Do sleeping pills help provide restful sleep?

Thank you for that information. My problem is not insomnia because I appear to sleep but I wake up feeling I have not slept. From what I understand about sleeping there are 4 stages and only in the 4th stage which is deep sleep do we get the rest we need to function. I am starting to think that I either do not reach the 4th stage or do not stay there long enough to benefit. Each day is different but I have come to regard going to bed as a problem. I often wake up in pain during the night. My partner says he hears me whimpering in the night from pain. This week has been particularly bad. I will try herbal remedies. Lavender might be a good way to start as we have that.

Sorry I misunderstood about the insomnia. I suffer from Chronic Fatigue Syndrome too and can't ever seem to get enough sleep no matter how long I'm out for. It's tricky to determine what's going wrong because there's been so little research into the real causes of C.F.S. For a long time, doctors dismissed it as a psychosomatic illness and so there hasn't been any real funding put into understanding it until recently. If your doctor seems unable to help you then perhaps you need to change to another one. You could also ask if there are any specialists in your area that you can be referred to or do an Internet search yourself to see what facilities there are near you. I'm sorry to hear you're suffering too. I completely sympathise. It's a dreadful illness and I hope scientists get to the bottom of it soon. x

I am not sure I can get into a sleep study. we do have them but my partner has been on a waiting list for ages. He has sleep apnea. For me the sleep problem is very recent. Up to 18 months ago I had no problems like this. My sleep problems came with the CFS and have become worse over time. Some days are better than others but at the moment I am going through a bad week. But I will ignore sleeping pills since they do not solve my problem. I have read about sleep patterns and I would not be surprised if I partially woke several times. I know I rarely get more than 3 hours without waking, sometimes only 2. At least waking that I am aware of. Even if I got into a program and they worked out what was causing my sleep problems can they cure it. I find it odd that after 50 years of good sleep I am now having such bad problems.

Sorry responded before I read on and I really need to stop doing that. I have Chronic Fatique Syndrom also allong with having fibromyalgia, really bad muscel spazems, and a low immune system. When combined with CFS sleeping pills are a big no. It will not help you because your problem isn't falling asleep. The only thing that worked for me is a good diet, lots of vitamins and the PM pain medication if I was hurting at night. Also what helps is if you get plenty of exercise, and then every once in a while I have had to stay up all night and not go to bed until early the next night so I knew that I was so tired there was no way I wouldn't have a good night's sleep. Make sure it is when you do not have to worry about getting up at a set time the next day and just sleep as long as you must. Everyone has their own internal clock and our bodies are not meant to go to sleep and wake up at a set time every night. You need to get yourself back on track. Also what I suggest is message theropy. It will lossen you up and help your nerves settle in for a good nights sleep. A hot bath and a cup of chamillmere tea also does wonders right before bed.

I have chronic fatigue syndrome. I do not actually have to do anything to feel fatigued. I do a little housework and look after my animals. It would not be enough to make a healthy person tired but with my illness I an continuously fatigued. I never know from day to day how tired I will be. I am currently having a bad week and I am getting the blackness under my eyes that usually means lack of sleep. The problem is I appear to sleep at least 8 hours a night but I feel as if I have not slept. I also live in a rural area and there are no other Doctor's nearby. I do not think there are many people who recognise this illness and I wonder if any of them understand it. I am told there is no treatment and no cure. I just have to wait until I get better which could take years but no one can tell me that either. It is frustrating to know so little. I have read lots of medical articles on it but they all say the same thing. No one knows. I am grateful for people's comments on sleeping pills. They will do nothing to help my problem. I wonder if there is anything that will help. I have read about sleep and how it works but I do not know if anything will help to make sure that the sleep I get is deep and not shallow. I think that is the problem. At least that is what sleep experts say. If you do not get the right amount of deep sleep you will always wake up feeling as though you have not slept. Our society has learned so much about health and there is still so much we do not know.

I live in a rural community in Australia and there are not many doctors here. I do not know if there are any specialists in CFS. Also it is very hard to change doctors as they have full client lists and rarely take on new patients. We have a shortage. Thank you for the web sites I will have a look at them. I am still learning to live with my illness. I can cope with the pain and I am learning not to be guilty or stressed about all the things I can't do but the tiredness and the brain fog can be the hardest of all. I have had this illness for 18 months and each day is different but at the moment I am having a week of extreme exhaustion. I have had days like this before but this is the longest number of days in a row. I suspect that the hot humid weather we have had recently may well be contributing to the problem. I do not sleep 8 hours in one block, it is more like 3 hours but can vary. I know that broken sleep is a problem and now I know that sleeping pills are not a solution. I am thankful to all the people who have commented. All my doctor told me was that they were addictive I needed to know if they gave restful sleep and now I know they don't so I will look elsewhere for answers.