Site contents:Sleep patterns in Chronic Fatigue Syndrome
Getting the best out of your sleep is important
if you have Some years ago there was a documentary on Channel 4 in the UK about a non-stop coast to coast cycle race in the USA. Ameteur riders cycled from America's West to East coast. Although they had support vehicles and staff for food and rest, they had to pedal all 3000 miles themselves. There were no scheduled rest breaks or stages - the winner was the first rider to arrive in New York, plain and simple.
One rider was advised by a doctor to sleep every few hours for 40-45 minutes, no longer - and he was the winner. The other riders had different strategies for how much time they could afford to take out of racing to sleep, and most of them slept for several hours at a stretch. But at the finish they were still clearly suffering from sleep deprivation, and looked in far worse shape than the winner who actually had spent less time asleep than the others.
Why 45 minutes sleep is good for M.E / CFS
The 40-45 minute period at the beginning of your sleep pattern is the deepest and most refreshing part, so before my M.E / CFS began improving I adopted this timing if I was sleeping during the day. Of course this is easier said than done. Often I would lie down, not planning to sleep, then wake up two or three hours later. Sod's law meant that if I set the alarm for 45 minutes time I wouldn't actually go to sleep for another 20 minutes, messing up the timing! But when it did work and became a habit, I actually started waking up after 45 minutes even without the alarm.
In retrospect using an alarm clock is awkward because you have to calculate your wake up time and many analogue alarm clocks are not all that accurate anyway. A better option is a digital kitchen/egg timer - easier when the alarm is set to elapsed time, not a target time. When you wake up, get up move around, splash some cold water on your face or maybe try a cold bath. Stay awake for at least half an hour before allowing yourself another sleep period. Of course I'm only suggesting this is a way of managing your (almost innevitable) need to sleep during the day. I'm sure it would not be sustainable or desirable as a replacement for your usual night's sleep.
If you can arrange it, this is worth trying as I certainly felt more rested using this method.
Is your Chronic Fatigue Syndrome actually Sleep Apnoea?
A friend's father was recently mis-diagnosed as having M.E / Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. In fact his problem was Sleep Apnoea (Apnea) which was successfully treated with a mask worn at night. If the main symptoms illness include disturbed sleep, waking up frequently in the night, (particularly if gasping for breath) then find out more about Sleep Apnoea, and see what your GP thinks. This page from the NHS contains some basic information about the symptoms and treatment of sleep Apneoa.
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