Traumatic Brain Injury and Post Concussion Syndrome For traumatic brain injury (TBI) and post concussion syndrome (PCS).


advertisement
Reply
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
Old 09-01-2013, 07:30 AM #1
brokenbrilliant brokenbrilliant is offline
Junior Member
 
Join Date: Aug 2013
Posts: 46
10 yr Member
brokenbrilliant brokenbrilliant is offline
Junior Member
 
Join Date: Aug 2013
Posts: 46
10 yr Member
Default Better sleep strategies?

Hi everyone, this is my first post here. I'm a long-term multiple TBI survivor (9 that I can remember - probably many more that I just don't recall), who had their last TBI in 2004. That one nearly wrecked me, and I'm just now coming out from under the dark cloud financial, personal, and professional distress that was the hallmark of my life for years. I have a ton of issues that are pretty invisible to the rest of the world, because I manage to get my butt out of bed each day and carry on an apparently normal life. Pull out a list of TBI symptoms, and I can check nearly every box, nearly every day.

Notwithstanding, I've got a good job, and from what people tell me, my career seems to be going well. My marriage of 23 years went through an extremely rocky spell, few years back, probably at least in part to my wife's multiple strokes in 2006, which affected her behaviorally (but she cannot perceive it). She's had some personality changes that have compounded the issues from my own personality changes after my TBI in 2004. I'm not a bad "specimen" as they say. I watch what I eat, I don't drink alcohol or smoke or take drugs aside from an Advil every now and then. I stay somewhat active, I'm 10 lbs over my ideal weight, and I still have decent strength and quickness and overall fitness. Very few people realize I'm 48 years old - most take me for being in my early 30s. I really am blessed. And I work my a-- off.

All that being said, I have been having a heck of a time with a number of worsening issues -- my memory becoming more Swiss-cheesey and losing hours of activity, less than 24 hours later... a lot of mental fogginess... trouble hearing and processing what others are saying... zero motivation about things I am usually enthusiastic about... headaches after exercise... extreme emotional lability (as in, freakishly unpredictable mood swings over stupid stuff)... tinnitis at a deafening pitch... and just generally feeling wiped out, most of my waking hours.

I'm managing pretty well, and nobody really knows this is going on with me, aside from my wife, in part (who doesn't take it well). I'm the breadwinner in my family, so if I can't function, we're both screwed.

Watching my daily patterns and observing everything, it's clear to me that the core issue is sleep. I don't get enough of it. I know that, but I can't seem to get myself in gear to do something about it at the right times. Hindsight is 20/20, so when I wake up at 6, I know that 5 hours was not enough. But when it's 1 a.m., I can't seem to get my butt in gear to go to bed. I see a neuropsych who is keen on getting people on minute doses of meds to manage issues when they run out of alternatives. He advocates carefully monitoring the effects and adjusting the dosage, but A) my assessment skills are - to put it lightly - *lousy*, especially when I am tired, and B) there is no way I am going back to the meds-adjustment roller coaster. I did that 25 years ago for another chronic health condition I had, and... never again.

I need practical strategies that I can do and control myself. I am too sensitive and too "assessment-challenged" for prescription meds. I need to take matters into my own hands.

A few years back, I made some changes to my bedroom (I sleep in my own room because I need the isolation, uninterrupted silence, and darkness). I put in light-blocking curtains, I rearranged the furniture to make it easier to move around, and I started keeping the room cool-to-cold so I can sleep better. That helped some for a while, but then other challenges came up.

The main thing seems to be me perseverating at staying up -- just getting stuck in a groove of forced wakefulness. I know I am tired, I feel tired, but I push myself to stay awake, and that's not helping.

Anybody have any strategies and tips for convincing yourself to go to bed at a decent hour? The specific hurdles I face are:

1) My wife is a night owl and she usually wants me to stay up past 10:00 so we can spend time together. It's just watching t.v., but she considers it quality time. And it's the one kind of activity we can do together without either one or both of us getting anxious and being difficult.

2) I get caught up in watching shows, and then one thing leads to another. I can't seem to get myself unhooked, after a certain point. I work hard. I like to be entertained now and then.

3) I just don't *want* to go to bed. I like the feeling of staying up late. I like how quiet it is, and how peaceful everything outside is. The everyday world and all the people activity wear me out and irritate the crap out of me, so the night time is a sweet relief.

Anybody have any suggestions for how I can change this behavior pattern? It is having real consequences on my life, and I have noticed a real "downgrade" in my functioning over the past year. I do take naps when I can, but it's not nearly enough. I need a solution for my night-time sleep difficulties.

All suggestions will be most welcome. Thanks in advance.

Be well everyone.
brokenbrilliant is offline   Reply With QuoteReply With Quote

advertisement
Old 09-01-2013, 06:39 PM #2
Mark in Idaho Mark in Idaho is offline
Legendary
 
Join Date: Feb 2009
Location: Somewhere near here
Posts: 11,416
15 yr Member
Mark in Idaho Mark in Idaho is offline
Legendary
 
Join Date: Feb 2009
Location: Somewhere near here
Posts: 11,416
15 yr Member
Default

BB,

I know you from your WP blog. As I have said before, you spend too much time analyzing and blogging about your days. Sleep is a discipline for many of us. Cognitive stimulation is counter to getting good sleep. You NP may be contributing to your over-analyzing of everything. Life goes on. We need to learn to live with ourselves without professionals trying to tweak every little itch.

I do not go to sleep until late either. I like the lack of ambient city sounds late at night. I also need to be falling asleep before I get in bed. I need to fall back asleep flat on my back or my central sleep apnea will act up. I watch movies that do not over-stimulate so I can relax and shut down. I also need gabapentin to help by brain let go of every little sensation.
btw. I can go to sleep at 1-2 am and wake up after 6 hours without an alarm. The quality of sleep makes a big difference. I do spend the 2 hours before going to sleep preparing to sleep deeply, if I can.

The Vitamins sticky at the top also list foods to avoid. Others will add to that list. An injured brain on sleep deprivation will be an order of magnitude more symptomatic that an injured brain with good sleep. Think of getting good sleep as the best way to live a day symptom free or at least with less symptoms.

Like many with TBI or mTBI/PCS, the OCD behavior of over-analyzing can be controlling and disruptive to our lives. We can make changes. I take L-Tryptophan to help me avoid getting caught in repetitive thought processes. I can let go of ideas and take them up again later. Making BRIEF notes as placeholders to the previous day's thoughts and activities also helps me settle to sleep.

As I said, sleep takes discipline for many of us but that discipline is well worth it.

My best to you.
__________________
Mark in Idaho

"Be still and know that I am God" Psalm 46:10
Mark in Idaho is offline   Reply With QuoteReply With Quote
"Thanks for this!" says:
brokenbrilliant (09-02-2013)
Old 09-01-2013, 08:51 PM #3
poetrymom's Avatar
poetrymom poetrymom is offline
Member
 
Join Date: Mar 2013
Location: Minnesota
Posts: 398
10 yr Member
poetrymom poetrymom is offline
Member
poetrymom's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2013
Location: Minnesota
Posts: 398
10 yr Member
Default Sleep

I go through times where I just have less sleep and I've made myself realized that I can't get freaked out about it. It's just not worth it.

I can now exercise much more so I take long, but not hard walks so I make myself physically tired.

Every night for about 3 months I've been taking 2 dropperfuls of liquid melatonin and liquid valerian and it helps me get to sleep.

Mark is right. Sleep is a dicipline and learning to shut off the brain and let yourself rest is a skill I could learn more about.

Try meditation or maybe even acupunture. Learn to let yourself rest and relax.

Take care,

pm
__________________
[SIZE="1"]What happened. I was in a car accident 2-23-2013, and got a mild concussion from it. I had some time off for brain rest, got somewhat better, but slipped into PCS in March 2013.

Symptoms I had: dizziness, light and sound sensitivity, fatigue, tinitis, occasional headaches and migraines,

Symptoms as of 5--2013: poor sleep, tinitis, some confusion /short term memory blanks, balance. The other symptoms are mostly gone, but flare up if I OVERdo something.

Therapy I had: vestibular

3 months in: I could drive more and for longer distances. I felt like a younger, happier version of myself and I feel so blessed to have this feeling.

9 months in and I am working full time. I do get tired, and some sound and light sensitivity from time to time, but mostly I am over most of my symptoms.
I pray every day and I m praying for your recovery.

Over a year in: I can multi task (limited) and have humor in my life. But when I am tired, I am very tired.
poetrymom is offline   Reply With QuoteReply With Quote
Old 09-02-2013, 07:59 AM #4
brokenbrilliant brokenbrilliant is offline
Junior Member
 
Join Date: Aug 2013
Posts: 46
10 yr Member
brokenbrilliant brokenbrilliant is offline
Junior Member
 
Join Date: Aug 2013
Posts: 46
10 yr Member
Default

Hi again Mark,

Yep, you've said it before that I over-analyze everything. The thing is, when I'm not tracking how things are going for me, I quickly forget about the issues I need to manage, and everything turns into a continuous obstacle course, with me not fully understanding why things went the way they did.

Seriously, I forget that TBI is actually an issue. Unless I remind myself.

The other reason I document a lot is for others. I've plenty of people tell me the read my blog because it makes them feel less alone and I put into words exactly what they're feeling, which is rare.

So, I don't just do it for myself.

And I definitely don't do it for my np, who has been trying to get me to stop writing things down for years. They call it a "Proustian" compulsion, which I don't think is a complement I quit telling them about my documentation, because frankly it helps me in ways that they can't help me.

I will try the L-Tryptophan again. I was taking it for a while, and it helped. But then it stopped being effective for me.

Rather than putting all my stock in getting 8 hours a night -- which is not going to happen if I stay up past 10 p.m. -- I'm going to focus more on getting naps during the day.

Or do some sort of relaxation that will revitalize me without needing to sleep-sleep.

Thanks and have a good one.
brokenbrilliant is offline   Reply With QuoteReply With Quote
Old 09-02-2013, 08:01 AM #5
brokenbrilliant brokenbrilliant is offline
Junior Member
 
Join Date: Aug 2013
Posts: 46
10 yr Member
brokenbrilliant brokenbrilliant is offline
Junior Member
 
Join Date: Aug 2013
Posts: 46
10 yr Member
Default

Poetrymom, thanks - being physically tired is something I need to work on, as well.

I was taking melatonin for a while, which was helpful. But then it seemed to stop working for me.

Same thing with meditation and relaxation.

I'll need to alternate, I guess, and experiment with a variety of things.

The main thing is -- as you said -- not getting freaked out about it.

Thanks again
brokenbrilliant is offline   Reply With QuoteReply With Quote
"Thanks for this!" says:
poetrymom (09-02-2013)
Old 09-02-2013, 03:14 PM #6
Mark in Idaho Mark in Idaho is offline
Legendary
 
Join Date: Feb 2009
Location: Somewhere near here
Posts: 11,416
15 yr Member
Mark in Idaho Mark in Idaho is offline
Legendary
 
Join Date: Feb 2009
Location: Somewhere near here
Posts: 11,416
15 yr Member
Default

bb,

Do you actually need to continuously manage your symptoms ? I have learned to just move forward with life and adjust when I notice a symptoms getting in the way of a task or activity. I am pragmatic with most symptoms. I do set limits with activities and tasks that I know will trigger a symptom.

I do very little driving but just finished driving a 26 foot Penske moving truck 300 miles. I did not expect any problems because such a truck has a continuous workload and plenty of feedback through the steering wheel. I get into trouble with smooth riding and driving passenger cars and SUV's because they isolate the driver from the driving task and my mind will easily get distracted and wander. (all over the road)

So, I have set a good framework of limits and cautions that allow me to keep moving ahead without having to be aware of my limitations.

They say that if you fence a school playground, the children will use the whole playground. If the playground is left unfenced and near a road, the kids will not use the part of the playground near the road.

By setting a fence of limits and cautions for my life, I can use the whole range of my life inside those limits. I even venture outside the limits frequently knowing the risks and maybe a need to rest up afterward.

Works for me.
__________________
Mark in Idaho

"Be still and know that I am God" Psalm 46:10
Mark in Idaho is offline   Reply With QuoteReply With Quote
Reply

Tags
exhaustion, insomnia, rest, sleep

Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off


Similar Threads
Thread Thread Starter Forum Replies Last Post
Memory Strategies SpaceCadet Traumatic Brain Injury and Post Concussion Syndrome 0 04-21-2012 11:09 AM
LOOK what I found! 6 Treatment Strategies TRESA Myasthenia Gravis 2 09-12-2010 06:42 PM


All times are GMT -5. The time now is 05:01 AM.

Powered by vBulletin • Copyright ©2000 - 2024, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.

vBulletin Optimisation provided by vB Optimise v2.7.1 (Lite) - vBulletin Mods & Addons Copyright © 2024 DragonByte Technologies Ltd.
 

NeuroTalk Forums

Helping support those with neurological and related conditions.

 

The material on this site is for informational purposes only,
and is not a substitute for medical advice, diagnosis or treatment
provided by a qualified health care provider.


Always consult your doctor before trying anything you read here.