Hey all, just wondering if this was normal following a TIA. So some days i suffer fatigue and other days not so bad. However, when it comes to going to bed, trying to fall asleep is a nightmare, all through the night is broken sleep,is this normal? I dont sleep or nap in the day, i used to sleep 8 hours a night before my TIA. Is it because im not as avtive as i was possibly?
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Hi @Trevor46
A lot of people report disturbed sleep post stroke - Mine took a year plus and isnāt fully right yet.
What worked me in the first year was getting up for 10 or 15 minutes when I couldnāt get back to sleep and starting the go to bed routine again.
There is lots on the web about sleep strategies - routines, things to avoid like phones that generate blue lightā¦ and if you search with the magnifying glass above for posts in the forum about sleep and insomnia it will get a lot of strategies and examples of other peopleās challenges.
I wrote a bit on a technique that has worked for me but took a while to to become dependable. It is in
Sleeping &Stress - Physical effects - Stroke Association Online Community and works fairly well for me now
Ciao
Simon
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Hi Trevor,
Iām not an expert about this, havenāt had a stroke myself, but it can definitely be true that getting to sleep at night can be more difficult if youāre not as active during the day. Personally I find it easier to fall asleep while the sun is crossing over the horizon, either going up or down, for some reason that is the time I get the sleepiest. If I am still awake after the sun goes down then it can become more difficult to fall asleep until dawn, then important to go to sleep before the next day starts if possible.
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@Trevor46 many people report sleep problems after a stroke although I didnāt have that problem. I was complete opposite - slept long hours. I did suffer pre stroke though and tried to set myself a routine. Same time to bed same time to get up irrespective of how well iād slept. I eventually tried a herbal sleeping tablet - jist for a couple of days & it helped a bit.
Some people use lavendar on their pillow. All the usual things should be avoided too - phones, tablets, eating too late etc.
Hope it starts to settle for you soon.
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Hi @Trevor46 and welcome to the forumš
I went through the exact same thing post stroke. It took me the best part of a year to sort itself out. It was just a case of go with the flow until it does. You canāt fight it, and I didnt relish the idea of going down the route of sleeping pills.
Right now your brain is in repair mode. Its working round the clock repairing the damage done. So its working to its own time scale not yours. So its more a case of rest/sleep when you can. Doesnt matter if you only get to close your eyes but not actually fall asleep, the brain is getting rest. The key is not to bother actually getting stressed about it, thatās is just a waste of energy your brain could put to better use.
Nutrient supplements wouldnāt go amiss to backup your system and support your brainās recovery. Healing takes a lot of energy and a drain on your bodyās resources.
So donāt worry about not sleeping. Just develope yourself a bedtime routine. Then repeat in the night by getting up in the night if you wake, go do something for an hour then try again. You will eventually get it back, its just a matter of patience and perseverance 
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I was on sleeping tablets for the first couple of years because I had such trouble sleeping and worried it would impact on my energy levels/mood. My sleep wasnāt too bad after that. Now I usually put on an audio book and that gets me off to sleep almost immediately. It has the same effect if I wake up during the night (I know the book inside-out now, so it doesnāt matter if miss bits!)
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Iāve been using Calm sleep stories on YouTube for a few years now. You donāt have to pay for them and there are a few to choose from. I have recommended the Nordic night train read by Erik Braa in the past which is one Iāve used regularly. It was a good while before I ever heard the end of the story, I was always asleep before it finished. Itās worth a try anyway.
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Hi Emerald eyes you are everywhere, get the brain rest thing, but feels my energy levels would be so much better if I got solid nights sleep, last Friday night slept from 24.15 solid until 06.30 saturday over six hours without waking and needing a pee when I woke felt great, overdid everything as a result and knackered myself out, really do feel good regular sleep is key to my recovery Does not help that part of my blood pressure medication is a diuretic which seems to work really well at night!!
Wattsy
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Yes, sorry about that Phil, I do tend to get carried away on here 
I think it took me about 6-8mths before even started to get any kind of quality sleep and that was anything from 2-5hrs. So actually you are doing a lot better than I was 3yrs ago after my stroke, Iām fine now though. 
Just sitting on the couch and zoning out for 15mins or an hour from time to time also rests the brain. Because you are not taking in any more new information for the brain to process whilst having to contend with the its battle to recover and get things back on line for you.
Your brain doesnāt want you to run before you can walk, it just wonāt let you, and thatās why youāre knackered after overdoing things. You need to go with the ebb and flow of your brain so try to relax and just go with it.
You have to learn to pace yourself, just a trip to the doctors/dentist/supermarket can wipe you out for the rest of the day in this early stage. So one major excursion such as a walk and bit of pottering around the house along with a few rehab exercisesā¦in between rest periods, was about all I managed in those first few months. But it will get better as time goes on, 6mths months from now and youāll be doing twice as much as youāre doing now.
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Since my stroke Iāve had no problem getting to sleep. My problem is waking up after 2-3 hours. When I wake I usually reach for my phone, do Wordle, read any messages, have a look at Facebook, WhatsApp etc. by the time Iāve done that and been to the bathroom Iāll be ready to have another go so I usually try to sleep again. It comes or it donāt. Iāll stay awake or sleep for another couple of hours.
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All the written advice Iāve ever seen says donāt do any screen time when you wake upā¦ Whatever works for you 
Having a go to sleep routine is also recommended so that when you wake up you restart that go to sleep routine for me itās a subtracting 7 from 1,000 and it normally works quite well, not foolproof, I had to stick with it before it was starting to work
2Ā¢
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Hi again apologies not required you have given me so much useful advice already, and the point about it being my brain that does not want me to go too fast is particularly relevant, and one I had overlooked, was focusing mostly on my body. Iāve so much to learn!!
Thanks for your time and continue your progress, no doubt we will talk again
Total cholesterol on 7/2/24 was 6.41 LDL was 4.06
Had it checked this morning 4 weeks later
Total now 3.39
HDL 1.02
LDL 3.3
The best news is that all done without Statins have taken Plant Sterols and and changed my diet so it can be done without Statins
Regards
Wattsy
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Itās funny that 3 years on my brain still like to āshut downā as I say it. And it doesnāt matter what Iām doing or how engrossed I am, when my brain gets tired of it it just shuts down. I can be in the middle of responding to a post on here and find myself having to abandon it or save for later. Hard to describe really, but it just refuses to take another step, so I have to go do something else and come back to it laterā¦if itāll let me 
And if I push to continue when itās in that mood then it puts a skull cap on my head that starts to squeeze and feels like a lead weight. So Iāve learnt over the years not to push it and just go with the flow. 
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I now know what you mean, always, have always been an avid reader could read for hours at a time, picked up a book this afternoon, and had to stop after 30 mins exhausted and a headache to boot.
Thank you for your time and knowledge all very much appreciated
Wattsy
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I was a great reader pre stroke. Read every day without fail. Post stroke it has taken me 2 years to read a book. I have a few small vision issues which can make reading difficult but I also find reading gives me a headache after a few minutes & I donāt have the concentration levels needed. Much to my disappointment- i tend to read short magazine articles now.
Hi
very sorry to hear that , its a great joy to read a book, I have no great words of wisdom for you, but perhaps you can try listening to Audio Books, better than nothing, and and maybe better than missing out on your favourite authors, Your local Public Library will likely be able to help, if you feel it would help give them a go.
Good luck and let me know if you give it a go.
Wattsy
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Iāve had many happy times reading many many books and it is sad that itās been curtailed. Iām hope over time my reading ability returns to how it was before. I should give audio books a try. Iāll have to see if I can download some to my iPad as I canāt get to the local libraryā¦ā¦very restricted opening hours and all when Iām working. I do like actually holding a book and turning the pages thoughā¦ā¦.thereās just something about that which is why Iāve never had a kindle or similar. I am a bit of a book hoarder and have around 200 books still to read in a box under my stairs. Iām determined I will read them one day 
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I was a huge reader but have had to swap to Audio books. Have to say that I much prefer them now. Iām very fussy about the narrators though, have just discovered the āRivers of Londonā books and the narrator Kobna Holdbrook-Smith is fantastic, I could listen to him reading the phone book and be happy
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Well I can read for about 3hrs now so reading might well pick up for you too over time. Certainly donāt give up hope on anything improving for you, it all just takes time. And hopefully you should see a fair bit of improvement over the first 6mths. Onwards and upwards my friend
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Will do and thank you, time for bed and a recharging of the batteries, speak soon no doubt, sleep well,
Wattsy
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