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Why do I do better without much sleep and yet exhausted after sleep?

wonderoushope

Senior Member
Messages
247
I have insomnia for the most part, and when I don't sleep I tend to be okay for a day or two. Last night though, I did sleep, but I woke up exhausted and have been for the whole day. Whenever I sleep I wake up feeling like I have been punched in the face and don't have much energy throughout the day. Why is that?

Usually, if I am tired I pick-up by late afternoon and tend to be more wide awake, but today with sleep I feel exhausted and it is 7pm.
 

AdamS

Senior Member
Messages
339
I can’t say exactly why this is, but my educated guess is that for some ME/CFS patients, an overactive immune system is responsible for the majority of our symptoms.

Lack of sleep and alcohol for example are two things that can impair the immune system, with alcohol specifically reducing the function of T and B lympocytes. So in patients where the immune system is locked in a state of overactivity, dulling it may actually help you feel better temporarily.
 

Wishful

Senior Member
Messages
5,684
Location
Alberta
The answer is that the body is incredibly complicated, with every change likely having multiple effects. Maybe a good sleep consumes a particular nutrient, which means that it isn't available for some other purpose, leaving you feeling fatigued. As in AdamS's suggestion, the immune system might be involved. There could be dozens of chemical interactions involved, so figuring out why it's doing that is likely not worth the effort.

My suggestion is to pay attention to days when you get decent sleep and don't feel extra-fatigued, and try to figure out what those days have in common (or rather, the day or two preceding the event). Maybe it's a food, or an activity, or the food or activity at a different time of day. Solving the mystery theoretically (ie. 'deep sleep depletes nutrient x') might be satisfying, but discovering that chocolate in the morning can prevent the extra fatigue is more useful.
 
Messages
26
Location
USA
I get the same thing. Feel like I’ve been beaten and dragged through the streets and then poisoned when I wake up. The more I sleep, the worse it is. I feel better if I’ve had just 3 or 4 hours of sleep, but then the lack of sleep catches up to me later. I feel like I spend all day recovering from sleeping. I’m still trying to figure it out.
 

soxfan

Senior Member
Messages
995
Location
North Carolina
I am the same...The better I sleep the worse I feel. If I sleep for longer periods of time throughout the night instead of waking every few hours I feel terrible in the morning. Exhausted and draggy.

I do better waking multiple times and falling back to sleep quickly. Sleep has been my absolute worse symptom for 14 years.
 

Seven7

Seven
Messages
3,444
Location
USA
It can be a few things. Since you have Cfs the common things is a good place to start to look for. But we are all different so I think you need a sleep study and search for the known culprit.
1) sleep Apnea = this was one of my personal issues.
2) Sleep Stages issues = they will not look for this, you need to ask to the person running the sleep study ( they meassure but do not pay attention to it) I ended up with stage 4 issues. This si very common on CFS. So I needed a sleep stage 4 inducer. I do not take it anymore ( as often) trazadone is what is used and felt refreshed after that. But until I did stage 4 inducers I never got refreshed sleep ( even w apnea under control).

Most natural remedies and sleeping pills are sleep inducers not stay sleep agents. I used to wake up every hour or every 2 hours. So I knew I had sleep stage issues. Is not so obvious on others. But even that, the sleep doctor gave me a inducer becuase is what they are use to prescribe ( dumb ars) and took a good GP to explain to me the differences and to get my sleep under control. I do not need anything anymore, but couldn’t have improved where I am at otherwise.
 

wonderoushope

Senior Member
Messages
247
1) sleep Apnea = this was one of my personal issues

trazadone is what is used and felt refreshed after that. But until I did stage 4 inducers I never got refreshed sleep ( even w apnea under control).

I've never thought I had sleep apnea, because I barely sleep at all. I just toss and turn all night or do not sleep at all, or fall asleep at 4 am for a few hours. How could one even test for sleep apnea, when you toss and turn all night?

I was trialing temazepam as a sleeping tablet but it doesn't seem to do anything for me really, is that similar to trazadone?
 
Last edited:

rel8ted

Senior Member
Messages
451
Location
Usa
I've never thought I had sleep apnea, because I barely sleep at all. I just toss and turn all night or do not sleep at all, or fall asleep at 4 am for a few hours. How could one even test for sleep apnea, when you toss and turn all night?

I was trialing temazepam as a sleeping tablet but it doesn't seem to do anything for me really, is that similar to trazadone?
I didn't think I had sleep apnea wither,but the sleep study proved otherwise.
 

Seven7

Seven
Messages
3,444
Location
USA
I've never thought I had sleep apnea, because I barely sleep at all. I just toss and turn all night or do not sleep at all, or fall asleep at 4 am for a few hours. How could one even test for sleep apnea, when you toss and turn all night?

I was trialing temazepam as a sleeping tablet but it doesn't seem to do anything for me really, is that similar to trazadone?
If you do not stay sleep is a stage 4 issue. Temazepan is an inducer.
I never snore so not sure how I ended up w apnea, yes they can find it ( at the time I woke up every 15min to an hour) and is the only way to see the sleep stage issue.
I have a theory that maybe since we have Cfs the muscles droopy/ weakness everywhere, including Bizare areas and is how we end up developing apnea?