Dear Doctor Please Could You Advise On The Followng .

Posted on Wed, 3 Jun 2020

Question: Dear Doctor

please could you advise on the followng .

over the last 2 weeks my sleeping has become worse with the below issues.

Genrally fall alseep ok around 8:30 to 9:00pm
Only sleeping for 3 to 4hrs then wakeup between 12:30 -1pm.

Then trying to get back to sleep is really hard or its un broken sleep tossing and turning untill i get up for work.

also dreams are strong before i wake up after 3 4 hrs, fast heart rate sometimes.

also ive woken up once feeling like i couldnt breath.

iam really stresssed aboit my sleeeping and its also affecting my work interms of lack of energy and concertration.

please could you help.

thanks

Answered by Dr. Ivo Ditah (1 hour later)

Brief Answer:
Tell me more!

Detailed Answer:
Hi and thanks so much for this query.

I am so sorry to hear about these sleeping difficulties. Two weeks is not that much of a time and seems to suggests there might be some acute change responsible for this. To be of most help, I will like to obtain some more information from you.

1. Do you have any naps during the day?
2. Do you get any coffee containing products during the day?
3. What activities do you do before going to bed?
4. Do you have any distractions(Phones, computer's, etc) use while in bed?
5. Do you have any other stress that might be affecting you?

In the interim, I will recommend you avoid any alcohol intake, eating close to bed time, any use of distractive devices such as phones/televisions/tablets etc. Also, try relaxing as much as possible and stick to a routine. If there are any lingering stressors around, please let me know and we would address together.

I hope this helps and guides. I look forward to your responses and would provide more guidance as soon as i hear back from you!

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Raju A.T

Follow up: Dr. Ivo Ditah (9 hours later)

Hi Doctor Ivo

Thank you for your reply.

Please see below answers to your questions.

I dont have any naps through the day.

I have one coffee in the morning around 8:00 and that’s it.

Before bed I watch tv limited or use my phone but I’ve been limiting due to the sleep issues.

I have also had anxiety but is not been too bad just sometimes I overthink about my health if this makes sense and makes it worse.

Also I was wondering if there is anxiety medication you can use for night time only that can help with both anxiety and sleep I’ve been told that there’s a possibility of this.

I have also tried Zoloft 25mm grams in a morning help me with anxiety but affected sleep slightly.

Only thing is I can fall asleep but I wake up 3 hrs later and my dreams are so real and toss turn and it’s so frustrating.

Thanks again

Answered by Dr. Ivo Ditah (26 hours later)

Brief Answer:
See below!

Detailed Answer:
Hi and thanks for this response.

Seems you have started doing the right things to get your sleep back on track. Yes, over thinking about your health can actually affect your sleep. We have medications that can definitely help with sleep. However, we often reserve thee to be used as last option if lifestyle measures fail. I will say monitor and if you fail to improve, then your doctor could consider Remeron 15mg or Zolpidem to aid with sleep.

I hope this guides and helps. Let me hear from you if need be.

Note: For more detailed guidance, please consult an Internal Medicine Specialist, with your latest reports. Click here..

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Yogesh D