Hi Lorraine here nearly 8onths since my stroke physically recovered well but suffer really badly with daytime sleepiness don't actually fall asleep but can barely keep eyes open after lunchtime puts me off going anywhere or socializing . Anybody else suffering like this ? And any advice out there would be appreciated.
Dear Lorraine
pleased to hear how well you are recovering in just 8 months. You must be doing a lot of things the right way.
I think many of us get the dreaded stroke fatigue. I am hoping that the research into long covid just might bring us some means of recovery.
your brain is likely to take two years to settle. Whilst it is settling, it will close you down and that is probably causing the fatigue. Fighting against it is not a good idea. Your brain is trying to settle and to oppose that is not wise.
I have slowly improved and now it is usually lunch time when I close down. I do actually sleep. This isn't the same as night sleep, as it is dream free and very relaxing.
I have reduced tea, coffee and alcohol and this eases the problem. But most of all I get proper night time sleep. I need 7.5 hrs so I go to bed at 10 pm every night.
it took me months to achieve good sleep. But it paid dividends. I survive much longer before the fatigue sets in.
dreaming also seems to influence the fatigue. I get horrid nightmares and then the fatigue is worse. I haven't yet found the remedy to this.
the stroke wiped a lot of my memory and I think this links to the nightmares.
Do keep smiling
be positive
colin
Hello Lorraine, I'm one year post-stroke, and have daytime sleepiness but cannot actually take a nap. It takes me a long while to get to sleep at night, insomnia, and then I struggle to wake up - even though I set a ridiculous amount of alarms. My circadian rhythms are all out of whack. I can't really get started during the day until noon, but I also have a tendency to stay up quite late (11 pm), unless I am feeling really unwell (9 pm). I also need a calm and quiet wake up, otherwise I can't quite shake the grogginess.
During the day, I feel quite tired, probably exhausted from managing my symptoms every hour of the day, but when I rest in bed, I can't actually sleep, just rest my eyes. I think a lot of this has to do with the great amount of effort and energy I have to commit to any given day, and sometimes lethargy and flatness take hold. Even just thinking at times of things I want to do exhausts me to the point of being unable to set about and actually do them.
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Totally empathize am just the same also have insomnia so you never know what the real problem is lack of sleep or stroke fatigue hope things get better for you.
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Thanks Colin yes I think part of the problem is I don't get proper sleep sometimes only couple of hours am going to start cbt therapy to see if that will be any help. Glad to here you've had some improvement all we can do is stay positive.
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A couple of things I did in order to get sleep.
changed mattress. Changed pillows. Tried warm, tried cool. Slept with a light on. Slept in the spare bedroom. Best is using a tinnitus relaxer. About £30. Worth its weight in gold.
colin
to dear Rups, thank you very much for the post, take good care, ( )
thank you so much for your post Rups, thank you, i can resonate with so much of this post, it is unbelievable, i honestly didn't know anyone else was feeling like this,,, i definitely feel quite flat (at times) and lethargic, too, feel quite a "slump" after a meal especially, i don't seem to be able to take carbohydrates too well?, altho' i personally feel some of this started before the stroke,, and have been trying to get this looked into medically, it seems to make it worse in my opinion,,, i don't know too much about the effects of nutrients on the body, i could have pretty much written this post myself, ( )
hi lorraine, rups,, just to say, i find the only thing that has helped, is popping my head out to get some fresh air (pretty much immediately after lunch) and at intervals through the day,,, thats about it, thanks
Thank you.
Thanks Colin will try the tinnitus relaxer have done all the others. Thanks again.
Lorraine. I have the same problem five years on. I get into bed at noon for an hour's rest. After that I can last from 1pm till 11pm. I was advised early on never to rest for more than an hour. My fatigue is worse if I attempt more than three or four tasks a day. I just live with it.
Sorry to here that yes I know we just have to get on with it . Good luck.
I think my body has issues with heavier foodstuff, including carbohydrates, because of the energy needed to digest it. When I came out of hospital, I craved salads and soup. I had to have a salad with every meal, and sometimes, I'd have more salad than the main serving. For me, the salads were easier to digest, and made me feel "lighter" after eating, but also I imagine, the water content in salad fruits and veggies kept me hydrated also. I certainly have no great knowledge of nutrition, before the stroke, I ate only when I was hungry, but I imagine it was all fairly decent food as far as nutrients go. I tried a course of nettle seeds in the morning, mixed in with my coffee, being careful not to go crazy because nettle seeds are packed with vitamin k, and help produce platelets, but also support the endocrine system. Tbh, they didn't seem to help, even as a placebo.
Daytime sleepiness can be prevented by the use of Modalert smart drugs. It provides wakefulness and activeness. It is a prescription medicine and doctors advise taking Modalert to stay awake in the daytime. It also allows you to be energetic to go out and socialize. If you wish to use Modalert, then you can get it online.
Click here to buy.
I have found that my midday drowziness has largely worn off. I still get tired quite early in the evening on some occasions and I can’t really plan to do a lot in the evenings, but certainly my day time alertness is a bit better than it was. A blood test revealed rather high sugar levels so I’m trying to cut out too many sweet things and am eating smaller meals more regularly than I was (although like many here I’m a bit sceptical about the hype around diabetes in some circles) and that seems to help too.
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I’m 2 years on and no sign of daytime sleepiness getting any better but having insomnia as well probably doesn’t help . Although I don’t know how long you have had to wait for sleepiness to get better it’s promising to here that you have made some progress thank you for the response.