You are not alone…
I have sleep problems too. It started in 2003, when I had to wake up at 515am to go to school. My parents have recently moved to Punggol, and the NEL purple line was not functional yet.
In school, I would often lie on the table and sleep. Teachers would say that I am disrespectful and not paying attention. Sometimes I get sent out of the class. For the next 15 years, I believed that I had an attitude problem that I need to fix.
In junior college and University, the problem got worse. I could not wake up on time, and frequently late for classes and even exams. I was still not aware of the problem, because my grades were ok. Most people who get diagnosed usually have it affect their studies and grades.
When I lie on the bed and try to sleep early, I never seem to fall asleep. It was only much later in 2017 when the problem got much worse until I went into the hospital A&E 4 times. I was curled up into a ball, and I was having bad stomach pains. Tears were rolling out of my eyes uncontrollably. I was not upset. It was pain. It’s a different kind of pain. It’s not the cut on the skin, not a headache. It felt like someone was grabbing and squeezing my tummy. This is the start of my discovery of my mental and sleep problems.
In the hospital A&E, the doctor ordered all the blood test, CT scan of the abdomen , MRI of the brain , ultrasound of the heart (once I thought I had a heart attack). They found absolutely nothing. I’m relieved that I was not suffering from a major illness like cancer. At the same time I don’t know what to do. I thought it would go away. But it kept coming back and it was affecting my quality of life. I still could not sleep properly.
I could not participate normally in social activities. I always felt anxious, unable to concentrate, and I cannot pick up on social cues on when people want to hear more, or uninterested etc. I missed a lot of activities because I could not get out of bed.
I can not live my life like this. I can’t work properly, can’t sleep properly and can’t interact socially. This needs to be fixed.
The first useful improvement started when I received an IBS(irritable bowel syndrome) diagnosis. It doesn’t mean much. Anyone with tummy issues that does not have an actual illness, is labeled IBS. It’s a umbrella for all the conditions that is not defined.
The medicine given to me was Nortriptyline. I felt immediate relief from pain. It was magical. I was to increase my dosage from the initial 5mg all the way up to 100mg for total relief. Sleep has improved slightly as there is less pain, but not much improvement in the quality of life.
Deeper research showed to me that nortriptyline was actually a antidepressant. Do I have a mental condition? Maybe I do. My dad is on antidepressants. It seems like he has the same problem. Maybe it’s inherited.
Not long after, I had a panic attack. This is not the first time, but it’s the most obvious one. I was wide awake instead of groggy, so I could experience the anxiety attack in its full force. Instead of going to the usual hospital, this time I headed for the Institute of Mental Health (IMH). I was given antidepressants, anti-anxiety drugs. Here, I started to see significant improvement in my sleep.
Along the way, I also tried many other methods to improve my sleep. I have tried diets like ketosis, paleo, intermittent fasting, veggie shakes. I tried the entire range of supplements you can find when you Google “supplements that help sleep”. I have tried various intensity of exercises, from HIIT to endurance runs.
Most of them don’t work. I have tried them, so you don’t have to. And for those that work like medicine, I cannot prescribe them to you. You need to see a doctor to get diagnosed and prescribed medicines.
But there is one thing I can share with you. It’s this sleep remedy herbal infusion drink. They are all natural herbs. Just Google and you will find some of the recommended herbs. I have tested various combinations to preserve effectiveness and also to improve taste. Everytime I drink it, I feel like falling asleep.
Your sleep problems may be hiding other conditions like depression and anxiety. You probably need a long term solution. I don’t have that. But I hope I can guide you along the discovery journey.
In the mean time, I hope the herbal infusion helps you to sleep better for just tonight.
Let’s walk together on this journey of discovering how to sleep better
Xavier Fok