Rheumatoid Arthritis Support Group

Rheumatoid arthritis is a chronic, inflammatory, multisystem, autoimmune disorder. It is a disabling and painful condition which can lead to substantial loss of mobility due to pain and joint destruction. The disease is also systemic in that it often also affects many extra-articular tissues throughout the body including the skin, blood vessels, heart, lungs, and...

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Grandpa2one 08/19/2013

At the present time, I'm pretty comfortable pain wise. My ankles are tender and my hands so, so but over all compared to a week or so ago, I'm like a new man, (my wife's words)..lol I certainly don't feel like one but be that as it may, I'll let her keep saying that maybe and it will rub off...lol

Anyway, the nature of my post is sleep....Even after taking all the meds I take which three of them say they cause drowsiness, I still find I can't sleep over 3-4 hours at most. Once in awhile, I crash all night but those days are few and far between. As I type it's 4:00AM and I've been up for an hour already. Does anyone else find they can't sleep? I could understand if I was having a bad flare as I've had in the past but like I said, right now, I'm not in a lot of pain...I just can't sleep.

All the best to each of you today and may your day be pain free...

Grandpa

deleted_user 08/19/2013

pretty much there myself :P

deleted_user 08/19/2013

Granpa, I live in Ky also, western part, about 35 minutes from Paducah---small world isn't it?! LOVE " my old Ky home" , & wouldn't want to live anywhere else, although I could do without all this darn rain we've been having--enough already! ;o)
About the sleep problem...I hardly have that trouble, but when I do it seems to always be pain-related. If I go and take one of my pain pills then in about 20-30 minutes or so, I doze off and wake up (usually) feeling pretty good. Sleep is so important when you have RA & so that's the way I handle it. But you know occasionally (a few times a year) I'll have a night where I'm just not sleepy at all (maybe all the naps and sleep catches up with me)?!!!

nancyfoco 08/19/2013

i've getting 4-5 hours and then wake up. Sometimes it's due to pain, sometimes not. I'm thinking it's becoming a habit, which would be bad. I've been taking naps during the day. So, all in all, despite the lack of decent sleep I don't feel overly tired.

bluedogs2 08/19/2013

All,

Not being able to sleep is really POOH - I, too, have the problem but seems to be intermittent and MTX related - doses are weekly and about mid span B/T doses I seem to sleep a bit longer and then apprehension sets in and here I go - the actual dose makes me very sleepy and allows deep sleep for about 5 hours and then the cycle begins again -

That's what going on with the Bluedgogs2

Peace
Old Blue

Grandpa2one 08/19/2013

@pagpen....I'm in Northern KY right across the river from Cincinnati. Been down your way many times on my way to fish at Reelfoot Lake in TN. Beautiful part of KY you live in.

carrottop50 08/19/2013

I too have the sleep problems I don't take any naps or I can't sleep at night....I also know I sleep better in the early morning then I do all night so most of the time I go to sleep after midnight to 1am... so I can get my best sleep between 6 am to 9 am.... don't know why that is. A good night for me is about 7 hours... but I have lots of bad nights that I might only get about 3 hours... and boy do I hate those nights. And if I have plans for the next day... sometimes I don't sleep and I am in for a bad day. I have told my hubby if he wants to go away the next day don't tell me until morning. :)) So I can get some sleep.
Grandpa, Hope you get some good sleep soon.

GrammyKat 08/19/2013

I too have trouble sleeping. I find that when I am on Prednisone, I am not able to sleep until almost time to get up. Other times, I can't keep my eyes open. The new med that I am on, Gabapentin really makes me sleepy. I can sleep at the drop of a hat. Good luck and good dreams to you,
Kathy

deleted_user 08/19/2013

welcome to the group Granpa.

i have this problem whenever i am on high dose of prednisone during a flare. i hate to be awake when the rest of the world is having a nice sleep. i just keep watching tv all night.

otherwise i am a good sleeper. mtxt - i take it at bedtime and it makes me sleep good and longer.

Kimberley97 08/19/2013

Sometimes pain meds make me tired but restless I can't sleep. Blessings.

deleted_user 08/19/2013

Hey granpa, I go to Reelfoot Lake first weekend in October every year, they have a huge crafts festival & yard sales galore---luv both of those! Reelfoot is really neat, all those cypress trees & great fishing.
Hope you are able to sleep good tonight.

deleted_user 08/20/2013

Welcome Grandpa!!

Sorry that you have sleep problems also. I've been a night hawk since I was in 7th grade, so going to bed in the a.m. is normal for me.

The RA pain certainly can play a part in sleepless nights. My hubby bought a memory foam topper for our bed which I have to say helps a lot for me and his back.

Other nights the brain just doesn't want to stop, so I started taking Melatonin. Only 7 mgs. though, no higher for me and not every night. I used to be on an anti-depressant due to RA years ago which helped some with the night pain and sleeplessness. But I'd wake up groggy. I wasn't feeling depressed anymore thankfully and hated the grogginess after waking up, so I stopped taking them.

Insomnia is a side effect of Prednisone, if you are taking it.

Have you had a sleep study done yet? I had one many years ago. Most people with diseases/conditions usually end up with sleep problems and many are referred to the overnight Sleep Study Centre to see if they can help.

Peaceful and sleepy nights to you.

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