Ooh, for a good night’s sleep!

December 29, 2012 By

Q: I am an avid reader of your column. You have given safe, sound advice on a number of different maladies. I’m a 61-year-old female, white, 5’7” and weigh 125 pounds. I am now and will always be a recovering alcoholic. I drank for 40 years and it wasn’t until I drank so heavily between 2000 and 2005 that I lost everything and almost died twice that I stopped.

I am now moderately depressed and have had a problem sleeping for years. I’ve been put on amitriptyline, Ativan, Ambien, Remular, Seroquel, Lunesta and trazodone and I still can’t get a full night’s sleep. It’s like I have a time clock in my head that goes off every two hours. I will get up, have a glass of milk and go back to bed to drift of only awaken again. The PA I see told me she is at the end of her rope.
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Aspirin not a sleep aid

November 5, 2012 By

Q: I used to use aspirin if I had a problem sleeping in the middle of the night and it worked. Now I can’t find aspirin without NSAID stamped on the bottle, and at least three times I’ve used it to try to sleep and it makes me edgy. I looked at my mom’s old bottle of aspirin and it does NOT have NSAID on the bottle. Do you know about this? Thank you so much.

A: Aspirin is an over-the-counter pain reliever. It also has anti-coagulant properties which cause the blood to be less sticky making clotting more difficult, especially when taken in high doses over a period of time.
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Woman’s cries keep family awake

September 14, 2012 By

DEAR DR. GOTT: Last night was one of my worst. No one in my house was able to sleep because I made so much noise.

I have severe rheumatoid arthritis and take numerous medications. In the last few years it has become harder to sleep each night. I moan, groan, talk, yell, mumble, etc. while I sleep. I usually do not hear myself but everyone else in the house does. Sleep medication does not help me and ear plugs do not help others.

Do you have any ideas what I can do? No one wants to stay with me. I have had sleep studies with no answers. I need help.
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Wife concerned about husband’s pain and sleeplessness

November 19, 2011 By

DEAR DR. GOTT: My husband enjoys reading your articles. He thought he had cut one out for future information but cannot find it. He has muscle pain more than joint pain, hot flashes, insomnia, and sometimes what he calls “no legs” as he cannot feel them in the sense of walking.

He is 60 years old and has a very physical job. He works out with weights for his upper body and has for years. He is using prescribed testosterone cream trying to maintain strength. He takes blood pressure medication and it is under control. He takes cholesterol meds, Tramadol and Ambien. He is so bad he can hardly talk or walk from the shaking but yet his face feels hot to the touch only on his head. He worries a lot.
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Is stress to blame for sleeplessness?

June 18, 2011 By

DEAR DR. GOTT: In early March 2010, my husband broke his ankle in three places and shattered his heel. Despite the fact that he is now mobile and has passed through the worst part of recovery, he struggles with horrid sleep problems. Each night, he falls asleep almost immediately but is awake about two hours later and cannot fall back to sleep. Needless to say, this lack of sleep is taking its toll on him, as during the day he is completely drained. We have consulted our family physician, who has tried unsuccessfully prescribing various sleep medications. We have also tried melatonin, lavender, chamomile and more. You name it, he has tried it, to no avail. Is there anything else he can do at this point?
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Is medication to blame for insomnia?

February 6, 2011 By

DEAR DR. GOTT: I not only read but have scrapbooks full of your articles. For more than a year now, I have had insomnia nightly for two or more hours; dry mouth (for which I use Biotene, which helps a little); night sweats that cause me to change my bedclothes every night and sometimes twice; muscle discomfort from my elbow to my shoulder when my arms are out or above my head; gas (for which I use Beano, which only prevents gas when taken just before eating); and constipation, missing a day or two of evacuation on occasion.

For my dry mouth, my doctor thought Allegra could be the cause. I stopped taking the Allegra, but it didn’t help.
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Teen’s sleep habits disrupted

November 23, 2010 By

DEAR DR. GOTT: My 16-year-old granddaughter has had a lifetime of not being able to sleep at night. This has been the case since birth. I might add that because of her parents’ jobs, they encouraged “sleeping in.” She now lives with me, and I have allowed her to take Benadryl at night so she can get a decent night’s sleep to be alert in school. She is an excellent student and has no other health problems. This works very well; however, I am worried about the side effects over time. Can you advise me on this?

DEAR READER: I know several people who have flip-flopped their days and nights because of job commitments and other reasons. They can get a good rest only in the middle of the day and have no problems remaining awake when most of us are sleeping. [Read more…]

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Menopausal woman can’t sleep

August 21, 2010 By

DEAR DR. GOTT: I have been going through menopause for the past seven years and have made it through the difficult phase. However, I have a problem staying asleep. I fall asleep most of the time with no problem but will stay asleep for about two hours. Then I can’t fall asleep again. Do you have a solution to this problem other than using estrogen?

DEAR READER: As you are aware, hormonal changes occur during menopause. Those changes can produce symptoms of insomnia that can range from transient and temporary to chronic and annoying. A woman actually goes through three phases: perimenopause, menopause and postmenopause. During the first stage, estrogen levels can decline, resulting in abnormal cycles, hot flashes and temporary insomnia. Menopause occurs when a woman has remained free of a cycle for 12 months. [Read more…]

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Stressful job can affect health

August 20, 2010 By

DEAR DR. GOTT: At age 50-plus, I took a job that was stressful to the extent it caused sleepless nights and loss of appetite. I resorted to taking an over-the-counter sleep aid, which left me with a headache and feeling sluggish in the morning. To alleviate those symptoms, I took Excedrin for the headache and a caffeine bump. At the end of the year, my contract expired. I lost 20 pounds and was exhausted.

I went to my physician for a regular checkup. Routine lab work indicated I had an elevated TSH (6). My doctor asked about fatigue, weight gain, hair loss, brittle nails, dry skin and more. I explained the circumstances of my former job and because of my age, I was at least perimenopausal. I was still having periods every three weeks instead of four. I felt the symptoms I had indicated hypothyroidism. I expressed my feelings and was prescribed levothyroxine, which was to continue forever. [Read more…]

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How much sleep is enough?

July 29, 2010 By

DEAR DR. GOTT: My wife and I go to bed at about the same time every night. I never get a full seven hours of uninterrupted sleep, and most often awaken in less than five hours. I try to get back to sleep, but it seems to take hours to accomplish this. I know I often see the sun beginning to peek through our curtains at around 5:30 a.m., but I also know I do eventually fall back asleep, however briefly, because when I eventually awaken again, I realize I’ve been dreaming. My left hip arthritis doesn’t help. Are these two-plus hours worth anything? Or am I just as well off getting up and reading during that time?

DEAR READER: The amount of sleep people require varies greatly. In large part, it depends on age, health and physical and mental activity.
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