Lack of sleep as trigger for illness

[Tofslan]

Just looking for some solidarity really I think.

If I get a little less sleep than I need consistently over a number of days/weeks I seem to go into some kind of state of general glitchiness - shakes, feeling hot or cold, more sensitive to light, less focused when driving, messing stuff up etc. And brings on ocular migraines which can knock me out for a day or two afterwards.

I know I just need to sleep more but sometimes I feel so fed up with that - it’s always when I am trying to push myself to achieve something (apply for jobs, do yoga every day, get the house really in order, plan a holiday etc.) that this pushback seems to come and I end up abandoning whatever it was and just concentrating on lying down/resting when I can, working out how to do the bare minimum and keep stuff going etc.

I know people get tired, and I know most people suffer if they’re a bit sleep deprived, but my impression from talking to other people is that it’s not normal to feel so set back after a few nights of 7hr sleep. So many people I know manage to work in the evenings, or work full-time, look after kids and go out too. I never go out, I don’t have a job (sahm with DP who works away). I want to be able to push myself and I end up like today just feeling faint and shivery and like my brain’s not firing. I’m sure I’m due a migraine.

I know lots of people have heaps worse but I am just a bit fed up and would love to hear from others who find similar.

I felt exactly like you, couldn't understand why I was feeling so run down, in the exact way you describe despite sleeping for 7 to 8 hours each night until I bought a fitbit and after months realised that I was seriously defficientvof deep sleep. I can sleep, but struggle to get in that deep restoring sleep. My friend who has always manage on 5 hours of sleep also got a fitbit and sure enough, she gets about 2 hours of deep sleep and wakes up refreshed.

I now don't need the fitbit to tel me how much deep sleep I've had, I know before I check the app. Sadly, increasing it is proving very difficult despite all my efforts. The only thing that might make a huge difference would be totally changing my life which I can't do so I get by week after weeks, living with chronic fatigue, although it's more bearable now that I've accepted it.

Thanks for replying swingofthings. You might be on to something there - my 3yo still wakes and cries out to be picked up every single night so I must sleep lightly enough to wake for that. He hasn’t slept more than three whole nights since birth.

I think there’s also a psychological side to this issue - immediately after I posted that OP I wanted to delete it. I hate feeling like a moaner, and I’m convinced other people (mostly my family) think I’m lazy. I can tell myself rationally that a) they probably don’t b) who cares anyway what other people think and c) even if I am a bit lazy it doesn’t harm anyone but there is a constant internal voice there berating me for not achieving, not being on top of things etc.

Spent the morning feeling nauseous and shaky and cold, huddled under a blanket but took it very easy this afternoon and have felt much better. Didn’t get the migraine I thought was brewing today, so that’s good.

Oh I can so relate to that feeling of not wanting to moan! I'm just the same. At thee biggining, my OH couldn't understand as he saw it that I was getting plenty of sleep and it was hard to see him doing all the cleaning whilst I sat on the sofa because I couldn't get the energy to get going and I could read his mind thinking I was lazy. After 3 years he now finally understand and that helps me a lot to cope with it.

Had my worse night in a long time, 8 hours of sleep ut woke up feeling like I've been hit by a hammer. Tinnitus is horrible and feel very lightheaded. Sure enough, only 30 minutes of deep sleep and almost 6 hours out of the eight is just light sleep.

Being woken up a few times a night be it for a child or to go to the toilet does disturb our cycle not only because of the disturbance itself but also because of the anticipation of it.

I hope you had a better night last night. Do you know why your 3yo wakes up crying every night?

I think it’s just habit. He was a big hungry baby who kept feeding through the night until 15months or so and then after that he woke up asking for water and now he just cries and I go and bring him back to my bed. It’s a bad habit for both of us really as for a while I wasn’t going to sleep at all until he’d woken - I guess because I was anticipating being woken. Otoh, he is the last baby and I appreciate that he still wants a snuggle. The one before him stopped sneaking into my bed at night around 4yo so I figure I haven’t long to go like this.

Sympathies on the tinnitus - I have that too and quite bad today also.