Sleep Apps Have Helped Me!

[Cher69]

OK for those who know my T history my biggest battle has always been sleep !

If I can sleep I can cope with T - so my struggle with sleep has always been my biggest battle

Why can't you sleep when your so tired and sleep deprived you still cant drop off ! Its a hard one to explain to anyone who has never struggled with sleep - my other half can snooze all night on the sofa then sleep 8 hours through the night - and I became consumed with my lack of sleep.

Ive been on zopiclone - a lot - it buys you sleep but you need to restore your confidence that you can sleep and if you dont have a good night one day - then not to worry tomorrow will hopefully be OK and you will be back on form sleeping well and feeling refreshed.,

So along with zopiclone Ive had every anti-depressant going that helps make you drowsy - Trazodone helped me initially but then the effects wore off - after a few others have settled on mirtazapine.

But what I think has helped me the most - is sleep apps that actually track your sleep pattern.

I knew deep down I was probably getting more sleep than I thought I was - waking early and clock watching is horrible but then I was sure I did snooze off again a bit ? So I downloaded some sleep apps - OK I take the data with a pinch of salt - they monitor your movement but I've grown in confidence that I do actually sleep better than I thought - once I know I can sleep and I do sleep - I sleep more !!

I now get 6-8 hours sleep - I always wake up in the early hours - but I dont worry as I know I have slept - I then according to the sleep apps go back to light sleep and into deep sleep. In my mind I was awake hours but was I ? My sleep app says I drifted back off ...... so I am sleeping I'm not clock watching I turn over and relax knowing that in the morning I can review my sleep app and the pattern from the night

It has worked for me - try it over a few weeks - if you can you can see some evidence of sleep you will I hope relax and sleep more - it has helped me....

cher x

 

[Asian]

Relax melodies . One of the best apps out there. Also try Tibet healing sounds preferably with OM chants on youtube. Its very soothing..

 

[Cher69]

I use relax melodies every night I like Jupiter and wind in trees they mask my T and don't annoy me &. The sleep apps I'm talkin about on this thread r those that record your sleep movement like sleep time or sleep cycle I was suprised how much I did sleep and then I relaxed and slept more ! I was getting 2-4 hours and now I get 6-8 hours becomes my app helps me believe I sleep - it has really helped me

 

[Cher69]

Checking out those Tibet healing sounds very relaxing indeed !

 

[LadyDi]

@Cher69, once again you are my T sister! As you know, like you, I have had trouble with sleep. My problems pre date tinnitus, but T just made it worse. So on Thursday, I had my first visit with my psychiatrist since August. I have done, I thought, really well. Take Xanax only as needed, a couple times a month daytime maybe. But I still struggle with sleep, so I take a small dose (.25 -.50 mg) nightly plus alternate sleep meds (Lunesta and Rozerem).

So this visit the psych said: no more. Time for you to try to learn to sleep on your own, at least part of the time. He wrote me very limited scripts for the meds, told me to look into some holisitc strategies, then come back in three months and we would talk.

Initially I panicked. How could I work, even survive, without sleep and sleep meds? But after I calmed down, I realized my doc was right. I must look at alternatives. He was was smart enough to force me into it.

So: What is the name of the app and how do I get it? Like you, I think I freak out with clock watching and fear I can't function on three hours sleep. To know I am getting more could be helpful.

Hugs and luv, my friend.

 

[Cher69]

@LadyDi on this road together as always xx. I have always quoted I don't sleep and I have spent hours clock watching ! Now the experts say get up if you r not asleep get up read, watch tv etc go to bed only when sleepy !

That works I believe for the most however oneday I thought I actually think I sleep more than I think I do

So I got sleep time an app that records your movements and calculates your sleep - there is another one I used sleep cycle they do the same thing record your movement and then display in a graph.

 

[Cher69]

Somehow actually seeing how I sleep albeit not 100% accurate helped me I do sleep I get deep sleep and even if only 3 or 4 hours I was positive I got that - now I sleep ok 6-7 hours I always wake up and I am not sure if I am awake for minutes or hours but I always fall back to sleep according to the trace on the app - it's made me happy that I am getting sleep so I relax and sleep - I think ! It's not an over night fix it's about restoring your belief that you can and do sleep and build on it - I get rough nights but who doesn't! Xx

Try it @LadyDi over a few nights weeks xx

 

[Cher69]

I always get up between 5am -5.30 cos I hit the gym at 6am so the early start on the above graph is my normal routine

 

[Cher69]

Blue is deep sleep green light sleep an orange awake - again based on movement I remember being awake 3am and tossing n turning but I did go back to complete stillness and deep sleep then waking around 5am which is normal for me and I get up do the morning jobs then hit the gym at 6 before work at 8

 

[MikeA]

Like you, I think I freak out with clock watching

I'd suggest never looking at the clock while in bed. If you awake, try to go back to sleep. If you can't, get up, go into another room, read, knit, etc until sleepy again. I suppose that once in another room one would note the time. But I see no point in doing so if in bed trying to sleep. If it's dark, I don't care if it's 1 AM or 6AM. If I feel I need to sleep more and can, I'll try. If it's nearly time to get up and I fall back to sleep, that's a sign I needed more. I say only look at the clock to turn off an alarm. I put something in front of mine before lights out. Imagine there are many who freak out awaking and seeing 1:34 in bright red numbers. Might as well spell out THIS SUCKS.

 

[Cher69]

I totally agree I see loads of Facebook post from people who can't sleep I their iPhones telling the world they can't sleep !!! No wonder !!! I have trained myself not to look at the time just accept it's not time to get up and try to relax back to sleep ..... However I don't get up although I know people experts say todo so I prefer to stay put - however I have also found that if I'm awake and not relaxed a change of venue helps me maybe the spare room bed ten take the pressure off somehow and trips me back to relaxing into sleep

 

[Sailboardman]

I used to take .025 mg of Xanax but didn't want to mess around long term with an ototoxic med. I use it only when mega stressed.

I now use 5-HTP and 3 mg of time released Melatonin, from GNC. works well for me.

I use a Hometics sound machine, on my bed, set to "rain shower". it can mask my T all the way but I try not to mask it 100% as suggested.