I'm crashing and I can't discipline myself

[andreamarie]

I don't know why I'm so exhausted today. I was a couch potato yesterday and slept last night. Insomnia is one of my biggest problems. I know what I should do but I can't shut the computer and just watch a movie. I have lots of stuff on my DVR. I keep coming back to this site thinking I'll find an answer to all my problems. This is not unusual for me; I tend to attack a problem head on. Patience is not one of my virtues. So I'm going to close computer now and try not to come back. I'm starving and eating doesn't fill me up but I'm too tired to do more cooking. I never can sleep when I'm like this, so I have five hours till bedtime. Does this happen to anyone else or am I just incorrigible?

 

[Dainty]

It happens to me too. I call it "the discipline of rest" because resting is really the absolute last thing I want to do. On my smarter days I set a timer and force myself to lay down with my eyes closed for at least that long, then allow myself to get up and do something, and then the timer again. Other times I just keep crashing until sleep at last overtakes me.

 

[Esther12]

I've been stupid with all this XMRV stuff.

Forums can be really bad for sucking up your attention and energy.

Doing what you know is best is difficult for almost everyone. Today was going to be my day away from here, to wheen myself off. It's not worked out...

Shut the PC down and step away. If there's an answer on here, it will wait.

 

[Jody]

Yup.

What they said.

It's the only way. Good luck!

 

[flybro]

Yep

I think the key for me was accepting that I am at my best during the night. I have no idea why.

When I used to try and stick to a daytime routine, I would just be tired all the time, and toss and turn and night.

Now I tend to sleep through the morning until about mid afternoon, I always try to stay in bed for 8 hrs.

Since taking tramadol I'm not up and down like a yoyo going for a pee, so that helps.

More recently I've discovered zopiclone, and if I get into a rolling 'wired and tired' thing, I'll take one and be out for the count 10/12 hours, it does make me sluggish tho.

 

[MEKoan]

Ms Andreamarie, I certainly hope you are not here! Good girl!

Flybro,

My circadian rhythm was totally upside down for years. This is a common finding in ME/CFS.

When I was in remission, I was self employed and worked overnight whenever I could arrange it as it was the best time for thinking, bar none! I sometimes had assistants who worked for/with me. It could not have been much fun for them

Now, that I am disabled, I follow a more normal schedule but I have no idea why that it. Maybe it's because thinking is no longer so vital and there are no productive times. I sleep from about 1 am to 9 am. I have never kept such normal hours... strange.

 

[andreamarie]

Thanks guys. Looking back at last week, it really was a brutal week. A hospital procedure, a doc appt and then one night my smoke alarm went on from one a.m. to three a.m.

I have a doc appt tomorrow so even though I feel good today am doing nada.

Sleep is my biggest hurdle. Ambien and then Ambien CR worked for years and last year stopped. I now use Dalmane, or Soma or Seraquol. I can't use Seraquol often because it dries my throat and mouth and makes my esophagitis worse, and that's at the lowest dosage. I take gabapentin at night which used to knock me out but doesn't anymore. Last night I was sure I'd wipe out and went to bed at midnight with a Soma, woke up at four a.m. and took a Dalmane. I slept until 9:30 a.m.

I'm always so surprised when I read people on the board saying how they can sleep during day. I simply can't. I was a slow onset and my sleep problems were among first symptoms. I had TWO sleep docs but one no longer can see patients. Even when I had procedure last week conscious sedation didn't put me under.

 

[flybro]

I'm envious Koan,

I spent years trying to adopt such a healthy routine, ya big show off.

My hours also flip, sometimes I'll have a period of normalcy re night and day.

I live by, if I can I do, if I cant I don't, and to hell with the time.

 

[bakercape]

Insomnia

used to be high up on my symptom severity list. I found quite a bit of relief from it from taking Lexapro. I'm not a doctor and I know everyone with CFS reacts differently to medication but I thought I would share what has helped me with my sleep.

 

[Marylib]

For Andreamarie

I have to switch sleep meds all the time. They all quit working eventually. From yucky TCA's to trazodone, to antihistamines to zopiclone to clonazepam to eating a certain herbal remedy -- sometimes combining in tiny doses. I deeply sympathize...just gotta keep trying I guess.