Sleep Clinics

My husband, a World Champion Snorer, went to O.. I thought he had sleep apnea. He was wired up, slept, and told he did not. :(
The attendant made him a bagel in the morning and sent him on his way to work....the only thing he said was it was a pain to have those leads on & have to be unhooked when he had to pee in the middle of the night.
Good luck!
(Have you tried melatonin? And if you're old enough to have been handed a cassette tape, could it be peri-menopause related? I know you've said since 14, but just a thought. I'm 48 and don't sleep like I used to--which WAS like a rock!)

I would agree that a sleep clinic usually focuses on physical or environmental effects on sleep, which doesn't seem to be your case. I'd definitely recommend meeting with a counselor of some sort to identify the cause and discuss ways to address them without drugs.

Some of the things that I've learned: most importantly is to be in tune with your natural body clock and adhere to it as closely as possible. Everyone requires a different amount of sleep, with different bed- and wake times. Other suggestions is to avoid caffeine within 4-6 hours of going to bed, and following some sort of routine to help you settle down. It could mean writing in a journal, reading, planning out the next day by making a list, watching TV -- whatever would help you to clear your head. Listening to soothing music (you can use ear buds if you would disturb your partner) or a white noise machine could definitely help to lull you to sleep.

Good luck!

Do you mean having a sleep study done in a sleep clinic? If so, it doesn't sound like it would help you very much. Those mostly focus on identifying the physical things that are causing sleep disturbances. If you mean a sleep clinic like a place that will counsel you about how to sleep better... no experience. Sorry!

I went to a sleep clinic becauseI had a hard time staying asleep during the night and them being unable to stay awake during the day without numerous naps. The sleep clinic diagnosed my sleep problem as sleep apnea.

They gave me a CPAP machine and I have used it ever since. It works wonderfully. I now take medicine that has insominea as a side effect and some times I will wake up after 4 hours of sleep and not be able to get back to sleep. I go out into our living room, turn the TV on low to a TV movie and find I'll fall asleep and get another 2 or three hours sleep. I have learned that turkey has saratonin as a natural ingredient. Saratonin is the substance that causes everyone to fall asleep in front of the TV right after a big thanksgiving dinner. Saratonin's cousin is melatonin. It is a natural substance that works like saratonin. I have used melatonin and it makes me relax and sleep. I have used melitonin, but only once or twice per year.

If you want details of my experience at a sleep clinic, PM me and I'll tell you what happened.

I hope this helps. Good luck to you and yours.

I'm ADHD... (And like most, but not all ADHD'ers) insomnia is just a part of life.

I 'reset' from time to time with Benedryl. Not addictive, and I can force through it in the event of an emergency. (Shudder, I HAVE tried sleeping pills... Thee serious ones... NOT for me!)

I also have PHENOM sleep on most ADHD meds. (Stimulants... ADHD types have 'opposite stimulant reaction'). But I don't like the other side effects. Sleep, though? I can just decide to go to bed (like needing or wanting to get up early the next day... Get ready for bed totally awake, lay down, and be asleep 15 minutes later. Mind blowing. Crazy town. ALMOST worth the daytime effects. Not quite, though!

I have done a sleep study (couple of them). Fun stuff.

First off if I lay down 'awake' OR 'kinda tired'... My mind leaps into overdrive. Readings off the charts that only get more and more busy the longer I lay there. I have to go to bed EXHAUSTED in order to bypass that. Even still, it takes me about an hour to fall asleep. (if I'm laying down before that I 'wake up' -never really sleeping- in about an hour. My eyes just POP open and I have to start moving. I often describe ADHDc as 'when my body is still, my mind is moving... And when my body is moving my mind is still(.

When I go to bed exhausted? I don't actually sleep, much. I pass out. Unconscious. I don't hit REM / normal sleep until im woken up.

((This works great in infants/toddlerhood and combat, btw... Because if I'm awakened by an emergency, I don't 'fog of sleep'... I got from passed out to fully awake and aware without having to deal with waking up from Rem/delta, etc. like an on/off button))

Typically I only get an 'hour' of REM/Delta/etc per night. From when my alarm first goes off to an hour later of hitting 'snooze' every 10 minutes, just constant cycling REM.

EXCEPT

Once every 5-10 days I'll do HOURS of pure REM. like 9-12.

So my brain is quirky.

Did the sleep study(s) help at all? Not really. I know what's going on... But it's not like I can change my brain. Well, I can. With ADHD meds/stimulants, or allergy meds or whatever.

If it had been Apnea, or something else, though... Easy fix.

Mmmmm... I should add, though;

I dated an LMP for awhile. zOMG. It does the 'movement' my body needs to keep my mind still. So do boats and trains. None of the above do I have in my daily life.

i did. it wasn't fun, but not the end of the world. attaching all the gazillion wires and bits and pieces wasn't fun. less fun was getting woke up on the few occasions i did manage to fall asleep. then getting everything disconnected again.
i hope they're able to help you. it didn't do diddly squat in my case.
but it's not a terrible procedure or anything. certainly worth a try in your case. good luck!
khairete
S.

No sleep clinic experiences, but will say, I have had chronic insomnia, the same as you describe where my mind simply can not shut off, since I was a pre teen.

I also have chronic migraines (before meds they were 15-18 days a month, and sometimes a cycle for one singular headache would last a few days to a few weeks).

BD was right as far as falling asleep to noise. I not only need medication but usually sleep with my headphones in my ears on some favorite music to drown out any and all noises that become incredibly amplified in my "gotta sleep" anxiety ridden cant shut off brain. Otherwise the tv is on occasionally. My child is a teen and my hubby is almost always here, so I can do the meds. I love them and between them and my migraine management daily meds, my quality of life is much better.

I hope you can find some answers that work for your life.

No personal experience but my husband has insomnia issues. His headache doctor said that people whose minds have trouble shutting off do better sleeping with the radio or television on. (Until their spouse who does not have that problem objects LOL)

Our happy medium has been a white noise machine. It took me a couple of days to adjust but I'm used to it now and it seems to help him.

Good luck...I hope you find something to help you. I cherish my sleep and feel for those who sleep eludes.

I have been once for myself and once with my son and I really wish I had gone years sooner. We have a beautiful, relaxing sleep clinic with a great staff. I hope yours is nice as well. Good luck!

I did the sleep study, but I have a physical reason for not sleeping well. They discovered I was waking up over and over all night. I was also not breathing all through the night.

I am now on a CPAP

I would ask my doctor what she would recommend in your case. There are sleep experts that must know something that could help. Sleep is a necessity and you deserve some good sleep. maybe a therapist or biofeedback.

Hi Momma11:

I am so sorry to hear about your insomnia. I, too, have suffered from it and it is no way to live.

I had a sleep study done in Coppell, on the corner of Sandy Lake and Moore (I'm sorry I can't think of the name right now) and would strongly reccommend you NOT going there. I spent several hundred dollars only for their diagnosis to be, "Subject wakes up a lot during the night". Hello?? I already knew that. They gave nothing else.

Good luck to you. BTW, have you tried Melatonin? It's all natural and doesn't give you a 'hangover' like Ambien.