my daughter is on chemo and is not sleeping very well does anyone have any suggestions to help her fall asleep

Question

she is on a 6 month course of chemo being given oxaliplatin and 5fu the side effects are pretty bad and having trouble falling asleep is a huge deal she also watches the clock all day thinking of when she will going to bed and when it comes close she gets really agitated she wont have a nap during the day when she needs to because she thinks if she does that she wont sleep at night. I desperately need some ideas and techniques she could use to help her fall asleep.

thank you so much for all your ideas we have tried so many different things since she began her chemo that I was at my wits end
I forgot to mention that she has sleeping tablets but we are reluctant to use them very often because the Dr said that you can get addicted to them very quickly.......

Answer 1

I am a cancer survivor - I also went through a 6 month regime. On the day I would have treatment - I would be up all night, cleaning and bouncing off the walls - then I would come down very fast. My sleep paterns changed a great deal - between treatments, I would often wake up, I was unable to get a good night sleep.
Talk to the Oncologist, they will be able to give her something. My advice is that she needs to listen to her body, and sleep in the afternoon - this may be the sleep she is needing - take it when she can.
I don't know the direct link between Chemo and insomnia - I would guess the body goes through a major shock and the mind is working over time.
Also - something to ask the DR - chemo can sometimes make the thyroid go crazy - ( difficult to sleep) the next time her blood is drawn, have them check thyroid function

Answer 2

From experience I know where she is coming from. I from time to time now since all the surgery, chemo and radiation still have sleeping problems. With chemo it was a lot worse, I use to sleep about 15 to 20 minutes at a time. Have her talk to her oncologist, they will provide her with meds. to help her sleep. I'm sure she doesn't want to put anymore drugs in her body, but a sleeping pill is nothing compared to the chemo going into her body. Avoid all herbs unless her oncologist tells her that they are OK. Good Bless! I pray that she will soon be gain to rest better.

Answer 3

My son is a night hawk too, but does not try to fight it. Instead he goes on the computer or watches TV or movies. When he needs to be up at a certain time the next day he will sometimes take Ativan or Benedryl . . the liquid form works best (especially when on chemo - you can get a perscription and give it through the central line or port) .. but he has also used oral medication form too. He tried some of the sleep aids but none worked for him as well as either ativan or benedryl.

Good luck!

Answer 4

you could try Trytophan. it is a excellent natural sleep inducer.

what it is is a amino acid.

why take more drugs that might have negative side effects when you can take a amino acid that has side effects but they are all positive ones bcuz the body can use it for all sorts of things not just one like a drug.

like it will also make her have a enhanced sence of mental and emotional well-being. becuz it is a precursor of serotonin which is a neurotransmitter.

many authorities believe that becuz tryptophan is the least abundant amino acid in most foods, many people don't get enought of this substance to experience the natural stress relief , sleep improvement and relief from anxiety and depression which it can offer.

we have to get perscriptions now. we used to be able to buy it over the counter but a impure batch caused problems and they now make it only avalable though perscrition.










i just read that man above who wrote that you should'nt take any herbal thing. well melotonin is'nt a herb. nether is trytophan.

talk to someone who really knows about amino acids. the oncologist sadlly probably knows hardly anything about them. becuz they dont get educated about them. and doctors probably dont ether, they get very little nutritional eductation.
drugs are their mane thing so thats were their eductation is centerd.

talk to a nutritionalist. then run it by the doctor or oncoligist just to make sure. it should be fine and work superbly.

Answer 5

Perhaps a rest/relaxation tape/cd of some kind would help.

http://www.thewellnesscommunity.org/corporate/facilities.php
Check out the Wellness Community at this site and see if there is one near you. One of the first things they do when you attend an introductory support meeting is to give you a relaxation tape which is helpful for sleeping. Everything at this facility is free and they accommodate all types of cancer. If you contact them, they might even mail one to you. They are an exceptional care/support group for the cancer patient as well as the caregiver. They also have groups specifically for the caregiver without the cancer patient.
If prednisone is a part of your daughter's treatment, it will keep you wide awake as long as you are taking it. Some treatments give it in high doses for five days or so and then you stop. If so, it keeps you awake for that period of time but then there is a huge letdown a day or so after you stop.

Answer 6

Speak with the doctor. I tried two different sleeping pills when I went through chemo. This time, going through radiation, the doctor suggested Tylenol PM which works. Another doctor told me the PM part was actually what is in Benadryl and that I might cut down on the drugs I was taking by taking that alone. It works.

Answer 7

My prayers go out to your daughter and you.
I know nothing about Chemo, but I'm guessing your options are limited with Med's.
There is an Herbal sleeping agent,..."Melotonin". Please check with your Doctor first. I gave it my son who took medication for ADHD, and could not fall asleep,and I refused to give him anther "prescription", and this was recommended. It is over the counter, found by the Vitamins in your local drug store. It was a lifesaver.
"Melotonin", (so I was told,) has like a 1/2 hour window to be affective, so make sure she's comfortable, possibly all bathed, nice tightly fit comfortable sheets and made up bed, good temperature for her in her sleeping area (possibly a fan for comfort, and limiting noise from outside of her room)and settled in a pleasant sleeping envirionment before administering it to her. DO NOT, mention the 1/2 hour window to her, for psychologically it would give her anxiety, and only set her up for it not working.
Please check with her Doctor!!! There are different doses. Good luck and sweet dreams to your Daughter. She is lucky to have you.

Answer 8

The thyroid is a butterfly-shaped gland that sits low on the front of the neck. Your thyroid lies below your Adam’s apple, along the front of the windpipe. The thyroid has two side lobes, connected by a bridge (isthmus) in the middle. When the thyroid is its normal size, you’re unlikely to be able to feel it.
All types of hyperthyroidism are due to overproduction of thyroid hormones, but the condition can develop in several ways.
Thyroid hormone production can be suppressed or halted completely in these ways: https://tr.im/eN96l

Answer 9

sure, my 10 365 days previous additionally has problems falling asleep. these days they (I fairly have 2) opt for to not sleep till hour of darkness. I placed a provide as much as that when some days. Like yours, that they had sleep til 9:30. Then I had them bypass to mattress at 11:00 for some days and nevertheless they slept til 9. Plus, they not sleep and watch television on an identical time as my husband and that i went to mattress. i did not like the assumption of that. i know the stuff that's on at that hour. merely some days in the past, I informed them that this might't bypass on anymore. any further they could be in mattress by ability of 10. They ***** approximately not being waiting to bypass to sleep at nighttime. Blah , blah, blah. I wake them up at 8, by using fact that's summer season. Now they are in a habitual back the place they awaken at 8 on their very very own. Yeah, they lay conscious for a million/2 and hour especially circumstances. Oh properly. I remember laying awaking being unable to sleep as a toddler too. Now, I enable them to not sleep til hour of darkness on fridays and saturdays. yet they don't watch television. a chosen movie, ok, something else quiet, ok. On sunday nighttime, by using fact they stayed up so previous due over the weekend, they are fairly drained sunday nighttime, and don't strategies going to mattress at 10. Oh, saturday and sunday morning, desirable around 8:30 or 9:00 am, I steam my tea water, by probability slam some doors, make my telephone ring with my cellular telephone...;-) Sorry, is that mean? besides, they awaken and by ability of the time the weekend is over, voila, they opt for to bypass to sleep. desire that enables...

Answer 10

Tell her Oncologist she is not sleeping well. Mine offered to give me a prescription if I had trouble.

One thing she might want to try is an herb called Valerian. It is used to help people relax and get some rest. Before taking it ask her Oncologist.