What now??

First, you are not alone. About 50-70% of us sleep poorly (awake often, or get to sleep but awaken within 3-5 hours, or we get up to void 2/3 times each night, which is technically a sleep interruption). It would be some small comfort if only we aging folk had to endure this the last 10-30 years of our natural lives, but even youngsters are experiencing this, mostly due to lifestyle choices.

It sounds like you are actively engaged in helping yourself. That was Step #1 - recognizing the defect or deficiency and then coming to grips with it. Or, simply, being motivated.

You have tried various ways to mitigate your poor sleep, but with what could charitably be called modest success. There are other soporifics that you could try, but you are undoubtedly aware of all/most of them at this point. I resorted to half/quarter doses of Zopiclone supplied by my family doctor after a rough patch following catheter ablation to correct my cardiac arrhythmia. He only gave me four tablets to start with out of an abundance of caution. My pharmacist motioned me to lean over the counter, closer, and he asked quietly, 'Does your doctor know you have sleep apnea?" I shrugged and had to assume that he does. The pharmacist asked me to take only one half a tablet to see if that was 'lots'. It was, and it was sound advice. In fact, I found that even a quarter-tablet worked reasonably well. When my family doctor learned of my trials, he felt much better about issuing me with 15 tablets from then on. Second time I asked, two years ago, I still had two tablets left, and they're still in the bottle. So, as I said, to get over a rough patch.

And this is my message to you: I know that people will gratefully lean on a crutch of any description. The trick is to be aware of your lean, and to make yourself bear the discomfort that comes from leaning the other way...much of the time. It's the same with sleep aids; I tough it out five nights out of seven, often with not-too-bad results, and then take either 2.5-5 mg of melatonin in a gummy one or two nights, or I'll take a smidge of the chemical prescribed for relief. This way, you're always in control, always primed to derive the full benefit of the chemical, and you won't depend on it or become habituated to it....ever. You'll have to endure some long nights, or short ones, yes, but you'll catch up on the days you need the full kick in the pants.

Is what I do 'good for the body', as you put it? Well, I dunno...seems to me that the anxiety that comes from having poor sleep quality, and the effects of the lack of sleep on the immune response, and the general malaise and reluctance to engage with people meaningfully as a result of chronic exhaustion, could be offset by the self-administration of a soporific, a proven one, one that's good 'n strong, about once a week. What do you think?

Heart disease is a result of inflammation, and the inflammation comes from any number of burdens, mostly the result of too much food or the wrong kind of food. So, if you are eating sensibly, little or no purchasable consumables, whether in a can or in a bottle, or whether they be tasty and/or convenient, and you're not getting pesticide and insecticide residues or other spray chemicals in your system, it will only be a genetic predisposition to heart disease that you could anticipate. There are several tests for ischemia and atherosclerosis. Maybe you should have one or more, but they involved imaging through radiation. Even an angiogram requires fluoroscopy.

Finally, some people do very poorly on statins. If you have to stop, or you'd like to, would it be worth some minor radiation exposure to find out if you can decline statins? The matter of statin-yes or statin-no would become moot if you are determined to be free from all but minor deposition in your coronary arteries or in your carotid arteries. If it is minor, then it's not genetic (whew!), and it's not coming from a lack of sleep, or from anything you eat...or don't eat. And, if it's minor, you don't need a statin. You'll wear out and die long before you would benefit from a statin.

First, you are not alone. About 50-70% of us sleep poorly (awake often, or get to sleep but awaken within 3-5 hours, or we get up to void 2/3 times each night, which is technically a sleep interruption). It would be some small comfort if only we aging folk had to endure this the last 10-30 years of our natural lives, but even youngsters are experiencing this, mostly due to lifestyle choices.

It sounds like you are actively engaged in helping yourself. That was Step #1 - recognizing the defect or deficiency and then coming to grips with it. Or, simply, being motivated.

You have tried various ways to mitigate your poor sleep, but with what could charitably be called modest success. There are other soporifics that you could try, but you are undoubtedly aware of all/most of them at this point. I resorted to half/quarter doses of Zopiclone supplied by my family doctor after a rough patch following catheter ablation to correct my cardiac arrhythmia. He only gave me four tablets to start with out of an abundance of caution. My pharmacist motioned me to lean over the counter, closer, and he asked quietly, 'Does your doctor know you have sleep apnea?" I shrugged and had to assume that he does. The pharmacist asked me to take only one half a tablet to see if that was 'lots'. It was, and it was sound advice. In fact, I found that even a quarter-tablet worked reasonably well. When my family doctor learned of my trials, he felt much better about issuing me with 15 tablets from then on. Second time I asked, two years ago, I still had two tablets left, and they're still in the bottle. So, as I said, to get over a rough patch.

And this is my message to you: I know that people will gratefully lean on a crutch of any description. The trick is to be aware of your lean, and to make yourself bear the discomfort that comes from leaning the other way...much of the time. It's the same with sleep aids; I tough it out five nights out of seven, often with not-too-bad results, and then take either 2.5-5 mg of melatonin in a gummy one or two nights, or I'll take a smidge of the chemical prescribed for relief. This way, you're always in control, always primed to derive the full benefit of the chemical, and you won't depend on it or become habituated to it....ever. You'll have to endure some long nights, or short ones, yes, but you'll catch up on the days you need the full kick in the pants.

Is what I do 'good for the body', as you put it? Well, I dunno...seems to me that the anxiety that comes from having poor sleep quality, and the effects of the lack of sleep on the immune response, and the general malaise and reluctance to engage with people meaningfully as a result of chronic exhaustion, could be offset by the self-administration of a soporific, a proven one, one that's good 'n strong, about once a week. What do you think?

Heart disease is a result of inflammation, and the inflammation comes from any number of burdens, mostly the result of too much food or the wrong kind of food. So, if you are eating sensibly, little or no purchasable consumables, whether in a can or in a bottle, or whether they be tasty and/or convenient, and you're not getting pesticide and insecticide residues or other spray chemicals in your system, it will only be a genetic predisposition to heart disease that you could anticipate. There are several tests for ischemia and atherosclerosis. Maybe you should have one or more, but they involved imaging through radiation. Even an angiogram requires fluoroscopy.

Finally, some people do very poorly on statins. If you have to stop, or you'd like to, would it be worth some minor radiation exposure to find out if you can decline statins? The matter of statin-yes or statin-no would become moot if you are determined to be free from all but minor deposition in your coronary arteries or in your carotid arteries. If it is minor, then it's not genetic (whew!), and it's not coming from a lack of sleep, or from anything you eat...or don't eat. And, if it's minor, you don't need a statin. You'll wear out and die long before you would benefit from a statin.

Thank you for your thoughtful reply. I eat healthy fresh organic food, exercise daily, have normal weight. I am happy and active. The only time that changes is when I take statins/Repatha. Then I’m sick, in pain and bedridden. My internist said,” what’s the point in getting your number down if you can’t get out of bed?”

I saw an acupuncturist today for the first time. He made suggestions that I will try. He also recommended a natural Chinese remedy for sleep. I was allergic to Ambien sleeping pills and itched all night. THC kept me awake. Melatonin gave me night terrors. I’m going to try the Chinese sleeping aids tonight. He also gave me a recipe for smoothies for heart health. We will see.

Would you consider coming back here once or twice over the next eight weeks and let us know how it's working for you? Whatever you try, please try if, alone, for a week or more, and then introduce something else so that we know for sure that what you experience is more likely to be a direct result of the novel procedure or treatment.