Be aware: This column describes the creator’s personal experiences with trazodone. Not everybody may have the identical response to remedy. Seek the advice of your physician earlier than beginning or stopping a remedy.
Sleep points hang-out many people with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). As I discussed in last week’s column, I’ve been having problem falling asleep, so I not too long ago took steps to combat my sleep demons.
It wasn’t till mid-2024 that I began to battle with sleep. The one exception was after my husband’s loss of life in 2002, at which era my physician prescribed Ambien (zolpidem). I realized that when the instructions stated to go to mattress instantly after taking it, they meant simply that. The Cleveland Clinic additionally notes that “after taking this treatment, you might stand up away from bed and do an exercise that you just have no idea you’re doing,” which might embrace consuming, driving, intercourse, or sleepwalking.
My most up-to-date expertise with sleep treatment got here after attempting the entire over-the-counter sleep aids I may discover. Whereas they labored a couple of occasions, they didn’t constantly assist me sleep. The attract was that they’re not habit-forming.
I wrote final week that I began seeing a psychiatrist as a result of I’ve been battling despair. Throughout my second go to, he prescribed me trazodone, which has improved my sleep. My physician assured me it wasn’t addictive and believed it’d additionally assist with my despair, which is its main use.
Seeing enhancements
After a couple of weeks of taking the treatment one hour earlier than bedtime, I observed that my sleep statistics had been bettering, and my sleep rating was within the excessive 80s (out of 100). I take advantage of a Fitbit to trace these statistics, and one which I monitor rigorously is my resting coronary heart fee. If it exceeds 83 beats per minute (bpm) for multiple night time, I’m to inform my heart specialist as a result of this fee could point out that my atrial fibrillation isn’t below management. I take a calcium channel blocker to control my coronary heart fee. Since beginning the trazodone, my resting coronary heart fee has hovered round 78 bpm, which is great for me.
One other statistic that I monitor is the period of time I spend in every sleep stage. I do know I’m getting rapid eye movement (REM) sleep, partially as a result of I can bear in mind vivid desires I’ve had, although desires can occur in different phases. I’m averaging about two hours of REM sleep per night time.
I’m additionally getting extra deep sleep, a vital stage of sleep the place the physique repairs itself. In accordance with the Sleep Basis, as much as 20% of our sleep must be deep sleep. I sleep for about eight hours an evening, and my Fitbit tells me I’m getting about 1.5 hours of deep sleep, so I must be on monitor.
Sleep is essential to our well being, especially with COPD, so we have to guarantee we’re getting sufficient high quality relaxation. I hope that you just’re getting a very good night time’s sleep, however when you’re not, please communicate together with your physician. In the event that they’re unable to assist, discover a supplier who can.
Be aware: COPD News Today is strictly a information and knowledge web site concerning the illness. It doesn’t present medical recommendation, diagnosis, or treatment. This content material will not be supposed to be an alternative to skilled medical recommendation, prognosis, or remedy. All the time search the recommendation of your doctor or different certified well being supplier with any questions you’ll have concerning a medical situation. By no means disregard skilled medical recommendation or delay in looking for it due to one thing you’ve gotten learn on this web site. The opinions expressed on this column aren’t these of COPD Information Immediately or its guardian firm, Bionews, and are supposed to spark dialogue about points pertaining to power obstructive pulmonary illness.
