Hey everyone,
I received a diagnosis this week, now back to the waiting game for next steps and treatment plan.
I am struggling so much with sleep, those 3-5am dark hours are just the worst, especially when you are waiting for information!
I am typically a very good sleeper, 7-8hrs a night, I love sleep and don’t function very well with out it. definitely feel that being so tired is negatively impacting my resilience to my new situation.
Anyone else been through this and have any advice? I’m wondering about supplements but feel anxious about putting anything new into my body at this time thank you
Hi @cloudyday1
The waiting is the worst I think everyone has been through the same waking up in the night , I still do even though had surgery and treatment . The dead of night your brain starts processing every think
I don’t have any experience in supplements . Hope you get your plan in place once everything is clear you will feel more relaxed .Good luck x
Please believe you are not alone with the waking up at silly o’clock, i still do it now but not as much as i did at the beginning of diagnoses. Stress and anxiety plays a major part in this i believe.
I know once when i had my plan in place, things would get alot easier, think it was the unknown what will happen next, that woke me up.
I used to have a nap in the afternoon, found that helped with energy levels.
I used to make a cuppa, take it back to bed and sip slowly, sure enough albeit an hour later had fallen back to sleep
Wishing you well in going foward, sending hugs
I’m sorry that you find yourself here and are struggling with sleep after receiving your diagnosis
Please be assured that what you are experiencing is absolutely “normal” as you have already identified an overactive mind is sleep’s biggest enemy
Please don’t beat yourself up or feel bad that you are not getting as much sleep as you usually do, if you are struggling during the day and you are able to find the opportunity 40 winks will help. If you are the kind of person who likes to exercise particularly outside, do what you can to keep it up, but again don’t be surprised if this seems more difficult than what you are used to.
I value my sleep too and have recently made some changes to my night time routine to improve it, but there are just some times when it doesn’t work, but when I can’t get back to sleep I assure myself that I’m still resting and that is doing me good.
If you are still struggling there is nothing wrong with asking the doctor for some sleeping tablets.
Please be assured that once you have a treatment plan and you start to feel more in control it will get better
I’m a lifelong insomniac, even before BC, but here are a couple of things that helped me……
As already suggested, make yourself a hot drink & snack, or keep a flask next to the bed
Listen to relaxing music or podcasts (use headphones if you don’t sleep alone!) instead of trying to read. There are lots you can download on to your phone, BBC Sounds has a huge selection. Have them all ready to start, so you don’t need to scroll. Practice focusing on something other than your diagnosis and treatment. It really does get easier with practice.
Check out podcasts by Michael Mosley on insomnia, he had some good advice, especially the breathing exercises he suggests.
If you’re doing all the right things, accept that at least you’re resting & relaxing.
As all the others say, once you have your treatment plan in place, it does get easier to get your head round.
Sending love & sympathy, Jules X
Hello
I’m really sorry to hear of your diagnosis and that you’re struggling to sleep.
I’m wondering if something like camomile tea could help you as although it tastes vile it is very good for aiding sleep.
Also, have a look at the Penny Brohn website - this amazing charity offers all sorts of help and advice about everything to do with self care for cancer patients including workshops on breathing to aid sleep, relaxation, mindfulness etc etc. A lot of it is online and you don’t have to pay. I’m doing their breathing workshops online at the moment and they are fabulous - only problem is I am so relaxed I fall asleep during them!
It’s a horrible time for you and I wish you all the best. Xx
@cloudyday1 sorry you find yourself here. I was the same a few weeks ago after diagnosis, and would wake up around 4/5/6am and not get back to sleep. I took three weeks off work so figured as I didn’t need to use my brain I’d just have a quiet tea in the dark/stillness/quiet and go with it and not stress, which I think helped my to sleep better after a few days. Sorry not a clue about supplements. Fingers crossed you get better sleep soon xxx
hello cloudyday1 !
i am a mother of a daughter who has just been diagnosed with breast cancer grade 3- many results still pending. so i wont and can’t help you regarding anything directly to do with cancer… but i know, that all these wonderful woman on here will be an immense suport and they are so good in giving advise aso.
still, i would like to throw a few ideas out and over to you. i have been a very bad sleeper for most of my life, to panic attacs and a death phobia . what i find sometimes helpful is reading… anything simple, an easy story, where you dont need to focus too much but enough to get the mind distracted… listening to some relaxing music, or may even a read story will manage to make your mind wander off a little… simple, easy meditation is a great help too… you can do a live online session, or simply enjoy a recorded one… and last… breathing excersise … literally anything, which is strong enough to overpower all those crazy thoughts and worry… which naturally often come/happen in the night hours…
i so hope, that you will manage to get your sleep back on track, as it is so very important- and even more so now- to re charge, and strengthen the body AND mind for all those challanges life throws at us…
stay strong, keep on fighting and please never loose hope !
T
Greetings!
I get prescribed zopiclone ( sleeping tablets)
They a bit hit and miss. See your GP.
We’re all in the club nobody wants to be in
Wishing you luck xxx
I was exactly the same when I was diagnosed lasy year. My GP did prescribe a short course of zopiclone, which did help.
I found that once I had my treatment plan in place that I slept a lot better and no longer needed them. The waiting is the worst.
Had my scan results girls.
Inevitably it spread as lve declined treatment
So now it predominantly in spine, ribs sternum
Neck lungs and lymph nodes and pelvis.
Feel Very sorry for myself.
Palliative care in place. How do you cope ?
Xx
I can totally understand how you feeling at the moment. My mum also recently diagnosed with BC. Huge wave shock. All the appointments and tests for my mum, I was having mental breakdown, from anxiety to panic attacks, mostly this waiting game and I am pretty sure this goes for all of us is what caused our sleepless nights.
But stay positive hun, I know it’s not easy and it’s a big chapter and a long journey but trust we are so advanced with technology to medicines. Everything will be ok
Once you have your treatment plan in place, you will feel so much better, I’m also waiting for my mums treatment plan. First chemo than surgery. Waiting for one more result, once that comes in (HER2 test) they can create a plan specifically designed for my mum and they will do the same for you
Honestly this forum, I am so glad I found it, you will get lots of help, advices, tips as well as motivation, positivity and lots of encouragement.
Hi @cloudyday1. Sorry you have had a diagnosis. I think it’s safe to say that once diagnosed, we’ve all had sleepless nights. I was like you, a good sleeper, always fell to sleep in minutes and slept a solid 8 hours. But since my diagnosis so many factors have influenced my sleep negatively. First the waiting, then the surgeries, then the chemo drugs, then the endocrine therapy and now the worry about returning to normality.
In the end, i just started to embrace the insomnia. I’d listen to podcasts, bake or watch netflix. I found that when i was off work for chemo or surgeries, I’d just nap when needed. However, if you’re needing to get up for work, this isn’t much help. My doctor suggested a strict no screens before bed, no caffeine after 2pm and a warm bath and book before bed. This didnt help as I couldn’t switch my brain off. White noise apps, podcasts and audiobooks helped most for me.
I’m now on promethazine which is helping a lot. This is just a strong antihistamine which causes drowsiness. See how you feel when you get a treatment plan…you might just feel that having a plan itself is enough to help you get more sleep.
thank you
