Has long covid affected your sleep?

I think I’m slowly getting better. I’m not sure if it was Post Covid syndrome or my B12 deficiency that caused my sleep disturbance. Anyway, it happened suddenly after Covid. I can’t take any kind of med, because I wear an insulin pump and CGM, which alerts me if my blood sugar goes too low or high. So, I have to be able to awake for that.

Once I awaken….usually after 2-4 hours, I struggle to get back to sleep.

How are you coping?

I’m on an Rx, but it’s addicting and doesn’t always work. I use a white noise machine and try to practice good sleep habits. It’s only become worse since I’ve had Covid twice. Once in 2021, then again in 22. My body hasn’t been the same since.

I too have had a great disturbance. I can fall asleep but can't stay asleep. Terrible, vivid and disturbing dreams, nightmares. So real, it's hard to tell from reality. I have tried sleep aids, they don't help with sleep but cause increased dream intensity or anxiety. I have tried noises, Cpap, meds, biofeedback, sleep hygiene and teas. I hope you find the one that works for you. Going on since October 2021. I am tired.

I can’t get to sleep, not to bad once there but I’m retired I can sleep in to get my ‘8 hours’. By coincidence can relate to 2 previous posts: I too am diabetic with CBM… I had to switch off the alarm at night as it would go off as I was in much needed deep sleep, so adjusted my long acting insulin dose! One of my LC symptoms is hypertension ( with postural hypotension) and over 4 years put on 7 different hypotension drugs ( left on 5 till recently): one, bisoprolol gave me very vivid claustrophobic nightmares which meant I had to walk round the house, read or have TV on etc for some hours to work through anxiety….stopped those pills but being frightened of the dark stayed for many months!

Terrible insomnia since Long Covid started 3 1/2 years ago, which seems to be progressing. I used to take Trazodone for sleep but since LC I seem to metabolize medications differently and it just makes me feel sick. I’ve been taking doxylamine (antihistamine), melatonin, ashwagandha, and herbal mixtures of valerian, passion flower, lemon balm, hops, chamomile, and several others which has helped a lot. But now even that doesn’t always work. Just got prescribed Ambien so we’ll see how that goes. If I metabolize that strangely, I’ll probably try a CBD or marihuana product without hallucinatory effects. What I probably need the most is physical exhaustion but at this point am so afraid of PEM that I under-exercise.

Yes, that all sounds so familiar. Many meds are affecting me so differently and also make me feel so ill.
I am sorry that you’re going through this too. It’s crazy and doctors are baffled.
Jatamansi used to help me and is good for quieting the mind, but after a while, it started to make me feel bad after taking it.
It appears that Covid or long Covid has changed our physiology somehow and I’m having a tough time convincing my sleep doctor of it.
I’m on clonazepam, but that is hit and miss as well and can make me feel bad.
I tried a regular CBD, but it didn’t help. May try the sleep version.

I’m so sorry! That sounds terrible!

Geez! That sounds crazy. If you’re not experiencing sick reactions to meds, you may want to research Jatamansi. It’s an OTC and calms the mind. I think that it’s related to valerian root.

I would definitely see if cannabis would help, if it were legal in my state.

I am fortunate enough to be getting better sleep lately. It’s not what I want, which is eight hours, but enough apparently. I feel rested in the morning, have plenty of energy to do anything I want to do and don’t get sleepy until around 10:00 at night. Still, I know my body needs solid, uninterrupted sleep.