Struggling with sleeplessness

I have never been a great sleeper. I have a hard time both getting and staying asleep. But now that the C word has reared it's ugly head, sleep is more evasive than ever! I know that fatigue is a huge side effect with rads. So, ladies... what are your tips and remedies for getting a good nights rest. I really want to be well rested for what is lurking in the wings! Advise away

To Linwentz.... from one who suffers the same. You are so smart to be pursuing this concern and as you know getting sleep is critical for your physical recovery. I have struggled with sleep issues for so long and still strive to get solutions.

This is what I know so far...

DIFFICULTY FALLING ASLEEP - In your situation whatever problems you had are, like us all, now amplified by the worry of your new situation. I strongly urge you to take the attitude that was taught to me. Do not EVER use the C word again. It is a stone. You have a stone in your breast or, for me, sand since mine were small bits scattered across my breast. DO NOT GIVE IT POWER! The right attitude is essential! It is a stone!

For me the difficulty falling asleep comes from anticipating the frustration of waking up over and over again. Sleep experts say to get out of bed if you haven't fallen asleep within 20 minutes so that you don't develop a negative attitude about your bed. There are a number of good suggestions you can find online to help with that issue... Sleepytime tea, meditation, a really boring book.

SLEEP DISORDERS - You must check for all sleep disorders. If possible you should arrange for a sleep study.

Most don't know they have a sleep disorder but waking up regularly is a sign that something is likely disturbing your sleep pattern.

RESTLESS LEG SYNDROME - On a scale of 1 to 10 my RLS is an 11 maybe a 12. I take medication that works very well to keep that problem under control. My brother points his toes every two minutes or so. His wife didn't even notice it but it would wake him up over and over through the night though he didn't realize it. My dad was adamant he had no problem sleeping until I showed him the video of his legs twitching twitching twitching.

SLEEP APNEA - I also had to show my dad how he stopped breathing regularly. Sleep apnea is very hard on your brain, heart, lungs, and mental health. My dad never reaches REM sleep preventing his brain the opportunity to flush out all unnecessary thoughts from the day. This does not help his swift slide into dementia at 81.

My throat relaxes and my airway is blocked 17 times an hour. My dad stops breathing every 30 seconds and due to my husbands weight he would stop breathing every 9 seconds. Choking over and over puts your "fright or flight" instinct into overdrive until you may need help from experts to disengage it.

There are several ways to resolve this problem. Most people are familiar with the CPAP machine that forces air through your nose to keep your airway open. This is very successful with my husband's problem but not so successful with mine. I am going to my dentist to be fitted with a mouthpiece that will bring my jaw forward and hopefully keep my throat open. New methods are coming out to resolve sleep apnea regularly.

BODY PAIN - I have severe scoliosis and can only sleep on one side without being in pain strong enough to wake me up. I am doing all I can to diminish that problem.

I strongly believe that sleep loss can be at the core of many mental health problems, lengthen a persons ability to recover from major surgery or trauma, worsen or possibly cause dementia, and a number of other health issues. What's great is that our medical condition is now supported by a whole network of neurologists, sleep experts, and research to help us resolve it.

I hope this helped. The very best to you. You will do great. 👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼