Remember our daytime herbal tablets experience ? Well – before we found the daytime ones, we discovered ‘Nightime’ versions.
Again, we only discovered these in desperation because traditional medical approaches not only failed us completely, but dramatically increased the ‘not sleeping’ problem.
And again, so long as we didn’t try to use them every night, but just as a ‘fallback’ to achieve the occasional ‘satisfactory’ night, we got fairly good results. Not 100% you understand.
And then, reading DJ’s newspaper one day, there was this article about melatonin. A natural part of human bodily functioning, natural ‘normal’ levels increasing at night to help sleep. Noted to often be depleted in the elderly.
So – we tried to discuss it with the psychogeriatrician when we had a meeting about the difficulties we were having trying to live with DJ’s disordered sleep. He didn’t know anything about melatonin. Clearly didn’t WANT to know about melatonin. Certainly didn’t seem inclined to think it would offer any benefit. Maybe The Time Had Come to put DJ into Permanent Residence Somewhere. End of meeting.
This is Why You Need Confidence In Your Own Abilities as a carer.
Back to the Internet (a few weeks later - when we were again getting desperate, having discovered the benefits but also the shortcomings of herbal tablets). And what did Computer Whizz Kid, TH find ? – you guessed it, Melatonin. So we got some. And we tried it. And we had nearly 2 weeks of fairly normal sleeping for DJ (and us). Miracle of Miracles.
That was Then.
Now we’ve just had 4 nights of very disrupted sleeping. TH and I find this Very Difficult. DJ doesn’t – he usually gets allowed to sleep for bits of the day just to Help Survival Of The Carers. Today T from Crossroads was in for the afternoon, and had to contend with DJ demanding to go to bed from about 2.30pm……. We finally let him go to bed just about 6.30pm……. then he was up out of bed about every 20mins and pestering to get dressed from about 7pm, determined it would be morning if he wanted it to be……finally made him sit up with us at 9pm……but still not wanting his bed at 11pm...... it’s now 11.34pm and we’re hoping he’ll settle this time……
Has been at least partly related to Gut Gymnastics....
The melatonin continues. Last night I re-tried one of his previously-successful-before-Respite-abused-it herbal tablets……
……. SURELY he will be so tired tonight he will sleep……
Again, we only discovered these in desperation because traditional medical approaches not only failed us completely, but dramatically increased the ‘not sleeping’ problem.
And again, so long as we didn’t try to use them every night, but just as a ‘fallback’ to achieve the occasional ‘satisfactory’ night, we got fairly good results. Not 100% you understand.
And then, reading DJ’s newspaper one day, there was this article about melatonin. A natural part of human bodily functioning, natural ‘normal’ levels increasing at night to help sleep. Noted to often be depleted in the elderly.
So – we tried to discuss it with the psychogeriatrician when we had a meeting about the difficulties we were having trying to live with DJ’s disordered sleep. He didn’t know anything about melatonin. Clearly didn’t WANT to know about melatonin. Certainly didn’t seem inclined to think it would offer any benefit. Maybe The Time Had Come to put DJ into Permanent Residence Somewhere. End of meeting.
This is Why You Need Confidence In Your Own Abilities as a carer.
Back to the Internet (a few weeks later - when we were again getting desperate, having discovered the benefits but also the shortcomings of herbal tablets). And what did Computer Whizz Kid, TH find ? – you guessed it, Melatonin. So we got some. And we tried it. And we had nearly 2 weeks of fairly normal sleeping for DJ (and us). Miracle of Miracles.
That was Then.
Now we’ve just had 4 nights of very disrupted sleeping. TH and I find this Very Difficult. DJ doesn’t – he usually gets allowed to sleep for bits of the day just to Help Survival Of The Carers. Today T from Crossroads was in for the afternoon, and had to contend with DJ demanding to go to bed from about 2.30pm……. We finally let him go to bed just about 6.30pm……. then he was up out of bed about every 20mins and pestering to get dressed from about 7pm, determined it would be morning if he wanted it to be……finally made him sit up with us at 9pm……but still not wanting his bed at 11pm...... it’s now 11.34pm and we’re hoping he’ll settle this time……
Has been at least partly related to Gut Gymnastics....
The melatonin continues. Last night I re-tried one of his previously-successful-before-Respite-abused-it herbal tablets……
……. SURELY he will be so tired tonight he will sleep……
