I was just noting on another thread that several of my symptoms have improved with the meds I started this last year+. However, my mornings are still a really rotten way to start my day! Now, I know that mornings often are particulary awful for dys sufferers, and I've come to accept that. I don't have to get out of bed to work...or on any schedule - which is a good thing since my sleep is so disturbed. (Hmmm. Gonna start a thread about that also!)

But, that first hour or so after waking up is just sooo hard. I just have no desire to get out of bed. I don't think particularly bad thoughts or have particularly horrible symptoms (like I used to) in the morning...I just have no gumption to get going. Sometimes I feel like I'm just lazy, but, I don't really think so. I don't really know what it is. I guess, maybe if I knew I was going to feel great and I had scheduled things to do that were important to me...

I really don't know what it is. Sometimes I wonder if I've just gotten so used to how hard things are to accomplish (the dreaded shower...getting a bowl of cereal for breakfast ") ) that I no longer think consciously that the day might suck, but I'm just accustomed to that being my life...and for the first hour of the day- it just doesn't seem worth it!

Anyone else have this trouble. Has anyone found anything to help? I know years ago (like 30) I was told that some antidepressants help a person rest and some help them wake up more.
Antidepressants have come a long way since then. I'm on Cymbalta now, and it has helped in many ways, but I'd love something that could help me get started in the mornings...without getting my nerves started!

Any ideas?

sheri

I know exactly what you mean.

The past couple of nights I have not sleep hardly at all. My lungs burn in the mornings after this and periodically throughout the day. So, I took my migraine medication which makes me sleep. It was horrible to wake up in the morning, but now that I am awake... my lungs do not burn!!!! Glory to God and my head is no longer foggy.

I have started exercising five minutes on an exercise bike on medium to good mornings. Even if I am sick to my stomach, I get a kick of endorphins and feel much better. On bad mornings, I have a couple of things I try.

One thing that has helped me a little on really bad mornings is to have someone give me a massage, but sometimes it does not work and I have to try not to vomit.

Other mornings I just sit up for an hour and see if my system calms down. It usually does and if it does not, then I go back to sleep... if I can.

I am trying a sleeping wedge soon. Apparently my BP and HR may dive at night and this wakes me up. Sleeping at an angle helps.

Ultimately, it is a battle of body, mind, heart and soul. Sometimes I lose the battle, but with the Grace of God, I am determined to win the war!

Yes when I first wake I feel more tired than when I went to bed the night before - it is hard to get going. If I have an app't or on Sundays I go to church I force myself up and get going. Days I don't have to I lie in bed for a bit (with my cat) and snuggle - hubby already has left for work. I'll turn on the TV and watch a bit of the morning news. Sometimes I'll get up and make a decaf coffee and bring it back to bed. I won't spend more than 45 mins or so doing this b/c then I feel like I just won't get up. I think when we sleep our bp drops even lower and when we wake up we feel this way. I'm sure there are lots of threads on this topic if you do a search.

Donna

Hi Sheri,

No ideas, sorry, but I wanted to say that I could've written your post! I thought I was just lazy for yrs. (denial?). I think it's facing another day sick making it hard to get out of bed for the past few months or so.

I think I am actually coming to "know" that is the problem. I do think neg. and grumpy thoughts in the morning now and pray for help with my attitude and getting out of bed.

hugs

Just a thought, but it might be the Cymbalta. Cymbalta exhausted me, very hard to get out of bed, stay awake, move around.

Makrina,

Hello!! I'm new to this web site!! Thought that this might help you -- I sleep on a slant and it has made a WORLD of difference!! I have been doing this for the past few years!! I placed 4 inch plastic risers under the top of my bed! You can purchase them at Bed,Bath and Beyond and they are not expensive!! Good Luck!!

I tried to address some of this sort of thing on my FOR QUESTIONS IN RE: .... POST. I hope it helps.

Okay, I have a theory about bad mornings based on something that has happened to me a couple of times. Some mornings I wake up feeling pretty okay and can move without too much trouble. Other mornings, I am useless and my heartrate is very high. Last night, I had a dream that I was running some sort of race. I kept telling the others (I have no clue who they were) that I couldn't run that fast because my heartrate would go too high. They wouldn't listen and I was forced to run full throttle. By the way, I won the race Anyway, when I woke up this morning, my heartrate was out of control. My chest was tight and I couldn't get my heartrate to come down. I was so loopy and dizzy......I really think my body reacted as if I was really running that race!
I definitely think that we respond physiologically to our dreams and that for those of us potsy people, it's as if we've overdone exercise or had an episode and then the next morning we are paying for it just as if it had happened while awake.
I have a loop monitor implanted in my chest that is downloaded every so often. It is not unusual for really high heartrates to show up (140 or higher) while I am sleeping. This also supports that I am tachy sometimes while I sleep (again, am I dreaming?).
Anyway, that's my theory - it may be true, may be trash but makes sense to me.

Thanks all, I know this is a common problem...I just want a magic pill to make this a little better.

I will talk to a doc (when I find one) about the possible relation to Cymbalta.

I have always wondered about putting the risers at the top of the bed...does that bother spouses?

Thanks Michael, I did read that post you mentioned both in regards to this and my sleep disturbance problem. Interesting stuff...and interesting to know that others are experiencing similar things as this one was completely new to me.

Sheri

Hi Sheri and all,

I tried raising the top of my bed but it didn't make me feel better. However, my pots tends to 'morph' a lot -- some symptoms stay the same, others come and go -- and I'm going to try raising the bed head again.

I stupidly did not say 'no' to my son's request that I go over to his place to mind 22 month old grandson yesterday morning. It meant getting up super early and leaving the house almost immediately (I had got myself 'prepared' the night before).

I really paid for it. I came home exhausted and stressed and could not cook dinner or do anything but lie on the lounge. My migraine was getting worse. Eventually, shakey and over tired I went to bed and woke at 2 am with a severe migraine. It's now nearly 1pm and I'm full of migraine meds and prednisone (for burning skin problems) and migraine has eased off a bit. But I feel like hell.

I KNEW that I'm not able to function well before noon (or as 'well' as I get). Even though I don't laze in bed in the morning as this causes migraine pain increase I do move very slowly around the apartment doing small chores and resting with feet up on the lounge regularly.

Having said that, I'm committed to a family day out tomorrow and have to leave my home before 8.am. When will I learn?

I have been telling myself that I could turn my body clock around and get to bed early and wake up early but POTS just doesn't seem to want to let me.

Has anyone had success in changing this problem of having to have slow, quiet mornings because they don't feel good and if they push it they end up paying for it?

If I get up early in the AM, no matter how much sleep I get, I am shot the whole day.

The doctor I saw at the Mayo suggested caffeine in the AM. I had given it up for years at the time. I do find it helps me get going, but it still doesn't help me get up before 11AM.

Hello to everyone, so how do you talk to each other here just by forums,? I have entered the only chat room listed several times and no one is ever there so how do we comunicate? I would like to live chat with eachother any suggestions

Wow, I gotta print this. I feel so validated. Mornings are AWFUL. So awful, I have no clue what time it is with sleeping through 4 alarm clocks *one for deaf people even). I hire help to come in when I have to get up and they make my breakfast and get me out the door......sorta. It costs 12000 a year to work, yup! MY bro had a cool idea, If u have to be someplace on time, order a taxi (cheaper than my caretakers), for an hour before u have to arrive. He does that. Ya really can't blow that off. Get ur wake up calls, and know the taxi is coming. My problem is I just can't conceptualize time anymore...maybe why I am writing at 5 AM. makes no difference to me, but inconvenient.

p.s. I avoid commitments at all costs. I dont know I will be doing if I am lucky to see tomorrow.

quote:

Originally posted by Rosie:
Hi Shirley and welcome to NDRF.

If you would like to chat, you might start a thread and ask if anyone is around and would like to join you.

Take care.

Rosie,
You said a thread. What is a thread? how do I start that does anyone join with you I am dumb to this site I guess or maybe my mind is so fogged I just can't get it, I have to commend you as well on much of your comments and sugestions as I have read nearly the whole section on dysautonomia. So what am I doing hear I come hear every night and day. I don't really understand why no one talks other than this way. I am sorry but I better go now I will check for answers, I guess I thought it would be a more personal site more interacting,