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wizmo 
I am getting ot the point where I cannot take my "sleep" problems much longer. I fall alseep okay, probably too early, and I dream. It's not that the dreams are bad, weird but not awful, but I guess as I am coming out of my sleep, I suddenly get this "jolt" throughout my entire body, almost like I was just frightened by something and my heart starts racing and I wake up, only to realize that Rich is not here.
Sometimes it is accompanied by tears flowing down my face. I have to get up, walk around or sit up for a while. It is getting extremely frustrating and the feeling is so awful!
Rich is always in my dreams, although I still do not speak to him face to face. I hear him talking or I feel him beside me.
I'm sure this has to be stress but it can get really scary. I sleep on his pillow every night for comfort and have even tried taking Benadryl but no matter what I do, this continues to happen.
I hate this!!
Comments
I am so sorry to hear about your sleep problem. How long has this been going on? What do you do before bedtime? Some "experts" say that certain things can affect your sleep, from watching TV, being on the computer, etc. Have you tried changing your bedtime routine? Would music, a sound machine with soothing nature sounds, etc. - anythng like that reduce your stress? How about re-arranging the bedroom? Leaving lights on? You could ask your doctor for sleeping pills of course, but sometimes that is not the best idea if you might become dependent on them. Do you need to secure your home better - alarms, etc? I hope these ideas don't sound stupid, but I figure if you can identify what the biggest problem is, maybe you can figure out how to handle it. I know sleep is so important to our health; I hope you can find a solution soon. Thinking of you, laurabp
laurabp
Hi Mo -
It is really hard to get a full, good nights sleep, and has been for all of us for a while, huh? One thing I've tried that seems to help at least some of the time is taking 1mg of Melatonin every night at bedtime. It's non-prescription, not narcotic or even a medication - it's in the vitamin/mineral section of my pharmacy, and it's your body's natural sleep hormone. I really like it..it doesn't knock me out, but it helps keep me asleep once I get there, and it seems to be a more restful sleep.
I had to try something because I wasn't sleeping more than an hour at a time and hadn't been since probably December. I think for me, my mind & body just got into a routine of not sleeping, and it didn't know how to stop.
I feel my husband around me a lot, too, and once it just got to be too much, so I said out loud "please leave me alone for a just little while so I can sleep." That night I slept better than I had for weeks. Maybe I just had to remind him that I'm not a 24-hour being like he is now. (He always did have to be reminded of things.....)
Take care!
XOXO
Judy
JudysWorld
Oh Judy, that is so cute about telling your husband to just go away for a while!! You really made me smile with that!
I have heard about melatonin and I think I just might give it a try. Thanks so much, with my love, Mo
wizmo
I think we can all relate to the sleep problem. I dream about Gene, I know I have because I wake up crying in the morning and all I want to do is go back to sleep so I can see him again. I've tried Tylenol PM and it works for me some of the time. I only take one, but you can take two if you want. I still wake up every morning at 3:30 a.m. and look at the clock, but at least I'm able to fall back to sleep. I hope the melatonin works for you.
FallenAngel
Mo my problem is I can't fall asleep till I am so tired and its been 8am before that happens till around 1pm and I so badly wanna get my Days back to normal. When I do fall asleep early I wake within a hour wide awake I am at my end of the rope :( Hugs girl I am with ya on this one.
SuddenlyAlone
Thanks so much to everyone for letting me know that I am not alone in my sleep patterns and for all the wonderful advice!
My love to all....Mo
wizmo
Its right now 5:25am still awake laid down ealier have been laying there so frustrated to sleep that I am unable to. :( Someone knock me out Please...
SuddenlyAlone
The sleep problems are a normal part of the grief process, I think.
While I have always had issues with sleep, the loss of my husband magnified it.
Even after a year, while it is starting to "normalize" a bit, I do still have nights where sleep just won't come, or when I will wake many times through the night.
MaraK
Sleeping is a problem. I fall asleep for short times maybe 15-30 minutes then I wake up for hours and then fall asleep again. I wake up think about my husband and telling him how much I love him and miss him. It is an awful feeling realize that he is not beside us. I miss him so much that all I want to do is find him and hug him and never let him go. Whenever I do fall asleep my mom, sisters or kids try not to wake me up because they know that I have a hard time sleeping. I lay in bed sometimes with my eyes closed just thinking about my husband. Sleep is something that rarely comes for us. I cry a lot and I just keep missing my husband more and more.....
lindalun