Wednesday 11 June 2008

Tips: Sleeping

I'm going to start a tips section. It'll just be a list of posts with tips on dealing with CFS/ME. I hope any people with CFS who stumble across this blog will find it useful. There aren't many Internet sources out there that have advice on dealing with symptoms.

In the book I'm reading, the author believes getting eight hours of solid sleep really helps CFS sufferers. The trick is getting eight hours of deep sleep.

The small things I did to help me sleep well have improved my sleep.

The first thing I did was get a sleeping mask. I never slept with sleeping masks before, but I've found it much easier to get to sleep in complete darkness.

The second thing I did was get a lavender heat pack. I put it next to my pillow at night, so I can smell the lavender when I lie in bed. It's a really pleasant smell that helps me relax.

The third thing I did is read for half an hour in bed before sleeping. I know this is difficult for most people with CFS. Don't read anything too "heavy", I find even reading a magazine article will help. I'll make a post later with more tips to improve your reading.

Not everyone will be able to do the fourth thing. I'm on antidepressants that happen to help with sleep. I used to take half my dose in the morning, and half my dose at night; but now I take the whole dose at around 8 pm. It makes me groggy and it's much easier to fall asleep at a reasonable hour.

The last thing is, try not to drink too much water just before going to bed, or you might have to go to the toilet in the middle of the night. This'll make it more difficult to get eight hours of solid sleep.

All right, I hope that helps.

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

An excellent site for ME/CFS is:
http://www.cfidsselfhelp.org/

Their are many articles dealing with the illness and tips on coping strategies. Highly recommended! :)

Anonymous said...

Thanks for that web link! :) I'm just having a look at the articles now, and they look very useful. I might get some of my friends and family to read them actually.

Anonymous said...

This article is simple and concise. Meditation for dummies, er beginners?...:)
http://www.cfidsselfhelp.org/artcl_stress_reduction.htm

Anonymous said...

Thanks :)

Anonymous said...

I added a link to http://www.cfidsselfhelp.org/ to my links list. :)