I'm

not having problems falling asleep initially, I am waking up in the middle

of the night and not being able to fall asleep. Could this possibly be

caused by adrenal malfunction?

<snipped>

I've had problems waking up in the middle of the night, and I've also had

adrenal malfunction. As I did things to help my adrenal glands heal, the

middle of the night waking grew later and later, until now I'm waking up

early in the morning, still tired, but it's better than waking up in the

middle of the night. And hopefully as I continue to heal, it will continue

to improve. My naturopath said that when the adrenal glands are damaged,

your circadian cycles can get screwed up, because one of the controlling

mechanisms for them is the adrenal gland. It's supposed to produce the most

adrenaline in the morning, with levels falling throughout the day, and being

the lowest at night. But when the adrenal glands are damaged, they'll put

adrenaline out in the middle of the night, waking you up, and keeping you

from going back to sleep. I remember reading that candida happens to

especially like three things - sugar in the digestive tract, estrogen from

the reproductive system, and adrenaline from the adrenal glands, and

especially likes to colonize those three areas. Candida actually has

receptor sites on it to take advantage of the estrogen and adrenaline.

lindaj@...

[Guest guest]

What did you do to help your adrenal glands heal? I started having problems

with sleep just before my adrenal insufficiency was diagnosed. So now I'm

trying to learn as much as I can about adrenal function!

Crystal

In a message dated 7/30/00 9:05:45 AM Central Daylight Time,

lindaj@... writes:

<< 've had problems waking up in the middle of the night, and I've also had

adrenal malfunction. As I did things to help my adrenal glands heal, >>

[Guest guest]

I took an adrenal supplement called Cytozyme A.D. It's made from prenatal

bovine adrenal glands. I also took Kava Kava every night before going to

bed, to keep my adrenal glands from kicking in during sleep. It helped to

reset my circadian rhythms. And tried to eliminate all unnecessary stress.

(That's always impossible, but I tried). If I was stressed, I used

homeopathic or back flower remedies to keep from over-stressing. I also

think that anything that's good for your kidneys is good for your adrenal

glands, because they're in such close proximity to your kidneys. So drink

lots of water, don't overdo salt, etc.

lindaj@...

Re: Sleeping Problems

What did you do to help your adrenal glands heal? I started having problems

with sleep just before my adrenal insufficiency was diagnosed. So now I'm

trying to learn as much as I can about adrenal function!

Crystal

In a message dated 7/30/00 9:05:45 AM Central Daylight Time,

lindaj@... writes:

<< 've had problems waking up in the middle of the night, and I've also had

adrenal malfunction. As I did things to help my adrenal glands heal, >>

Send blank message to candidiasis-unsubscribeonelist if you want to

UNSUBSCRIBE !

[Guest guest]

<<<What did you do to help your adrenal glands heal? I started having

problems

with sleep just before my adrenal insufficiency was diagnosed. So now I'm

trying to learn as much as I can about adrenal function!>>>

I'm interested in learning too. I have recently been having problems

getting to sleep. I had started taking CoQ10 and Glucosimine lately. Can

suppliments fire up the adrenals?

[Guest guest]

he should exercise more and follow the diet or at least avoid the avoids.

Sleeping Problems

My husband is also an O but doesn't want to follow the diet as religiously

as I am. He regularly cheats on wheat and dairy. He has been suffering

with sleeping problems as long as I can remember. Sometimes it is worse

than other times. The strongest sleeping aid available doesn't even make

him sleep through. It is as if he has a resistance to any medication. What

can we do to alleviate this. It is driving both of us crazy!

Hilda - South Africa

[Guest guest]

Funny you mention this. I did an involuntary experiment last week. I

have been taking 50 mg 5-HTP, some flax seed oil and Valerian root

about an hour before bedtime. I've been sleeping very well, after

protein dinners. One day last week, I didn't eat very much protein,

and had a sweet potatoe for dinner. Maybe some Terra chips as a

snack. I woke up in the middle of the night! Weird. I hadn't done

that in awhile. So, for me, protein for dinner works best. Maybe a

little carbs with or after, but definitely meat or fish for dinner.

E Long, m2¢

> My husband is also an O but doesn't want to follow the diet as

religiously as I am. He regularly cheats on wheat and dairy. He has

been suffering with sleeping problems as long as I can remember.

Sometimes it is worse than other times. The strongest sleeping aid

available doesn't even make him sleep through. It is as if he has a

resistance to any medication. What can we do to alleviate this. It

is driving both of us crazy!

>

> Hilda - South Africa

[Guest guest]

Hi All,

If I have trouble sleeping, I take some magnesium and

taurine. For

me it very gently helps me relax into sleep.

Mike

[Guest guest]

Is this the same thing with Magnesium Taurate?

Thanks.

Nil

Re: Sleeping problems

| Hi All,

| If I have trouble sleeping, I take some magnesium and

| taurine. For

| me it very gently helps me relax into sleep.

[Guest guest]

s,

I've been taking low dose Desyrel (trazadone) 25-75mg for sleep.

It's an antidepressant that is used mostly for sleep now.

I also started Magnesium/Taurine injections 4x/week for 3 weeks and

this calms and relaxs my brain (no obsessive dreaming), now I only

need 25mg of Desyrel to get a full undisturbed sleep for 6 hours.

All the best!

Nat

> I am having some insomnia problems. I think my fish powder and

vitamin

> treatment may help me, but my sleeping problems are pretty bad.

Melatonin

> doesn't seem to help. What do you have to recommend, what do you

use in

> USA?

>

> I have tried immovane, which I think is one of the softer sleeping

> medicines. I will consider trying tricylic antidepressants. Can one

> rotate, and shift medicines after every few days, to avoid

dependence? any

> good advice?

>

> Best wishes,

> s

[Guest guest]

Hi All,

I used to take 500mg of taurine and 500 mg of magnesium

oxide.

Now since I am more sensitive I take 250mg of taurine.

I get empty capsules and put divided doses into them.

Mike

[Guest guest]

s,

Here's some of the drugs/supplements I've used for sleep. Rotating does

help somewhat, but it gets to be hard to figure when to make changes. That

said, nothing has worked for me on a regular basis and I'm feeling pretty

desperate. I can sleep about 4-6 hours, but need nine 'restorative' hours.

More and more often, even with extra drugs or supplements, my extra hours are

non restorative and I feel even worse than if I sleep only five hours. This

problem began about four years ago, although I've been ill for eleven years.

I did a sleep study last year which showed that I didn't go into stage 3 or

stage 4 sleep, but did not show signs of apnea or restless leg syndrome.

So here's some suggestions, but this is also an appeal for new ideas

(with the caveat that I think I've tried everything, but one never knows).

At bedtime, I find useful doxepine and Remeron. Remeron is one of the

newer anti depressants but is not an SSRI; it has the unsual feature that at

a low dose it is more sedating than at the higher, therapeutic dose for

depression. Also elavil is helpful. Before this problem got out of hand, low

doses of any of these drugs kept me sleeping all night. No longer. But they

do help me fall asleep.

For middle of the night wake-ups I rotate: Soma, Imovane (zopiclone --

not available in the US; I get it from Canada); Klonopin, Xanax, Valium,

Darvon; I've been trying TwinLab's Gaba Plus which has lots of GABA and

Inositol, which is sedating. Also, L-Theonine -- an active ingrediant in

Green Tea is calming.

Desyrel helps a lot of people, but boomerangs on me.

For really difficult cases some docs use low doses of anti-psychotics,

such Zyprexa and a few others I can't think of just now. They didn't work for

me, though.

If i don't use a drug for a month or so, it's more effective; but

frankly, I feel like a I need a software program to figure out a rotation

scheme.

If you don't live in the US, Canada, Austria, Sweden and one other

country I can't think of, you can order GHB on the internet. GHB does put one

in a deep delta wave sleep for 2-4 hours. It's illegal in the above named

countries, not in others. In the US, while it is illegal, the FDA has just

approved it for the very narrow use of treating Narcoleptics with Cataplexy

(sudden loss of muscle control). But it will be very very hard to get a doc

to jump through the hoops to order it, even though it appears to have

potential use for a variety of problems.

There's also this device called a CES -- Cranial Electrial Stimulation

-- it's supposed to apply small electric stimulation to the brain to

encourage alpha waves. I tried it for several months with no success, but a

friend tried it and it has helped him a lot with his sleep problem.

Most recently I tried The Lumatron -- a device that emitts colored

light rays directed at the retina to stimulate the hypothalamus to work

better (and therefore the pituitary and pineal glands which effect sleep).

Theoretically it was quite interesting, but didn't help.

So I'm at my wits end as to what to do. Any new ideas are welcome.

And I hope that maybe some of the above suggestions help others.

Lastly, Teitlebaum has an article on ME/CFS in this month's

Townhend Letter in which he addresses sleep problems and lists all the drugs

and supplements he recommends.

best to all,

michael

>>In a message dated 9/25/02 9:38:39 PM Pacific Daylight Time,

a.j.saugstad@... writes:

>

>

> I am having some insomnia problems. I think my fish powder and vitamin

> treatment may help me, but my sleeping problems are pretty bad. Melatonin

> doesn't seem to help. What do you have to recommend, what do you use in

> USA?

>

> I have tried immovane, which I think is one of the softer sleeping

> medicines. I will consider trying tricylic antidepressants. Can one

> rotate, and shift medicines after every few days, to avoid dependence? any

> good advice?

>

> Best wishes,

> s<<

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

> This list is intended for patients to share personal experiences with each

> other, not to give medical advice. If you are interested in any treatment

> discussed here, please consult your doctor.

>

>

[Guest guest]

s,

Prior to this illness, almost 20 years ago, I would take 10 deep breaths and

fall sound asleep. For the past 20 years, I have tried everything. Here is

what I now use. I usually sleep 7-9

hours, depending on my health. I usually awaken rested. I have a mild case of

sleep apnea, have tried the CPAP machine but throw it off unconsciously and gave

up after 3 months.

Sleep Meds:

400 mg calcium

400 mg magnesium

2 mg Clonezepan (generic Klonopin) Not supposed to be as good, but I can't

afford the real deal.

20 mg Ambien (sleep inducer)

750 mg Source Naturals GABA (helps shut down brain)

100 mg Neurontin (helps me stay asleep)

If there is a particularly tough period, I will add Valerian and Lemon Balm. I

also take anti-oxidants and natural blood thinners at night as research has

shown that sleep is when most DNA repair

occurs.

Beck

[Guest guest]

,

What is GHB? Have you used it? Do you awaken feeling refreshed? Can it be

gotten in Mexico?

Beck

[Guest guest]

Hi Beck and All,

Beck, you might investigate / try L-Taurine.

I find it has

relaxing qualities and is supposed to be good for the brain and heart.

Mike

[Guest guest]

Hi ,

My husband snores and has sinus problems too. What form of olive leaf

did you have your husband use? And can you tell me the brand name?

Thanks,

Tracey

wrote:

> Interesting. I have sleep apnea, and have been using the Emergen-C

> drink mix

> for about a month now, and haven't noticed any bit of difference. The

> only

> real difference that I've noticed from using it is that my joints hurt

> just

> a little bit less. But I'll take every little bit I can because I've

> had a

> LOT of joint pain.

>

> But on the subject of sleep apnea, my husband's sleep apnea has been

> cured

> by him using olive leaf extract. I was so used to his constant snoring

> that

> I'd have to keep checking on him when I wake up to make sure he's

> still

> alive. He'd been taking Allegra for a couple years, but although it

> helped a

> little with his sinus congestion, it also gave him major back pain

> problems,

> and didn't do a thing to ease any of his snoring problems. When he

> finally

> quit it, almost overnight his back pain problems disappeared. But his

> snoring got majorly worse. Then he came down with a sinus infection,

> and I

> managed to talk him into taking olive leave, and within a few days not

> only

> did his sinus infection clear up, but his snoring that he's had for

> 20+

> years also cleared up. (His lack of snoring hasn't made a bit of

> difference

> to my own insomnia, unfortunately. It's still as bad as ever.)

>

>

> lindaj@...

> Re: Sleeping problems

>

>

> > On Sleep apnea. I was at the www.alacer.com site. They are the

> ones who

> make Emergen-C, the fizzy vit c drink. They had a section listed as

> Jim

> articles, I think, and under there I found info on a person who had

> gotten

> free of sleep apnea using their product and they were looking for

> people who

> receive free product to participate in an apnea study. It has been a

> few

> months since I visited the site. Just sharing in case it is of

> interest.

> This is literally all I know.

> >

> > Donna

>

>

>

> This list is intended for patients to share personal experiences with

> each other, not to give medical advice. If you are interested in any

> treatment discussed here, please consult your doctor.

>

>

[Guest guest]

Beck,

GHB is ILLEGAL in the US. It's a crime to buy/possess it. I did use it when

it was legal. It induces delta wave sleep for about 2-4 hours -- the kind

many of us no longer achieve. It supresses dopamine production during that

time, but then when it wears off the dopamine increases, leading to waking

up, so it's not effective for keeping one sleeping all night. I used it for

early morning wakenings. One also has to be careful about mixing it with

other drugs which might suppress respiration, i.e., breathing.

It is legal to buy it off the internet in most countries, except the US

and four other countries.

The FDA did approve its use a few months ago for the very narrow

indication of Narcoleptics with cataplexy (sudden loss of muscle control).

Apparently it's a miracle drug for this condition. It is not available yet

and will be difficult to obtain when it is available. The FDA is allowing

only one pharmacy in the US to distribute the med and the company that makes

it, Orphan Medical, will be charging a lot for it.

So it's a question of when it's available, will doctors' be willing to

jump through extra hoops to obtain it for their sleep disordered patients;

and will insurance companies pay for it.

best,

michael

>>In a message dated 10/5/02 7:00:53 AM Pacific Daylight Time,

beckhs@... writes:

>

> ,

>

> What is GHB? Have you used it? Do you awaken feeling refreshed? Can it

> be gotten in Mexico?

>

> Beck

>

>

[Guest guest]

I haven't heard that Taurine might have " relaxing " qualities. How much do

you take? I have some Taurine, but have been taking it midday. I'll try it

at night, since I have a problem with insomnia; maybe it'll help. I'll

probably try 1gm.

Re: Sleeping problems

> Hi Beck and All,

> Beck, you might investigate / try L-Taurine.

> I find it has

> relaxing qualities and is supposed to be good for the brain and heart.

>

>

> Mike

>

>

>

>

> This list is intended for patients to share personal experiences with each

other, not to give medical advice. If you are interested in any treatment

discussed here, please consult your doctor.

>

>

[Guest guest]

When I first became ill I had chronic insomnia. Slept only two nights a week

and did not sleep in day at all. Then I got some magnesium orotate and chewed

one up in the day and was sound asleep in ten minutes, in the middle of the day

and haven't had sleep issues since, except of rare occasions when I did

something like eat chocolate, late in the day.

Colostrum also induces deep sleep for some, as it raises growth hormone levels,

which raises seratonin, which is the brain chem that induces sleep.

just my 2 cents

Donna

Re: Sleeping problems

s,

Here's some of the drugs/supplements I've used for sleep.

[Guest guest]

On Sleep apnea. I was at the www.alacer.com site. They are the ones who make

Emergen-C, the fizzy vit c drink. They had a section listed as Jim articles, I

think, and under there I found info on a person who had gotten free of sleep

apnea using their product and they were looking for people who receive free

product to participate in an apnea study. It has been a few months since I

visited the site. Just sharing in case it is of interest. This is literally

all I know.

Donna

Re: Sleeping problems

s,

I have a mild case of sleep apnea,

[Guest guest]

Thanks for the info

Tracey

wrote:

>

> Re: Sleeping problems

>

>

> >

> >

> > Hi ,

> >

> > My husband snores and has sinus problems too. What form of olive

> leaf

> > did you have your husband use? And can you tell me the brand name?

> >

> > Thanks,

> > Tracey

> Actually, I was using East Park Research brand (d-Lenolate, bought

> through

> needs.com) at the time for myself because I hadn't seen as much

> benefit from

> using some of the other brands, and I had bought some cheap olive leaf

>

> extract from Vitaminshoppe, and I just let him have the Vitaminshoppe

> stuff

> because it didn't work for me, and it worked very well for him. Later

> we

> tried to switch him to the East Park Research brand, and his snoring

> returned and he came down with a sinus infection. So he's now back on

> the

> Vitaminshoppe brand stuff, which is okay because it doesn't cost as

> much,

> and whatever works for him. But it didn't do a thing for me, and I

> have

> noticed some significant improvements from the East Park Research

> brand. So

> this is one of those weird individualistic things.

>

>

> lindaj@...

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

Interesting. I have sleep apnea, and have been using the Emergen-C drink mix

for about a month now, and haven't noticed any bit of difference. The only

real difference that I've noticed from using it is that my joints hurt just

a little bit less. But I'll take every little bit I can because I've had a

LOT of joint pain.

But on the subject of sleep apnea, my husband's sleep apnea has been cured

by him using olive leaf extract. I was so used to his constant snoring that

I'd have to keep checking on him when I wake up to make sure he's still

alive. He'd been taking Allegra for a couple years, but although it helped a

little with his sinus congestion, it also gave him major back pain problems,

and didn't do a thing to ease any of his snoring problems. When he finally

quit it, almost overnight his back pain problems disappeared. But his

snoring got majorly worse. Then he came down with a sinus infection, and I

managed to talk him into taking olive leave, and within a few days not only

did his sinus infection clear up, but his snoring that he's had for 20+

years also cleared up. (His lack of snoring hasn't made a bit of difference

to my own insomnia, unfortunately. It's still as bad as ever.)

lindaj@...

Re: Sleeping problems

> On Sleep apnea. I was at the www.alacer.com site. They are the ones who

make Emergen-C, the fizzy vit c drink. They had a section listed as Jim

articles, I think, and under there I found info on a person who had gotten

free of sleep apnea using their product and they were looking for people who

receive free product to participate in an apnea study. It has been a few

months since I visited the site. Just sharing in case it is of interest.

This is literally all I know.

>

> Donna

[Guest guest]

In a message dated 10/7/2002 3:23:08 PM Eastern Daylight Time,

ruthful@... writes:

> <<>When I first became ill I had chronic insomnia. < >>>

Me, too!

<>>>Slept only two nights a week and did not sleep in day at all. <<<>

I didn't sleep, period! I would go days and days with nothing more than a cat

nap! I find it rather ironic that a symptom/side effect of chronic and

profound fatigue is insomnia... I mean, how in the heck to you explain to

loved ones, and those that are just plain nosey!, that you are too tired to

move but unable to sleep???

Anyway, my neurologist prescribed Elavil for sleeping and I take 50mg an hour

or two before I go to sleep and it usually works pretty good... but even with

it there are nights that I just can't fall asleep to save my life... and last

night was one of them.

Does anyone else suffer from insomnia that they didn't have before they

became sick? How do you take care of it? What works... what hasn't?

Shelle in on, Michigan

GBS in 99

[Guest guest]

Hi and All,

I buy the Twin Lab mega taurine. It comes in

1000mg

capsules. My girlfriend takes one capsule of taurine and a 500mg

capsule of magnesium oxide. I presently take the 1000mg capsule

and divide it into four parts by putting it into empty capsules so

I end up taking 250mg if I have a hard time getting to sleep and

also take a 500mg capsule of magnesium oxide. I feel that I

am more sensitive to substances than previously. I used to

take 500 mg tablets. Everyone is different.

Mike

[Guest guest]

Thanks Mike

I'll be adding taurine, probably starting at 500mg, before bedtime. I'm

already taking magnesium, but not immediately before retiring. I'm also not

taking the oxide form, I'm taking citrate. Do you suppose the oxide is more

effective, or do you know?

P.

Re: Sleeping problems

> Hi and All,

> I buy the Twin Lab mega taurine. It comes in

> 1000mg

> capsules. My girlfriend takes one capsule of taurine and a 500mg

> capsule of magnesium oxide. I presently take the 1000mg capsule

> and divide it into four parts by putting it into empty capsules so

> I end up taking 250mg if I have a hard time getting to sleep and

> also take a 500mg capsule of magnesium oxide. I feel that I

> am more sensitive to substances than previously. I used to

> take 500 mg tablets. Everyone is different.

>

> Mike

>

>

>

>

> This list is intended for patients to share personal experiences with each

other, not to give medical advice. If you are interested in any treatment

discussed here, please consult your doctor.

>

>