Some time back I posted (more than once, I think) about having sleep interruption insomnia after BC treatment. I still had it three *years* after BC treatment, despite having tried many things to alleviate it.
It started when I began chemo.
Somebody, I don't remember who, asked me to report back if I found something that helped.
Situation was that I would fall asleep quickly, but wake frequently, yet go back to sleep equally quickly. Just wasn't having long enough intervals of deep sleep to get really rested.
Finally, something seems to have helped noticeably: Hypnotherapy. I had 5 sessions at two week intervals (eek, sounds like a chemo regimen, doesn't it?). This was with an actual therapist, not just a plain ol' hypnotist. Each session was (audio) taped, and I listened to the tape daily until the next session. Now that the sessions are done, I'm to cycle through the tapes in order until I get totally bored with them!
I was waking 3-5+ time/night, with my longest sleep interval perhaps 3 hours on a typical "good" night, and often only 1.5-2 hours. I'm now down to waking maybe 2-3 times a night, and I frequently sleep at least one interval of 4-5 hours. It may not seem so to those who haven't been through this, but this is a *big* improvement, from my subjective view.
For the record, things that helped only a little or not at all included: warm baths; darker room; relaxation exercises before bed; sleep mask; varying pillows; warmer/colder room/blankets; drugs (diphenhydramine, Ambien, Sonata, Xanax, BuSpar, Restoril -- some of which I took for other reasons, but which later were mentioned as potential sleep aids); much more exercise but not right before bed (had many other benefits, including more physical energy, but didn't help sleep); reduced caffeine; warm milk; dim light before bed; meditation; commercial self-hypnosis tapes/CDs; aromatherapy pillow sprays; avoiding naps; manipulating rising/bed times; Arimidex instead of Tamoxifen; and probably other things I've forgotten trying.
(Are you getting the picture that I felt a little desperate? <g>
I did go the sleep clinic route (surprisingly, my insurance paid for it), was diagnosed with very mild sleep apnea, and got a humidified
C-PAP. It helped more than just a little, but not really enough. My perceived sleep intervals got sounder, but not longer.
I was hypothyroid for a chunk of this time, so hyperthyroidism wasn't a likely explanation. Sleep clinic had no other theories after the apnea was treated.
So far, the hypnotherapy was the best intervention yet, and I have hopes of further improvement as I continue to use the tapes.
Go figure!
Ann T.
Remove 'dontsendspam' from address to reply by email
