Not getting enough sleep? Your vascular cells may be drowning in oxidants, says study

Medical Xpress / Columbia University Irving Medical Center / Scientific Reports ^ | Oct. 13, 2023 | Riddhi Shah et al

[ducttape45]

Melatonin doesn’t help me, unfortunately. It causes me muscle and joint pain when I’ve taken it in the past. But I appreciate the suggestion.

[ducttape45]

Good morning. I don't drink many caffeine drinks, and my bedroom is quiet and dark. I even put cardboard on the windows because my bedroom windows face the east and the morning sun is a major nuisance. I use programs on my computer to eliminate the harsh screen light in the evenings but I do try and get away from that before bedtime.

I have two sleep meds which combined help me sleep, and I really hate to take meds for sleep, but it's the only way I can sleep semi-regularly.

[ducttape45]

Hey metmom!

I've tried melatonin but it does me more harm than good. It causes me muscle and joint pain, and doesn't help me sleep at all. The only way I can fall asleep regularly is by using the sleep meds I've been prescribed, I just hate taking meds to fall asleep. But the Long Covid and insomnia make it necessary. If I don't take them, I'll toss and turn until at least 3:00 - 4:00 AM in the morning, and that stinks.

I have follow up appts scheduled in Dec and Jan so I'll see how things go then. I have meds enough to last me until then. I got a freepmail from someone suggesting I try mirtazapine so I'll see what the doc says about that then.

Thank you for the post milady, God bless you!

[ducttape45]

Alcohol is a no-go. It adversely affects someone with Long Covid, many times in a very bad way. So I have to steer clear of alcohol in any form. CBD? Same thing. Having Long Covid means I gotta steer clear from things like that. But thanks for the suggestion.

[Oystir]

Proven it doesn’t work

[Political Junkie Too]

If you're not sleeping well, you're probably not eating well, too.

Try taking an anti-oxidant supplement like NAC to help keep your glutathione levels high and fight off the oxidants.

-PJ

[AppyPappy]

“Long Covid” can hide things. A friend had it and it turned out she had heart damage instead. Make sure you get everything checked out thoroughly.

[Chickensoup]

Magnesium. L thornate I think.

Works.

[RitaOK]

McCullough is a blessing. He may not cure any accompanying anxieties, but just answering the covid effects by itself should really go a long way toward also reducing anxiety, as well.
Best wishes for a fine recovery. 🙏

[IrishBrigade]

‘...and I really hate to take meds for sleep’

it depends on what the meds are; I became convinced that my sleep dysphoria was due to the inability to relax at night; thus, I was prescribed a minimal dosage of lorazepam by the practitioner I liked...she retired and the newbie took a very dim view of the benzo, and refused to refill my scripts...

the newbie replaced the script with buspirone, which works differently than the benzodiazepine; basically, it increases activity of the serotonin receptors,serotonin being an important neurotransmitter for essential body functions, including sleep. The lorazepam (benzo) works by acting on GABA, an amino acid that reduces brain excitability.Both buspirone and lorazepam are neurotransmitters, but the major source of serotonin comes from the intestinal system, while the major source of GABA is the brain. for that reason buspirone is considered less harmful, and is not a controlled substance as lorazepam is.

[ducttape45]

My doctor put me through all kinds of test, even did a scan of my heart, echo cardiogram I think it’s called, blood work, you name it, she did it, and everything came back ok. But the systems still persist.

[ducttape45]

I’ll check those out, thanks.

[ducttape45]

I hear ya about the inability to relax at night. When I worked I couldn't "turn off" my brain because I was always thinking about work tasks and how best to remedy problems well into the evening. Even though I retired in April, I still have problems turning off my brain in the evenings.

The meds I take right now are Temazepam (Restoril) 15 MG, and Doxepin, 10 MG. It's the only combo that puts me out, but even then it takes me about 3 hours to relax enough to finally fall asleep. So far, nothing else the docs have prescribed have come close to helping me sleep. I also have sleep apnea so I also use a CPAP machine but I can't fall asleep with the mask on, normally, so I usually put it on when I wake up half way into the night (which normally happens about 3:30 AM).

Temazepam can come in dosages up to 30 MG, but that's way too much for me to use. That dosage causes EXTREME drowsiness, like the kind where you can't even walk. I can't take meds like Ambien or Lunesta because they cause me to sleep walk. Since I live alone that's not good. I got a followup with a civilian neurologist in December, but since I'm switching over to VA healthcare that will probably get pushed back to January and a different provider.

[Persevero]

I see. Sounds like you are making every effort.

I am no expert but just learned after severe sleep disturbance what to do. So fwiw.

I’d remove the cardboard and utilize the natural light to rise.

Also, break the sweat daily and get some sun and fresh air every day; get outside for at least a very long walk. Even more exertion like running, biking, laps, vigorous yard work, weight lifting may be in order. If at all possible for you.

May God bless you with rest. Pray for it.

[ducttape45]

The cardboard on the windows helps me because during the summer, DST totally messes me up when the sunlight is there until almost 10:00 PM in the evening. I hate DST and I wish it was banned. But the cardboard also helps in that if I want to lay down during the day, which I normally do, the darkness makes it easier to rest without actually falling asleep. I know that sounds weird but it helps me.

As for getting outside, walking, etc, I try to do that, but with Long Covid I get hit with the docs call "post exertion malaise," in other words any physical exertion causes me fatigue, sometimes really bad, so I have to be careful how much physical exercise I get. I'm getting better about it but if I push things too much then I'm bed ridden for sometimes up to two days afterwards. It can get that bad.

Thanks for your kind words. God bless you.

[Magic Fingers]

Hello, fellow night owl - my sleep regimen is almost exactly the same as yours...i.e., slightly less than 1/4 mg melatonin (any more than that gives me a hangover) and my natural sleep cycle - which I can indulge in because I’m retired - is 1 AM - 9 AM.

[AppyPappy]

I think her problem was found after a CAT scan or something similar. I had Myocarditis after Covid but it went away pretty quickly

[IrishBrigade]

‘The meds I take right now are Temazepam (Restoril) 15 MG, and Doxepin, 10 MG.’

you have an open minded prescriber, okaying a combo of a strong benzodiazepine like Temezepam and the SNRI Doxepin, which is an antidepressant that increases serotonin and neoepinephrine; my current provider will prescribe neither a benzo nor an antidepressant, much less as a combo...

my experience with lorazepam was uneventful, though I normally took only small dosages like .5 mg; when I did increase to over 2 or 3mg I saw why people are so likely to abuse these drugs...negative thoughts melted away like ice cream on a hot sidewalk; just wonderful...yeah, I’m pissed at my provider for being such a nanny with the script, but if the buspirone, which is considered non addictive, helps I’m good with it...

[IrishBrigade]

‘...slightly less than 1/4 mg melatonin...’

what do you do to get that dosage, slice a 1 mg pill in four...?

[Magic Fingers]

“what do you do to get that dosage, slice a 1 mg pill in four...?”

That’s right. I use a pill cutter to quarter a 1 mg tablet, then break off a small corner of the 1/4 for my nightly dose - so it’s not exactly the same dose each night, but it’s close enough to provide repeatable results.