Part 0800.0005

[Lesley]

Hi - back again

 

So sorry to hear about your sleep problems, you sound worse than I am so it must be really debilitating at times?

 

I've also always had nightmares and then panic attacks at night but the night terrors with me is a terrible feeling of rising terror if that makes sense? I don't have panics where you need a paper bag to breathe into, more this rising terror feeling and I can't shake it off. I physically cannot get back into bed and lie down. Mine are stress related but not usually about whatever the stress is. They are nearly always about suffocating or drowning (now you know why I didn't reply last night ) When I wake traumatised I just cannot get rid of the nightmare - as soon as I close my eyes, the same dream is back, over and over. I've been worse since watching my stepmother die last year, high morphine doses eased her way but it was still 2 weeks of just watching - and her breathing was around 6 breaths per minute.

 

Sometimes I can lie down if I have all the lights on but it disturbs Carl. He's very nice about it but I know he doesn't sleep well and try not to disturb him furhter. He has different sleep disturbance to me - I go to sleep and then wake in the early hours.......he can't get to sleep and drifts off in the early hours! I try not to wake him. I have a Slanket and it's always ready for me to just grab and take myself off to the lounge with all the lights on. I watch TV doze a bit and hope that I catch up on enough sleep. I daren't even look at the forum at times because I feel even worse when I'm the only person on it. I'm menopausal and have to wee about 3 times a night which doesn't help I also have a genetic condition which affects collagen and my joints are painful so my back is often sore.

 

I find the sunset facility on the Lumie helps me to get off to sleep and I put it on if I wake and need the light.

 

I do hope you manage to find some answers - no doubt, like me, you've tried all the usual stuff. If I'm desperate I will do all those and then take 2 painkillers and a glass of warm milk with honey and a drop of brandy......and then hope!

 

Lesley

 

Lesley - what causes your night terrors (if you don't mind me asking ) i've always had terrible nightmares since childhood but my worsening health and chronic pain has caused them to evolve into night terrors. i found the mood beam helps with getting back to sleep and not having another terror, although often like you described i just give in on sleep and get up. is there anything that helps you & your husband cope? i can't work because of my health but my husband is now also on the verge of giving up his job because of the 'shared' sleep deprivation and stress of my illness. he can't sleep in a different room because i need him with me during the night for various medical reasons, so it's such a difficult situation to be in

how does the clock help with the night terrors?

[WarrensWorld]

The Lumie arrived today, just in time for the lengthening nights. It's all set up ready to go, with a bit of luck should wake up to a sunrise and the sound of lapping waves. I'll update in the morning and let you know what it was like.....

[mostin]

Good luck, I hope it works for you. Nothing's a magic wand when that black dog is chasing you , but I find the lamp really helps to take the edge off winter blues that just sometimes add that little bit extra when you just can't cope.

[WarrensWorld]

It worked a treat, and what a great way to be woken up..............

[mostin]

So glad to hear that

[dancing cloud]

I was about to post to ask whether I should start using the Lumie desklamp yet and found this thread - obviously time for those of us affected to be hitting the lightswitch! Even though we've had lots of bright days, I can already feel the apathy setting in now it's dark earlier at night.

 

The desklamp is at work and is on pretty much all day every day over winter, and I'm currently looking at ebay to find a cheap(er) lightbox or another desklamp for me to use at home as well. As Mostin said, there's no magic wand and the additional light doesn't cure, but it does help.

 

I have a Lumie clock too and much prefer being gently woken with light to being screamed at by an alarm clock - but unfortunately tubby Puddy soon caught on and walks all over me purring loudly as soon as the lamp starts to glow, as getting up = breakfast . Alarm cat anyone?

[chickencam]

I have a Philips light clock, and I find that i wake up much more calmly with it than with a loud noise. I am having to get used to a 7am start again after the holidays. YD frightened the life out of me this morning a couple of minutes before 7am by telling me that she was going for a shower. I thought that i had overslept

[rachelk]

My lightbox turned up today - hooray after nearly two weeks of waiting for my '48' hour delivery!

 

Anyway will let you know how it goes, hopefully it will help as I'm feeling like I'm sinking fast.

[Chicken Licken]

I am definitely sleeping better with the lumie lamp. I use its sunset to go to sleep with and find it a much gentler wake up in the morning. It seems to be doing the trick so far as the gloom closes in!!

[The Dogmother]

Luckily I'm a good sleeper... I fall asleep as soon as my head hits the pillow and sleep solidly until the alarm goes off - I think that lots of exercise helps though.

 

I'm going to get a light box for my desk this year though - I'm Mediterranean and need that light

[Janty]

I'm about to order a lamp but what every day lamps do people recommend?

 

I used to be a great person for getting up in the mornings but can't manage to stir myself once the darker mornings arrive. I also get home from work feeling quite down and can't motivate myself to get things done. I've also been quite weepy during the past few years over the Winter period (which isn't like me) and I need to do something to break the cycle.

 

Any recommendations would be greatly appreciated. My son has started his GCSE years and needs more enthusiasm, help and motivation than most, given his special needs. If I can't give it to him then I'll feel even more rotten.

[the bradley bunch]

I have a Lumie clock too and much prefer being gently woken with light to being screamed at by an alarm clock - but unfortunately tubby Puddy soon caught on and walks all over me purring loudly as soon as the lamp starts to glow, as getting up = breakfast . Alarm cat anyone?

this post inspired me to share some of my fave pics our of little alarm clock/bed stealer, who turned 2 on friday!...

...

...ahhhh

...

[dancing cloud]

I would recommend any of the lumie clocks for waking up in winter, though being woken up by a cat as cute as Max would also work well (love him cuddling his bushbaby!).

 

I have one of the desklamps for work. It's as bright as a lightbox and, as it functions as a lamp as well, does not require explaining in a work environment. I'm still working on a lamp or lightbox for home as well but keep just missing out on ebay - think I needed to start looking earlier in the year . I can't pretend to be full of beans in the depths of winter and still feel very lethargic, but it does help with the weepiness and hopelessness, and anything that makes you feel better and more able to cope has got to be worthwhile.

[sari]

My other half, George, suffers with depression, has done since he was a young boy....not that this was recognised until after the birth of our first child. He has meds, and this really helps. WE bought a Lumie clock and was the best thing we ever did.....I promise you it was nearly impossible to get him out of bed, but with this, it's a miracle. I want him to get a Lumie desklamp. His previous employer would not allow him to have one on his desk ( I mean we would buy it, not them!), as well as nearly driving him to a breakdown..( that's another story, for another forum, probably!) so if funds allow, I'm going to get him one. Our GP, who is good with George's MH, does not believe in SAD...says it's just depression that worsens in the winter, due to lack of light, and the hibernating instinct- obviously me being stupid, thought this was one of the definitions of SAD!! WHo am I, but a lowly CSW.........but anyway....I swear by ours....and swear at it, when it starts to go off at 6am.......

[Janty]

Well, I have just placed the order. I've got a bodyclock elite 300 as I thought that the mp3 features, etc would suit us.

Fingers crossed.

 

What really convinced me was that we got four new bulbs for the main kitchen light a few days ago. We got the wrong ones and they are quite bright. Sounds daft but hubby commented yesterday how bright and bubbly I'd been and how much time I'd been spending in the kitchen cooking up goodies and generally being industrious. It got me thinking and he's right. The brightness of the lights was a sort of pick me up.

 

We work in a very dark school...it's modern and supposed to be naturally bright, but it isn't.

That might be contributing to my general lack of umph! There is a syndrome called sick building syndrome. Perhaps our school has it.

 

http://www.ei-resource.org/illness-information/related-conditions/sick-building-syndrome-(sbs)/

[Janty]

Just read the notes. There are a few things that really strike a chord.

 

[Janty]

Anybody got any experience of these bulbs?

 

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Ecozone-Biobulb-Energy-Saving-Daylight-Screw/dp/B000F5FNXO/ref=sr_1_2?s=lighting&ie=UTF8&qid=1284916644&sr=1-2

[The Dogmother]

Interesting comments about that bulb Janty, especially about the colour cast. I bought a few replacement low-energy bulbs a while ago and they turned out to be different 'colours'; I had wanted a more yellow effect like old-fashioned incandescent bulbs as I found the blue-white ones harsh and intrusive.

 

I don't recall them being labelled as daylight bulbs (I probably would have remembered if they had been) but I didn't like them at all.

 

I have been thinking for a while about getting a SAD lamp for my desk at work, but now I am worried that it might be the same sort of blue type light as those bulbs. Can anyone with a daylight SAD light describe the type/colour of light for me?

 

I don't know anyone who has one, otherwise I'd see if I could borrow it.

[Laura & CTB]

Just skimming through and found your comment Claire (I'm supposed to be hard at work).

 

I have a Lumie Brightspark that I use at work and can tell you it is a VERY bright WHITE light! If you have a look on their website at the details there is a photo of someone using it at a desk and...well... thats just how it looks in real life

 

I've also had mine 3 years and there is no diminishing of light at all (I have a lux meter at work).

 

I think Lumie still have a 30 day trial period as well which you could use. They are not cheap lamps but for me it was money well spent.

[The Dogmother]

Thanks Laura, I'll have a look at their site. I find the bright 'blue' sort of light very harsh, I might not mind it at work though as much as I do at home.

[WarrensWorld]

Well, I have just placed the order. I've got a bodyclock elite 300 as I thought that the mp3 features, etc would suit us.

Fingers crossed.

 

You'll love it, I'm well pleased with ours. I go to sleep with sound of waves and wake up with Reveil Doux lovely.

[Janty]

Sounds good.

[Jules.]

I've just sent an email to Lumie asking which would they recommend for me- either the Starter 30 or the Advanced 200

 

http://www.lumie.com/shop/treatments/sleep-wake-better

 

I'm not sure that the extra money is worth paying for the only feature that I think I'd use which is the ability to change the duration of the sunset/sunrise light.

But I really like the style of the Advanced 200 & I have done ever since Lesley told us about her one years ago.

 

I've also sent them a link to this thread!

 

i'll let you know what they recommend.

[dancing cloud]

I have the 200 and bought the starter for my dad, who does not experience sad, but is deaf as a post without his hearing aids in and could not hear an ordinary alarm clock. The starter is more compact and seems to do the job just as well. We both love our respective clocks and the joy of a shorter sunrise for me is that it stops tubby Puddy jumping on me sooner - not that she always waits for the light anyway .

 

Please let us know what Lumie say.

[Janty]

Just been into our local Boots.

 

They have one of these reduced to £39.

 

http://www.boots.com/en/Lumie-Bodyclock-Starter-Plus_983843/?exploreAttributes=-_--_-Electrical%20%3E%20Health%20Equipment%20%3E%20SAD%20Clocks%20%26%20Lamps-_--_-List-_--_--_-

 

And one of these reduced to £79

 

http://www.boots.com/en/Philips-Wake-Up-Light-HF3463_1014488/?exploreAttributes=-_--_-Electrical%20%3E%20Health%20Equipment%20%3E%20SAD%20Clocks%20%26%20Lamps-_--_-List-_--_--_-