Insomnia
Insomnia, also known as sleeplessness, is a sleep disorder where people have trouble falling asleep or staying asleep as long as desired. It can occur independently or as a result of another problem. It is a common symptom of ME/CFS.[1]
Presentation[edit | edit source]
Insomnia is present when a patient finds it unusually difficult to fall asleep, maintain sleep, or wakes up early in the morning with an inability to return to sleep.
Insomnia can cause many secondary symptoms and problems, including fatigue, daytime sleepiness, feeling unrefreshed after sleep, irritability, anxiety, low energy, and depressed mood. Long-term insomnia can result in muscle weariness, hallucinations, mental fatigue and double vision.
Prevalence[edit | edit source]
Symptom recognition[edit | edit source]
- In the Holmes criteria, sleep disturbance (hypersomnia or insomnia) is an optional criteria for diagnosis, under the section Minor Symptom Criteria.[2]
Notable studies[edit | edit source]
- 2012, Sleep Abnormalities in Chronic Fatigue Syndrome/Myalgic Encephalomyelitis: A Review[1] - (Full text)
- 2015, Sleep quality and the treatment of intestinal microbiota imbalance in Chronic Fatigue Syndrome: A pilot study[3] - (Full Text)
- 2017, Sleep Quality in Adolescents With Chronic Fatigue Syndrome/Myalgic Encephalomyelitis (CFS/ME)[4] - (Full text)
Possible causes[edit | edit source]
- High levels of stress
- Changes in levels of cytokines
- As a sleep dysfunction symptom of ME/CFS or another illness
Potential treatments[edit | edit source]
Behavioral changes, including:
Supplements and natural remedies, including: No pages meet these criteria. Medications, including:
- Benzodiazepines, e.g. temezapam[5]
- Non-benzodiazepine hypnotics, commonly known as z-drugs, e.g. zopiclone
- Sedating antidepressants, particularly amitriptyline
- Sedating anti-histamines including diphenhydramine
- Melatonin, either on prescription or as a supplement[6][7]
Off-label drugs, e.g.:
- low dose quetiapine but should this not be used in overweight people with CFS
See also[edit | edit source]
Learn more[edit | edit source]
- Medications for insomnia - drugs.com
- Solutions for Sleep by Bruce Campbell for ME/CFS & Fibromyalgia Self Help
References[edit | edit source]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Jackson, Melinda L.; Bruck, Dorothy (December 15, 2012). "Sleep Abnormalities in Chronic Fatigue Syndrome/Myalgic Encephalomyelitis: A Review". Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine : JCSM : Official Publication of the American Academy of Sleep Medicine. 8 (6): 719–728. doi:10.5664/jcsm.2276. ISSN 1550-9389. PMC 3501671. PMID 23243408.
- ↑ The 1988 Holmes Definition for CFS
- ↑ Jackson, Melinda L; Butt, Henry; Ball, Michelle; Lewis, Donald; Bruck, Dorothy (November 2015), "Sleep quality and the treatment of intestinal microbiota imbalance in Chronic Fatigue Syndrome: A pilot study.", Sleep Science, 8 (3): 124-33, doi:10.1016/j.slsci.2015.10.001, PMID 26779319
- ↑ Josev, Elisha K.; Jackson, Melinda L.; Bei, Bei; Trinder, John; Harvey, Adrienne; Clarke, Cathriona; Snodgrass, Kelli; Scheinberg, Adam; Knight, Sarah J. (September 15, 2017). "Sleep Quality in Adolescents With Chronic Fatigue Syndrome/Myalgic Encephalomyelitis (CFS/ME)". Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine. 13 (09): 1057–1066. doi:10.5664/jcsm.6722. ISSN 1550-9389. PMC 5566461. PMID 28760189.
- ↑ "ME/CFS South Australia Inc: Survey results - insomnia". sacfs.asn.au. Retrieved February 11, 2021.
- ↑ "Melatonin for Sleep: Does It Work?". hopkinsmedicine.org. Retrieved February 11, 2021.
- ↑ Carruthers, BM; van de Sande, MI; De Meirleir, KL; Klimas, NG; Broderick, G; Mitchell, T; Staines, D; Powles, ACP; Speight, N; Vallings, R; Bateman, L; Bell, DS; Carlo-Stella, N; Chia, J; Darragh, A; Gerken, A; Jo, D; Lewis, DP; Light, AR; Light, KC; Marshall-Gradisnik, S; McLaren-Howard, J; Mena, I; Miwa, K; Murovska, M; Stevens, SR (2012), Myalgic encephalomyelitis: Adult & Paediatric: International Consensus Primer for Medical Practitioners (PDF), ISBN 978-0-9739335-3-6
