Is there a doctor in the house?

[ajax_andy]

I was wondering if there is anyone on here with a medical background who can give me some advice?

I've been suffering from sleep problems for quite a while now and they've been getting progressively worse over the last couple of years.

My question would be do the following symptoms suggest something is untoward like Narcolepsy?

1) Sleep paralysis
2) Insomnia / disturbed sleep
3) Feeling tired during the day even after a good nights sleep

I know two of the symptoms of Narcolepsy are falling asleep during the day which I dont do, and also lose of muscle control which I dont have either, but is it possible to have mild Narcolepsy, or have it but only have some of the syptoms?

 

[ajax_andy]

Oh it totaly forgot to mention that when i'm having a bad night and have taken maybe 4 hours to fall asleep I often drop off to sleep and wake up very soon after, in this time i've usually had a vivid dream and quite often wake up in a mini kind of panic attack.

I've read most people it takes up to 2 hours to enter REM sleep, but I seem to be achieving this very quickly.

I dont know how quickly I reach REM when i'm sleeping ok as don't wake up every 10 - 20 minutes.

Also my sleep paralysis only seems to happen on nights where i'm suffering from insomnia and then vivid dreams when I do finally drop off.

 

[turner]

well, i'm a doctor, but a paediatrician so this is a bit out of my remit, but anyway.

as far as i'm aware you don't really have mild narcolepsy. you would be pretty sure you had it, as you literally drop asleep in a second, no matter what you are doing.

insomnia is a very difficult one. it sounds to me like there might be some other underlying issues (psychologically speaking perhaps?-bad dreams, panic attacks disturbed sleep would point to this) that are affecting your sleep. do you take any drugs? i had friends who got sleep paralysis and disturbances after heavy weekends. skunk is really bad for this. also do you sleep during the day, because that can often lead to disrupted sleep at night.


with regard to the waking up tired even after a good night's sleep: could it be obstructive sleep apnoea (i'll let you look that up in more detail.) you're at risk of this if you have large adenoids, drink a lot or are overweight.

 

[micknick]

I went through a really bad period of insomonia and had quite a few tests and processes to find out what was what.

Things they asked me was- have you recently changed things around in the room you sleep? Is it an untidy area where you sleep?

Are you anxious about anything?

What is your diet like? Fatty foods can drain energy levels and mess with sleep patterns.

 

[ajax_andy]

I went through a really bad period of insomonia and had quite a few tests and processes to find out what was what.

Things they asked me was- have you recently changed things around in the room you sleep? Is it an untidy area where you sleep?

Are you anxious about anything?

What is your diet like? Fatty foods can drain energy levels and mess with sleep patterns.

Have a very healthy diet, exercise 2 times a week, bedroom only used for sleep, very tidy, dont drink, dont smoke, dont do drugs. I'm anxious about not being able to sleep... which is stupid as that makes the problem worse... kind of a self perpetuating problem.

Your lucky that they carried out tests on you, I told the doctor about my problems a while ago and they said that unless I was going to kill myself they wouldn't do anything about it :blink:

I went back a few weeks later and laid it on really thick so they reluctantly sent me to see a "mental health worker" lol! She in all fairness was very helpful and had an impact on my problems but didn't cure them

So did they find anything wrong with you then or are you still suffering?

 

[McBain]

You've got sleep apnea.

Cure: Not sure, but if someone says sawdust DO NOT BELIEVE THEM

 

[Rook]

I'm a RN and a medical technolgist. In the states we have sleep centers at hospitals, outpatient clinics. You stay a night in a room that looks like a hotel room and they put monitors on you to see what's up. Check w/ you doctor.

Are you obese? Do you snore at night? Do you have a respiratory condition such as asthma, COPD, etc? How about high blood pressure or a heart condition?

You might have sleep apnea which is a serious condition but its easily treatable as long as you don't mind wearing a funky mask that makes you look like a Helgast at night.

 

[ajax_andy]

well, i'm a doctor, but a paediatrician so this is a bit out of my remit, but anyway.

as far as i'm aware you don't really have mild narcolepsy. you would be pretty sure you had it, as you literally drop asleep in a second, no matter what you are doing.

insomnia is a very difficult one. it sounds to me like there might be some other underlying issues (psychologically speaking perhaps?-bad dreams, panic attacks disturbed sleep would point to this) that are affecting your sleep. do you take any drugs? i had friends who got sleep paralysis and disturbances after heavy weekends. skunk is really bad for this. also do you sleep during the day, because that can often lead to disrupted sleep at night.


with regard to the waking up tired even after a good night's sleep: could it be obstructive sleep apnoea (i'll let you look that up in more detail.) you're at risk of this if you have large adenoids, drink a lot or are overweight.

Hi, thanks for the response.

No I dont take any drugs, am actually a pretty healthy person and walk the dog for about 30 mins every day, swim once a week and play 5-a-side once a week. I dont drink except the odd glass of wine on a weekend, but never during the week and never on days when i've had sleep problems. I'm not oevrweight and am actaully probably a little bit underweight as have a very fast metabolism.

Thanks for the suggestion of sleep apnoea but after looking in to it I dont that is the cause as I never snore.

I certainly think speaking to a mental health worker about my sleep problems relieved them somewhat which could point to it being a psychological problem, however as that didn't cure the problem I was wondering if there was a possibility of other factors at play.

 

[ajax_andy]

I'm a RN and a medical technolgist. In the states we have sleep centers at hospitals, outpatient clinics. You stay a night in a room that looks like a hotel room and they put monitors on you to see what's up. Check w/ you doctor.

Are you obese? Do you snore at night? Do you have a respiratory condition such as asthma, COPD, etc? How about high blood pressure or a heart condition?

You might have sleep apnea which is a serious condition but its easily treatable as long as you don't mind wearing a funky mask that makes you look like a Helgast at night.

I'm hoping the doctor will be able to arrange for me to visit one of these types of centres. Over here in the UK they aren't always the most sympathetic or helpful when it comes to an illness thats not easily diagnosed, and can be quite resistant to sending you to see a specialist... I think they're told to only administer those in serious danger due to government funding of our health system... either that or i've just had bad doctors.

I'm pretty sure I dont have sleep apnea as I am slim, dont have any respiratory problems, high blood pressure or a hearet condition (that i know of) and never snore.

Well at least I hope I dont as that mask sounds like a total passion killer lol!