Difficulty Sleeping
Posted , 6 users are following.
So I am almost 3 months in and seem to now be in the insomnia phase of the illness. 
I've tried a wide range of sleep aids (short of resorting to pharmaceuticals) without much relief.
I do eventually fall asleep, but it takes HOURS. I can lay there super tired and drowsy but it's like something in my brain prevents me from being able to fall sleep. I even took melatonin last night, and still wasn't able to drift off for hours. Still had difficulty staying asleep, too. Brain fog has kicked into high gear as well.
Ugh.
I'm going to try Valerian root next. Any of you Mono-insomniacs find a good solution?
0 likes, 10 replies
coleton33285 phacelia
Posted
But have you tried hot shower, then honey and tea? Seems to do the trick for me
phacelia coleton33285
Posted
A hot soak in the tub definitely helps relax me. So does a cup of tea (until I have to get up and pee 30 minutes later, lol), but they still don't help me fall asleep. It's a bizarre feeling to be so exhausted and yet not be able to fall asleep. That's why I was hoping the melatonin would help. But....... no.
coleton33285 phacelia
Posted
craig07920 phacelia
Posted
Hey Phacelia,
So sorry to hear you're having trouble with sleeping, it's so frustrating I know. It's hard when your body just can't seem to find that right routine, especially when it's so tired!!
They do say things like valerian root is good I've not really used it much myself, other things I think like B complex, evening primrose oil and cayenne pepper can be really good for this too in just calming your system down a bit. I do take a pain / anti-depressant medication called amitrypyline at night, which is great for helping get to sleep - but of course anything like that important to discuss with doctor.
Hoping things settle down and you can get a sleep too. Even some gentle light stretches or exercise before bed can help, although not advocating anything at all strenuous!!! Your body needs rest!! Another very silly one but something which stuck in my mind and works is trying to stay still in bed in the one position....which is hard when you feel like tossing and turning....but then your system slows down and relaxes more....so a biology teacher friend told me anyway, but key thing is just getting you feeling relaxed. Things that have worked for me include listening to the radio / music in bed whilst trying to get to sleep, or even some of these relaxation apps listening to breathing exercises and stuff can be helpful.
Hang in there Phacelia, still rooting for you and thinking of you!
Craig
phacelia craig07920
Posted
phacelia
Posted
Just an update:
I've taken Valerian the last two nights to see how it affected my sleep. It wasn't a dramatic difference, but it does seem to take the edge off.
I seem to fall asleep a little faster. Even if I don't, I'm able to lay there in a relaxed state. I still wake up pretty frequently, but seem to fall back to sleep a little faster. I still have anxious dreams every night.
I was on the upswing before starting the Valerian, and have been feeling more like myself these days. I'm finding that I actually have an interest in things again. The rest of the symptoms are there, but aren't as intense.
Hopefully I can keep up the regime and keep from having another bad relapse.
elliot82491 phacelia
Posted
Hi phalecia,
I am in a very similar situation... Have had mono for about 4 months now, and am having trouble falling asleep and sleeping through the night. The lack of sleeping is a relatively new symptom. Kicked in maybe 2 weeks ago. I'm actually writing this reply at 4am because I woke up at 2 and just couldn't get back to bed, lol!
I hope you are feeling better now that it's three months later. If you found anything that helped you sleep, I'd appreciate any advice you can share. Thanks 😁
brent_83487 elliot82491
Posted
craig07920 brent_83487
Posted
Hi Elliot,
So sorry to hear you're having this trouble with sleeping and really hope it improves soon. Yes I think things like valerian root can help, something that helped me relax at night has been passion flower tablets too. Other things that calm the nervous system down can help too, I think even things like cayenne pepper and evening primose oil (not necessarily in the evening though as I used to think!).
I take a prescription anti-depressant (also used for pain) called amitrypyline, about 2 hours before I go to bed, that really does help you get a good sleep. If things are bad it is always an option to discuss with the doc.
Thinking about you Elliot and you too Brent, really hope you are feeling more settled these days - hang in there guys still trusting in God with your recovery.
Craig
elliot82491 craig07920
Posted
Thanks Craig,
Your kind words and support mean a lot. I've found one of the most challenging things to do is to not blame myself if I can't sleep or if I feel like I'm relapsing. It's really frustrating and does a number on your nerves and your confidence, but I'm trying to just let this illness run it's course and trust that my body wants to get better, and trust that there's a higher power out there too that I can ask for strength from.
Thanks for the ideas with the supplements, I'll give them a try. This illness is really something though! Such a rollercoaster. Right before I started to feel my symptoms I moved to a foreign 3rd world country for work. It's been a trip dealing with these symptoms while being so far away from my friends, family and loved ones, and there have been many times where I've thought about quitting, but I sacrificed too much to come here to quit now. This illness really hits you on all levels though.
Thanks for your continued support on this board. This and my previous comment we're the first I've posted, but I've read hundreds of threads on this forum and I'm convinced one of the best things for mono is to get support from others who are going through or have gone through something similar.
-Elliot