Is this is a sleeping disorder?

[nolda]

My daughter who is 27yrs old has started complaining of not falling asleep because of the various noises which normally we bear without any complain such as mouthwashing , vessels sound, sneezing, coughing etc, etc. This started 6yrs ago when I had my old mother-in-law living with us. Now she is no more. Because of her oldage and dotage she wasn't sleeping and was running to the toilet like a kid every minute during the nights too, caused disturbance in our sleep which we could tolerate it but she couldn't. And so my daughter started complaining that she wakes with a fear of her grnadma waking up in the nights and going to toilet. We tried our best to make her understand her grandma's condition. As our house was small it was turely creating a great deal of problem. We sent m-in-law to her daughter's place (my sis-in-law's). After that she reduced a little bit of complaining but not completely. After two three years we moved to a new house same locality. We r in the heart of the city now so all sorts of noise like traffic and honking all these we still have. Just few months before moving to our new house she started telling me that new house will not be good for her and she is worried. I had taken it casually but I am recollecting it now since her sleepness problem has increased. She fell down many a times after moving to the new house. The worst thing once happened is while walking her crutch broke and she fell down. After this her confidence in walking has reduced. Mostly she points out negative things and the sleepness complain has increased. Now she doesn't like anybody coming during her resting hours and nights. If she comes to know that someone is coming to stay overnight then she starts worrying that they will make noise in the night. I am going helpless and thinking of taking her to a psycologist and for a psycotherapy. Please guide me, any of u.

[dahliafaolan]

You might try letting her wear headphones with white noise or just ear muffs. She just might be a light sleeper. My mom has often woken up just because she heard me move a little too loudly in my bed.

[garry]

ya i agree with above comment. i also sleep with headphones on to ignore pain.

[Summer25]

That personally sounds like anxiety to me. It takes me a few hours to fall asleep because I keep hearing things, but I HAVE to sleep with a TV on. If my tv goes off because of a power surge or something I will immediately wake up and wait for it to come back on. I think a psychiatrist or psychologist would be the best thing to do.

[nolda]

Thanks to all of you. As summer said even to me it sounds like anxiety. I'll see a psycologist.

[bcain]

Try running a fan for white noise. That's the only way I sleep, I also use an MP3 player with ear buds sometimes (more comfortable than headphones).

Loss of sleep can lead to depression and anxiety. If you cannot get into a specialist soon, try your primary care doctor, as they can write an RX for sleep aids or antianxiety/depression meds as well.

[sean]

Seems like good advice so far. I don't know what else you can do, good sleep is so important. I can only think of no sleep during the day, excersise or activity that's exhausting. A relaxing tea before sleep (as recommended by Gymp) Valerian root tea, if it's available, I know Valerian is available here in med form for kids for sleep, sounds good. Someone else mentioned poppy seed tea??(opiate???) or camomile tea.
Anxiety/ depression meds probably good too. I think you need to stop a habit forming of waking up regularly and create a habit of sleeping through. Sweet dreamzzzzzzz.

[Gymp]

Be careful with valarian tea or it's pill form if you take too much of it it'll give you a bad headache.

Side note:It was I who posted the poppy tea thing.It was the head of the poppy that was boiled specifically for the opiate effect to make the farmers kids sleep.(back in the 1930's and earlier in old Europe/Yugoslavia) A poor mans daycare I suppose.I don't recommend or endorse it,it's illegal.

Good Luck with your Daughter Nolda,I hope she gets past this soon!

Gymp

[Dodger67]

You won't find opium poppies at your local nursery anyway - the ornamental types have practically zero opiate content.

[sean]

blessed are the children I did not have!

[nolda]

blessed are the children I did not have!

:33a:What does that mean sean?:)

[sean]

Heard a conversation amoung mothers of SB kids. It was a foregone conclusion that kids (people) with SB are particularly sensitive to noise. I was thinking Naa, perhaps hydrocephalus may have something to do with it, otherwise I think we may be just sensitive.
Does anyone feel particularly sensitive to noise? Loud noise? or soft noise?
Is there a SB connection?
I've always liked it quiet, loud breifly when young, quiet is bliss now.

[sean]

I was thinking out loud?? Thinking oh my! if I had kids I'd probably give them strange concoctions, valerian tea or poppy tea and find out about them later!
Now in many ways I would have made a good father, just don't leave me in charge!lol

[printemps]

I've always been that way too , noise when I'm trying to sleep makes me nuts .. my GF likes to have fans blowing at night and I hate them I cant sleep with any sounds like that , I sneak around after shes gone to sleep and turn them all off . I also startle easily if the dog barks all of a sudden I jump, yikes !! I dont know if it's SB related as I dont have hydrocephalis and its not just loudness as I love my Heavy Metal LOUD and I play my guitar LOUD - hmmm maybe I'm just have a high strung / nervous disposition

[Gymp]

I'm sort of sensitive to loud noise,if I'm thinking and trying to figure something out I need quiet,especially so when reading.If there's a radio/television that's on or background chatter when I'm reading I won't comprehend half of what I've read.I also need absolute quiet and darkness to fall asleep at night but the regular noises that a house makes (creeking,furnaces,airconditioners etc.),I'm accustomed to and it won't bother me.I'm 3/4's deaf in my left ear so if I ly on my left side at night I won't hear a darned thing anyhow,that's handy in this respect but not so handy in other situations.Funny though,once I'm asleep a car could crash into the house and I'd sleep through it...go figure?
I like really like LOUD music too especially if it's some good ol' Muddy Waters,Johnny Lee Hooker,Pearl Jam or Led Zeppelin to name a few.I can only handle the LOUD music for about one album or CD's worth at a time then it gets turned down.

Gymp

[Summer25]

I was sensitive as a child. I hated fireworks. It was always hard to get me to go see a display. As a teen I got better. Maybe it was all of the concerts I have been to. It doesn't phase me now.

[LisaJoy]

I rarely have trouble sleeping, but like Gymp, I cannot read or write if the tv is on or if I'm listening to music. However, I can read if there is general background noise (white noise), with no particular voices or noises raising above the rest. Wrote most of my dissertation in a coffee house. But about a week ago, I was trying to read in Starbucks and the man & woman behind me were having a very loud conversation; drove me crazy. And about a year ago, I flew to San Francisco and on the longest leg of the trip (about 3.5 hours) the young couple across the aisle spent the ENTIRE 3.5 hrs loudly dissecting every minute of their recent visit with her parents (apparently they had just gotten engaged and he was "meeting the parents"). 3.5 hours, and they hardly even paused to breathe. It is a good thing weapons are banned on airplanes.

[nolda]

Afer Michelle's birth I was emotionally pull down and I became sensitive to the noises but I have over come that. My Husband is sensivitive too but he doesn't make a issue of it. If a person gets disturbed to the normal regular noises that means it is something to think about. I have heard about a syndorme of unable to accept changes in life, probably this causes all trouble in the mind.:p

[rachiebaby]

I wouldn't be surprised if I have a sleeping disorder. It is extremely rare for me to sleep through the night, I usually wake up every 1-3 hours, go back to sleep, wake back up every few hours etc. and this has been going on for as long as I can remember.

[Summer25]

I rarely have trouble sleeping, but like Gymp, I cannot read or write if the tv is on or if I'm listening to music. However, I can read if there is general background noise (white noise), with no particular voices or noises raising above the rest. Wrote most of my dissertation in a coffee house. But about a week ago, I was trying to read in Starbucks and the man & woman behind me were having a very loud conversation; drove me crazy. And about a year ago, I flew to San Francisco and on the longest leg of the trip (about 3.5 hours) the young couple across the aisle spent the ENTIRE 3.5 hrs loudly dissecting every minute of their recent visit with her parents (apparently they had just gotten engaged and he was "meeting the parents"). 3.5 hours, and they hardly even paused to breathe. It is a good thing weapons are banned on airplanes.

I am the total complete opposite. I learn better when listening to music and reading. At work I use headphones and listen to music. I have learned that if listen to music and do homework or study I get a better grade.

[LillyPie]

Lilly is very sensitive to noises! She freaks out when an airplane passes or there is a thunder storm, (not just as a kid but also when she was a baby, she would jump with fright and cry) lately this has become an issue. Anytime she sees what she calls black clouds she becomes hysterical, there is nothing that calms her down, her heart actually beats so hard that I can hear it just by sitting next to her. I always wondered if it had something to do with a sensitivty to noises due to the hydro... this just confirms it! I spoke to her pediatrician about it and she said its just normal at her age, but none of my other kids are like that... I am wondering what I can do to calm her down? She seems to think that if we go to Wal-Mart we will be safe... she now refuses to go to her grandmas because she was at her house during a really bad thunderstorm. Its become very traumatic for her.

[rachiebaby]

I know how Lilly feels, when I was younger they scared the hell out of me, I actually like them now in the day time and when I'm awake but when I'm in bed for some reason they still freak me out a little but I can listen to extremely loud music and not be bothered by it

[sean]

Nolda, seems your question has raised a lot of questions a lot of us have with sleep issues, sorry if you feel hyjacked, are you any closer to getting the uninterupted nights sleep?. Your situation with your daughter and her sleep/fear problems seem too complex for there to be a simple answer. Different and as important for all.
I recently realised I have probably not had a good uninterupted full snuggly vitalising 8 hrs in I don't know how long. A light bulb stays on 24/7 in my brain, even when sleeping.
My vigilance to control my incontinence never stops.
I noticed this thread has a lot of views. I have also noticed a lot of you/us do your posting in the early hours of the night/morning.

So are you getting a full nights sleep?
If not what are you doing about it?

[Gymp]

So are you getting a full nights sleep?
If not what are you doing about it?

Question 1 - Nope,I hardly ever sleep for more than 6 hours at night.

Question 2 - Basically nothing,I haven't slept 8 hours in a row since I was a kid.I do have a power nap for about a half hour after supper though. (around 6pm.)

I check into the forum first thing in the morning with my morning coffee and after my power nap after supper.

If I'm looking for an answer to something on the web during the day I may pop in too.(the computer's great it's like having a public library at home)

Gymp

[Emm]

Is it possible that she is anxious about your mothers age and the possibility she might die? That sort of anxiety comes out in some odd ways and is now being carried over into other spheres such as ( as you state) that she is worried about being woken up.
I have my tv on most nights, very low, as I cannot bare silence, although I do suffer with mild tinatus.
I also got a lot of help in having counselling sessions for a few weeks when trying to get to understand my long periods of depression.
Hope you get the answer soon.:signs120:

[dahliafaolan]

Personally I don't think I've ever had a problem with noise. (I've had some men doing construction on the window right by the head of my bed and I slept right through it!) However, I have never really been able to have what anyone would call a "normal" sleep schedule. My mom says from the day I was born, I didn't like to sleep. It went so far as my mom going to the doctor for a sleeping pill when I was three years old because I had not slept in three days. I've dealt with insomnia on and off for years. I'm famous for going 48-72 hours without sleep and then suddenly crashing for 12-24 hours. Now that I'm older it's not quite so bad. But it's still a rare time when I can get a consistent 8 hours of uninterrupted sleep. Most nights, I sleep about 5-6 hours, but I'm completely functional the next day. But when left to my natural rhythms, I'll stay up for about 36 hours and then sleep for 8-12. Now the only thing I've found to help me sleep (save a few narcotics that I would never have the doctors prescribe again) is to keep the TV on. I cannot sleep in silence. I don't know if this has to do with spending most of my formative years in hospital wards where privacy was a pipe dream or if this is just a natural part of my make up. All I know is that I went crazy during the hurricanes last year when there was no TV, radio, fan, or air conditioner to provide the loving white noise that helps send me off to dream land.

[nolda]

I wouldn't be surprised if I have a sleeping disorder. It is extremely rare for me to sleep through the night, I usually wake up every 1-3 hours, go back to sleep, wake back up every few hours etc. and this has been going on for as long as I can remember.

Exactly the same problems she has. This is how my daughter goes on. Now-a-days she gets up at 10am. She sleeps with windows closed, doors closed, fan to its rull swing, puts on bedsheet and quilt over it (all Seasons) and still has the above complaint. Even if she puts Ac. she will still won't reduce the fan speed. Worst part of it I have to sleep in that room with her. And I am a sacrificing type person. I feel very disturbed, helpless.:scream:

[nolda]

Lilly is very sensitive to noises! She freaks out when an airplane passes or there is a thunder storm, (not just as a kid but also when she was a baby, she would jump with fright and cry) lately this has become an issue. Anytime she sees what she calls black clouds she becomes hysterical, there is nothing that calms her down, her heart actually beats so hard that I can hear it just by sitting next to her. I always wondered if it had something to do with a sensitivty to noises due to the hydro... this just confirms it! I spoke to her pediatrician about it and she said its just normal at her age, but none of my other kids are like that... I am wondering what I can do to calm her down? She seems to think that if we go to Wal-Mart we will be safe... she now refuses to go to her grandmas because she was at her house during a really bad thunderstorm. Its become very traumatic for her.

This reminds me of the yester years of my daughter. In India Diwali is very noisy. So there she began this fright, which I thought she'll overcome, not yet. Now also during this festive time we leave the place and go to a quiet place. Yes she was also getting scared to see the line created by a jetplane in the sky. She has shunt. Few days before she was saying 'I hear some ringing sound in my ears'. I was worried about the shunt. I took her to the Neurologist, he told to do a MRI. But now she is not complaining.

[nolda]

Yes, Sean the topic has got a lot of hype. Now I understand this is a very important resource for everyone's sanity. I do sleep very sound, sometimes so sound like a log and wake up in the morning sharp 5.30am. if not, Michelle wakes me up to get out of the room as she wants the door closed then onwards. (I am daily mass goer). This must be a grace of God for being a mother of sb. I am blessed. As many times she wakes me up I wake up and back to sleep as sound as before. I can keep myself awake if I wish or sleep if I wish. Do You feel like laughing? I do...

[sean]

Back to sleep as sound as before, that's the goal, indeed a gift.
I try (often too hard ) to stay as asleep as posible when I routinely wake most nights and make my way through whatever. I would hate to be seen, my mind is trying to keep the body sedated, must look zombified LOL! Great if I can get straight back to sleep, but the smallest thing has me awake. These days I don't fight it I stay up, tea work radio, probably an hour or two and away again. I think I get enough sleep, I have few responsibilities, live alone, no social life. I'm up just before sun rise and able and ready to fall asleep from sun down as I often do. I get very tired during the day, I've learnt not to sleep during the day, do all I can to be tired by the end of the day.

Hey Gymp, power nap! LOL! don't you mean nanna nap!
I've taken it to it's extreme, I go with it, sun goes down, I've got a full belly I'm away!

[Emm]

:)You seem to have summed up my experiences to a tee, Sean. I just go with the flow and sleep whenever I want to at any time. Have tried keeping up and not napping during the day but unfortunately the old back pays for that if I do. When I go to stay with my daughter, usually for 2 - 3 weeks at a time, I find I can override that to some extent, but that's often the way in different surroundings. Also had the same thing about being in hospital for a lot of my young infant life which I feel makes for not being able to stand silence. Well at least that's the great thing about being on your own, not having to worry about what the other half wants to do.

[Gymp]

LOL It could be a nana nap.In winter if I got up at sunrise and went to bed when the sun set I'd only be up for a little more than 8 hours.The sun rises at about 7:30ish am and sets at about 4:30ish pm,just in winter.:-)

Gymp

[Nataly]

My daughter who is 27yrs old has started complaining of not falling asleep because of the various noises which normally we bear without any complain such as mouthwashing , vessels sound, sneezing, coughing etc, etc. This started 6yrs ago when I had my old mother-in-law living with us. Now she is no more. Because of her oldage and dotage she wasn't sleeping and was running to the toilet like a kid every minute during the nights too, caused disturbance in our sleep which we could tolerate it but she couldn't. And so my daughter started complaining that she wakes with a fear of her grnadma waking up in the nights and going to toilet. We tried our best to make her understand her grandma's condition. As our house was small it was turely creating a great deal of problem. We sent m-in-law to her daughter's place (my sis-in-law's). After that she reduced a little bit of complaining but not completely. After two three years we moved to a new house same locality. We r in the heart of the city now so all sorts of noise like traffic and honking all these we still have. Just few months before moving to our new house she started telling me that new house will not be good for her and she is worried. I had taken it casually but I am recollecting it now since her sleepness problem has increased. She fell down many a times after moving to the new house. The worst thing once happened is while walking her crutch broke and she fell down. After this her confidence in walking has reduced. Mostly she points out negative things and the sleepness complain has increased. Now she doesn't like anybody coming during her resting hours and nights. If she comes to know that someone is coming to stay overnight then she starts worrying that they will make noise in the night. I am going helpless and thinking of taking her to a psycologist and for a psycotherapy. Please guide me, any of u.

Hi :)
For some reason whenever I get near vaccum cleaners, I freak out. I'm 18 years old and for some reason it still scares me. But I can sit in front of the computer and listen to music blasting on really loud.Also whenever I go to sleep I need the fan on, no matter even if it's cold.
I'd better get use to these noises if I'm going to be staying in a dorm in August.

[nolda]

Hiiiii Everybody, How are you all?

Very much disappointed, couldn't fix the sleep problem of my daughter. Getting disheartened day by day. Unable to take better care of her in this condition.

My husband had a foot fracture and was resting. Our only daughter feels too low when she see us sick and this adds to her present condition. She has lost weight and her 6 months course of vitamin D is finished and we have to get back to dr. with a blood report. Now we are thinking of doing a test for arthritis. Doing every possible thing to get her back to health.

[Kat]

I just wanted to add that my baby is 7 months old now and he has never been a good sleeper. I hadn't attributed it to SB at all until reading this post. He doesn't nap very well, usually only about 30 minutes at a time. This could be partly that he has a big brother that is being loud in the house, but even if it's quiet at night he will wake up sometimes. Hmmm. Interesting.

[LisaJoy]

Nolda, has your daughter been evaluated for depression? That could cause sleeplessness and generalized pain. You should really consider having her evaluated. Depression is often caused by a chemical imbalance in the brain. I have it - it is very common. There are a number of drugs available in the class called SSRIs. They can work wonders -- I had great success with buproprion (Wellbutrin XL in the US). But I have switched to Cymbalta because it is also used for chronic pain. (It is also routinely prescribed for chronic fatigue syndrome and for fibromyalgia). It works great BUT -- it has caused me to have insomnia, so she should probably steer clear of it. Other anti-depressants, like Wellbutrin, don't generally have that side effect. However, people can respond very differently to different meds so it might take some experimenting

It is also possible that chronic insomnia is causing her to be depressed and to feel pain. Has she tried a prescription sleep aid? Is there any possibility of having a sleep study? (Maybe she already had this done). Many people have sleep apnea that is treated by sleeping with something called a c-pap (it is a machine). But I don't know how readily available that kind of testing and treatment is in India.

I'm so sorry that her quality of life is so affected by this, and I pray that she will find an answer soon.

[sean]

Hi Nolda, I agree with Lisa. Your daughters over reaction to a foot fracture does suggest something is unbalanced. I also deal with depression and know depression wants me to over dramatise the negative. Antidepressant meds work well for me.
best wishes. sean.

[nolda]

Thanks Sean and LisaJoy. I am also feeling she might be depressed, may be a smily one. But she doesn't aggree to it. She has many reasons to explain and I find them baseless if taken generally. Sometimes I feell this may be an illusion for me and she might be truly under going a havoc. We already took her to a sleep disorder clinic and the dr. said she is a little depressed but she is not prepred to accept it. She even goes to this extent to say this medicine caused me to be awake and so on and so forth. Surely this time I'll convince her to get her evaluated. ( whenenever she sleeps well she is a darling)

[sean]

Nolda I think it may be typical for someone who is depressed to find it hard to accept.
I wonder how depression is perceived generally/socially in India, and could this be why your daughter is reluctant to accept/try treatment?.
Mental health and the treatment of is not as stigmatizing as the past (somewhat fashoinable in some circles). Depression no longer suggests psychotic/mad.
A trial/temporary course of anti depressant medication, I imagine would do no harm, but may work wonders.
All the best, sleep well.