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Suggest Treatment For Sleeplessness

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Posted on Tue, 19 Nov 2013
Question: Why cant i fall asleep?
doctor
Answered by Dr. Shoaib Khan (50 minutes later)
Brief Answer:
Have listed all the causes for you sir; pls relate

Detailed Answer:
Hello sir and welcome.

Thank you for writing in.

If you don't mind me asking, is this the first time you are having trouble sleeping, or has this happened before?

There are many causes for sudden onset of difficulty in sleeping, for your reference let me list them for you:
-Anxiety
-Depression
-Stress
-Excess use of caffeine, nicotine or alcohol
-Jet lag (due to recent travel)
-Medications (eg. allergy medication, blood pressure medication, steroids, attention-stimulant medication, decongestants, medication containing caffeine, etc.)
-A few medical conditions (eg. frequent urination, increased thirst during night-time, etc.)
-Unfavorable surroundings (eg. too much noise, room is too bright, etc.)
-Changing work timings or environment (constant traveling required for work, different shifts, etc.)
-Eating too much just before bedtime
-Learned-insomnia: Is a condition when a person learns about insomnia recently, and starts worrying about it
-Poor or not fixed sleep habits

I am not aware about your history sir, and so I will not be able to comment much on the most likely cause in your situation. Which is why I have listed all the possible causes out for you, so you may relate to the most likely cause and write back to me. I shall then help you by telling you what treatment options are available for that particular cause.

I hope you found my response helpful and informative sir. Please feel free to write to me about any further clarifications, I would be more than happy to help you.

Best wishes.
Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
doctor
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Follow up: Dr. Shoaib Khan (15 hours later)
I have been struggling with insomnia since october 7th, so for about three weeks now, some days i am able to sleep, although it still takes half an hour, and some days i cannot sleep at all. I am a college student in my XXXXXXX year and i do have anxiety for graduation but i do not think this anxiety warrants such a long period of insomnia. I have been going to urinate a lot more and i do get dry mouth during and after sleep. My sleeping conditions are fine. I have been taking melatonin and it does not seem to be helping much. Any more information as to why i can not fall asleep would be helpful. I am 236 pounds and 5ft seven. I have been trying to exercise more but it isnt giving me immediate results. Any over the counter medications that you would recommend? and What type of exercise other than running would you also recommend?
doctor
Answered by Dr. Shoaib Khan (2 hours later)
Brief Answer:
Possible diabetes; need to lose weight

Detailed Answer:
Hello once again sir.

I would like to start by saying that I have calculated your BMI (basal metabolic index), which is an index used to categorize individuals into normal, pre-obese, obese and morbidly obese categories. As per your height and weight, your BMI is 37, which falls in the category with the maximum risk to a number of conditions.

This added with your symptoms of frequent urination and increased thirst all attribute and warrant a diabetic check up, including the following blood investigations: hbA1c, FBS, PPBS and RBS. Please report to a hospital or clinic and get these tests conducted. You could then write back to me with the results or consult your doctor there. There is a chance diabetes is causing these symptoms in you.

As for your weight sir, cardio exercises are the most important regimen needed to be included in a weight loss regimen. I can understand it might be difficult and I am guessing it puts a lot of strain on your knees as well, but you will have to try sir. We need to increase your physical activity and exercise levels first and then add a special diet to your lifestyle to achieve good results. It would be best to consult a nutritionist or dietitian for the best diet for weight loss based on your level of exercise and physical activity.

I hope this information helps you sir. The main cause seems to be your weight sir, let us target this, and I am sure you will be on the road to a healthy life.

Hope this helps you sir. Please feel free to write back to me for any further clarifications, I would be more than happy to help you.

Best wishes.
Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
doctor
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Follow up: Dr. Shoaib Khan (2 days later)
I do have a family history of diabetes, and because of that my family gave me a machine so that i can check my sugar daily, its that thing that you poke your finger and measure blood on the little strips. I have been testing very normal with my sugar, i am constantly in the low 90's. So i am pretty sure i dont have diabetes, is there any other reason why i have a dry throat and why i would be urinating so much at night? Also exercising doesnt seem to be doing much, i biked 10 miles the other day and played sports another day for four hours and i still cant seem to fall alseep. Is there any other things that you can think of? Hmm i suppose anxiety seems to be a factor but i think it may be something else. Any other questions that you could ask that i can clarify to help you out with a better diagnosis would be very helpful. Thank you so much
doctor
Answered by Dr. Shoaib Khan (3 hours later)
Brief Answer:
Continue exercise;treat anxiety, check sleep cycle

Detailed Answer:
Hello once again sir and welcome.

It is good to know that you are regularly checking your blood sugar levels, but it is still better to get an elaborate blood sugar profile done (hbA1c, FBS, PPBS, RBS), as the device you are currently using can report inaccurate results, though not always.

Other causes for dry throat and increased thirst could be hypertension, a renal pathology or dehydration.

The sports and increased physical activity will have to be continued sir, as this was mainly advised for weight-loss, which could in the long-run help you sleep better. Obesity and the poor general well-being caused by it can also cause sleep disturbances.

I would also advise you to XXXXXXX a psychiatrist who will conduct a few tests to check on your sleep cycle, and find the exact cause for your insomnia sir.

As we have found that anxiety could be a factor, medically it would be right to treat the anxiety and see if your sleep improves, if it doesn't, then we would want to look into other causes sir. So, I would again suggest meeting a psychiatrist who would also help with your anxiety sir.

All the causes for your problem have been listed in my first response, and based on these causes and how you relate to them, the plan for treatment is initiated. So, as we have found a few leads, we should go with them, and then look for other causes, so no further questions as of now sir.

I hope this helps. Please understand that in most situations the cause is not very evident, but once treatment is initiated, the patient starts to feel better and the diagnosis is confirmed.

God bless.
Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
doctor
Answered by
Dr.
Dr. Shoaib Khan

General & Family Physician

Practicing since :2009

Answered : 9409 Questions

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Suggest Treatment For Sleeplessness

Brief Answer:
Have listed all the causes for you sir; pls relate

Detailed Answer:
Hello sir and welcome.

Thank you for writing in.

If you don't mind me asking, is this the first time you are having trouble sleeping, or has this happened before?

There are many causes for sudden onset of difficulty in sleeping, for your reference let me list them for you:
-Anxiety
-Depression
-Stress
-Excess use of caffeine, nicotine or alcohol
-Jet lag (due to recent travel)
-Medications (eg. allergy medication, blood pressure medication, steroids, attention-stimulant medication, decongestants, medication containing caffeine, etc.)
-A few medical conditions (eg. frequent urination, increased thirst during night-time, etc.)
-Unfavorable surroundings (eg. too much noise, room is too bright, etc.)
-Changing work timings or environment (constant traveling required for work, different shifts, etc.)
-Eating too much just before bedtime
-Learned-insomnia: Is a condition when a person learns about insomnia recently, and starts worrying about it
-Poor or not fixed sleep habits

I am not aware about your history sir, and so I will not be able to comment much on the most likely cause in your situation. Which is why I have listed all the possible causes out for you, so you may relate to the most likely cause and write back to me. I shall then help you by telling you what treatment options are available for that particular cause.

I hope you found my response helpful and informative sir. Please feel free to write to me about any further clarifications, I would be more than happy to help you.

Best wishes.