Anyone Familiar with Sleep Disorders?

Updated on August 09, 2006
N.S. asks from Chicago, IL
8 answers

My husband has had difficulty sleeping normally since I know him - he doesn't fall asleep till 2-3 in morning and tosses a lot and then he cannot wake up in the morning either. If I let him he sleeps in till noon and misses out on the day. He works privately and he sets his own hours but its interfering with his ability to earn what we need to survive. I work part time with baby at home now but its really stressful to have to scream every morning to get him out of bed for work. Help!!! If anyone has background or experience with sleep disorders please let me know and share the knowledge. By the way, he is being treated for depression and his shrink told him it might be a sleep disorder. He's going for an eval. in a few weeks at a sleep clinic.

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So What Happened?

Thank you everyone who has been emailing in their experiences and has shared concern and interest in my situation. SOmetimes it is quite reassuring to hear others have the same problems as you do. I hope my husband will be going to the sleep study in early September (earliest they could get him in) and hopefully that will uncover some info that we are not aware of yet. Thanks again everyone for your support!

More Answers

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A.W.

answers from Chicago on

I agree with Katari. If he is on an antidepressant, that could be the culprit. I was put on Zoloft for post-partum depression. Before the medication, the depression was causing insomnia in the early morning (starting at 3 or 4 am). After the medication, the insomnia started at bedtime. By changing the time I took the medication from morning to bedtime, the insomnia faded away.
I hope the sleep study will uncover some answers for you and your husband. Good luck!

1 mom found this helpful
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E.

answers from Chicago on

Hi. My husband has sleep apnea. He went for sleep tests to see if he needed the cpap machine. Thankfully he didnt. Once he lost weight, he was fine. He very well could have sleep apnea which would not be his fault on why he is always tired. How it works is that he never gets a full nights rest so he is tired all day because his body is trying so hard to catch up on the sleep he or a normal person would be getting. Take him to an ENT doctor and they will have him do a sleep study test. :)

1 mom found this helpful
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D.

answers from Chicago on

Hi,
Has he ever tried acupuncture? Or a massage? These things could help or some herbal tea. If he is open to it I would go to a local herb shop or whole foods and check out some natural remedies. Hope it helps.
D.

1 mom found this helpful
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A.K.

answers from Columbus on

My husband and your husband should sleep together!! Kidding...they just sound a lot alike. My husband has major problems falling asleep at night...he tosses and turns....tosses and turns....tosses and turns...

As bad as this sounds, we do not sleep in the same bed...we even have a king size bed. If he would happen to fall asleep in our bedroom, the snoring is SOOOO bad that I can't sleep. Currently, I sleep in our bedroom, with the door shut and a fan on. My husband sleeps downstairs on the couch, and I can still hear him snoring!! My husband also sleepwalks which scares me too death! I have watched him sit up in bed, walk in the hallway, stand at the top of our stairs for about 20 seconds, then come back to bed, sit on the edge of the bed for about 2 minutes....and he was asleep the whole time.

He is so tired during the day, but he does get up and go to work every morning...most the time, his schedule calls for him to get up around 4:45 am. On the weekend, though, he could be talking to me one second, and the next second he is asleep. Literally!

Can I ask which sleep center your husband is going to? I'm currently doing research on one in Joliet for my husband. He desperately needs some help!

1 mom found this helpful
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L.W.

answers from Chicago on

hi N., I am glad to hear your husband is being treated for depression, as that is what it sounded like to me (my husband hd the same problem). Possibly his medication needs to be adjusted. My husband has always had horrible insomnia, snoring and sleep apnea. He still has the apnea and snoring and is working on that, but the insomnia is gone now that he's on meds for depression/bipolar disorder. I am waaay too familiar with the mornign anger of having to scream to wake your husband up! i hope you figure out the problem soon. good luck! L

1 mom found this helpful
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K.

answers from Chicago on

Hi-
Your husbands medication may be making him tired. He could try taking it at a different time of day or talking to his doc about trying a different med. I was on Effexor (for anxiety) a couple of years ago and the same thing happened to me. Personally, I don't respond well to antidepressants because they do make me so tired and completely take away any sex drive. Also, has he talked to his doc about taking ambien or another sleeping medication? If he took it around 10 pm or so, he should be able to wake up at a decent hour. Good Luck!
----the sleep study may reveal sleep apnea or restless leg or something-----

1 mom found this helpful
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C.C.

answers from Chicago on

I personally can relate to this problem. Have had sleep issues forever it seems. It is really important to stick to a schedule as I am sure you know. Go to bed at the same time every night. I took ambien for a long time until I had my children. Ambien helped me fall asleep at a certain time each night and wake at a certain in the morning feeling no side effects. Medication is not for everyone but this helped me a LOT! Not being able to sleep is a TERRIBLE feeling that I would not wish on any one! Doing all the common things like, no caffeine, exercise, not eating after 8pm can help. (did not help me) but it is what the doctors say to do! I also was given sleep tapes to listen to, for bedtime as advised by a doctor. This also can help. Good luck. Please feel free to email me as I have tried it all and know what a struggle this can be.

1 mom found this helpful
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E.

answers from Chicago on

My first question would be is your husband taking any anti depressants. I started to have problems going to sleep because of the meds. I have had problems sleeping before the post baby depression but, they were made worse by the anti depressiants. Getting the eval. at the sleep clinic is the best way to start.

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