Sleeping and Eating Problems

[MikeVic]

Has anyone ever had a problem like I'm having now:

For the past 3 weeks, I've woken up once or twice during the night. Once at around 3-3:30AM and then again between 5-6AM. I usually can get back to sleep after I wake up, but sometimes I'm restless and take awhile to fall asleep. The last few days, I've also woken up like half an hour before my alarm goes off (wake up at around 7AM, alarm set for 7:25AM)... I've fallen asleep before midnight the past 3 weeks as well. It's not like I'm rested and my body is telling me not to sleep so much... I'm usually tired the next day.

Around the time my sleeping problem started, I also got some sort of stomach problem. The doctor said it's a stomach flu, so I stopped eating dairy products and fruits. Last week, my attempt at eating ice cream gave me problems, and even some random food does too (some chicken pasta at Olive Garden). I'm not sure if this is just coincidental, but my stomach doesn't feel the greatest when I wake up either.

Now, I'm not sure if this is from 3 weeks of non-solid sleep... or if I still have some stomach problem. I'm just wondering if anyone has had this kind of problem before? I don't see any really stressful occurences in my life right now so I don't think it's that either...

[gottimd]

Sorry, read the thread title as having problems with sleeping while you eat.

Wake up and finish your food!;)

carry on.

[Riggins44]

Are you drinking a lot of caffeine? I sometimes get that way when I consume too much coffee or tea before bed. Funny, when I was younger it never bothered me... but lately it's been causing me to do the same thing (minus the stomach thing).

[Samdari]

Every day since I turned 30.

[MikeVic]

I don't drink caffeine at all, since I have some persistent heartburn too (or whatever it's called. I get heartburn a lot and was told to avoid caffeine and alcohol).

Sometimes when I wake up, I have to use the washroom for a #1 too. Maybe That first wake-up is because I usually drink water or something before going to sleep... but I also do a #1 before going to bed too...

[oliegirl]

Is there something going on that is stressing you out? I had the same problem after my knee surgery, all of a sudden I couldn't sleep and I'd wake up every morning with knots in my stomach. I thought it was from the pain meds, so I stopped taking them, but it didn't help anything...dr gave me some ambien which worked great, but I was afraid to take it every night so I'd sleep good one night and then not sleep for 2 nights. There was some other stuff going on in my life and once that got addressed, things got better...not perfect, I'm still restless sometimes, but I'm definitely sleeping better on average.

[MikeVic]

Is there something going on that is stressing you out? I had the same problem after my knee surgery, all of a sudden I couldn't sleep and I'd wake up every morning with knots in my stomach. I thought it was from the pain meds, so I stopped taking them, but it didn't help anything...dr gave me some ambien which worked great, but I was afraid to take it every night so I'd sleep good one night and then not sleep for 2 nights. There was some other stuff going on in my life and once that got addressed, things got better...not perfect, I'm still restless sometimes, but I'm definitely sleeping better on average.

I'm usually stressed about something, but I don't think it's anything big right now... it's the only thing that makes sense though I think... but why would dairy and fruits give me problems still?

[Maple Leafs]

Every day since I turned 30.
 

[SuperGrover]

I'm usually stressed about something, but I don't think it's anything big right now... it's the only thing that makes sense though I think... but why would dairy and fruits give me problems still?

Almost certainly is psychosomatic. You need to relieve the anxiety in your life. Are you seeing a therapist?

Not saying there aren't any phsyical issues, but certainly sounds like stress-related problems.

[MikeVic]

I'm usually stressed about something, but I don't think it's anything big right now... it's the only thing that makes sense though I think... but why would dairy and fruits give me problems still?

Almost certainly is psychosomatic. You need to relieve the anxiety in your life. Are you seeing a therapist?

Not saying there aren't any phsyical issues, but certainly sounds like stress-related problems.

So it's been a long time since this last post, but I believe it is stress-related somehow and definitely psychosomatic. The weird thing is that I got good sleep in August... and that was one of the most stress-filled periods I've had in the past couple of years. But now my sleeping problems are back again (minus the stomach problems). Oh joy. :P

[Jonathan Ezarik]

Every day since I turned 30.

I turned 30 this summer (weep) and I've started doing this too. Wake up every morning at 3:00, stare at the ceiling for about an hour, and then fall back asleep only to wake up at 5. I don't have the stomach problems, though. I've always had a problem with sleeping well, but never as bad as this summer.

[panerd]

Every day since I turned 30.

What he said.

[Eaglesfan27]

I've also had more sleep problems since I turned 30, but it's not too bad yet. I'm considering a sleep apnea test if I don't lose weight or it gets worse.

[MikeVic]

I've also had more sleep problems since I turned 30, but it's not too bad yet. I'm considering a sleep apnea test if I don't lose weight or it gets worse.

What's a sleep apnea test? And why would you be worried if you DIDN'T lose weight?

[Eaglesfan27]

What's a sleep apnea test? And why would you be worried if you DIDN'T lose weight?


Obstructive sleep apnea is a serious medical condition that occurs primarily to overweight guys usually starting in their 30's (but can happen to women as well.) It's due to the muscles of the throat losing tone during sleep and actually closing off the airway. It results in poor oxygenation and is believed to have been a contributory factor (if not a primary one) in Reggie White's death. It potentially contributes to many health problems if untreated, including high blood pressure, pulmonary hypertension, and there are reports of liver problems from it.

It's tested for with a sleep study that can be done at most major medical centers. Warning signs include: Multiple night time awakenings, loud snoring, feeling tired during the day even when you think you've slept through the night, and if partners noticed irregular breathing patterns during sleep such as 10 second periods where you stop breathing or periods of gasping for air while asleep. Also, significant daytime drowsiness is associated with the condition.

If someone has it, the main treatment is a machine called a CPAP, which stands for continuous positive airway pressure, (Bi-PAP is also used) machine which actually uses air pressure to force the muscles of the throat not to close in on themselves during sleep. Of course, losing weight is another part of the treatment process and can eventually lead to the machine not being needed.

For me, my wife has never noticed any significant breathing pattern disruption during sleep, but I do snore, I am overweight, and I occasionally feel tired during the day even after sleeping through the night (but never need naps or fall asleep.) Personally, I think I'm at risk but probably haven't developed it yet. If I lose weight (which I'm working on) then hopefully, it will never become a full blown problem for me. However, as it is, some nights I wake up around 3 or so and take a while to go back to sleep. If I don't lose more weight during the next 6 months, then I might get a sleep study done just to make sure I don't have Obstructive Sleep Apnea.

[dacman]

I was diagnosed with a form of sleep apnea about 9 months ago. (I think it's technically called sleep hypoxia with mandible subluxation for you docs).

I had all of the following symptoms:
Waking 4-6 times a night
Constant mild diaherria
Significant daytime drowsiness (exacerbated after a meal)
Lack of concentration
Mild anxiety attacks (feeling very nervous but having absolutely no reason to)
Feeling flu-like but no elavated temperature
Infrequent hallucinations (usually not being able to see at all for a few seconds)

Medically the only thing wrong was hypertension. I was absolutely miserable and my doctor began to dread the sight of me. I had every test my doctor could think of and nothing seemed to be wrong. One visit however I mentioned off-hand to my doctor the waking 4-6 times a night and he insisted I get a sleep study done.

Afterwards the sleep doc's report stated I had 79 breathing "events" during an 8-hour sleep study. As a result, I was getting litte or no REM sleep and my symptoms were mostly a result of long term sleep deprivation.

If you think you may have this -- don't mess around -- find out and get it corrected. You'll thank us later.

[MikeVic]

I don't snore at all, and I'm not terribly overweight. My weight fluctuates, but the highest it's been in the last 2 or 3 years resulted in a BMI of 25.8... and it's usually around there.

I've had this in July, then nothing in August, and then the last couple of weeks again. I'm not sure if this is it then. Of course, if I have the same problems for the rest of the month, I will be seeing a doctor.

[Celeval]

Every day since I turned 30.

Quoted for truth.

[rowech]

Sounds very much like me...stomach problem ended up being IBS. At the age of 30 I get to take Metamucil each freaking day. Sleep ended up being sleep Apnea. Since dropping 30 pounds, the apnea has got much better as I'm sleeping pretty solidly through the night now. Used to be I'd wake up pretty much once an hour never really falling into a deep sleep.

[sabotai]

Every day since I turned 30.

Every day since I turned 9

[WVUFAN]

Man, I thought waking up 6-7 times a night is just a part of getting older. I started waking up often when I was in the military -- I guess I was afraid that the alarm clock wouldn't get me up in time for morning formation. So I started to wake up practically every hour, checking the alarm to see what time it was, and going back to sleep. But it never really affected me during the day.

Now, 10 years and 100 pounds later (I'm around 280 lbs now), I'm still waking up 6-7 times during the night, and even though I'm getting a total of more than 8 hours of sleep at night, I'm dead tired during the day. My mother has a CPAP (it's a big ole' contraption that practically covers your entire face). Is sleep apnea a genetic disorder, or is it entirely related to weight?

[Eaglesfan27]

I don't believe there is any hard evidence that it is genetic, but I have seen it "run in families." Then again, many of those family members were overweight.

Edited to add: Some newer CPAP and BiPAP machines are smaller and less intrusive than what they used to be. My mom still has a big old machine that sounds much like your mother's.

[MikeVic]

I read some other symptoms/side effects of this sleep apnea... I do get persistent heartburn (and take pills for it if it's bad), and I used to wake up with headaches quite frequently... but it's gotten better recently.

I also read that sleeping on your side can be a simple "cure" for it... so I'll try that as well if I can (I can't really sleep on anything but my back).

I guess if I'm still having problems next week, I'll see a doctor.

[hoosierdude]

Have your doctor check you out for other issues. Some of what you are mentioning was very similar to my gall bladder issues, not that it isn't that, but you need more tests to see what the issue is. Better safe than sorry and letting it go as far as I did.

If you can afford it get some tests run to see what they find.

[Buccaneer]

Without reading the whole thread, I have had sleeping problems since I was 30. Didn't worry too much about until the past few years (not getting to sleep or getting woken up and not being able to get back to sleep). I was tested for sleep apnea and I do not have that. I am on medication, a tiny dosage of lorazepam, and it has been working perfectly for years. This is not advice, just talk to your doctor about it.

Additional, I have had acid reflux for decades and prilosec still works perfectly for me, esp. yesterday when I had a few kamikaze wild wings. I do believe sleeping and eating disorders are related.

[st.cronin]

I must be the exception, since I am several years past 30 and have rarely had any problem sleeping.

[Crim]

Actually, my friend had virtually the same symptoms a while back, and after much angst and misdiagnoses, it turns out he was suffering from Crohn's Colitis. The sleep dealie was directly due the the eating/digesting dealie.

Crohn's is nasty until properly treated, so I hope that's not it... btw fast forward about 8 years, and he's gone from looking like a promo poster for Schindler's List to a bacon-eating chunky dude. A little diet adjustment, lots of pills to juggle, and prolly some preferential treatment from God (his dad's a Catholic deacon, and has never molested children, so I think he gets extra points for that) have helped mightily.

[WVUFAN]

I hate doctors and hospitals (no offense Eaglesfan27), since everytime I go to one I wind up with a needle in my arm(and needles are the only thing I'm really terrified of ... well that and bees, who are really needles with wings), but I might have to look into this sleep apnea thing.

[Radii]

I turn 30 in about a month, all of a sudden I am not looking forward to it so much!!

[MikeVic]

After monitoring it for a few days now, it seems like I'll wake up when there's the SLIGHTEST noise in the house. And I can't fall asleep unless it's COMPLETELY quiet.

I seem to wake up when my dad goes to work in the morning, and then can't fall asleep again fully after that. I also try going to bed early, but just knowing someone else is awake, and I can't sleep. So weird.

[MikeVic]

dola,

are there over-the-counter sleeping pills that exist? If not, I guess I'll go to the doctor this weekend.

[stevew]

Cut out the caffeine in your life.

[Pyser]

Crohn's is nasty until properly treated, so I hope that's not it... btw fast forward about 8 years, and he's gone from looking like a promo poster for Schindler's List to a bacon-eating chunky dude. A little diet adjustment, lots of pills to juggle, and prolly some preferential treatment from God (his dad's a Catholic deacon, and has never molested children, so I think he gets extra points for that) have helped mightily.

ive never heard that crohn's can be treated. is he just responding well to his meds?

[MikeVic]

Cut out the caffeine in your life.

I don't drink caffeine at all

:)

[Sporkimata]

Man Im feeling your problems. I have a very very mild sleep apnea and they gave me a c-pap. Im going thru about every design of mask made, I just roll around too much, prefer sleeping on my belly. I have anxiety disorder and am bi-polar, I take enough downer meds that med designed to make you sleep roll right off me.
Now im having even weirder episodes. Im going to bed a 9 or 10 pm, wake up 12am to 4am and cant go back to sleep. I was getting so tired for awhile that i was dozing off while driving. Scary stuff. I could blab on forever on all this stuff, feel like a walking medical dictionary.

[WVUFAN]

Man Im feeling your problems. I have a very very mild sleep apnea and they gave me a c-pap. Im going thru about every design of mask made, I just roll around too much, prefer sleeping on my belly. I have anxiety disorder and am bi-polar, I take enough downer meds that med designed to make you sleep roll right off me.
Now im having even weirder episodes. Im going to bed a 9 or 10 pm, wake up 12am to 4am and cant go back to sleep. I was getting so tired for awhile that i was dozing off while driving. Scary stuff. I could blab on forever on all this stuff, feel like a walking medical dictionary.

My friends refer to me a "straight edge", whatever that means. I don't take pills of any type, even aspirin. Again, I think it has more to do with my insane fear of doctors and hospitals rather than some issue with medication.

But I know a few people who are bi-polar, and just by talking to them and being around them I can tell how hard it would be to have a condition like that. Best of luck to you, man.

[MikeVic]

I went to the doctor on Saturday, and told him that I can't fall asleep until everything around me is quiet, and that every little noise will wake me up. Sometimes I fall asleep after, sometimes I don't. And it's starting to affect my personal and work life.

So, he gave me some pills that are supposed to relax me before bed (1 mg of Lorazepam), told me not to drink coffee or tea at night, try to get some evening exercise, and take a warm bath/shower before bedtime.

I did all of that besides the exercising (had a busy day and I was so tired that I didn't have the energy to). The pill seems to have done nothing. I took awhile falling asleep, and woke up twice in the night (some fucker with his sooooo cool bass at 2-3AM, and then my dad getting ready for work at around 5-6AM).

Does anyone know if this pill takes some time getting used to before it does anything? I was told it can be habit-forming, and only to take it to get my sleeping pattern back. But... will it really do what I need it to do?

[Bee]

My brother-in-law used to have all kinds of stomach issues and sleeping issues. He's a doctor and after ruling out other things he figured it was probably his diet even though his diet seemed to me to be relatively healthy. So a couple months ago he started up on that "Nutrisystem" diet and it made a huge difference for him. If I were having similar problems for a long time, I'd definitely be looking at changing my diet.

[MikeVic]

My stomach issues are gone. That was just July. Stomach flu combined with whatever else I think.

But the sleep thing is what came back...

[Buccaneer]

Lorazepam is what I take but give it about a week or so for it to work consistently. I am still amazed at how well it has been working for me and it has been a few years.

[Cringer]

I lost weight. That helped me a bunch. I sleep like crap anyways because I sleep on a moving truck, and when at home it can be too quiet for me because I am used to the truck all the time.

But I am better after losing weight. I have heartburn/acid reflux rarely now, and the quality of my sleep seems to have improved.

Now if I could only get rid of some of this stress that has screwed things up over the last two months.