• HEALTH & RECOVERY
    Welcome Guest
    Posting Rules Bluelight Rules Thread Directory 1 Thread Directory 2
    Mindfulness Links Addiction & Mind
    Sober Living Partner Program (SLiPP)
  • H&R Moderators: VerbalTruist | cdin | Lil'LinaptkSix

Sleep issues

aihfl

aihfl

Bluelight Crew
Joined
Nov 5, 2015
Messages
2,834
Hello everyone, I haven't been around BL in a while, and I rarely if ever posted in this forum. I have been a chronic insomniac all my life, which is probably one of the biggest reasons I gravitated toward downers: alcohol, benzodiazepines and prescription opiates. I still have sleep onset issues caused by becoming overheated as I go to bed.

My GP ordered a T4 test, which returned normal, so it's not a thyroid issue, and my Chinese doctor said it could be dehydration, so I drink water before bed but the flip side of that coin is having to get up and pee in the middle of the night.

I wouldn't be perplexed by this if it didn't seem so rare. Google searches show many people complaining of going to bed cold and waking up overheated (as was the case with my ex wife and an ex girlfriend) but very few people seem to have an issue with being so uncomfortably warm that they can't get to sleep.

Further compounding my problem is that I live in Florida and it's expensive to crank the AC. It's not the ideal solution but I leave a fan blowing directly on me and sleep shirtless. I haven't abused drugs since the very beginning of the year, so withdrawals are no longer an issue.

Does anyone else experience this? My doctors and the Chinese doctor have tried to be helpful, but the problem persists. Thank you in advance to anyone who may be able to shed light on this issue.
 
Do you just feel like you're turning into an oven as soon as you hop into the bed? I've had these issues when the humidity got way too high living down south.

You're doing the same thing I do as well. When I would have these issues I'd stick my box fan on me at the highest setting and it also acted as a white noise to help me relax. I only slept in my boxers with just a thin blanket laying at my feet.
 
GrymReefer said:
Do you just feel like you're turning into an oven as soon as you hop into the bed? I've had these issues when the humidity got way too high living down south.

You're doing the same thing I do as well. When I would have these issues I'd stick my box fan on me at the highest setting and it also acted as a white noise to help me relax. I only slept in my boxers with just a thin blanket laying at my feet.
Click to expand...

Thank you for the reply. I really appreciate it. Yes, it happens as I'm trying to fall asleep. I don't feel particularly warm prior to getting into bed, but perhaps it's just more noticeable once I'm in bed. And it happens most of the year, unless we're having unusually chilly weather. Having the fan really does help - I'm pretty sensitive to sound while trying to sleep but the white noise doesn't bother me at all. I do wake up freezing in the middle of the night though after I've cooled off and end up pulling the blankets over me and/or turning the fan off. It seems most people experience this pattern in reverse.
 
Strangest thing, but have you ever tried to wear socks going to bed? When I'm hanging around the house I have to keep socks on my feet at all times or else I start dealing with nonstop cold sweat on my feet. When I go to sleep and it's still happening it tends to amplify, but putting on a pair of socks (or blanket on my feet) will do the trick and help me out all over.
 
I also get hot when I go to bed, and I've done the following:

1. I've stopped sleeping with a blanket, and instead sleep with regular clothes on.
2. I turn down the temperature just slightly.
3. I take ambien about 30mins-1hr before I plan on going to bed.

These things have significantly helped my ability to sleep.
 
Thank you everyone for the suggestions. I know the scent of lavender is supposed to be a natural sleep remedy but I haven't tried it. Also haven't taken cool showers either. I've been living in Florida too long and am a wimp when it comes to water anything less than lukewarm. For right now, the sleep meds, fan and shirtlessness seem to be working. Glad I'm not the only one out there with this issue.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top