Welcome! New to Twitching, Sleep Issues

[tensionpusher]

Hi, I'm new here but not new to twitching. I am 55 and have been twitching on and off since my early twenties. Seen the neuros and not worried about a major disorder.My problem is sleep loss. I will get a twitch that may last for days or weeks, strong enough to keep me from falling asleep. During the day they are just annoying. I alsohave anxiety when I get one of these due to worrying about the night ahead. Just wondering if anyone else has this issue.

 

[simonw00]

Hi Tension TwitcherI can certainly relate to the sleep loss. My twitching is at its most forceful and annoying from about 4am, when I wake up to go for a pee, through to when I get out of bed at about 7am. I lose three hours sleep most nights because of this.Annoying, isn't it?! RegardsSimon

 

[tensionpusher]

thanks for responding Simon..... sounds like we are opposites in that I have trouble initially falling asleep but do pretty well afterwards whereas you fall asleep ok but have trouble later. Guess it comes out the same...a pain in the butt.Best of Luck:Tensiontwitcher

 

[SecretAgent007]

Tension twitcher, there are magnesium powder products on the market where you put a teaspoon into a cup of herbal tea and drink it. This did wonders for my muscle spasms. Magnesium is a natural muscle relaxer, but don't worry, its not the kind that will knock you out. Its also a natural stool softener, so don't use too much. There is also a natural herbal remedy called Valerian Root that worked well for temporary relief of my anxiety. You can buy it in most natural health food stores. Just a fair warning it has a distinct smell, but that is normal. I would take 2 to 3 about an hour before bedtime and my anxiety was greatly reduced. You might want to give one or both of these a shot. Here is a link to the magnesium powder product I used and was happy with:

 

[TwitchyGambler]

Insomnia is my middle name. It all started with the twitching!

 

[tensionpusher]

Thanks for the replies, I will check out the magnesium.

 

[tensionpusher]

Thanks Twitchinstinks..... does the twitching cause the insomnia as with myself or is insomnia a secondary reaction?

 

[TwitchyGambler]

I actually got Ambien a week before my twitches started. I have had insomnia since. At first I had muscle stiffness insomnia then muscle spasms. I also refused the Ambien and the muscle relaxers. Forget it. Not getting started on that junk.

 

[SmartMister]

Hi tensiontwitcher. I have been having these long term twitching I mean they last for days at a time for the last year and yes they are very annoying at night. I finally could not stand it anymore and my neuro gave me klonopin .50 mg and this works very well at night for the twitching plus I get a good nights sleep and have no side effects in the morning. I hope this helps. pm me if you have any questions.Mary

 

[LivelyCheer]

I really think that insomnia is a BIG instigator of twitching. Get good sleep and your twitches will decrease (not go away). Take sleeping pills from your MD if you have to, short term. Loss of sleep is far worse than taking an occational sleeping pill.

 

[TwitchyGambler]

i personally think its a symptom of BFS. the twitches don't wake me up. I wake up every night from 2am-4am. grrrr

 

[SecretAgent007]

I used to have a lot of trouble falling asleep at night and I would wake up every night around 3am. I think it was related to my liver being overloaded. In the reading I have done on the liver, it is the body's key detoxification organ. Liver health will affect your sleep. Even the Chinese have the liver pegged on their 'horary cycle' between the hours of 1am and 3am. Anyway, the anti-Candida plan I am on recommends sweating daily in a sauna or hot bath for 15 to 20 minutes to lighten the liver's load. It was not more than a few days after I started doing this that I noticed it was easier to fall asleep at night. I still wake up occasionally at 3am in the middle of the night, but I fall asleep much quicker now. I'm still in recovery too, so hopefully I'll eventually sleep all the way through the night again. The skin is the body's largest detoxification organ, so by sweating you greatly relieve the amount of waste that has to be channeled through the liver. Its an easy experiment to try for a few days to see if it helps you. The biggest pain is the time commitment. You have to sit in the bath until you start to feel sweat on your brow, then start the clock down from 10 or 15 minutes. I've found that the bath feels like it drains your energy whereas the sauna made me feel like I had more energy. Not many people have access to sauna's though, so you deal with what you've got. Maybe try it for a few days and see if it helps?