can anyone PLEASE help me

[twinks29]

i would REALLY appreciate it if anyone could give me some advice or point me to the right place...

I'm a 34 year old female and basically i cannot stay awake...i can sleep 12-16 hours at night(deep and undisturbed sleep) and then be up for an hour and then i'm asleep again for another 7 hours, awake again for another groggy 2 hours and then i repeat the whole cycle again...
I'm spending my entire life asleep and its not normal and i need to do something about it before my whole life is over
I've tried energy drinks,caffeine tablets,slightly dodgy tablets off the internet AND highly illegal drugs to keep me awake...and yep the only thing that keeps me awake is the very dodgy stuff.
I've asked my doctor for prescription drugs to keep me awake or give me more energy but they just say they don't exist or i have depression but i've put up with this cycle of sleep all my life, its only recently i've thought it could possibly be severe fatigue or a sleep disorder??

IS there anything i could ask my doctor specifically for?any help gratefully received as my partner is on the verge of leaving as i literally spend ALL hours sleeping

[Richard]

Difficulty Staying Awake

Hello Twink,

You've come to the right place for dealing with sleep disorders, that's for sure.

Your details are only sketchy, but certain physical details can make a big difference. Are you over-weight, even obese? Has your GP ever said to you: 'Go away and lose x stones and come back and see me then?'

Do you have a job, perhaps working a night-shift? Do you regularly fall asleep at work?

Have you ever had a serious respiratory illness?

Do you snore loudly?

Do you smoke?

You say you sleep for 12-16 hours 'solid and undisturbed sleep', but how do you feel when you wake up? Do you wake up with a headache or wake feeling refreshed?

And if your sleep is 'solid and undisturbed', has your partner ever said you stop breathing while you're asleep?

If you don't sleep properly when you go to bed, you won't be able to stay awake during the day.

Elsewhere on this site you can find a copy of the Epworth Sleepiness Scale and the Berlin Snoring Questionnaire. As a first step, I suggest you print off both these, fill them in truthfully, and take them along to your GP and ask for an appointment at a sleep-clinic.

The forms are standard, medical documents that your GP will recognise as such. Press the point of your visit, you really want this diagnosed more than anything. Be firm and don't apologise for wasting his time: that's what he's there for - to look after his patients' health.

Do this as soon as you can, then come back here and let us know what's happening.

best of luck

Richard

[Tigers Fan]

Everything Richard says and also - a quicker route - talk to Intus Health Care (who own this forum) and they will give you a sleep study within a couple of days. NHS could/will take forever.

TF

[Sparticus]

Another route

If it really gets bad, then go down to your A & E and tell them that your doc wont see you and its an emergancy their doc will see you. You will then get an appointment to a sleep clinic or you may even get to see a specialist if theres one around

[jackyk]

good luck with getting sorted out

[Berneta]

Never awake

Hi Twinks29, Sure sounds like you have some kind of sleep disorder, and should do a sleep test as soon as possible. As much as you are sleeping it may be something other than OSA--but you won't know much just from all our guesses. I suggest you get off all the drugs and energy drinks, etc, (they may have an effect on the tests) and go have a sleep study done. But I think the first thing to do is change DRs. This condition should have been handled long ago. Good Luck, Berneta

[Fredxx]

Epworth Sleepiness Scale and the Berlin Snoring Questionnaire

As Richard said, those are the things you need to take to the doctor to get him engaged. Google them, they are easy to find

[twinks29]

hi thank you, i haven't got any ink in the printer at the mo but i just did the Epsworth questionnaire and got 14..the second from the worst result

[Richard]

How can a girl get diagnosed when she's got no ink in her printer?

By writing down the questions off the screen and put in your answers, then get an appointment to see your GP. On the way home, pop into Staples and buy an ink cartridge!

Don't put it off, Twink. Do it now.

Richard

[Sparticus]

News?

well twink how did you get on?