Dealing With General Tiredness

[Bonzo]

I know about Crohn's causing issues with sleep and general tiredness and all that, but how do people deal with it?

I'm usually ok with about 7-8 hours sleep per night, but very rarely get it. The bizarre thing is my body clock is all screwed up. I'm always knackered in the morning, so much so at the moment that people at work have commented on how tired I look (even in comparison to my usual zombified status). Infact I pretty much have to drag myself out of bed and be really careful not to hit the wrong button on the alarm clock and end up sleeping in for a couple of hours.

So I should go to bed earlier right? Well if I go to bed when I feel knackered, I can get to sleep pretty quickly; that's usually between 1am and 2am. I try and go to bed earlier, even if tired, it can take me hours to get to sleep. I also quite often wake up about half an hour after falling asleep and then struggle to get back to sleep again - I'd say this happens about 7 nights in 10.

Can Crohn's or my meds really cause all this? Or is it just that my body clock is infact screwed?

 

[hippie4lyfe]

I have severe issues with fatigue, i find lots of water, electrolytes via gatorade and bananas do help.

 

[hippie4lyfe]

also small meals throughout the day

 

[danman]

When I usually have trouble sleeping I turn to the drugs.... just the sort you get in the chemists. Nightall is very good, but I wouldn't take it every night as you can become immune to it.

I've always had trouble sleeping when I'm in remission or when I'm on pred. but I never actually made the connection to Crohn's, but that is probably a factor.

When I'm in a flare, I could sleep for Ireland in the olympics!!!! 12 hours, no problem.

 

[CD68]

Or is it just that my body clock is infact screwed?

I vote for the screwed body clock theory. Mine seems to think that bed time is in September and that I shouldn't fully regain consciouness again until April.

If my doc ever puts me on Prednisone I've got three years of house cleaning to which I can devote all that steroidal excess energy.

 

[hippie4lyfe]

cd the steroids killed my energy and im still suffering 4 months later, I WILL NEVER TAKE STEROIDS AGAIN!

 

[daisy_dueller]

I have the opposite problem...I could sleep for easily 12 hours a night, if able. But that just makes me even more exhaused when I do get up. However, some nights I get terrible night sweats, and when that happens, I'm lying awake for an hour or 2 to try and cool down. I find this happens if I have to take tylenol for any reason before bed.

It sounds like it's a body clock thing in your case...but it's SO HARD to change that...I do'nt know how people can do shift work and work nights, then days...that would be the end of me! I do'nt know if you have researched partial insomnia or anything like that...but there are a few tips that may help you...

Don't eat 2 hours before you go to bed...your body is working on metabolising the food, and therfore may be keeping you up.

Use your bedroom only for sleeping...that way when you're in there, your body automatically thinks 'sleep'.

Try not to worry while waiting to fall asleep...this is probably pretty tough...but try writing things down before you go to bed, or worrying about things when you're awake, so your mind is more likely to want rest.

 

[Gustav2127]

Watching or listening to comedies (Or just laughing to something funny) helped me get out of that fog of sleepy tiredness. Some types of musics helped me, too, like faster paced music. I kno it seems kinda weird, but it helped me when i needed to get up and do homework.

 

[ErinDF]

I have the same problem with extreme tiredness during the day and then having trouble sleeping at night. In general, I find that the healthier I get the better I sleep (less pain or whatever keeping me up). However, I've never really found a foolproof method...though benadryl or PM Tylenol does help....

 

[Wolfie]

It's winter so I am sleeping by 8pm and I get up between 4:30-5 am. My energy is good all day.
during the summer I can stay up past 10pm and still get up early.
It must be the Vit D from the sun!!

 

[LittleJon71]

Yeah - I used to say, "There will be time for sleep when I'm dead." Nowadays I more likely to say, "The time for sleep is when I am tired."

I have found that sleep is a critical component of my ability to stay 1/2way healthy. Go to bed early, and try and grab a nap - even if it it's for 30 minutes here and there.

Love
LittleJon

 

[teeny5]

I take Tylenol PM when I can't sleep. Often I feel that if I take a short nap when I get home from work this helps with my general feeling of tiredness. Otherwise if I really can't sleep all it takes is one Benadryl pill and I am out!

 

[Bonzo]

Thanks for all your comments everyone. I want to try and avoid taking anything to make me sleep if possible but I'm going to try to alter my body clock to see if that helps. I wonder if getting up and going to the gym in the morning before work might do the trick, or maybe even just making myself get up when my alarm first goes off would help!

 

[LittleJon71]

Exercise is definitely a good idea when you have the energy for it, even if it's a walk around the block.

Tylenol PM (just Tylenol with Benadryl added) darn near puts me into a coma. On rare occasions when I know I wont need to be woken (I'm on a 24/7 pager for work, etc) I will pop a couple of those and sleep for 10 hours straight. Benedryl does make me groggy though, like you I try to stay away from it as a rule.

LittleJon
http://www.myspace.com/demijon

 

[dayng1016]

I am usually falling asleep on the sofa by 7-8 every night. I get up at 4am for work, so my sleep schedule is pretty regular. Even on the weekends I'm falling asleep on the sofa. I'm exhausted all the time, and nap during the day on the weekends. I take melatonin at night to help me sleep b/c I never sleep through the night. I wake up 2-4 times a night and it sucks.

 

[KCR]

Need Sleep

Melatonin...look into it. You can pick it up at health food stores. It has helped my daughter greatly. It helps set your internal clock so you can sleep better and longer.

 

[altered1]

Crohn's and sleep

Crohn's and trouble with sleeping is common with me. I've noted that prednisone can make me sleepy, sore, cranky, and hungry. When I don't need it I avoid it like the plague. As far as tiredness is concerned, on medication or not, I have always had a general tiredness about myself. I'd like to have some sort of info for you but nothing beyond personal experience.

I'm sure most members would have links ready more-so than I would, but if you request I will gladly do more research as we both need it