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Sleep and HBP

11/15/2011

Question:

I am 58 years old, take linospiril for HMP. I am having issues with sleeping throughout the night. Is this related to the medication?

I do not have problems falling asleep. What occurs is that I wake up and am wide awake around 1:30/2:00 and end up tossing and turning for about 1 hour.

I eventurally fall back asleep but do not feel like I am getting a very restful sleep.

Answer:

Waking up in the middle of the night and experiencing difficulty getting back to sleep can be troublesome. This is a form of insomnia known as “sleep maintenance insomnia” and may result from a number of varied causes. However, not among those is the medication lisinopril or the class of medication that lisinopril is in (ACE inhibitors). Difficulty sleeping is not listed as a side effect for this type of medication.

As mentioned, there are a considerable number of other causes for sleep maintenance insomnia. Some of the more common conditions or problems include breathing disorders in sleep (such as sleep apnea, asthma, or heart failure), leg jerks during sleep or wakefulness (known as periodic limb movement disorder or restless legs syndrome, respectively), depression, anxiety, conditions associated with pain, heartburn, side effects from medications (but not lisinopril) or substances (such as caffeine, alcohol, or nicotine), circadian rhythm disturbances, and a poor sleep environment.

Sometimes, simply improving “sleep hygiene” and sleep-related behaviors can help. This may include simple measures such as keeping a regular sleep schedule, avoiding caffeine and alcohol within 4-6 hours of bedtime, avoiding exercise and/or hot showers near bedtime, and making sure the bedroom is quite, dark and comfortable. In addition, how you behave once you awaken can be a significant cause of trouble getting back to sleep. Behaviors such as continually lying in bed when you can’t sleep, clock watching or getting up and doing something stimulating (such as smoking, watching TV, etc.) can all be counterproductive to returning to sleep.

If you already practice good sleep hygiene, or you try these maneuvers without success, then you should probably be referred to a Sleep Specialist for additional evaluation. All of the above mentioned conditions can be treated with some degree of success and the key lies to sorting what factors in your specific case need to be addressed. The fact that your sleep is not restful suggests that this problem needs to be addressed.

To learn more about insomnia or other sleep disorders, please visit the American Academy of Sleep Medicines. In addition to information, the website contains a list of Sleep Centers across the country so that you may locate one near you.

Good luck and here’s to better sleep!

For more information:

Go to the Sleep Disorders health topic.