ME, flu and insomnia

[Wishful]

I developed a nasty flu A few nights ago (grumble, grumble). I think I've managed to get a few hours of sleep total (in short bits) over the last three nights. A search for "flu insomnia" didn't show results, so it must not be common among non-ME people. Has anyone else here had insomnia from a flu or other viral infection? Bad coughing or congestion can make it hard to sleep well, but that's the result of a viral symptom, rather than the infection itself.

I also get insomnia from physical or cognitive exertion past 2 PM, so this might indicate that the immune system is involved, most likely the glial cells.

 

[Judee]

I'm sorry you're going through that. It's miserable on top of the ME, hey.

Can you take something like benedryl? I take children's chewables because I'm super sensitive to meds and even then only take a half or a quarter tablet and then another quarter when I wake 2-4 hours later. It does help me to sleep. Also I take children's tylenol if I am at all achy because that can make falling asleep harder.

Of course, don't take them if you know you get a paradoxical reaction to them. I wouldn't want to make your situation worse.

The other thing might be things that calm down brain cells like Cordyceps, boswellia, maybe NAC? (Although NAC actually makes me feel more wired so maybe not a good choice.)

Hope you feel better soon.

 

[serafim]

i had a flu or something similar last month and it definitely made my insomnia worse for like a week. was totally worth it thought because catching this virus made me improve from very severe to severe, albeit (probably) temporarily

 

[serafim]

i think a lot of people get insomnia from acute covid. hope you’ll be able to get some rest. take some sleep meds if you can. for me the worst of it was over by day 3 of acute symptoms, then my insomnia gradually went from extra bad to regular bad

 

[Azayliah]

I get insomnia with certain symptoms of illness. It mostly seems to coincide with fevers.

I can also get insomnia from physical activity and mental or emotional excitement--or the opposite, and sleep for 12 hours. I never know which of those will be the result until after I lay down.

 

[Rufous McKinney]

I got an awful flu also. It looked like I was escaping it. House full of sickos for many days.

The grandchildren are sick with Dengue Fever. Somehow both exist at the same time.

@Wishful where did you find a flu out there in the woods?

I'd be passed out in a coma but for my constant bladder and bowel activities. That prevents me from resting, much of the time.

 

[Wishful]

Can you take something like benedryl?

That just makes me groggy, but doesn't help me fall asleep. Melatonin sometimes helped, but feeling so awful prevented me from even thinking about it. I'll try that tonight if necessary. I'm recovering, slowly, but the aches had subsided enough for me to be able to trudge my driveway (2.5 km), which might help more than sitting in a chair did. Darn, I thought my temperature was gradually reducing, but I'm still at 37.9C. One measurement was 38.9C, so there's some progress.

For the aches, I certainly wanted to take a painkiller, but logically NSAIDS would prolong the infection, since they would be hampering the immune system. Acetaminophen isn't anti-inflammatory, but it is antipyretic, and elevated temperature is an important tool for combating viral infections, so that seems counterproductive too. I wonder if someone developed a good "take one and enter a blissful state while you heal pill", but it's suppressed because of course it would be abused.

 

[Wishful]

@Wishful where did you find a flu out there in the woods?

I have to go in for groceries every few weeks, and that means shopping in stores where moms push their little plague-spreaders around in carts. I may start wearing a mask again on those trips.

 

[Wishful]

because catching this virus made me improve from very severe to severe

I'm hoping for some positive change in my ME from this. It's hard to be sure yet, but I think I'm less lethargic and brainfogged than before it started. The improvement happened maybe 12 hrs before the flu symptoms first showed; I was feeling noticeably better that day and accomplished more tasks than usual.

I'm faced with a conundrum: what could I do to improve the chances of long-term gain from a viral infection? Consume more of foods that I haven't been tolerating well? Keep consuming less? Try to build up gradually, or do it abruptly? Since there's no evidence one way or another, it's just pure gambling, so it comes down to whatever I feel like at the moment.

 

[Tammy]

Strange........I'm just the opposite. I have my best sleep ever when I have the flu. (non-cough flu)

 

[Treeman]

Has anyone else here had insomnia from a flu or other viral infection?

Yes. My theory is that my poor sleep at most of the time has the involvement of active infections.

I have a cold too at the moment ( my 13 yr old brings them home from school) and my sleeping has got worse again. A mild sore throat and increased fatigue. It could last for weeks.

 

[Wishful]

My flu broke last night, about 96 hrs after the first symptoms. There's still residual tenderness, cough and congestion, but I managed something close to my typical night's sleep, so these symptoms aren't the cause of insomnia. My temperature was still slightly elevated around midnight, but only slightly, so I don't think temperature is the cause either. I still think it's due to immune system activity, and probably the glial cells.

I'm sure there are many causes of insomnia, but there might be a few victims who might benefit from checking for chronic viral infections, or trying immunomodulators.

 

[Wishful]

One other thing I noticed: after three nights with maybe a few brief bits of unconsciousness, I didn't feel sleep-deprived. I've been sleep-deprived before, and know what it feels like. I wonder whether there was some sleep function going one while still awake. Maybe I had Delta waves flushing my glymph vessels, or some chemical processes were going on even though they normally only occur during sleep. Three nights, with days of no significant activity probably isn't enough to guarantee sleep deprivation symptoms, but I thought it was an interesting observation.

 

[Wishful]

Today was the first day that I felt that the flu was finished. Yesterday I felt like I was having a relapse. Maybe my virus tried a last-ditch digging in, and my immune system brought in tanks and flamethrowers to clear out the last viral bunkers, with lots of smoke and flames messing me up. Anyway, this morning I felt much better, and did significant exertion (dug 5+ wheelbarrows soil, sawed and chopped wood, pounded posts in). I still have a tickle in my lungs, triggering occasional coughs, and slight congestion. That flu hung around for 13 days.

Glad it's gone.