Is something wrong with my sleep?

Question

I wake up tired, no matter how much sleep I get. My eyes are always puffy so people can tell that I'm tired. I'm fatigue at work. My brain is also slower to respond.

My family doctor doesn't know what it is. I have my allergy pills/spray -- been on that stuff for over a month, still no improvement. We even removed the carpets in our house to reduce the dust levels...

This has been happening for a few years now...5-8 years. I just never bothered with it, until I realize that I'm always tired.

Don't think its my medication. I thought the medication would help me breath better when I sleep. (One of my nostrils clogs up or something when I sleep.) I don't know if I snore. I'm not used to breathing with my mouth, and if I do, in the morning my tongue gets all dried up and uncomfortable.

Answer 1

If it has been a few years, you should have complete blood work done to see what you are allergic to? It might be in the environment where you live or work or what you eat if it is an allergy. What allergy medicines are you on, maybe you should switch. Do you have pets in the house, roaches or rodents? Do you actually have a problem with sleep? A sleep study may be in order, you might not get enough oxygen at night. Are you overweight with big stomach and extra tissue around neck? Have you tried air purifiers at home? See a doctor, see a couple of doctors who are specialists, rule some stuff out. You sound miserable. It might be a virus like Epstein-Barr (similar to mononucleosis) or Chronic Fatigue syndrome so go get checked out again.

Answer 2

This could be from a few different things. Sleep Apnea and Restless Leg Syndrome come to mind. I would suggest a sleep study where you will be monitored all night and your brain waves will be evaluated.

This is a way to find out if you have any physical ailments when you sleep and then you can get the proper medication or advice on what to change before you go to bed.

Answer 3

You probably have insomnia. Try something like Lunesta or Ambien. You also may want to have a sleep study test done. There is a thing (i dont know what its called but my friend and grandfather both have one) where it pumps air through your nostrils and sucks air out of your mouth. Its kinda loud but it works well. Get a second opinion. You could also try An over the counter sleep medication. Hope this helps

Answer 4

There's a lot that may be going on here.

Are you fit otherwise? Exercising regularly, good eating habits, non-smoking and moderate alcohol and caffeine consumption?

If the other parts of your life are not tended to properly, sleep may not be the problem. Your quality of sleep can be dramatically compromised if you aren't otherwise fit.

If you are sedentary, try starting with a brisk half hour walk daily (experiment with different times of day to see how your body responds -- you don't want to exercise too close to bedtime).

Avoid alcohol before bed -- it causes restlessness as the alcohol converts to sugar during the night. Try a cup of skim milk instead.

If you need to lose weight: do so! Do is slowly, though, through incremental changes in diet and exercise until you are losing 1-2 pounds per week.

Good luck!

Answer 5

you may have sleep apnea, if so a sleep study will determine it and the severity of it. you could have orthopnea which basically is the inability to breath well while lying flat. Try sleeping in a semifowler position, head and torso elevated like when lying back in a lazy boy chair. If you are overweight that is a factor, too much mass beneath the diaphragm and above the rib cage can impede the lungs ability to take deep breaths.

Answer 6

Have you been tested for sleep apnoea? If you are a very allergic person, and especially if you're a smoker, your sleep may be interrupted by sleep apnoea and hence the quality of sleep is low. To help combat sleep apnoea, especially if it is allergy-related, I would try cutting out dairy. My sister's milk allergy interrupts her sleep whenever she eats a little dairy. Also, no smoking. Ask your doctor to refer you to a sleep specialist if that's possible, as he/she may know better how to improve your sleep quality.

Chances are that your allergy medication is also not helping. Antihistamines make you REALLY drowsy and heavy. I would cut the pharmaceuticals and try to deal with what may be a food allergy, not necessarily a dust or pollen allergy. (If it is a dust/pollen thing, have your tried one of those domestic steam-cleaners? Apparently if you clean your bed and pillows with steam it helps a lot.)

Answer 7

could be the allergy medication that you take? some of them make you really drowsy.

health-related question: do you snore? if yes, you could be suffering from obstructive sleep apnea without knowing it. the only way to find out is to send you to a sleep lab to monitor the stages when you sleep. that is one of the symptoms of sleep apnea, it's like no matter how much you sleep -- when you wake up in the morning, it's like you never slept at all.

Answer 8

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Answer 9

defiantly get a sleep study. You don't even need to go to the hospital for one. They can put a few leads on you and put a special glove on your hand and monitor your breathing and oxygen levels while you sleep. If they spot trouble, you can get a full study done.

Answer 10

Time to get a second opinion. It may not be allergies. Sounds to me like something more serious than allergies - although the possibility of mold - in your house???
Best to get a complete workup done - blood tests etc.
Good luck.