RA and sleep troubles | Arthritis Information

Seems I have seen/read that RA goes hand in hand with trouble sleeping. Is this due to pain or just part of the disease (insomnia not due to pain)? I can usually go to sleep just fine but wake up 2-4 times a night. If I take a half dose of Simply Sleep it helps me go back go sleep when I do wake up (instead of laying there with my brain spinning) but I'd love to stop waking up altogether--well until morning at least Just wondering if this is common with RA or if its something else entirely.

Thanks!
Rachel

I have trouble sleeping with it. But I think mine is due to the pain. I also have Fibro which causes sleep problems. I don't sleep, when I do its not deep enough to make you feel better. I deal ok with it though. It could be something else, never be afraid to ask, but it is a problem I have heard a lot!

For me, I would say it was. I have not been able to go to sleep before early morning since I was a toddler. Sometimes do to pain, others just because I cannot shut my mind off enough to get to that state of sleep. I have tried to wear myself out so I could get a good nights sleep, but it did not work.

But once I am asleep my body/mind does not want to wake up. It is like I have 2 extremes -- have to stay awake or have to stay asleep. when i was on mtx was the worst mainly for 3 njghts after i took it ... would eat lots more to
Boney
I go through spells and when pain levels are high it's much worse. I have noticed since I got my sleep number bed I rarely get up during the night like I use to. I guess I'm sleeping better now.I used to stay awake for hours until i started paxil, now i am relaxed and don't think about everything when i go to sleep. Most of the time i thought of things going wrong in my life, RA etc. Now i don't think so much and fall asleep quickly, even when i have pain. I just wake up when i hurt myself rolling over etc. then fall back asleep. I also do about 5 runs to the bathroom each night.OH no paxil was the devil to my system, talk about having a never ending period! Honestly and stomach pains like you would not believe!I was having an awful time sleeping/staying asleep. I was dx with fibro and since the meds for that have kicked in, I've been sleeping great!! I feel so much better!I take lyrica for some nerve problems in my legs and I'm seeing now that they are prescribing that for fibro too. I sleep like a rock when I take the full dose. I only do that a few times a week though because it makes my mornings a little dizzy. It's getting better though. I think I'm having to work my way into the 150mg dose at night. Been in 75 for a couple years now I guess. Maybe just one. Had to remember now. lolWhen I am trying to sleep, I am mostly thinking about things to do. Like last night I could not go to sleep because I kept thinking about how to make something with the papers I bought when we got refund money back. So... I laid there thinking, and then eventually got up and googled to see if they made printable rub-on paper for inkjets, which they do, but VERY expensive!

PLUS, son took a little cat nap with hubby around 9pm, and hubby woke him up around 1am, trying to get more room on the couch. So... I ended up staying awake until 8:30am. Son went back to sleep around 5:30am and then the alarm went off at 6:00am, 6:09am, 6:18am and then it is was bumping hubby to tell him to get out of the bed. Then I got out of the bed at 6:40am and watched daughter off to the bus and then tried to go back to sleep around 7:10am when daughter left, but laid there still thinking about what I should make with my pretty paper. And then FINALLY fell asleep about 8:30am last time I looked at the clock. But was woke back up at 10:30am by my oldest brother to check up on me. Then son woke up at 11:14am, and I have been up every since. Just seems futile to try to get any sleep at that point.

I seem to have lots more trouble since my hysterectomy. I can totally relate though. I have found that if I fall asleep on the couch and then try to go up to bed, I am awake most of the night
I quit taking sleeping pills.
Warm baths and just simply trying to wind down really help.
I have also heard that stretching exercises can be of benefit.I don't know if my sleep problems are related to autoimmune disease, but it's been going on for a few years now. I can usually fall asleep pretty easily, unless I have something special on my mind, but I almost always wake up a few hours later, or sometimes around 4:00 a.m. Then I can't turn my mind off to get back to sleep. Also, getting up to use the bathroom wakes me up because I'm too alert by the time I get back to bed. I've found that the best way for me to turn my mind off is to watch TV. It stops my mind from racing so I can fall back to sleep. I'd rather do that than take more pills. I wish I knew if this was all related to the disease process. I guess it really doesn't make any difference, but I'd like to know anyway.

I have a lot of difficulty sleeping at night.. I have RLS and it won't let me fall off to sleep and would wake me up.. Now, that I take Requip for that.. I am doing better, but think that i may have to up my dose.

I've read alot of information on the net that states Restless Leg Syndrome is common in RA patients... I also have peripheral neuropathy ..and it is believe that the RA is the cause of that too.. Inflammation causing narrowed places for nerves... Anyway I tangent...

Before the RLS DX, I was sleeping 4 hours a night.. no more..

[QUOTE=Lovie]I go through spells and when pain levels are high it's much worse. I have noticed since I got my sleep number bed I rarely get up during the night like I use to. I guess I'm sleeping better now.[/QUOTE]

Lovie: Isnt it the best! I bought mine 9 years ago.. It is still as good as it was when I first got it too!! enjoy!!

What is a sleep number bed?I still don't know what I've got, but pain has either kept me up or awaken more than I'd care to say. Usually I'll awake earlier as the pain med wears off.

I've also had some of this go on while on chemo for cancer. I think stress plays a big factor--illness alone is stressful. It wreaks havoc on one's income so that adds to the mess.

And, in no small way, if you happen to be depressed, your sleep cycles are going to get screwed up. Some doctors give anti-depressants that will make you sleepy for just that reason, so you can get some rest.
I had trouble sleeping during my onset even after the extreme pain was taken care of with oxycontin.

I was told that when the RA disease is active and "eating" up your joints there is a byproduct that is produced and goes into your blood straem and to your brain. It stimulates the brain and causes insomnia.

wow, maybe thats why havent slept in ages it seems^ Kind of like "can't sleep, RA is eating me"?

And I thought the insomnia was from the pain...
_popupControl();

So that's why I 'm seeing so many sunrises!

Punkie2008-04-04 02:21:59[QUOTE=wanttobeRAfree]I had trouble sleeping during my onset even after the extreme pain was taken care of with oxycontin.

[/QUOTE]

So that's why I see so many sunrises

I have had sleep problems ever since the ra diagnosis. I fall asleep sometime between 9:30 and 10 and am up every night at 2am. I usually roll around for a couple hours stressing about things I have to do, errands I have to run, stressing about stupid things like the fact that I've put off seeing my dentist for about three years (gasp), etc. I fall back to sleep around 4 or 5 am but I have to get up at 6 to get the kids up for school. I always tell myself that I can take a nap during the day but usually I don't. I don't like to take my Lunesta (sleeping pills) because I feel like I'll sleep too deeply to get the kids up in the morning - weird. I think I generally stress and obssess about dumb stuff since diagnosis. Anyone else? I do take the Lunesta's on the weekends sometimes though.Lately I can't sleep enough. I have such fatigue. I sleep like a rock and I love it.

When my RA was very active and when I was on high doses of prednisone taking the bulk in the AM and then a dinner time dose I had this thing- whether I took a Lunesta or not or if I went to bed early or late at 3 AM I would sit straight up in bed and I was done sleeping! It was like TIME TO MAKE THE DONUTS! My mind just raced with all the things I could do. My body on the other hand was not really up for it. I could not go back to sleep for anything. It drove me crazy to lay there and listen to my husband snore.

I haven't been able to sleep. I think I have slept but I wake up more tired than I did when I went to bed. I feel like I am dragging around a billion pounds and have no energy. I don't know what is going on. Maybe because everything is so active right now. I don't know! Sorry I am also getting a little emotional because of the tiredness. I have trouble sleeping too, but I don't think it's RA related. Like some of the others on here, I just cannot shut my mind down! Worry, worry, worry.kweenb

I hate when I do that. Sometimes I get the What if's in the middle of the night and the craziest scenarios play out in my mind. The things I worry about never end up happening!

Amytriptyline helps me to sleep through the night. Before I was on the med, I'd fall asleep around 11and then 2 hours later, I'd be wide awake. When I was teaching Grade 1, I'd wake up with all these ideas floating around in my head. It's amazing how creative you can be at 3 in the morning. The worst times were when we had practices for our class assembly. There I am thinking of dance routines and speaking parts when I should have been sleeping. A friend who has fibro says she has a pad and pen on her night table and if she wakes up with an idea, she'll write it down and then she's able to get back to sleep worry free. Lol I guess thats what comes with teaching! I do the same thing, some of my best ideas came to me in the middle of the night. My gosh... I just looked at my updated signature. There's so much stuff to deal with. Too bad the time machine is only a figment of H.G. Well's imagination. I'd love to turn back the clock. I'm not sure what I'd do differently, but it would be wonderful to be without the baggage.

Alicia, next time I do an all nighter I'll check to see if you're on line and chat with you. Bet we could come up with some pretty amazing ideas. Who knows, maybe we'll solve something like...global warming! Hey at that time of night.morning anything's possible!