Sleep

[jazhou]

Hi I have been a DES patient for 5 years. My dry eyes are so bad that I quited my computer job last August. My dry eye doctor told me that my dry eyes are caused by rosascea on my face. After I was diagnosed with DES, I started to have problem with sleep. I can only sleep 5-6 hrs every day. This may make my DES get worse. I am thinking about taking some sleep pills. I am wondering if anyone here is having the same problem. Would sleep pill make dry eyes worse?

Thanks,

[Teri]

Not sleeping makes dry eyes worse, that is certain.

I think that a lot of us (myself included) have had sleeping difficulties. During my period of severe insomnia, I tried Ambien and Rozerem, and neither of them dried my eyes. I also found that anti-anxiety meds, like Xanax, helped me sleep and did not dry my eyes (although Xanax made my depression worse, and I think you have to be careful with meds like that).

I ended up taking a small dosage of Seroquel (an atypical anti-depressant and "anti-psychotic") every night to help me sleep. It did not dry my eyes, decreased my anxiety (about my eye pain and the fact that I wasn't sleeping), and helped me sleep 8-10 hours/night.

I think it's worth trying to find something to help if you're not sleeping enough. I also read a lot of tips for improving sleep (you know -- going to bed and getting up at the same time every day, no exercise or caffeine at night, etc.).

Teri

[beachblanketbingo]

hello

How old are you - I am 49 - and if I sleep a 5-6 hr clip I am very happy and rested -

Older age and anxiety, alcohol, deprive sleep -

I know - believe it or not I actually went 2 weeks with no sleep in 1996 - thats right not 1-2 hrs a night - nothing -

I was put on a regimen to knock me out - trazadone, klonopin and prozac - well it worked - I was a zombie for a while and eventually got back to the norm

[bella]

sleep problems

Hi, I have sleeping problems too, which if I don't sleep well my dry eyes are even worse and I have more pain, so I also have anxiety too...and take xanax-I thought it would dry my eyes even more, but it doesn't seem to, and even if I take it in the morning, I'm sleeping by the time I get home and it has helped. Also, mediation, calming music etc. can help.

[Bekkestad]

opposite

For me it is the opposite. The worse and shorter i sleep the better my condition. Maybe i sleep with my eyes not surely closed or maybe im allergic to something in bed.

[SallyP]

I've never slept very well actually. If I don't sleep well, or wake up well in advance of my alarm (set for 6.30), for example at 4am, then my eyes are better and less stuck when I get up, but, I then suffer for it later in the day and my eyes are far worse accumulatively for having less sleep. All very odd and difficult to understand.

[jazhou]

How old are you - I am 49 - and if I sleep a 5-6 hr clip I am very happy and rested -

Older age and anxiety, alcohol, deprive sleep -

I know - believe it or not I actually went 2 weeks with no sleep in 1996 - thats right not 1-2 hrs a night - nothing -

I was put on a regimen to knock me out - trazadone, klonopin and prozac - well it worked - I was a zombie for a while and eventually got back to the norm

I am 38. People at my age should have 8-9 hours sleep, so I am 2-3 hours short. So that may be part of reasons I have dry eyes, I guess.

[GinaJ]

I have huge issues with sleep and am on meds. I think make sure to let your doctor know you have eye issues so that they can be aware with prescribing. I know when I fall asleep for an hour I wake up and my eyes hurt so much from being so dry. I have to put in drops and then am awake. I wonder are you on any meds for the rosascea? I aks cause my eye doc thought I had that which I didn't but he said it is key to manage it or your dry eye will have major flares.