Sleep has been quite elusive for me recently. I was diagnosed with insomnia last year. As my doctor explained it, there are two types of insomnia. There's the insomnia most people know; the person simply can't fall asleep. There's a second type of insomnia; the person has no trouble falling asleep but once asleep, the brain does not properly cycle through the stages of sleep. This is my problem. With sleep medication I am able to have a better night's sleep, but I am still tired. All the time. Oh and dreams. I remember lots of dreams. My doctor said this is not normal. She said that while people dream all night long, most people who get a proper night's sleep with either remember no dreams or only one dream. I remember 4-5 dreams just about every night. This means I'm waking up that many times during the night because of my insomnia. Now with the pain and everything else I have going on with my TMJ, I really don't get enough rest. As I've said before, I'm a mess.
Right now I am staying with my parents. My mom often tries out different types of pillows to find the most rest and benefit. I asked her if she happened to have a buckwheat pillow because I had read on TMJ Hope that it can be a good pillow (the pillows listed there are primarily recommended for those who've had surgery, but with my pain I thought it couldn't be bad for me to find one of these to try out). I was thinking my mom had bought one of the pillows on the list: a buckwheat pillow. Mom does have a buckwheat pillow. She doesn't like it, so she let me try it out. I was skeptical. It's very hard. I wasn't sure how it could be comfortable for me to sleep on since just a regular cotton pillow was uncomfortable. I put the heavy pillow on my bed and laid down. Yes, it was hard, but it was surprisingly comfortable. I slept on the pillow the whole night. I slept through the night (a rarity for me). I woke up and my jaw and ears both felt okay - not good but not bad either. My neck was a little sore but I think that might be from the newness of the pillow. I don't remember any dreams from last night. This means I actually slept all night. Awesome! I will be trying out the buckwheat pillow again tonight. Thought of the Day: "There is only one thing people like that is good for them; a good night's sleep." - E. W. Howe
7 Comments
BRENDA
8/10/2012 03:10:50 am
This is so good to know! I found your blog through TMJ Hope and I am going through all the same issues. I was diagnosed a few months ago and just started wearing my new guard about 2-1/2 weeks ago. I am so eager to see if it helps me. I'm assuming there is an adjustment period because I still have ok days and bad days. Thanks for writing a blog. I know I'm not alone but it helps when someone understands your invisible pain!
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Shauna
8/10/2012 04:30:44 am
Brenda - I am so glad reading my blog makes you feel better and know you're not alone. My blog is a large part of how I'm coping with all of this. I have several other invisible pain issues but this is the one that bothers me the most as it's in my head (and affects my eating - in fact that's the subject of my next entry). I've slept on the pillow every night since my mom gave it to me and it does seem to be helping. I get my guard/appliance on Tuesday and I cannot wait. Just like you, I'm assuming there is an adjustment period but the way I see it is that the sooner I get it, the sooner the relief can come.
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Brenda
8/16/2012 04:09:25 am
Hi Shauna, I'd be happy to do some guests posts! This condition is so frustrating - hopefully other people find your blog and TMJ Hope so we all can suffer together LOL
Shauna
8/16/2012 01:23:58 pm
That would be awesome, Brenda. You can write about anything you want related to TMJ. I'm trying to figure out how I can reach more people with my blog so that, as you said, we can all suffer together. ;)
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Shauna
8/16/2012 01:24:47 pm
Duh... My e-mail address - you might need that. It's [email protected] :)
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10/8/2012 08:59:17 pm
Thank you for posting this great content. I was searching for this subject for a long time. I found your post quiet informative. Keep sharing.
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Shauna
10/8/2012 09:08:34 pm
I'm glad to be of assistance. It's great to know that my blog may be helping others; it's part of why I write it. :)
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January 2013
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