Of course, those of us going through TSW will be more than aware of this!
Wednesday, 24 February 2016
Big Pharma Make Big Profits
I saw an interesting article in the Daily Mail today about the underhanded methods employed by the big pharmaceutical companies in order to maximise profits.
Monday, 22 February 2016
Insomnia Part 1: Kalms Night Review
Most people with Red Skin Syndrome will have likely experienced insomnia at some point during their steroid withdrawal. This is likely because of the link between the stress hormone cortisol and sleep. Long term use of steroid drugs interferes with our HPA axis and could explain why insomnia is so common in TSW patients.
In normal people, the cortisol levels are lowest around midnight and highest about 8 am. This promotes a healthy night's sleep. When our natural rhythm is disturbed, problems can occur.
I bought a fitness tracker back in December and one of its functions is recording my sleep patterns. I immediately noticed a recurring pattern with my sleep cycle. It takes me a long time to get to sleep, even if I go to bed early. I dont usually fall asleep until about 11:30 pm. I then go into a very deep sleep for an hour or so, followed by a light, broken sleep. At around 3-4 a.m. I wake up and them I'm wide awake for an hour or more. I'm usually hungry too, which I believe is due to low blood sugar levels. I then drop off again and enter a really deep sleep cycle, which is unfortunate, as it coincides with when I have to wake up. When the alarm goes off, I'm really tired and shaky. If I don't set the alarm, I will have a deep sleep cycle between about 5-8:30 a.m. and then wake up. So basically my sleep cycle is the wrong way around.
Over the next few weeks, I'm going to be trying different things to help my insomnia. The first thing I've tried are Kalms Night tablets which cost about £5 for 50 pills. They contain valerian root extract as the main ingredient.
I was surprised that the nightly dose was 4 tablets. This means that each pack only has enough pills for 12 nights. The tablets were sugar coated and easy to swallow and tasted pleasant.
I have nearly finished the pack and haven't noticed any difference in my sleep pattern. The fitness tracker data confirms that my patterns have been exactly the same as when I don't use the tablets.
Therefore the Kalms Night tablets didn't work for me, unfortunately.
Back to the drawing board. I'll be trying more remedies soon in the hope of finding the elusive cure for my insomnia.
On the plus side, my skin is REALLY good right now, but more on that in another post!
In normal people, the cortisol levels are lowest around midnight and highest about 8 am. This promotes a healthy night's sleep. When our natural rhythm is disturbed, problems can occur.
I bought a fitness tracker back in December and one of its functions is recording my sleep patterns. I immediately noticed a recurring pattern with my sleep cycle. It takes me a long time to get to sleep, even if I go to bed early. I dont usually fall asleep until about 11:30 pm. I then go into a very deep sleep for an hour or so, followed by a light, broken sleep. At around 3-4 a.m. I wake up and them I'm wide awake for an hour or more. I'm usually hungry too, which I believe is due to low blood sugar levels. I then drop off again and enter a really deep sleep cycle, which is unfortunate, as it coincides with when I have to wake up. When the alarm goes off, I'm really tired and shaky. If I don't set the alarm, I will have a deep sleep cycle between about 5-8:30 a.m. and then wake up. So basically my sleep cycle is the wrong way around.
Over the next few weeks, I'm going to be trying different things to help my insomnia. The first thing I've tried are Kalms Night tablets which cost about £5 for 50 pills. They contain valerian root extract as the main ingredient.
I was surprised that the nightly dose was 4 tablets. This means that each pack only has enough pills for 12 nights. The tablets were sugar coated and easy to swallow and tasted pleasant.
I have nearly finished the pack and haven't noticed any difference in my sleep pattern. The fitness tracker data confirms that my patterns have been exactly the same as when I don't use the tablets.
Therefore the Kalms Night tablets didn't work for me, unfortunately.
Back to the drawing board. I'll be trying more remedies soon in the hope of finding the elusive cure for my insomnia.
On the plus side, my skin is REALLY good right now, but more on that in another post!
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