[greenfrog]

Not sure if this has been covered in an older thread, but I would love to know some specific techniques/meds/alternative remedies that can help improve sleep quality while recovering from PCS.

I'm on week 6 of my recovery and I have yet to have a night of uninterrupted sleep (prior to the injury, I would sometimes wake at night as well, so this isn't an entirely new thing). My overall sleep quality has improved since the first couple of weeks post-injury. Right after the injury, I would just lie in bed awake for hours, then eventually sleep for a bit. I've started sticking to a regular schedule, which has been helpful. However, I find I still wake up 2-3X / night (sometimes 4X). A typical night might look like this:

- 9 pm : in bed (read, check email, talk to girlfriend on the phone)

- 10 pm : go to sleep

- 2 or 3 am : wake up, feel anxiety, turn on light, meditate or read, have a snack (eg, yogurt cup), adjust bedclothes/covers if necessary, eventually get back to sleep (usually 30-60 mins later, occasionally longer)

- 6:30 am : wake again (at first light)

- 7:30 or 8 am : wake up for good

(Sometimes I'll wake up another time or two - say, around 4:30 am.)

The blinds in my bedroom let in some light, so we're installing blackout curtains next week. This should help - my parents' bedroom has the same curtains, and I've started taking brief afternoon naps in there - these can be quite restorative.

Does anyone have any other sleep-related tips? I'm thinking about trying a low dose of melatonin, but I've heard it can cause vivid dreams in some people and mine are already pretty vivid. Any suggestions at all would be greatly appreciated. I really feel as though sleep is a key piece of the puzzle in PCS recovery.

[eponagirl]

Hello, there are lots of posts on people's various methods of trying to sleep with PCS. It is the holy grail for us!

Everyone seems to be different in what works for them. Are you on any meds at all right now? They typically start you out on Elavil (amitryptaline) and that helps many. You should work with your Dr to start finding the best thing for you. Some can't sleep due to anxiety, others pain, etc. so may warrant different treatments. For me, my brain just has trouble crossing into sleep so nothing works for very long without some other undesired effect, like feeling drugged for days after taking some meds and others simply not working at all.

Good sleep hygeine helps: going to bed at the same time, winding down with no tv or stimulation about an hour or so before bed. maybe take a hot shower to relax your body before bed. Not having caffeine at all. I just started wearing a sleep mask to help block out the light too.

Perhaps other people will their experiences or you can do a search for sleep and many old posts will come up.

Good Luck, there are many up with you!

[greenfrog]

Originally Posted by eponagirl

Hello, there are lots of posts on people's various methods of trying to sleep with PCS. It is the holy grail for us!

Everyone seems to be different in what works for them. Are you on any meds at all right now? They typically start you out on Elavil (amitryptaline) and that helps many. You should work with your Dr to start finding the best thing for you. Some can't sleep due to anxiety, others pain, etc. so may warrant different treatments. For me, my brain just has trouble crossing into sleep so nothing works for very long without some other undesired effect, like feeling drugged for days after taking some meds and others simply not working at all.

Good sleep hygeine helps: going to bed at the same time, winding down with no tv or stimulation about an hour or so before bed. maybe take a hot shower to relax your body before bed. Not having caffeine at all. I just started wearing a sleep mask to help block out the light too.

Perhaps other people will their experiences or you can do a search for sleep and many old posts will come up.

Good Luck, there are many up with you!

eponagirl: thanks for the helpful post. Your "holy grail" metaphor made me laugh - rest/sleep does seem to be the most important piece in the recovery puzzle.

I'm hoping that improving my sleep environment (making it darker) will help - right now my parents' guest room has "solar blinds," these perforated things that let in a fair bit of light (this morning the light was streaming in a 5:30 am). Today I bought a sleep mask to tide me over until my new curtains arrive. My naturopath said to see whether the darkened environment improves my natural melatonin production, thereby improving my sleep quality.

I'm trying to reduce the amount of stimulation I get from computer use. I find it easy to rely on too-long periods of web-surfing, emailing, etc. to distract myself. This can be helpful up to a point, but I can't imagine that spending a lot of time in front of the computer is good for the healing brain, especially in the evening.

[Mark in Idaho]

I have posted this before but for your needs, I will post it again.

If your are sensitive to noise and bright lights, that is only a small part of your sensory system. Your tactile, smell, temperature, etc. also are sensitive to stimulus.

Resolve all of your tactile sensations with soothing fabrics, textures, and such. Try to find a position to lay or recline in that feels like you are floating. This means your body does not sense the support of the bed nor the feel of your sheets, pajamas, clothes, blankets, etc.

Then add some soothing or even boring sounds. Music with lyrics can be great but it will need to be lyrics that you know so that your brain does not actively listen to the words. The brain has a natural rhythm that you can find through experimentation that causes the relaxed state.

Early on, my music had a narrower range of style and tempo. As I got better, I could relax to a wider variety of music. Now, I can listen to the drums of Celtic Woman and get soothed to sleep.

When you find the right sensations, the sleep is truly restorative. You wake up alert and ready to function normally.