Need Some Help?!

Need Some Help?

I am having the worst trouble sleeping. I am going to see the doctor on Tuesday, but I was wondering if anyone else has this problem and can tell me the name of a good sleeping aide. Nytol, Sleepeze D, all of those kinds of over the counter sleeping aides donèt work for me. I am a cancer patient and I take strong narcotics for pain. So I am looking for the name of something quite strong. Thank you so much for all your help. 10 to the one who gives the best answer. I will award the points after my first night of good sleep. Happy Easter!

Alright, I'll start off with some general sleeping tips and then a little bit more about your case in particular. Unfortunately, I won't make any recommendations on what hypnotics are appropriate since every case is different and the final choice must be made in according to more factors then a simple 'what's stronger'.

The best treatment for insomnia is actually sleep hygiene. This means going to bed at a regular time and waking up at a regular time. Planning 7-8hrs of sleep per night. During the day, limit naps and try to get exercise as much as possible (at least 30 mins of brisk walking is a good start). Avoiding stimulants (caffeine, pseudoephedrine...) is also a must. Contrary to some belief, simple old caffeine can have effects for 12hrs or more in some ppl. As far as sleep environment, make sure it's a dark (darker the better) room with as much silence as possible. Don't forget to make sure that the temperature is also adequate and in proportion to the amount of blankets you use. All of this should be tried for more then a few days before even trying sleeping aids. The bonus is that this advice also increases the effectiveness of sleeping aids if you do require them.

Now, in your particular case, things get a little more complicated. You've stated that you are taking high dose narcotics for cancer related pain. Pain is a common cause for insomnia and assuring adequate control for the entire night should be examined. Make sure that you are controling the pain adequately with a combination of long acting medications with the options of a short acting for breakthrough. The long acting formulas in cancer pains are extremely important, especially for overnight relief. Also make sure that your health care provider assesses your pain with the concept of 'total pain'. You can read more on this as you please but it's often neglected and is often a source for failure of management.

As for tips before you go see your doctor. Try to examine what is keeping you up. What part of the night do you find the most difficult to sleep during? Is it hard to fall asleep? Or is it more that you fall asleep easily but keep waking up? What days do you find it hardest to fall asleep and did anything special happen during that day?

Lastly, some cancer secret different substances such as hormones that can severely affect the sleep cycles so this may or maybe not a be an issue in your case.

For more general information about health, I personally recommend www.emedicine.com. Depending on you curent knowledge it might be to 'technical' but it does contain alot of good information and everything I have read has so far been very reliable.

I know I didn't answer your question directly but I hope this brings some information that can be of help.