Tired? You’re Not the Only One

I’ve always found the phrase “sleeping like a baby” such a farce. When my kids were babies, they slept as little and as lightly as they could. Talking to adults, we often joke about how much we would sleep if possible- a nap in the afternoon, no pressures to get us out of bed in the morning. Sleep is a precious escape, a restorative process that allows one to go to bed tired and wake up ready to face another day. The challenge is that’s not always how it goes.

HIV diagnosis is reason enough to cause sleeplessness. Dealing with a new identity, a new set of health considerations, disclosure, treatment considerations and all the rest is enough to keep anyone awake. Once you get into a worrying pattern of sleeplessness it’s hard to get out. Mental and physical symptoms can ensue. Depression can lead to insomnia and vice versa, creating a vicious circle that’s hard to escape.  Anxiety, depression’s hyper cousin, is also a player in insomnia, creating havoc as you try to calm down to get to sleep or stay asleep.

Sleep disturbances are not uncommon for people living with HIV. In a recent paper looking at insomnia and HIV, a UK survey of over 1,800 PWAs reported, 32% of those surveyed were unhappy with their sleep. Another report indicated that up to 70% of people living with HIV deal with chronic insomnia and pointed out it’s more common in women than in men.

A number of HIV treatments list fatigue or sleep problems as a potential side effect, although many folks on efavirenz will report sleep disturbances like weird dreams. Lack of sleep can make what used to be simple tasks (taking your meds on time) really hard, and that’s the last thing you need if you’re living with HIV.  Common tricks to get things back on track include going to bed on a regular schedule, cutting down or eliminating caffeine, avoiding alcohol and strenuous exercise several hours before bed, relaxation or meditation programs. If insomnia is an ongoing problem and none of the above have helped, talk to your doctor.

- Janet

This blog represents the ideas of individual writers, and does not necessarily reflect any formal stance taken by Positive Women’s Network. 

This was posted on Friday, October 23rd, 2009 at 6:56 am and is filed under News . Feel free to respond, or trackback. Read our comments policy.

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