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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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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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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OTC sleep-aid not for daily use

August 28, 2010 By

DEAR DR. GOTT: My husband has been taking Simply Sleep by Tylenol nightly for more than a year. I feel it is harmful to the body. There’s no warning on the label that states it causes liver damage, but other sleep aids have the warning.

DEAR READER: Simply Sleep contains the antihistamine diphenhydramine, a common ingredient in several sleep aids. It was designed for occasional sleeplessness and difficulties falling asleep. I agree with your view and don’t believe it is meant to be taken every night. Nonetheless, I don’t know his complete medical history, whether he eats properly, exercises, is under stress, or works a swing shift. Many factors can come into play here. Your husband should speak with his physician for an opinion on the matter.
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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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Daily Column

September 5, 2008 By

DEAR DR. GOTT:
You wrote about a woman who couldn’t shut her brain off at night. I, too, suffered these nightly “loopy loos”.

I found that taking melatonin, GABA and 5 HTP work well for me. I started this treatment based on the theory that serotonin levels decrease in aging brains. I purchase the products from an herbal supply store. They don’t work quickly but I am now three months into treatment and my sleep pattern is nearly normal.

DEAR READER:
I am glad that you found a treatment that works for you. I am passing it on to my other readers who may benefit from it. I also ask that anyone who has tried or tries these products write me with their conclusions. I will print a follow up article with the results.

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Daily Column

July 23, 2008 By

DEAR DR. GOTT:
I am a 49-year-old male. For the last six to nine months I have not been sleeping well but have found a way in which I can sleep soundly but want to ensure it will not harm me.

After months of barely sleeping, I was exhausted. One night I feel asleep on the couch in a sitting position and found that I slept like a rock. I woke up in the morning feeling fine. Since then I start out trying to sleep in bed but inevitably wind up back on the couch sleeping in a sitting position. I always feel fine in the morning but worry that this might do my body some harm down the road should it continue.

DEAR READER:
To the best of my knowledge there is no harm in sleeping on the couch in a sitting position. I would imagine that this could cause some muscle stiffness upon waking but if you are not experiencing any problems, I don’t see any reason to stop. [Read more...]

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Daily Column

July 15, 2008 By

DEAR DR. GOTT:
My dad is recovering from a few strokes he had in July 2007. I have since read a lot of information about strokes, most of it not very encouraging.

During his recovery, I noticed he would make moaning sounds in his sleep and when anyone would ask him if he had slept well, he often said he didn’t know or that he must have because he was in bed for 12 hours.

Most of the information I read about strokes included what he was most likely going through (emotional ups and downs and personality changes are common). I knew that this was something the family had to get through but it was hard because every now and then he would have some very normal days. I started to pick up on some clues that led me to believe he might be sleep deprived. He was and still is very driven in his recovery. I think sometimes he spent the time he should be asleep going over things [Read more...]

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