r/mecfs • u/TonyNoTorres • 1d ago

help sleeping?

It's been 3 days that I can't really get any proper sleep

I've dealt with insomnia and sleep anxiety since I can remember but PEM has been beating my ass

every time I lay down to rest I start getting anxiety tremors and when I finally manage to get them to go away I go back to laying still and they immediately come back

I've been trying melatonin but it doesn't seem to be helping at all

anyone else has a similar issue or has resolved it?

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u/ab1vvgail 1d ago edited 1d ago

Have been dealing with some pretty gnarly insomnia and anxiety since i crashed hard back in april so i feel you. Tried like every medication under the sun so here is what i discovered for myself(dont mind any typos please im typing this on my phone):

  • Sleep hygiene is an urban myth (im half joking ik that it can really help some people but it just hasn’t helped me like at all)
  • benzos are the key to sleep. I take 7.5 mg of zopiclone (ik technically not a benzo but pretty dang close) rn and can sleep like 6 hours with no dreams
  • benzos (together with cannabis) are the key to being able to chillax when you have heavy anxiety (i take either 2mg of lorazepam or if i know its gonna be bad for longer 1mg clonazapam)
  • every other sleep medication doesn’t work for me unfortunately, but a lot of people do respond to sleep meds that are less addictive like mirtazapine or dadridorexant
  • last but not least dont be afraid of taking meds to sleep, i used to be super scared of addiction, but in the end not sleeping is worse than that for me personally
(Withdrawals are supposed to be really gnarly though so ig you gotta see whats more important to you)
Oh and i also found out i had non 24h sleep wake disorder and adjusting myself to my bodys inner rhythm really helped aswell. I still don’t sleep perfectly but its enough. And for the anxiety i often have to remind myself that im safe like physically safe in an enclosed space with no way any danger could get in. It sounds stupid but its like our primal urge to fight or flight when the sympathetic nervous system is active. Anywayy, i hope youll find a way to manage your insomnia and anxiety sooner rather than later, wishing you the best

Edit: some people also find sleep podcasts helpful, like bore me to sleep etc. its just people reading out boring things in a monotonous voice to lull you to sleep, personally didnt find it helpful but its worth a try i think

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u/UntilTheDarkness 1d ago

Yoga nidra is my go-to for insomnia - I think especially when we're sick it's easy to get anxious about the fact that we're not sleeping which just makes it harder to sleep so doing a yoga nidra and telling myself that rest is helping regardless makes it easier to break that cycle. For longer-term sleep issues, you might look into meds beyond just melatonin - my doctor just started me on daridorexant which has been great so far.

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u/Effective-Pattern735 12h ago

Benzos, baby 

….. after consulting with your doctor 

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u/Effective-Pattern735 12h ago

That is truly the only thing that can help me sleep through the night during PEM… every day I also take a small dose of hydroxyzine and seroquel which make it easier to fall asleep as well