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Night Sweats and Sleeping Problems


Guest stephenC

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Guest stephenC
Posted

It's now two months exactly since my SAH. Along with all the expected tiredness, headaches, forgetfulness etc., I am also experiencing two frustrating aspects and wonder if other members have experienced the same thing, and if so how they dealt with it.

 

When I try to go to sleep I can't actually get off to sleep without some form of sedative. In the early days of being home I tried various 'alternative' and over the counter sleep aids but these didn't work, and ended up having to go to my GP and get prescription medication.

 

With these I can now get off to sleep but after about five hours I wake up running with perspiration, particularly the back of my neck, my chest, and the front of my lower legs. I have to wake my wife and we have to change the sheets, duvet cover, and pillow cases. I did not experience anything like this prior to my SAH. Occasionally (maybe one night a week) I sleep through without the sweats (bliss), but cannot identify any obvious reason.

 

Like a lot of the weird things that I read other members have suffered with after SAH, I hope it's just a phase and things will improve over time. Maybe some of the SAH veterans could reassure me!! I should mention that I have tried different sedation, but still get the sweats, so it's not the sedation causing it.

Posted

Hi Stephen and welcome to BTG! ...:-D

 

Well, you've answered my first question already and that it's not the side effect of the Meds... :wink:

I think that many of us here, have experienced sleep disturbance and trouble with nodding off ... I'm not quite sure what happens to the brain after the bleed, but I would often find myself, still awake at 4.00am .... it's frustrating, but luckily enough I didn't have to go into work.....I had to give it up. I also had very vivid dreams, not quite nightmares, but enough to cause me to wake.

 

The night sweats were something else that I experienced.... being a female in her 40's, I often wondered whether it was the menopause, as my hormones also went beserk after the bleed. However, after a year or so, the sweats settled down and to be honest, I would often get them through the day, especially during the summer .... I'm not sure what happened to my "body thermostat" after the brain haem but it seemed to go wild!

 

Thankfully, it has settled down and I can go off to sleep pretty easily and can't remember the last time when I had the night sweats ...

I wish that I could give you some advice, but it only seemed to be time that helped .... but yes, you should hopefully find that it will improve and you're still very early days in terms of recovery.

xx

Posted

Hi Stephen

 

Welcome to the site I agree with Karen with regards to sleep disturbances but luckily mine settled down fairly quickly it was more the anxiety in the first few months that kept me awake. With regards to sweats I did find I sweated more at nights but again it settled within a few months.

 

I do tend to find that I sweat more than I used to and sometimes just walking can set me off but I'm a dripping wreck when I go to the gym even this time of year.

 

Look forward to hearing more from you.

Posted

Hi Stephen :-D A very warm welcome to BTG :-D

 

I too had sleep problems and also had night sweats and during the day, especially if i over did things...my hormones went all over the place after SAH....they were like it on and off for about 18 months....now at nearly 2 years they are better. I am also menopausal now....but think it is something that happens with recovery and will improve with time.

 

Two months is still very early....i think your body goes into shock.... but it does get better :-D

Take care

Love Tina xx

Posted

Hey there

 

Yep had trouble sleeping and tend to get hotter easier now. Apparently brain injuries can upset the inbuilt thermometer that we have and we find it harder to regulate our body temperature. I never used to sweat, but find that I do a lot more now. Not sure whether it's something that will rectify itself in time but over 3 years down the line and there's no change.

 

You're very early in your recovery and things will be up in the air at the moment until your brain gets back on its natural path. Take care of you and try to rest as much as possible.

Posted

Hi there firstly welcome to btg

In the first year of recovery people cannot tell if the water is to hot or too cold in a bath I assume that it's the same anywhere maybe it is a lot hotter to you in the bedroom too, it will settle after time if that is the case but go and see your dr anyway just to make sure. Hope it gets better soon. Jess.xxx

Posted

Hi Stephen

 

Welcome to BTG. I am post SAH by nearly 4 years and it still takes ages to get to sleep. I have very vivid dreams and wake every morning at about 6.30am and have to get up, I don't think I've had a lie in since my SAH however I make up for it in the afternoon as do many of us. I just accept it now so I would say you are perfectly normal with these symptoms. I have tried various sleep aids but most give me nightmares so I let nature take its course.

 

Cheers

John

Posted

Hello Stephen and welcome to BTG :)

I had terrible sleep problems for ages after my SAH and now 2 and a half years later I do sleep about 6 hours straight now, but still not as well as I used to. I seem to now need an afternoon rest, I did try without the rest to see if I slept better at night and I didn't, just got more tired!

I also now sleep with pure cotton sheets and with a window open :)

Vivien

Posted

Hi there

And warm welcome to the site. Love your cartoon.....

 

Other side when I got home I could sleep for days if I'd been aloud too but that was due to the meds I was on anti seizure ones.....

 

But now I get the cant sleep thing which I know we all have from time to time, the brain just wont slow down sometimes.....

Now I have high BP my body temp is haywire in the summer I'm TOO hot and in the winter I am SO cold its horrible, due to the SAH my body thermostat is about 3digree difference between on side and another.....so on the one hand I cant be warm and the other freezing - literly.....:roll:

 

take care

Guest stephenC
Posted

Thank you all so much for your welcome, and your responses. All of a sudden I feel like the baby of the family, so much yet still to learn. Having read some of the posts in other threads on this forum, I realise I have actually come through this quite well, although I am somewhat reeling from the thought of possibly still feeling like this in 2 years time.

 

I wish all of you 'all the best' and I will no doubt be dropping back on here to ask more silly questions as my recovery progresses along its random and meandering path.

Posted

Hey Stephen

I remember feeling the same way when I joined three years ago, but it does go quickly and by comparing yourself month on month and year on year you get a sense of achievement by seeing how far you've come since the bleed.

No question is silly, no matter what you think at the time lol

Posted

Stephen, welcome to behindthegray :)

 

Don't worry about still feeling the same in 2 years time. Everyone is different and although some do still have issues months and even years down the line, for many people it does get better. I often read my old posts on here and it makes me realise how far I've come in the last 3 years.

 

There are no silly questions on here. Anything you want to know, ask away. It's difficult to find information and who better to ask that those who have been through it already.

Regards

Posted

Stephen, although 2 years sounds a long time, it goes pretty fast and you will definitely notice how much you improve as time goes on. :) I have improved loads, just not as quickly as I would have liked!

We all seem to vary in our recoveries and how long they take.

Hope you are Well

Vivien

Posted

Greetings Stephen and welcome. Yes to sleep yes to sweats! Yes you will find time goes quickly and it's fun looking back. Never fear no matter how long it takes you a) Won't really notice and B) If you are at all like me you will be gobsmacked when you read what you used to say!:wink:

Posted

Hi Stephen

 

I'm a 'newbie' like you! Just 7 weeks since my SAH and possibly the thing I find most frustrating (apart from my GP!,) is my inability to 'switch off' at night. I find my brain just can't slow down and seems to be catching up with everything I've thrown at it during the day.

 

I haven't consulted my GP about it, but have tried various 'natural' remedies, (Bach's night rescue, relaxation CD's, bath and pillow products), none of which I have found very effective. I don't know if, like me, you tend to be doing stuff right up until bedtime? I know this probably doesn't help, and I am considering taking half hour/hour before bed to just sit in the quiet to see if this helps me 'wind down'.

 

Hope things soon calm down a bit for you :wink:

All the best

Sam

Posted

Hi all and welcome stephen,

 

Im sat here doing up and undoing cardigan hot one minute and cold the next. I too have problems sleeping and spoken to neuropsychologist about it she says my brain has become 'wired' it just doesnt switch off of stupid things it can be what i want to do the next day, words to a song or someones name i cant remember.

 

She says acknowledge the thought or problem and the dismiss it b4 it becomes an issue in your head. the theory works well but i cant always do it. worth a try though. as for ways to sleep and sweats im afraid i cant help much as i like a lot of others on here have the same problem but give in to your body when it wants to sleep day or night that is my only advice.

 

Good luck and i wish you well

Best wishes caz x

Posted

That is interesting that you are also getting the hot/cold issues. My husband gets hot turns (I tell him that he is menopausal like me:biggrin:) and then sometimes he gets a really weird sensation of cold creeping down his arms and his hands turn very white and are absolutely freezing to touch.

 

As previously mentioned, the neurologist says this is not as a result of the SAH, which is rubbish as he never suffered from anything like this before. He still also has issues with balance and just about falls over sometimes, but apparently that also is nothing to do with the SAH even though he was fine before............

Posted

Special note to add for Sam B, yes! do have a wind down and relaxing period for about an hour before bed. Try something really different something which really relaxes you. It has worked for me:)

  • 1 year later...
Posted

Resurrecting this thread with a slightly different question about sweats. When in the hospital I got night sweats so bad that they'd have to change the sheets for me (sometimes I wouldn't even make it through til morning). But what I notice even MORE than the sweats was the smell. (Really stinky) I'm post-menopausal (so it's not that), and when in hospital I thought the smell was from the meds. I used to teach aerobics and was always sweaty, but it didn't stink this way ever.

 

Now that I'm out of the hospital and off all meds, the night sweats aren't anywhere as bad, but I still get them, and I still really notice the smell. It's awful :) There seems to be a direct correlations between the sweats/smell and when I have bad dreams.

Posted

Hiya Deb, i had hot flushes and sweats when i was in the hospital too, but i had them through the day and night. Now i just get them through the night. I even asked the GP if i was going through the change:lol: Anyway i hope the rest in yours friends has done you good;-) Take care

Rhiann xxxxxxx

Posted

Hi ya,

Prior to my NASAH I had lots of hot flashes. Since my NASAH I don't have them anymore. I've had maybe 2 very mild ones over the last 6 months when I used to get them almost daily and sometimes several times and wake up drenched. Either the SAH paused my menopause or the hot flashes were a sign of something wrong in my head or too much stress. It's been a welcome break!!

Sandi K.

Posted

I to can have problems getting to sleep, and some nights wake up in the middle of the night for no reason.And also some nights i get very little sleep, i find this happens when i im exhasted, i lay there for hours telling myself to go to sleep, on these nights i feel my heart pounding in my body and head and i scents of unease.

Posted

Hi Deb, is it just you who notices the smell or others as well? :) it could be that your sense of smell is temporarily a bit messed up

Vivien

Posted

Thanks All. Vivien I'll ask my husband if it stinks-it may just be my sense of smell! GP says no sleeping medications until the neurosurgeon sees me the 17th. Warm milk just gave me awful gas. Chamomile tea didn't work. Having some success with white noise and NO TV or computer 1 hr before sleep.

 

Evidently the blue light from the screen inhibits melatonin production which affects sleep cycles. Even downloaded something that dims your screen at sunset (you have to set it for your location and type of light. I think that's helped too. The sweat definately happens with nightmares, not good dreams though.

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