Anyone have insomnia as symptom of COVID-19?

Hello,

I’m an 87-year-old man, and a year ago in December I had omicron or something that mimicked it. My recovery was painfully slow and made even slower by a fall and a minor concussion in June. I’m almost recovered, but normal sleep won’t return.

Some nights I sleep wonderfully well as I did as a child. I go to sleep and wake up eight hours later. On other nights I seem to dream all night and wake up unrefreshed. I remember the dreams because it’s the same dream all night. Still, other times, I toss and turn for half the night, but I dream normally when I do fall asleep. Sleeping only a couple of hours, I’m exhausted the next day.

I try marijuana edibles (4 mg) and melatonin. Still, I cannot find a meaningful correlation between taking them and sleep quality. I think maybe the placebo effect taints my tentative conclusions. Has anyone else had these issues and resolved them? Or am I doomed?

Ronnie, sir I'm not sure if you're actually doomed or anything like that but one thing that I have found is your edibles you might want to bring them up to about a six the other thing is I don't know if you know anything about sleep apnea but having air coming into your face usually helps you sleep also I really hope this helps you in some way I'm so sorry for everything that you're going through God bless you and I hope you get well soon

After a mild case of Covid in late Jan 2022, I developed terrible insomnia. I tried 3 weeks of sleep restriction therapy, very difficult (only 5 hrs allowed in bed). Didn't help. Recently I had an overnight sleep study which ruled out apnea and restless legs. Now I'm wearing an actigraphy watch for 3 weeks to track my activity and I guess help provide info on my sleep patterns. My sleep Dr doesn't want to prescribe sleep meds until she finds out why I'm not sleeping. I've had extensive blood work done and everything is normal. I don't know what the answer is for the reason being long Covid? Currently, I take 2.5mg of Melatonin before bed and most nights fall asleep okay, but I wake 1.5 - 2 hrs later and then have difficulty going back to sleep except for short periods of dozing. I've been taking 100mg Trazodone about 2:00AM which used to help me fall back asleep for 1-2 hrs. It's not working anymore. Since my insomnia started almost a year ago, I've not had one night with more than 5 hrs. Most nights I sleep 2-4 hrs. I am extremely exhausted all day, but never sleepy. Try not to nap. After reading others posts, it doesn't sound like anyone has found a solution?

Hi Billie,

Thanks for reading my post. I had sleep apnea ten years ago and then lost 123 pounds. My wife, who died last August, said I didn’t snore. My sleep problems began before she died. I like your comment about cool air blowing in my face. I’ll put the fan on.

Also, four hours before going to sleep, I stop drinking coffee and do home exercises to tire me. But not enough to exhaust me. Does exercise help others?

Thanks so much for taking an interest. It’s nice knowing I’m not alone.

Ronnie

Doctors don’t like to prescribe sleep meds because they are afraid we will become addicted. We all need sleep to heal. Some nights I get zero sleep then the next day every symptom is worse. It has been 4 1/2 months for me & it feels like eternity. I feel like I am getting much less care than most people on this site. Mayo in Scottsdale needs a long haul program like Rochester & O’Clare. We have nothing here & the doctors don’t know much about long haul here.
RR

I have been taking Sertraline, 25 mg., since 10/20/22, 1X daily. I was getting at most 3 hours of broken sleep, after several days on medication I started getting 5 to 7 hours of sleep. This medication has reduced anxiety and panic attacks. I have not had any negative side effects from this medication. I was also given Xanax prior to Sertraline, but only took one, since I was unhappy feeling sluggish, lethargic and unsteady. Hope this helps you.

I can relate. I'm wearing an antigraphy watch for four more days as part of my sleep study. I have a video appt with my sleep Dr in two weeks. If she isn't willing to prescribe something to help me sleep, I don't know what I'll do. Every day is just a struggle to make it through as my body and mind are totally exhausted. I'm don't like to take medications but I'm desperate for sleep and getting my life back to some degree of normal. It's not anxiety keeping me awake as I'm so tired when I go to bed but my body just won't sleep, except for short periods of light sleep.

It takes a lot of energy to fight this thing off. I feel my insomnia is 100% a long haul symptom because I was falling asleep & staying asleep just fine prior to this. Doctors are conservative about medications for sleep & tell you, this will not be prescribed long term, however long haul can last many months up to a year I have heard. I did a sleep study appointment & was told I do not have sleep apnea, sleep in a dark room, take a hot bath before bed & don’t use electronics several hours before bed.
RR

Did you ever get a prescription for a sleep med, even short term? I also don't have sleep apnea or restless legs and slept fine before Covid. It's been just about a year now and I'm not seeing any improvement. I do all the recommended things for sleep and have had extensive blood work and check ups and Drs never find any physical reason for my insomnia. So frustrating.