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Posted 10/22/2007 5:13 AM (GMT -8)
I cannot believe how much sleep I need lately (and I still don't wake up feeling rested).  I know UC causes fatique and I'm sure my meds don't help, pretty sure Asacol makes me tired as others have mentioned.  redface

Just curious how much sleep other people find they need?  I typically sleep 8-9 hours per night during the week and am still dragging myself out of bed at the last minute to get ready for work.  Saturday night I was up late (around 1am), didn't need to set the alarm for anything particular and could not believe it when I slept until 11:30!  My iron has been tested and is normal and I take vitamin B complex daily...not sure what else to do or if 10 hours of sleep per night is just what my body needs now.

 

Posted 10/22/2007 5:44 AM (GMT -8)
I also need around 8-9 hours of good solid sleep in order to function the next day. I think rest is especially important to us since we have a constant war going on in our bodies. Just listen to your body - it will tell you what it needs.
Posted 10/22/2007 6:01 AM (GMT -8)
I need 8-9 hours sleep to function. If I consistantly don't get this sleep, my tummy gives me problems that could lead to a flare.

Posted 10/22/2007 6:25 AM (GMT -8)
Eight hours is an absolute minimum for me. Ten is more ideal.

I made the mistake two weeks ago of getting up earlier - just by an hour - to try to accomlish more and feel like I was more productive. Yes, it was a mistake! I almost had myself thrown into a full blown flare :( It's taken a week of my more regular sleep schedule and some naps to get me back to a more normal feeling. Well, UC normal of tired, but not about to fall over tired.

Lack of sleep, for me, leads to bad poos.
Posted 10/22/2007 7:07 AM (GMT -8)
I need 10 to 11 to feel well rested. Although I'm not sure if its because my body is tired from fighting itself, or if its b/c I have to get up two or three times a night to use the toilet, probably both. Yeah, 7-8 hours is never enough. Anyone else feel like those night time interruptions are ruining that all important REM sleep??
Posted 10/22/2007 7:12 AM (GMT -8)
I'm lucky that way, unless I'm flaring really badly I don't have to get up in the night to run to the bathroom. It makes me feel better to know my need for what I consider an excessive amount of sleep seems to be normal for UC'ers. I really hate needing to sleep so much and having so little time for anything else besides work. Especially when my man can run circles around me most of the time and he's 10 years older than I am!
Posted 10/22/2007 7:18 AM (GMT -8)
8 hours normally but when flaring b/c I am getting up in the night, I need as much as I can get, I have even taken naps. which when not flaring, I have never been able to nap. Right now as I have been able to sleep more less bm's at night, I think I need about 10 to 12 hours of sleep.
Posted 10/22/2007 8:30 AM (GMT -8)
Wow, it's nice to hear I'm not alone in this. I keep trying to get away with 7 or 8 hours and then beat myself up when I'm exhausted. I really need about 9 I think.
Posted 10/22/2007 8:51 AM (GMT -8)
At this time, I get about 6 hours of sleep a night.  That's all I need only because of the prednisone...gotta love that insomnia!  But overall 8 hours doesn't seem to be enough.  I'm one of those people that really doesn't like to sleep...I try and get away with the bare minimum.  Of course I nap if I can, but whenever I wake from a  nap, my insides wake up again, and have to do the whole 'morning' thing all over again...kinda defeats the purpose.
Posted 10/22/2007 11:26 AM (GMT -8)
I have been having trouble sleeping at all....
I think maybe 1 or 2 hours then awake again. From everything I have read on this site, that can not be good for me.

The doctor I see for anxiety - gave me xanax xr for the anxiety ( I was terrified to leave the house - for fear of having an accident) - anyway she gave me Luenesta 3mg tablets - I have yet to take any of them

I did think about taking a Tylenol PM - but to worried to do that - but dont know why
Posted 10/22/2007 2:00 PM (GMT -8)
I feel like crap unless I get 10 - 11 hrs of rest. I dont sleep that long because I am up several times threw the night for short periods. But I rest for that long when possible. and if I dont get that rest I drag all day long and feel sick most the day.
Posted 10/22/2007 3:54 PM (GMT -8)
I need at least 8 but when i can...more like 10. Lately I have been getting terrible lower/mid back pain after about 5 hours of sleep and can't really get back to sleep after that.

Okiemom, if you are nervous about a sleep aid (i have used them at times without a problem) try one on a night when you don't have too much going on the next day in case it makes you drag a bit. I take tylenol pm about once or twice a week on average. My joints are terrible at night! I find that it helps me get to sleep faster and I would be taking a tylenol for the pain anyway.
Posted 10/22/2007 4:53 PM (GMT -8)
I always wonder why I sleep so much!  Glad to know I'm not alone.  I usually sleep 9 hours a night and take an hour and a half nap in the afternoon.  Lucky for me my kids are 2 and 11 months and still take a nap.  Not sure what I'll do when they grow out of it...
Posted 10/22/2007 8:28 PM (GMT -8)
I'm glad I'm not alone in this, too! I have always needed a lot of sleep to feel rested, even before getting UC. I need at least 9 hours, but 10 is even better and some days I can sleep for much longer than that. I usually only end up getting about 7 hours during the week though, because I have to wake up so early for work and can't seem to go to bed early enough.
Posted 10/22/2007 8:38 PM (GMT -8)
Pretty common with a chronic illness like IBD...many have trouble falling asleep and staying asleep too...I found exercising regularly really improved my energy levels, I sleep great and wake up feeling well rested.

:)
Posted 10/23/2007 4:10 AM (GMT -8)
My problem is staying asleep. I am usually up 4-5 times a night. I have seen a sleep specialist, read books, I exercise regularly, etc. Ideally I would like to get 8 hours a night...solid.
Posted 10/23/2007 3:54 PM (GMT -8)
I dont remember the last time I got more then 3 hours straight, Im with you tjf up about 5 times a night.
Posted 10/23/2007 5:51 PM (GMT -8)
I usally get 6-7 hrs sleep and that works for me. When I flare, i have to get up like every 2-3hrs, and even during my real bad times, still I only get 6-7 hrs sleep. I wish I could sleep more, but I just can't. Sometimes I make myself stay awake till like 2am, but I'm still up by 7-8am. No matter what time I go to sleep, I nrver can sleep more than 8hrs. I guess my body has it's own clock.
Posted 10/24/2007 5:58 AM (GMT -8)
Wow. I guess I'm lucky. I never have much trouble falling or staying asleep. I'd like to get 8-9 hours, but I usually only get around 7. I rarely have to make any bathroom trips during the night.
Posted 10/24/2007 7:00 AM (GMT -8)
With me I need at least 10 hours of sleep - but I have a really hard time falling asleep at night.  It is no problem to take a nap, I fall right asleep.  At night it is a different story.

I always wake up feeling like I need more sleep - I always chalked it up to UC in its many manifestations.

love to all

bob 

Posted 10/24/2007 7:11 AM (GMT -8)
Bob - I have a ton of problems falling asleep at night too - but napping is pretty easy! I don't understand it... But I can nap almost anywhere :)
Posted 10/24/2007 1:36 PM (GMT -8)
It doesn't matter how much sleep I have , i always feel like crap when i wake up, i tend to wake up at like 8pm/9pm every night which is bad,, I could sleep 10-11 hours, and feel so tired when i wake up, i hate it because it wrekcs the day and makes me moody with the gf etc, and with my work being retail, im to tired for it :(
Posted 10/24/2007 2:37 PM (GMT -8)
kb5 - I tired the Tylenol PM - I could not tell that much - it was already about 2:00 AM - and to top it off I had a big no no for me = those chicken things that are rapped in a corn tortilla -

I did stay asleep until about 7:30 - but I had gotten up a couple times from 2 - 4 AM
Posted 10/24/2007 5:31 PM (GMT -8)
I think I can get by with 7-8, but like many here I rarely get that much when on anything above 10 mg pred (currently 20) due to pred-insomnia. Once in a while I'll pop an oxocodone left over from a dental procedure years back, and it helps me get a solid night's sleep. The more active my UC is, the more I have a constant level of fatigue and brain fog. I will go and fight my way through it at the gym, and the endorphin release froma good workout will help me nap later, sometimes.

I also notice that if I have waves of fatigue to the point that my eyes want to close, that is a warning sign I am going to start flaring upwards the next day. I'll blast some exra-probiotics or even pro-actively bump up the pred a little sometimes to nbip it in the bud.
Posted 10/24/2007 6:36 PM (GMT -8)
I was just thinking about posting this topic too. My job is extremely demanding during the week. Today I worked from 7am-10pm non-stop on my feet. Other days I may only work approx. 7.5 hours. I'm only 27 and it is hard for me to face the fact that I need more sleep than I did in college. When I work late and only get 6 hours I feel awful the next day. My BM's change quickly. I sometimes get constipated if I go without a few nights of 8 hours sleep. Other times it may be mushy BM's and I may feel left side cramps.....actually always left side cramps randomly.

It is great to know others experience this. I may have to find a new job soon, if I don't get less hours!!!
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