How is your Sleep Hygiene?

I only go to my bed when I am ready to sleep. I have always had problems with sleep ... I have to resort to meds. I take 1 1/2 pills of alprazalam (xanax) to sleep. Terry

@maureercria Sounds like your retirement years are hard work, but I’m so glad you’re working with doctors and not trying to solve probs alone. I, too, have developed a need to go to the bathroom at night. Usually 5-6 times per night! I’ve traced the urgency to a new medicine I’ve been given—it was an IV infusion, so I can’t quit. Are you on anything new? I’ve tried cutting back on liquids in the evening, but I have to take pills and I get thirsty! Guess we just keep trying.

Regarding the accuracy of fitbits...I recently had a Video Electro Encephalogram (VEEG), while I thought I got 6 hours of sleep the VEEG and the Doctor said 3 hours of restless sleep if that. When I was using my Fitbit it said pretty much the same thing and I discarded it because I was sure I had 6 or more.

I also had a memory test which a neuropsychologist read and confirmed the fitbit readings...he hadn't seen one that bad in years. I am on CPAP too.

Are you guys sure you are getting good sleep? Maybe your fitbits are right too?

I have a sleep study scheduled in which I will be taking a hard look at my CPAP settings and machine.

@mxyzptlk32 That post of mine goes back to 2017! I no longer have a Misfit (not the same as Fitbit), I have an Apple watch which does not track sleep.

I still have trouble sleeping, and the frequent bathroom calls don't help. I have been taking a half of a Benadryl most nights and I do find that's just enough to help me, and even when I wake up to go to the bathroom I get back to sleep faster than I do without it. I asked my doctor about it and she said that she felt getting enough sleep was more important than anything negative about Benedryl, especially that small a dose. It could help you, but check with your doctor. They may not feel it's right for you. I definitely do not have sleep apnea so a CPAP would be of no help.
JK

Hello, I am commenting on a very old post but just read it as I joined recently and going over all posts.
For me sleep hygiene has done wonders. I started sleep issues about 5 .. 6 years ago. I am not at all sure what started it. I do remember trip to India and I could not sleep there for time difference and then by the time I got adjusted I was back in US and it never corrected. Maybe issue was just Circadian rhythm for me but I did try many things..all kinds of home remedies only..my doc would not advise med nor I liked it. Sleep study night..slept like a log..even with all those wires. I never had sleep hygiene issues and actually never gave it any thought thinking I am good..no caffeine..no TV at night...hour or more walk everyday..vegan ..eat last meal around 5 PM BUT...I was in bed most of the day as I was tired and could not even nap..and also I did not get out of bed when could not sleep at night...just stayed there..worrying. Then one fine morning I said enough is enough I started not going to bed until 10 PM and get out if cannot sleep. I get out of bed 5 15 AM in the morning no matter what kind of sleep..Some night 1 30 AM and that was it for the day. Believe it or not things changed in few days...6 or more hours of blessed restful sleep 95 % of the nights. I downloaded CBT.i coach from Stanford developed for VA and that was very helpful in tracking sleep. They say you will sleep less in the beginning but this will correct and it DID for me.I wrote a long post as I am blessed that no serious issues for me regarding sleep but still it was debilitating and my family was suffering from my irritability. So please try sleep hygiene if you are not following the advice. Take care and restful sleep to all.

Yep, sorry about that. I thought I was commenting to the group as a whole and specifically the fitbit users. I was as surprised as you to find I had commented to you. I couldn't find the "delete" button.

@mxyzptlk32 That's OK, and it is fine to respond to older posts. I was just trying to clarify that I no longer do have a Misfit, and to update you on what I am currently doing.

I hope you get some relief from your sleep, or lack of it, woes.
JK

Hi @mxyzptlk32, welcome back. Your valuable comment was posted to the whole group and is visible to all. Since it was a reply to JK, she received a notification that you had responded to her post. Does that make sense?

I thank you and @amlak for reanimating this discussion. I'm particularly interested in hearing what you learn as you review the settings of your CPAP. I, too, have questioned the accuracy of sleep monitoring through wearables like FitBit. Mine seems to imply I get more sleep than I think I do.

What has the neuropsychologist suggested for you to improve your sleep?

@collenyoung Hi Colleen, the problem I have with this app is it isn't clear who the response is to. I hit the "Reply" button and the system assumed I was replying to JK and in the comment listed that. I agree JK should be notified but there are better ways to do that than state I am replying to her\him when I clearly wasn't. The app could leave that info off the message and notify JK separately.

I will grant you the message was pretty clear who I was responding to but once the full message was posted with the system generated info it is possible I would have deleted it and reposted with the specific names of who I was responding to. The NextDoor app, another social networking app, has the option of replying to the original message or a responder to the original message which is a bit more clear.

To the accuracy of devices...I am an app developer and fully understand the pitfalls of assuming what a device is tracking. Unless I have the code (app developers make mistakes) to review it is not likely I am going to assume any device is accurately capturing what I or the person who wrote the manual says it is capturing.

I do have a natural curiosity though so I paid attention for awhile then compared what I thought was being captured to the VEEG and Neuropsychologist said. It turns out it may have been more accurate than I first thought. I don't use the fitbit app any longer so there is nothing to compare now.

The Neuropsychologist agreed with the Epileptologist and I, a sleep study was the next step. My Neurologist and I had tried to do one several months back but it was a dismal failure. I couldn't get to sleep and then the guy that read it said I didn't need CPAP because there were no incidents. I guess someone had to graduate last in their class. I reminded him of his diagnosis when he seen me for a seizure in the hospital. He had asked me if I was on CPAP. I don't generally need an invitation to speak but he did walk into that one a bit. He went back to his notes and modified the diagnosis. It was OK though I never quit using CPAP and the seizure was stopped with an injection of Lorazepam.

My CPAP settings are set for 5-14 on a RESMED machine but I don't think it ever ramps up. I don't know if the machine is broke or if I am not having incidents. I could be wrong about it ramping up too. A number of reasons to do a sleep study.

I found a 2005 research paper on a website tying sleep to Epilepsy. It made it sound like this was a new thing. To me it makes so much sense I can't hardly believe they needed a research paper. I mentioned it to my Neurologist and Epileptologist. I think they were both aware of the paper. My Epileptologist was new at the time. I told him the history of the paper said medical professionals back in the day considered people with Epilepsy to be prophets. He told me a few years later people with Epilepsy were considered to be the Devil. I knew he had read the paper. The paper essentially said sleep issues needed to be aggressively pursued as a treatment for Epilepsy.