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Author Topic: Difficult to sleep. Could you please help?  (Read 4367 times)

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Offline Rabbit

  • Member
  • Posts: 40
Difficult to sleep. Could you please help?
« on: October 24, 2006, 05:48:38 am »
Dear all,

I am writing this message to ask you for help. My lover has been positive for nearly a year. He has not been on medicine yet. He works and studies normally. He seems to be slim although he eats much ( try to eat). His difficulty at this moment is he could not sleep well. He wakes up at midnight and tried to sleep again but he could not. In Asia, we often sleep at noon (after lunch) He used to do it but now it is difficult for him to take a nap at noon either.

I know that one of the sign of positive people is insomnia. However, I am very sad and feel so impotent when he is suffering from insomnia and I cannot help him. I feel very sad as I am far away from him as this moment.

Anyone had this problem before ? COuld you please advise me and my lover ? I am very grateful to you for your help and experiences.

I wish you all good health and all the best.

Rabbit

Offline allopathicholistic

  • Member
  • Posts: 3,258
Re: Difficult to sleep. Could you please help?
« Reply #1 on: October 24, 2006, 08:00:47 am »
If it gets out of hand please advise him to see a doctor. I personally stir one teaspoon of walnut oil into a cup of chamomile tea and that usually takes care of any ocassional insomnia for me. Some people say oh gross, but honestly it's not. It's like drinking liquid silk

Offline aztecan

  • Member
  • Posts: 5,530
  • 36 years positive, 64 years a pain in the butt
Re: Difficult to sleep. Could you please help?
« Reply #2 on: October 24, 2006, 09:42:59 am »
Hey Rabbit,
Insomnia is something many of us deal with. It may be a result of stress in your partner's life or some other factor.

I try using soothing music, or the recorded sound of the surf on the beach or a rainstorm. That often helps a great deal.

Also, as Allo mentioned, chamomile tea can help to relax, as can Valerian root tea. Some prefer the capsules of Valerian root because the tea is rather, well, disagreeable.

Aromatherapy can help as well, such as putting lavender, bergomot oil or other soothing scents in a sachet near the bed.

Another thing that has helped me is exercise. I have found when insomnia is becoming a problem, taking a long walk in the evening before retiring, or some other sort of exercise, helps to relieve it.

These are some of the things I have tried. All have been effective to some degree, but at times, I still can't seem to sleep.

Perhaps your partner's doctor may have suggestions as well.

Good luck and let us know how things are going.

HUGS,

Mark
"May your life preach more loudly than your lips."
~ William Ellery Channing (Unitarian Minister)

Offline allopathicholistic

  • Member
  • Posts: 3,258
Re: Difficult to sleep. Could you please help?
« Reply #3 on: October 27, 2006, 01:31:54 pm »
Some prefer the capsules of Valerian root because the tea is rather, well, disagreeable.

yes valerian tea smells like used gym socks. ... speaking of feet, :D another trick is to wash your feet then wear socks to bed. it might work for you....  experiment, have fun
« Last Edit: October 27, 2006, 08:51:57 pm by allopathicholistic »

Offline wellington

  • Member
  • Posts: 511
  • Don't sweat the little things.
Re: Difficult to sleep. Could you please help?
« Reply #4 on: October 27, 2006, 01:38:08 pm »
I'm one of the lucky ones that hits the pillow and can't generally count to 10 before I'm unconscious. However, when I find that I cannot clear my thoughts to enter sleep, I tend to get up and do something productive rather than just lie there and fret about what's at the fore of my mind. The body knows when it needs rest; sometimes the mind just needs to listen to it a little more ;)

Offline J.R.E.

  • Member
  • Posts: 8,207
  • Positive since 1985, joined forums 12/03
Re: Difficult to sleep. Could you please help?
« Reply #5 on: October 27, 2006, 01:48:41 pm »
Rabbit,

What are your lovers current numbers. Is he being monitored regularly by a doctor? One thing I tried years ago ( before meds )  was Melatonin. You can purchase it at almost any pharmacy over the counter in the Vitamin/ suppplement section. It's not that expensive, and it worked very well for me. Worked within 30 minutes of taking it. In fact, I am thinking of giving it another shot again, and see if it may help, on those days when I do have a little problem sleeping.

But I also agree with Alex, if he is loosing too much sleep, he should certainly mention this to his doctor. We should all get probably 7-8 hours of GOOD sleep a day.



Take care/ Stay in touch-------Ray
Current Meds ; Viramune / Epzicom Eliquis, Diltiazem. Pravastatin 80mg, Ezetimibe. UPDATED 2/18/24
 Tested positive in 1985,.. In October of 2003, My t-cell count was 16, Viral load was over 500,000, Percentage at that time was 5%. I started on  HAART on October 24th, 2003.

 As of Oct 2nd, 2023, Viral load Undetectable.
CD 4 @676 /  CD4 % @ 18 %
Lymphocytes,absolute-3815 (within range)


72 YEARS YOUNG

Offline bobik

  • Member
  • Posts: 315
    • My worksite
Re: Difficult to sleep. Could you please help?
« Reply #6 on: October 27, 2006, 04:01:21 pm »
Valerian works very good for me!

Coen
Coen Honig at Facebook

Offline Moffie65

  • Member
  • Posts: 1,755
  • Living POZ since 1983
Re: Difficult to sleep. Could you please help?
« Reply #7 on: October 27, 2006, 05:31:54 pm »
Sleep, oh that very far off goal.

I must tell you that I am one of those that has had a terrible time with sleep.  Unless I am totally wiped out and totally fatigued, then it is very difficult for me to get anymore than five or six hours of sleep.  That means that sometimes I must sleep during the day, or other very bad times.  Unfortunately, you the partner, are left out in the dark as to a solution, as he is the only one that will be able to come to some peace about this.  One thing I found was that when I cannot sleep, I don't punish myself, I simply change my schedule to accomidate the very strange sleep times my body demands.

Having HIV will challenge both of you around sleep, but for him, it might just be one of the more difficult things to overcome.  Most people with HIV have loads of problems around sleep, so please tell him not to punish himself for not being "normal" when it comes to sleep.  You too, must be patient, as you are already feeling some responsibility, but let me tell you, there is little you can do but be supportive and non-judgemental about his inability to sleep.  Working together, you will find some calm about it, but it may take some real time to accomplish this.  I know I have struggled with sleep problems for the better part of 12 years, so my expectations around sleep are not terribly focused at this point.  I am just glad for any night that I am able to sleep for the total 8 hours that we need with HIV.  I find that one very strange thing is that when I drink my total goal of "four liters of filtered water a day", I sometimes sleep far better than if I forget to drink.

With Love and Support.
The Bible contains 6 admonishments to homosexuals,
and 362 to heterosexuals.
This doesn't mean that God doesn't love heterosexuals,
It's just that they need more supervision.
Lynn Lavne

Offline poobear

  • Member
  • Posts: 112
Re: Difficult to sleep. Could you please help?
« Reply #8 on: October 27, 2006, 08:49:08 pm »
This may not be the best advise but the only thing that helps me is perscribed sleeping pills.  Only when I need to because if I take them to often than they do not work.  I would maybe suggest seeing the doctor and see if he can prescribe a sleeping pill.  Hope this helps and Good Luck.  Rachel

Offline edfu

  • Member
  • Posts: 1,090
Re: Difficult to sleep. Could you please help?
« Reply #9 on: October 27, 2006, 11:20:12 pm »
Nothing worked for my insomnia--sometimes 48 hours at a stretch with no sleep--except for Ambien. 
"No one will ever be free so long as there are pestilences."--Albert Camus, "The Plague"

"Mankind can never be free until the last brick in the last church falls on the head of the last priest."--Voltaire

Offline Queen Tokelove

  • Member
  • Posts: 6,031
  • Smokey the Smurf
Re: Difficult to sleep. Could you please help?
« Reply #10 on: October 27, 2006, 11:26:01 pm »
Funny that most of you are saying you have trouble sleeping. I seem to have the opposite problem of sleeping too much then I'm up most of the night. My doc gave me ambien before but was hesitant about giving it to me again. He was giving it to me for a week to try to get me to sleep earlier so that I would get up earlier. But once I ran out of that, it was back to being up late and sleeping in late. I don't know if the sleeping stems from hiv, diabetes, or anemia?
Started Atripla/Ziagen on 9/13/07.
10/31/07 CD4-265 VL- undetectable
2/6/08 CD4- 401 VL- undetectable
5/7/08 CD4- 705 VL- undetectable
6/4/08 CD4- 775 VL- undetectable
8/6/08 CD4- 805 VL- undetectable
11/13/08 CD4- 774 VL--undetectable
2/4/09  CD4- 484  VL- 18,000 (2 months off meds)
3/3/09---Starting Back on Meds---
4/27/09 CD4- 664 VL-- undetectable
6/17/09 CD4- 438 VL- 439
8/09 CD4- 404 VL- 1,600
01-22-10-- CD4- 525 VL- 59,000
Cherish the simple things life has to offer

Offline Eldon

  • Member
  • Posts: 2,664
Re: Difficult to sleep. Could you please help?
« Reply #11 on: October 28, 2006, 02:32:29 am »
Hey Rabbit,

Mark has "targeted" what could be you partner's main situation with his sleeping. I agree with him totally. You also want to consider plenty of exercise as well. This helps with the reduction of his stress /anxiety level. Also, Meditation will relax him even further into a state where he can rest comfortably.

Insomnia is something many of us deal with. It may be a result of stress in your partner's life or some other factor.

Make the BEST of each Day!

Offline Rabbit

  • Member
  • Posts: 40
Re: Difficult to sleep. Could you please help?
« Reply #12 on: October 30, 2006, 05:09:45 pm »
Dear all,

I would like to say thank you very much for all what you have told me and my lover. I will pass all these good advice to my lover. Your help is very useful.

I wish you all well and best wishes,

Rabbit

 


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