@WoolPippi
I've been doing the biphasic sleep thing for the past several years. If I'm not in pain when I awaken, if I'm not exceedingly thirsty when waking (drinking water doesn't help, so I must chew gum in order to produce saliva), or if I don't engage my mind, then I can fall back asleep in relatively short order.
Anything less than six hours sleep and my body feels it (beyond the plain normal CFS, debilitatingly exhausted everyday sensation). Mostly it's sore burning muscles combined with random aches and pains. No big deal.
Greater than six hours sleep and the muscle burn and random pains are minimized, more or less.
I just find it utterly bizarre that I can get an extra 15 to 20 minutes sleep, somewhere between 6 and 730a.m. and I feel somewhat energized, relaxed, clear-headed and my muscles don't hurt.
But this ONLY occurs if I take a power nap shortly after waking and during that specific time frame (after my primary overnight sleep episodes). And it's not always repeatable, occurring at most twice per month.
I'm not complaining, as this gives me some hope, thinking that if I cure my sleep issues I may vastly improve my recovery rate.
Ingesting tart cherry juice and partaking in CBD oil / THC prior to my sleeping seems to have helped. I didn't have any kind of energy or any kind of restful sleep prior to starting on each of these simultaneously back in April.
It could be the tryptophan affect or the CBD oil, I'm not sure. But whatever it is, I'd like more of this and I want it now.
Yes, craving sucks!
As you suggested, I have been taking naps during the day ever since April. Prior to that, I was never able to nap no matter how little sleep I had overnight, nor was I ever hungry or have any.kind of appetite since the illness began in 2010.
I used to wake up in the middle of the night with digestive issues as well, likely not as severe as yours, but once I started utilizing methylcellulose regularly my intestinal motility increased while the discomfort diminished quite a bit. Each of the other fiber supplements I tried were too harsh.
Also, I was on a liquid-based diet as of four years ago. The very first time I used a couple of Metagenics product samples in succession I had unbelievable results. Easy energy, easy breathing, no muscle pain, no muscle burn… negatively, the crazy energy drove me absolutely batty, making me want to shed my skin.
Back then, I was still able to walk, but my body thought it could fly and wanted to leap head first off the balcony!
This effect lasted for six hours. Of course, I bought the product and was never able to recapture the effect despite taking a daily for two years.
So yeah, I don't know if any of this was useful, but that sums up my sleep efforts. Well actually, I have a sleep study scheduled, but don't have any money, so that's on the back burner for now. They want to check for sleep apnea, finally!
Oh, and just a note on the REM sleep. Anytime I fall asleep, even for the briefest of moments, I immediately go into REM stage sleep, crazy dreams, exquisitely detailed. And based on my understanding, it's an indicator that I'm not getting enough REM sleep night to night, and probably for a prolonged period of time as well. Classic sleep deficit, I think.
Thank you for your input, it's much appreciated.