Sleep... Our ally, or enemy?

[Kev]

OK, this is going to sound crazy (but consider the source). I've been having an issue with insomnia. This is a first for me, in prior flare-ups I've always been able to sleep. This time, usually I only manage a night or two of sound sleep before the insomnia kicks in again. Here's the thing that I found peculiar. On the days after I get a decent night's sleep, my IBD symptoms flare just a little. But, when the insomnia hits, I wake up... totally drained, no energy, etc., but my IBD symptoms are milder. Neither of these swings are extreme, just enough to be noticed. So, when I noticed this tread, I mean really noticed it, I began to wonder if there was some bizarre connection. Which is why I'm posting.

I've heard of things like REM sleep.. I've heard of things called serotonin and melatonin... problem is, I don't know enough about the 'mechanics' of the brain to know how exactly they work, what the interactions are definitively, and whether or not there is a real potential connection here.. a 'real' cause and effect going on... or if I'm dreaming (but, since I sleep so little, I don't dream a lot). But, there are a lot of really smart people on this site, people who have in depth knowledge of the body... and I thought I'd toss out this idea and see what others thought of it... if anyone else experienced this, etc..

OK, the premise I've come up with is... when I have a good nights sleep, my body experiences REM, and my brain decides to do some housekeeping. This may include telling my immune system to attack the disease invading me, OR it may decide it is time to revitalize my immune system.. or it may simply be that endorphins, serotonin, melatonin, whatever.. increases after a good nights sleep. And my IBD reacts to this. But, whenever I'm sleep deprived, my body goes into another mode... things go quiet, and my IBD doesn't have anything 'fresh' to react to. Does any of this make any sense to anyone? Is there a kernel of truth to this theory of mine, or is it totally off the wall?

 

[nogutsnoglory]

From everything I have read lack of sleep increases flare risk and worsens IBD. http://www.everydayhealth.com/colum...between-sleep-and-inflammatory-bowel-disease/

I hear what you are saying about the body repairing itself at night and possibly through a faulty immune system is making things worse but the research suggests sleep is critical.

 

[Kev]

Well, maybe my idea wasn't so crazy after all. Thanks for the post. That link was a very interesting read. Like, I 'knew' that lack of sleep would adversely affect healthy people. I wondered if somehow it would have the reverse effect on people with auto immune issues. Long term. regardless of whether one is healthy or not, lack of sleep is going to negatively impact a person. So, maybe the 'effects' I've seen are just some sort of twisted perception on my part? But they seem real, and very, very consistent. At least there have been studies investigating this... I just wonder whether they only looked at the long term results (cumulatively, it would have to be a negative outcome) or if they asked the participants if they noticed any.. no matter how slight.. short term benefits?

 

[Tuff]

If your insomnia is caused by stress, one would think that the IBD would be worse. Any idea why you have insomnia? On the rare occasion I do, I take gravol or Nyquil and they put me right to sleep. Melatonin sounds like something I could try, I think I already get a lot from my diet though.

 

[Kev]

Well, stress is part of what got me thinking. I checked in with my employer a little over 2 weeks ago, and the message I got then was my old job would be waiting once I'm better. Then I ran into my boss Tuesday, and the situation has changed dramatically. Seems the government requested they bid on the next contract, and rumor has it they won't get as many contracts this time as last... so instead of hiring me back, they may end up laying people off. The company I 'did' work for when I became ill was bought, and the new owners don't 'have' to offer me a job... so that was pretty stressful news. And, that night I couldn't get to sleep, despite a sleeping pill. Next night was pretty much a repeat, with the 'future' as I couldn't see it playing over and over in my head. But, both days were pretty good. Then, I finally got a good nights sleep... and that day, it was just the pits. Or something that rhymes with that. It 'should' have been just the opposite, and when I think back... these weren't isolated instances. On the days following a good nights sleep, my issues increase. On days following sleepless nights, I have relatively quiet days. Low energy, but otherwise quiet. Last night, a really bad night, today so far has been good.

Just a fluke? A series of unrelated coincidences? A quirk of this disease? I just don't know

 

[Tuff]

I'm sorry you're having such a bad time. Stressing about it is a normal reaction, but not good for your IBD. Maybe stress doesn't cause an immediate problem, but is cumulative? Can you work on Plan B and C, instead of worrying about what might or might not happen? My Crohn's took a turn for the better once I quit my highly stressful job. Hang in there.

 

[shamrock15]

For me, sleeping regular hours has been huge. When my hours were irregular, I didn't sleep well and I was pretty much in constant flare. After my daughter started sleeping through the night, I did too and I saw an improvement immediately. I try to keep a regular schedule all the time. Hope yours settles down quickly.

 

[Kev]

Yes, I know the benefits of sleep... prior to this flare up, when I last fought this disease, I was able to sleep through anything. In bed by 9:30, asleep by 10, then up at 5 AM. I've had that routine unfailingly from as far back as I can recall... literally since the late 90's, and... although it may be nice to sleep in on weekends, my inner clock got me up everyday at 5... and once asleep, I could sleep through anything, and I mean ANYTHING.

This time around... no go. Insomnia seems integral to this version of this attack of IBD. I used to shoot my big mouth online here time and time again about being able to sleep. If I was the superstitious sort (right, I am) I would almost believe my shooting my mouth off last time had some connection to the torment I go through now. Anyway, my stress levels this time are no worse than back when I originally got ill.. if fact, my stressors back then were worse, by comparison. Anyway, no sense beating a dead horse while he is still kicking... I thank everyone for their input, their advice... and if any of my replies sound like anything other than light-hearted, then I'm coming across wrong. Life is what it is, and although I would dearly love to sleep like a baby... like I used to be able to do.. I'm way better off than a lot of folks... and although my little cycle of insomnia making my symptoms better rather than worse (in the short term anyway) puzzles me, I can live with it. I just thought that I was onto something, or.. that I wasn't the only soul with this peculiar variation of symptomology. It makes no sense, but.. often that's the way IBD is.

 

[UnXmas]

I started taking Amitriptyline when I had insomnia caused by prednisone. It works for me, and still does - it doesn't seem to come with the addiction/tolerance risks that some sleep meds do. Might be worth asking your doctor about? It has a lot of side effects.

 

[my little penguin]

Add in are you still on LDN ? I know you took it for years .
It is known to affect sleep patterns .
So if your off it that would make sense that things need to take time to get back to normal .

 

[Kev]

I'm taking Zopiclone... sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. And I've been off LDN since May. My disease was not longer responding to it, and was raging our of control too fast. LDN never caused me any sleep issues. I've learned to live with the lack of sleep, it sucks, but so does IBD. No, what motivated the post was the seeming connection between lack of sleep and moderation of my symptoms. I thought there was some link.