I have struggled with sleep for years, my TN always seems to be more active over night and sometimes I can wake up 15+ times during the night in pain. Even when I don't recall waking up I sometimes feel I must have had a restless sleep as I feel drained upon waking. My medication, Carbamazepine, helps but the side effects can be more intense than the sleep deprivation I'm trying to avoid.
I have recently read up on a sleep method called polyphasic sleep. This is essentially sleeping six 20 - 40 minute bouts a day instead of once overnight. Now there's a lot of 'this is the greatest thing ever' vs 'this is really bad for you' talks on the internet but one thing about it that got my attention is that sleeping for those short periods repeatedly will train you body to go into a deeper sleep much quicker. Now I think my TN flares throughout the night prevent me from spending enough time in a much needed deep sleep, or REM sleep, that is required for rest. So I decided to give this polyphasic method a go to see if it would help. The first few days were hard but after that I've never felt so well rested. I don't think it's a long term solution as having to take a nap every four hours isn't really viable, but I'm hoping my body will still be able to jump in and out of a deep sleep quickly once I go back to a normal sleeping pattern.
Does anyone else suffer from lack of sleep due to TN? If so, have you found any solutions that work for you?
Yes, but it's not from pain. My pain is well controlled at the moment. I think it's my meds. Too bad I can't try this. I have to work, plus help with the grandson in the evenings, so I have no choice but to just deal with it. Glad it works for you! :-)
Hi, I also have a lot of trouble sleeping and I can go days without closing my days til im so exhuasted from the pain that I collapse. Then the hardest feeling for me is to wake up from that same pain 15 minutes later, just as exhuasted as i was before. So i'm being "forced" to take the naps and split up my sleep and while it's not the ultimate thing, it's better than not sleeping at all. So if you found something you think could work for you, then try it, no person is the same and our body works in different ways. I have unfortunatly not find what works for me, at this point heavy sleeping medication doesn't even work so i'm searching for some relief. That's why I don't think you should work against your body if this method is making you feel more well rested, work with your body instead. Like you said maybe its just a temporarily thing but it could give your body and mind some well needed rest:)
I think it’s just better to get as much sleep through the night as you can. So that you can function through the day. After all if you have work other commitments, you can’t just take a snooze when you want. But, I understand what you are saying. With out that REM deep sleep, we may think we have been asleep, but just feel exhausted! Regarding pain & sleep. You need to first find some medication to control your pain. Then get prescribed some thing to help you sleep. Or try relaxation & other methods before bed time. You can train your body to have a good nights sleep. You just need to find the right method for you! There are such things as sleep clinics to help with this problem. There is nothing worse than insomnia! Well, I thought so, til I got TN!
I was up all night last night having multiple attacks and they haven’t subsided yet. This is the first time I’ve been up all night and the worst it’s been in years. I’m exhausted. I’m going to have to try your technique because if I don’t get sleep I won’t be able to even type a msg!