How I Am Sleeping Through the Trikafta Insomnia

Sleeping has been a great difficulty since starting Trikafta. I am not alone, the Trikafta tribe are pretty much all in agreement on this one. Those peachy pills do not like to let you sleep.

Gone are those eight hours of restorative rest, most of us are lucky if we manage 3-4 hours sleep at all. Difficulty falling asleep, staying asleep and getting back to sleep seems to be the theme for many of us.

Personally I find I stir much more easily and tend to wake for a witching hour between 2-4am and then it's all fun and games trying to get back to sleep. This impacts my day ahead and can increase my Trikafta brain fog, so finding sleeping strategies was key.

Trikafta insomnia strategies

Sleeping strategy one: sleep hygiene

Cleaning up my sleep hygiene and I don't mean changing my bedsheets. Bad sleep hygiene is any unhealthy nighttime habits I had around bedtime. For example, spending time looking at screens omitting blue light is a bad habit of mine, or drinking caffeine later in the day. Both of these things I have reduced.

One of the key healthy sleep habits I started to form is a regular bedtime and wake up time - forming this routine has enabled my natural wake/sleep cycle to regulate.

Sleeping strategy two: exercise

Exercise. I find doing cardio early in the day to be most effective for having a better sleep. This helps me with getting to sleep and sleeping through the night uninterrupted with nighttime wakefulness. My body and brain seem to respond better to sleep when I’ve had a really sweaty workout that day.

Restorative/yin yoga has been very helpful for before bed, the combination of relaxing deep yogic breathing and gentle postures prepares my body and my nervous system to wind down for the evening.

Sleeping strategy three: meditation

Sleep hypnosis recordings or guided meditations. I find body scan meditations to be very helpful for helping my mind and body relax into a restful sleep.

These recordings are excellent for that wakeful witching hour too, many of them offer a “getting back to sleep” audio to help drift off into a sleepy slumber.

Sleeping strategy four: evening dose time

Taking my evening dose of Trikafta at least 4 hours before my bedtime. I find Trikafta to be at its optimal absorption rate about 4 hours in, I think this is when it has the most potential to disrupt my sleep patterns. Taking it earlier in the evening has helped me greatly to have a better night's sleep.

Sleeping strategy five: magnesium

An oral magnesium supplement or Epsom bath salts which are naturally high in magnesium. Creating a bedtime bath ritual has been a soothing way to prepare my mind and body for a restful sleep. I have been using magnesium for several months to promote deep, restful sleep and found it has helped me drift off to sleep quickly without reacting with my Trikafta.

It is always best to discuss with your doctor any supplements you'd like to try, or changes you'd like to make to your treatment routine, and they can recommend what will be safe and effective for you.