Falling asleep in odd places:

I am now diagnosed with Lyme since last February. It is long term Lyme and i have probably had it since i was born with it, thanks to my dear mom and i do really mean it. She is always in my heart.

Getting back to the sleep issue, all my life i have been plagued with falling asleep in all the wrong places. I do not know how i made it through university. I had professors asking me if their lectures were so boring that i seemed to sleep through them all. I never do intend to sleep through them and i try and stay awake. This past week, i was at a 3 day series of seminars. There were 6 sessions per day and i know i fell sound asleep during more than half of them. I am way too embarassed by my falling asleep way too often like this. I have to hide in the very back row so because i know i will fall asleep. There are also times when i fall asleep at my computer. I also fall too easily asleep when i am driving. I know that feeling now and the only recourse is to stop on the shoulder of the road and get half an hours sleep. I know i get enough sleep every night but i do wake up often. I have been in lyme treatment using herbal supplements now for 9 months, but this falling asleep too easily has not changed one iota. Anyone have any ideas as to anything i could do to stay awake more when it is needed. Coffee is not a good answer as i think coffee has some bad side effects for me. I have a max of 1 cup a week or so. xfmlg

It's a double edged sword. I would love to fall asleep often, including at night. Insomnia is no fun either.

I wonder if part of it is just your body needing more rest to help your body heal more. It happens with colds and flu bugs for many people, so it can happen with a chronic infection too.

Narcolepsy is a problem with chronic Lyme as well. I went through a period of it while I was in high school.

Because you are using words such as "university" instead of college and a couple of others, would I be wrong to assume that you are in Europe? If so, I'm not sure what may be available to you over there, but some here are using Adderall, and I use Provigil for a while - but they can be dangerous as well and not suited for everyone, so please have a good talk with your Practitioner - but it sounds like you need something.

Have you ruled out sleep apnea? That'll cause narcolepsy also. My friend almost had a major traffic accident from falling asleep at the wheel. He finally got a sleep study, and indeed he had sleep apnea. I used to nod off at work until I got a sleep study and found I have it also. Mine is the obstructive type but I'm sure Lyme can cause central sleep apnea. Totally correctable with a cpap or bipap machine.

I never looked up the clinical definition of narcolepsy - vs. what I think is happening to some of us treating Lyme (simply because of the toll the infections and the treatment take on the body and vast number of body systems involved that are struggling).

But I did use the term "narcolepsy" to explain to my nurse what the 'crashing' episodes I was experiencing seemed like.

Frequent sluggishness aside, I have historically had no trouble literally falling asleep during the day… until I started treatment. Particularly at the beginning stages when I was still herxing and not detoxing well and probably treating a little too aggressively, and then again now that I'm at the end of my treatment stages and advanced to busting biofilms, I would suddenly and without warning "hit a wall" and regardless of what I was doing, even sitting up in a chair, I had about 60 seconds to get someplace where I could lie down and it was almost like I would lose the ability to move and I would immediately fall into a deep sleep for a couple hours. It was strange and a little scary because it was literally like my body suddenly lost power and crashed.

As my treatment and response to it progressed, the episodes became less frequent. But if I get run down or get too aggressive or too active, the episodes will return.

When I shared with my Lyme nurse that the episodes returned with the recent biofilm busting, she started me on a different adrenal support, which probably helped. So… that is one area to explore (most people treating Lyme & Co have adrenal problems and most people/MDs aren't supporting it).

And until you figure this out - please drive less. And while you're working on your adrenals I also suggest you find a neurologist to see for a consult (preferably one who has experience w/ Lyme patients). This isn't something to let go unresolved…

Let us know how things progress!

-p

astroman said...
I was somewhat like that for years. Would nod off, but not in a deep sleep. Driving was scary sometimes and I took many parking lot naps.

Thought (and was hoping) years ago that this was just my thyroid, and that optimal thyroid treatment would fix it- helped some, but didnt fix it, became obvious there was indeed something more to this puzzle.

Still tired after ABX but not like before.

Not to make jokes but: An old guy at a past job once said "If your going to get some "shut eye" on the can.........pick a narrow stall". I took his advice a few times (huge out of control company anyway).

That's funny Astro!!

I used to sit at my desk at work cupping my chin - holding my head up with my hands - with my back to everyone and get 5 or 10 minutes of Zzz's