Very scared, what’s wrong with me? Feeling confused and drowsy indoors but fine as soon as I go outside

[Noelle101]

Almost every day for a year now I get this horrible feeling, that I’m having trouble explaining. But I’ll try.

its like very reduced awareness and alertness. Like mental confusion, lethargic, disoriented, Drowsy. Like I am not really taking in what’s around me. I could be looking at screen and not really taking in what I’m seeing. Just like I been drugged I guess? Like I’m just sitting there staring into space not really taking in what’s around me. Very weak too.

i had extremely low blood pressure a couple times in my life and it’s kind of like this.

this feeling lasts hours and hours. I literally can not get anything done especially recently.

gp is saying it’s mental/anxiety

But the weird thing is I noticed this goes away as soon as I step outside. Like the second I step outside.

it’s also better if I spend all day not in the house and worse if I spend more time indoors

I also haven’t experienced this anywhere else outside my home.

But other 2 people living with me don’t experience this.

anyone know what this can be?

A brace of pedants

Is it social housing, owned, rented, council? That should help you decide what to do next re possible mould on walls.

I feel like this when I’m at home all day but I think it’s mostly a mental thing combined with being sedentary too long. When I’m inside I’m usually inactive and more likely to be doing something like watching TV or other relatively passive activities, I’m not getting as much social stimulation as when out and about and I’m not moving my body and getting exercise.

I also think my subconscious mindset when I’m at home is one that encourages my brain to stay half switched off. I have noticed if I have a day off and nothing planned if I get up and immediately get showered and dressed and go for a walk or do something like go to the shops then I feel much less foggy for the rest of the day compared to days where I get up and start the day sat watching TV still in my pyjamas. Once I’ve started the day doing nothing I find it hard to get myself going and my body and mind both feel like they’re only partially working and I often feel like I’m almost sleepwalking through the day. I don’t think it’s anything in my house causing it, I think it’s a subconscious mindset thing.

Was the mould visible?

I have been feeling really unwell mentally and it seems to get better when I'm not at home.

I have been really worried about mould but my landlord hasnt really done anything even though I have explained we had a leaking boiler and had a crack in the downstairs ceiling underneath it with visible mould.

Have you thought about a room air purifier? Let google AI help you to find the best one for your room size and needs. I’d definitely say it’s something in your house. The little CO2 monitors have often been proven not to work until quite high levels. I’d definitely get an engineer out ASAP.

some Of us in work had similar years ago. Sick building syndrome, not everyone was affected. Eventually the building was closed and we moved and everyone recovered. Nothing was ever found in the building.

What is the lighting like in your home?

Interesting. I think this is psycholigical. If it clears the second you step outside then that sounds like your brain is flipping a switch.

What happens if you stand next to an open window?

I’d be more concerned about CO levels than CO² with those symptoms.

Could it be damp and mould?

Check your gas cooker, your heaters, and anything else that gives out carbon monoxide. Check your carpet underlay, and whether you have mould in rooms you do not use, behind wardrobes, etc.

Start by buying a home mould testing kit https://mouldlab.uk/collections/test-mold?gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=23946808205&gbraid=0AAAABC2mtuvsExEhmyGzXSZvlr4YJkgu1&gclid=CjwKCAjwiL7VBhA-EiwAhZi9EJElrI5txHWb1nr4vz8raOl0X5Yrw2uK6MUT4FdIkRZrFAyic4EjoxoCdNUQAvD_BwE

And a new Carbon Monoxide Alarm

Don't assume that a negative result from either is a hard 'discount' but rather be looking for positive results.

Then GP
Then council/Ha/Landlord if you rent.

Might have been infrasound - low level vibration, barely audible.

Urgent: Please read this – your symptoms sound exactly like toxic mould poisoning.

I am so sorry you are feeling so incredibly unwell, but what you wrote about your symptoms completely disappearing the moment you leave the house is a massive red flag.

If your property had severe flooding in the past and you suspect the builders just covered it up with plasterboard, you are very likely breathing in hidden toxic black mould. Mould is a serious neurotoxin. It doesn't just cause respiratory issues; it causes severe lethargy, chronic fatigue, brain fog, and cognitive changes that can make you feel completely overwhelmed and unable to think straight. You aren't imagining this, and it is very likely the house that is making you sick.

Please treat this as an emergency. Because you are suffering from brain fog, here is a simple, step-by-step checklist of exactly what you need to do. Please don't try to figure it out on your own—let the experts step in:

1. HEALTH (Do this tomorrow)

• See a GP immediately: Tell them your severe cognitive and physical symptoms completely vanish when you leave the house. Ask them to document "suspected environmental toxicity/mould exposure" in your medical notes.
• Leave the property if possible: If you have family or friends you can stay with for a few days, pack a bag and go.

2. UK HOUSING & LEGAL RIGHTS (Regardless of whether you rent or own)

• If you RENT (Private or Social): Your landlord is legally responsible for structural damp and mould.
• Action: Bypass the landlord if they are stalling and contact your local council’s Environmental Health Department immediately. They can use the Housing Health and Safety Rating System (HHSRS) to legally force the landlord to fix it.
• Helpful Site: Go to the Shelter UK Advice Guide or call their urgent helpline. You can also get free, step-by-step backing from Citizens Advice.
• If you OWN / SHARED FREEHOLD:
• Action: Because the building as a whole is shared, contact the Property Managing Agent or the Freeholder immediately. Structural defects or historical flood failures affecting the building structure are usually covered under the Buildings Insurance Policy for the whole block. Demand they send an emergency structural surveyor.

3. PROVING THE MOULD

• Do not just get a standard home surveyor. Search online for a specialist Mould and Air Quality Tester. They have equipment that can sniff out toxic spores hidden behind the plasterboard without having to tear the walls down straight away.

Please copy and paste this into a notes app or print it out. Your health is at serious risk, and you need to get out of that air. Sending you so much strength—please update us when you can.

Honestly, I would think about moving

Did you miss the bit where op's home had serious flooding and she saw walls covered with mould that were then just covered up?

@Totaldramallama Apt name. She doesnt know the mold was just covered up, although it's possible. Best to pay for the air mold test and consider getting plants that help with indoor pollution - spider plants easier, snake tongue the best.

This is the phone number when you're not sure if your house has a CO leak.

0800 111 999

They are open at weekends, I'd call them today. You can explain your monitor isn't sounding but it's best to check. If your smoke alarm wasn't going off, but you could see flames, you'd call the fire brigade. Those alarms are not perfect and the test button just shows the circuitry works, it doesn't show that it will definitely alert to CO. (One other way to test this BTW is getting somebody to smoke next to it.)

IMO, this is the most urgent cause to rule out because it can actually kill you. The fact other people in the property aren't as affected is a red herring, especially as you have mentioned they have talked about feeling fatigued.

Then make a GP appointment on Monday to ask for testing for mould etc? NHS website actually suggests to call 111 rather than making an appointment, so they would probably talk through the severity and advise accordingly.

Has something bad happened in that house, or something bad with the people you live with? Could be a PTSD response.

Yes maybe it isn't the mould. But suggesting her symptoms are in her head given that op did actually see mould and lives somewhere that has previously flooded is rather unhelpful

@Noelle101 why are you living there? Is it to be able to travel to college or work? Are you caring for the two elderly people you live with? No one here can definitively tell you why you feel ill but it sounds like it’s linked to your home. Why can’t you move out? Are you stuck living there for some reason?

Along with the fact that the boiler isn’t housed in her home.

I also think it might be a psychological reaction to your living arrangements, not air quality, mould, Co2, damp or anything like that. Your co habitants are not affected, so is there any way that living with these people is causing you distress that you are hiding by switching off and being lethargic?

It's just a suggestion, and I don't mean to offend, but it's a theory.

I don't think those tests would be that helpful as they don't specify what they find beyond the presence of mould. Mould is everywhere, but there are thousands of types and it's relatively few that cause health issues. Also, if OP has stachybotris aka 'black mould' it won't grow on the agar plate. Lots of moulds are black, though, but stachybotris is one of the most detrimental

No, it was hidden behind wallpaper/ and looked like it went into the floor too. I’m the least technical person and didn’t quite understand how she explained it sorry, but I know they had to take paper off etc!