Slept for 18 hours yesterday because I couldn’t wake up - GP or A&E?

[Headproblems]

Just looking for some advice because I know the NHS is massively overstretched at the moment and I don’t want to waste resources if this is just a GP thing.

Basically for the past few months I have been experiencing lots of headaches and some dizziness and oversleeping. It hasn’t been consistent so I’ve never really got it checked out because it’s never been enough to cause huge issues.

However this week, every day I have been struggling to wake up and until at least 10am I have been in and out of sleep feeling completely without control, no matter how hard I’ve been trying to stay awake I fall straight back to sleep within minutes and have to force myself to stay awake.

In the middle of this week I walked upstairs and my ears went fuzzy and my head started spinning, it was really scary because for about 3 minutes my ears went in waves and I could barely hear, like I was under water.

I’ve tried earlier nights but nothing has been helping. I have my own business and it’s affecting my work, being unable to concentrate and missing meetings.

Yesterday I slept for 18 hours throughout the day, it was impossible to wake up I was so drowsy, at one point I thought I was awake and I was talking to my partner about ingredients (?) but I was still asleep and apparently all he could hear was muffles, and it got to a point where my head started waving and it felt like I was falling every time I shut my eyes, this lasted for about 10 minutes.

I awoke at 8pm and went back to sleep at 1am, and this morning couldn’t wake up until 11am and had to literally force myself into a cold shower to wake up.

I managed to get up and ready, have come downstairs and I am so dizzy I feel like I’m going to pass out (I haven’t), and my head feels like there is pressure around my temples.

I’ve not taken any new medication and the medication I do take I have been taking the same for about 8 years now, no changes that I can think of in diet, I do feel dehydrated from all the sleep though.

I’m unsure whether to call 111 because I’m feeling shaky and dizzy but not sure if it would be better to wait it out until Monday for an emergency GP appointment.

But not being able to wake up is scaring me and frustrating me, I don’t want to be sleeping the days away, I physically just cannot wake up no matter how hard I try.

Please if anyone can give me some advice or has experienced this before I would really appreciate it

Good luck OP, hope you get some answers

Without sounding harsh, anaemia is not always minor, it can be serious and if levels are very low can be an emergency.

Hope you are seen soon and get some answers.
💐

I hope all goes well at hospital. I have been experiencing similar recently, and had a blood test on Friday

Do you or your partner have a prescription for sleeping pills?

I see a few people have already mentioned anaemia, I was coming on to ask if you might have iron deficiency. When I was having issues like this it turned out to be anaemia and severe vitamin D deficiency. Glad to see you are getting checked out

Arrived and taken straight through. Did obs blood pressure fine, heart rate 140. Gave me some paracetamol for headaches. And no neither myself or my partner have sleeping pills. Waiting on an ECG atm

Hope they get to the bottom of it. There must be a reason for the tachycardia (rapid heart rate.)

Heart rate 140? That is a bit fast 😐glad you’re getting checked out op x

Not surprised you’re dizzy with a resting heart rate of 140.

Good luck op.

Good luck @Headproblems - 🤞you get some answers

Do you suffer from anxiety and/or depression?

I had this when my ferritin levels went down to 3. I also get the false awakenings as you described when I truly believe I am awake and getting up and ready for the day but am actually still asleep, they are quite scary. I hope you get some answers soon op.

narcolepsy
i knew someone who had that

I don't want to alarm you but these seem like some form of deficiency/ dysregulation symptoms or maybe even Diabetes (Type 1 can form at any point in life, regardless of your weight). I would definitely follow up with a full blood count at the GP to rule out thyroid issues/diabetes and pretty much anything else hormone/protein related, I wouldn't let them fob you off with just an ECG either. Heart issues can cause dizziness/ tachycardia (your HR is very high!), but they should be checking your brain also imo if bloods and ECG come back normal, I would also get them to check your eyes and to check the pressure and optic nerve to rule out any central nervous system problems/problems with your cerebral spinal fluid.
Heart issues can cause extreme fatigue too but then again, with your HR being so high it may be anaemia. Something in your blood doesn't seem to be getting to where it should be fast enough, either Oxygen or the Iron in your blood cells. Hence your Tachycardia (the brain signals to the heart to increase heart rate to get your blood to deliver something to your cells faster, if it detects a deficiency).

I'm not a doctor, but have a Bsc in Neuroscience, good luck :)

Hi OP, hope that they can get you sorted soon. I had something very similar - dizziness, sudden waves of irresistible fatigue, sleeping loads - and they tested my thyroid and found it had become hugely under-active. It was a blood test. They said I was not far from levels which would cause a myxedema coma - which is definitely how I felt, comatose! I'm on levothyroxine now which isn't perfect but is helping. I wish you all the best.

This is how my LADA type 1 Diabetes presented, good luck op.

low B12 and low ferritin (heavy periods) gave me similar symptoms, affected my ears and had vertigo and tinnitus, often hearing classical music and what i thought was a radio on in another room, extreme tiredness and dizziness, really struggled to wake up and often slept til noon if not disturbed and nodded off after eating too
Hope you get sorted, it sounds awful and also that all your symptoms are investigated thoroughly, good luck

Is it possible you have low iron or B12 levels?

Hope you're OK, I get the weird vertigo symptoms at times and thats bad enough.

I just read your first post, OP, and am so glad you're in hospital getting sorted out. I hope you get an answer soon.

Hope you're okay and get sorted x

thanks for all the support and insight it’s really helpful because I can then ask questions. Had the ecg the nurse said my Heart rate is very elevated but have to wait for a doctor to tell me more because she can’t tell me what it exactly says. Just waiting for bloods and I believe they are going to test for diabetes

good that you are going A&e , they will check your blood sugar
what youre describing is how i felt when my blood sugars were all over the place turned out i had diabetes
hope it is nothing too serious for you

Do you have very heavy periods?