Insomnia after WLS

grace20072010

Anyone else suffer from this? I can fall asleep, I just cannot stay asleep! So I am cleaning. I have been cleaning for 2.5 hours (it is 3:45 EST). I am so aggravated. I didn't wake up pre-surgery. I can't figure out what the difference is!

asia1967

Your guess is as good as mine, but I did and sometime do still suffer with the same affliction. I agree it does suck, I am a reader, so although I may not be sleeping I try to stay in bed so at least the body can get some rest. If your find a good answer I would be curious to hear about. Good luck.

oStephhanie

I am going through the same thing right now. I cant even think about going to bed before 1 or 2am, yet I am tried all day. I just cant seem to shut my mind off. I wish I could take my Advil PM - that always helped... Good luck!

grace20072010

Well I am up for the day again. I am in a bad cycle where I am so tired I am going to bed way too early. Then I wake up early. I seem to be able to go on 4-5 hours of sleep a day at the moment. I need to go to sleep later.

kvandeman

I too have insomnia. I work nights so that is part of my problem. I get off work at 6 a.m. and hit the gym. After that I am usually in bed by 8 but am up before 2 and back at work at 10 p.m. on my nights off I sleep even less. about 3 hours a night. Most times I don't feel exhausted though. I lay there wanting to sleep but I just can't. I have caught up on shows on the DVR, Netflix and on my reading.

grace20072010

I need to get this insomnia issue figured out. I am considering going back to trial attorney work (I currently do insurance - pretty dull considering I used to be a prosecutor) and the time and billable hours are intense. If I take that path, I have to get my work in, exercise, spend time with my kids, do my PTO volunteer time - to do all that I HAVE to sleep. I see my doctor Thursday and I am going to see if I can try either Lunesta or Sonata again, maybe Sonata given it is so short acting, to take when I wake up so I can get back to sleep. Neither really worked before, Ambien doesn't do anything anymore (I became tolerant to it) - I am wondering if I just didn't get a high enough dose of the Sonata the first time around. I had a metabolic study done because I take anti-anxiety meds and they never work well and it turns out I metabolize medications incredibly fast. So I have to take high doses to get any use out of them. 1 mg Klonopin will knock my husband completely out. 1 mg for me and I am wide awake and feel absolutely nothing. It's so frustrating. At least I got my kitchen nice and clean and made high protein muffins from the world according to eggface (love that blog) - http://theworldaccordingtoeggface.blogspot.com/2008/06/happy-accident-banana-nut-protein.html

annwyatt69

20 months post RNY and I have suffered from insomnia since my surgery (unless you count the 2 weeks after when all I did was sleep!) I can sleep about 2 hours at a time, so I have no choice but to grab a nap during the day. This wouldn't work if I had a job outside my home. I tried a sleep aid, but as a type I diabetic, all that did was drop my blood sugar so low I required emergency glucagon to revive me. I'm guessing the extreme weight loss is the culprit and the body just has a difficult time adjusting to the changes.

csmccord

I don't really suffer from it, however I have noticed that I need significantly less sleep than I used to. I used to require a good 8 hours. Now, I average about 6 hours and can survive on 5.

I think with the surgery there are significant changes in hormones throughout the body. My wife and I both used to suffer migraines weekly pre-surgery. Not anymore, barely get headaches anymore. So I think the sleeping is the same thing.

I just want to make sure you're not doing something like working out or drinking caffeine closer than 2 hours to your normal bedtime. Do you go to bed a regular time? If you're doing those, then maybe try taking melatonin before going the prescription path?

grace20072010

Nope, no caffeine at night, nothing out of the ordinary. I am going to see if my doctor will prescribe sonata - it only stays in your system 2 hours and I can use it to get back to sleep. 1-3 hours is not cutting it.....I also am thinking of trying valerian root.

becomingbeautifulbecca

Man, I hope this doesn't happen to me, cause I am already getting Insomnia. I have had two hours of light sleep. I went to be at 3 and was up with hubby at 5. I hope you will figured something out. It is a pain not to get any rest. I think mine is just nerves cause I am in the beginning stages of get WLS.

adiggs2777

I can't blame WLS for my insomnia. I had it long before I ever got my surgery. I usually fall asleep fine but will wake up at like 2 or 3 am and not be able to fall back asleep. It's still occurs at the same frequency as it did pre-surgery.

JenaOnTrack74

Had my surgery 7/7/14 (RNY) and yes I have noticed its harder to stay asleep or like others I wake up in the middle of the night after a few hours of sleep and am wide awake.

I am not too worried about it I figure as I progress into more aggresive workouts that oughta help! :bigsmile:

kenziesmom_2000

I don't think what I am dealing with is insomnia.... but i cant go to sleep before 11:30 or later and I am up by 6. I only get about 6 1/2 hours of sleep a night but do fine with it. prior to surgery all i seemed to do was sleep. i still may take a nap on a quiet sunday but i used to sleep the entire weekend away. Dont get me wrong, I am grateful for the extra energy and that I am actually awake to enjoy life, but it is weird! lol What changes our sleep patterns????

csmccord

I don't think what I am dealing with is insomnia.... but i cant go to sleep before 11:30 or later and I am up by 6. I only get about 6 1/2 hours of sleep a night but do fine with it. prior to surgery all i seemed to do was sleep. i still may take a nap on a quiet sunday but i used to sleep the entire weekend away. Dont get me wrong, I am grateful for the extra energy and that I am actually awake to enjoy life, but it is weird! lol What changes our sleep patterns????

Most simply, we require less energy to move around during the day. Walking even takes less energy now than when we weighted more.

But more importantly, there is a large change in body chemistry and hormone levels post-surgery. There have been studies done that compare those who have had weight loss surgery, and found that the brain patterns and chemical patterns actually more closely match those individuals who have never been obese. Personally, I wonder if it's because we are thinner and thus have better regulated hormone levels, or if it does actually change how the brain works.

Regardless, I'm the same way, I generally get an hour less sleep each night than I used to. And to top it all off, used to have chronic migraines. I haven't had one in the last two years! Used to get them weekly. It all leads to a change in hormones.