Disturbed sleep in POTS, Dysautonomia and Long COVID - What helps? 

Isn't it a beautiful thing when a cardiologist is open and willing to consider and work with other health and healing modalities. A professional with his eyes open. Now that's care!

What I find most wonderful about you is your willingness to say other systems of healing have value. Because they definitely do.

Nothing drives anxiety like not being able to sleep knowing you have to work the next day. I am no stranger to Insomnia but just recently realized how much adrenaline plays a part...so much so that I have to be aware of what I read, watch on TV or the internet and what music I listen to before bed. Much more sensitive now than when I was younger.

I have been dealing with this waking in the night feeling WIRED but TIRED. I've just had a week of the best sleep I've had in half a year by this: I take 1000g of apple cider vinegar capsules at bedtime. It seems to control the blood sugar spike that was happening in the middle of my sleep. No more racing heart if I DO wake, go right back to sleep, and Dawn Effect happens at an appropriate hour. I hope this helps others. (Oops, forgot to say Thank You for this and so many other videos that have helped me immensely.)

I got rid of my random panic attacks after I started to sleep at a 35 degree incline. Meaning, the whole mattress needs to be at an incline. I just simply placed a medium firm memory foam pillow below my mattress to make the whole mattress stay at a 35 degree incline. (I can easily do this because I have a twin-sized bed.) Also, placing another pillow just below my foot, so that the blood doesn't get pooled up at the bottom due to the incline. Afterwards, I started to notice a drastic improvement in my resting heart rate, shortness of breath and GERD. I noticed the difference within a few weeks. Now, I know that GERD and inflammation caused by my stomach acid to my esophagus and gastroesophageal junction is what triggers those panic attacks. Also, I have reason to believe that sleep apnea, GERD or silent GERD in my case is also what caused a random spike in heart rate immediately after waking up. I saw drastic improvements overall after making changes to my sleeping position and diet.

I am so thankful you post these videos. I have m.e. fybro and suspected pots, after symptoms and sitting to standing test by the GP. My heart rate shot up over 30bpm and my blood pressure dropped low, the Gp was going to give me a propranolol prescription but cancelled it ashe said my blood pressure dropped so low it might be dangerous. 8 months later I had my cardio appointment which I thought was further told test I'd been referred to. This was one week ago. The Dr staredat me wnd said why are you here. Explained sit tostand test and allthe symptoms and suspected pots. What's pots he asked? Said pots is... then he looked at me and said what do you expect me to do? I'm not interested in any other symptoms except if you're dizzy? Are you dizzy? How dizzy? How often? I also said I have m.e. and as there is an overlap of symptoms my m.e. clinic are wondering how much is m.e.but could it also be pots and that there are treatments for pots. The reply Igot was, what's m.e. So I explained. He just stared at me and said what is your expectation. I said what do you mean? I thought I washaving a tilt test for pots. He them said I am not going to make you better. I am not interested in any ofthat or any other symptoms except dizziness. Your hearts healthy. This is a cardio hospital. I actually tried not to tear up, I'd waiting 8 months for this, being often bedbound, no life, unable to function. Unable to work, trying to stay positive. He then said why are you getting emotional. I was a mixture of upset and angry but sat silently, obviously visible I felt I was being gauged. He then suggested I have anxiety. Are you anxious? Do you get anxious a lot? At that point I said if you had spent 6 months mostly in bed,unable to parent your 9yr old child,watching your life and health go down the toilet, I think you would feel anxious. I am not suffering from anxiety. I am not depressed. I am a very strong woman who despite all this happening maintain a positive outlook and yes I am upset now because I have waited for 8 months to be told you are not interested in my condition. I think anybody would be upset don't you. He then said OK I will send you fora tilt test. And that was that. I felt so incredibly let down. It took 2 years of being told nothing was wrong with me before I even got a referral for m.e. I feel like I have to fight for help all the time it's just so disheartening. Soto hear you speak about patient care and empowering is just incredible and gives me great hope. I have just done the sleepstation referral. I'd not heard of it sothank you for your videos.

As a chronic fatigue patient who is connected to the community, we have tried everything and all we can agree on is that rest helps and that exercise makes us sick. During sleepless nights, if I meditate, in a cold, dark room with earbuds in for the full 8 hours, I feel just as refreshed as I normally am when I’m sleeping normally

The seeming dysautonomia I had over the past year (successively worsening after an incident of heat stroke, then gastroparesis following tick bites and doxycycline, then covid) was so weird how it made adrenaline so terrifyingly toxic. Simple stimuli and thoughts that used to be pleasant for l me now became terrifying triggers of a runaway train of adrenaline, heart palpitations leading to panic attacks. Magnesium glycinate, coenzyme Q10, improved exercise and sleep helped me turn the corner. One amazingly powerful sleep aid I found, turned out to be this--to simply take a walk in the sunset.

Thank you for having me on :)

I am doctor working at a cannabis Clinic in Auckland NZ and we often treat patients with Pots, sleep problems, pain etc. We do find that CBD + THC prescribed appropriately can be very beneficial for these patients . Understanding the endocannabinoid system can help with the understanding that medicinal cannabis can improve multiple symptoms and problems with a single plant. Mike Foster

As a doctor and a person who suffered from long Covid for almost half a year (2022, 3 times vaccinated and a very “mild” case), unable to feel rested and feeling like I only work and sleep, Melatonin 2 mg every evening until I felt much better was a game changer. I didn’t have any problem to fall asleep anyway but I never felt rested before. I only needed to take Melatonin for two months until I almost forgot that I used to feel so tired. I was already taking Montelukast for my asthma and Levocetiricine for my allergies as well as Vitamin D for my overall health so those weren’t very different compared to before. Update, April 2023: Allmost all the symptoms are gone, only a slight reduction in the sense of smell and a slightly changed taste sense left. My cognitive function seems to be back to normal. I still take my Montelukast and Levocetiricine, which isn’t a chore because I have allergic asthma anyway. Vitamin D and K2 are my daily companion as well.

I absolutely love your knowledge and openness. Thank you for all you do 🙏

Thank you dr. Gupta for your videos. As a POTS-patient myself I can hardly sleep as well. Still can’t but I started a low carb diet (sometimes Keto) and I must admit that after a week a noticed so much differents in my symptoms. 1. My brainfog got less. 2 . more energy. 3. More focus/concentration. 4. Lost weight easily 5. Blood marks looked so much better (healthy cholesterol ). 6. Blood pressure went down. I feel so much better that I do not focus so much on my lack of sleep. It’s worth to try and if you stick to the diet without carbs you ll notice the good result in a week. Best regard from Peter (Netherlands) and keep on going with your good work. Thank you.

LDN saved my life! I suffered with POTS & sleep disturbances for over 50 years. LDN & CBD have made such a difference in my life. Also drinking as much water as I can stand helps so much. Thank you for your wonderful videos!

The thing that has helped me the most was taking care of the true underlying causes of my POTS (not just taking care of the symptoms like drinking liquid IV etc which does help). The underlying cause for me was trauma and post viral illness: so inflammation and autonomic nervous system completely out of whack. For the inflammation I went vegetarian and take things that help with inflammation. I also drink celery juice. For the trauma and shot nervous system, shot adrenal function: I take a tincture that helps calm me down, adrenal support natural supplements (both given by my doctor). I take cold showers or do cold exposure. Meditation and somatic therapy which gets the stuck trauma out of your body through movement I stopped fainting since doing all of the above. My heart rate is now in the 65-85 range with only rare occasions when it goes to maybe 125. Before it was almost always at 130-180, blood pressure was painfully low and I always fainted. I hope more doctors help with peoples underlying causes rather than here is some medication or a drink to help with the symptoms. POTS is an awful thing to navigate life with and for so many years I felt awful. I hope everyone gets the help they deserve and truly need

Good morning from Montreal dear Mr. Gupta, I'm always glad to see a new video from you, i have a heart condition and strongly think dysautonomia plays a part. I take my heart advice from a british like you and an american, Ford Brewer. I get my education from both of you as my cardiologist who is very nice and that i happen to like has no time or interest or maybe even complete knowledge to communicate to me what i consider important. Thank you very much for your dedicated humanitarianism in helping other humans often far away from you and sharing your precious time with us. This said i am sure it is very good for you to as a person. Have a very, hopefully dry , nice day in watery England. M.M.

Remarkable doctor and human being much respect. You are absolutely right if it works for the patient who is to say anything against it…

Not exactly on topic but might help someone...Draining your legs before bed helps me, lay in bed with your legs up the wall while reading a book for fifteen minutes then go and pee. It has stopped me waking up for the three am pee.

I've had POTS and sleep problems for over thirty years. To fall asleep I have to self hypnotise by slowly praying a Rosary (or counting backwards from twenty repeatedly) and paying attention to breathing rhythmically. Praying the Rosary in Latin works best for me! Thank you for all your videos.

I just discovered you Doctor! Thank you because you exist! I am from România , But I live in USA, for 31 years. I have 67 years , and all the Women’s from my family had some form of heart disease. I have palpitations, all kind of them, but when I am listening to you , you are my therapist, plus you inform me so much! Thank you

Thank you for your generosity in sharing this information. It gives me more options to take control of my health than from my actual doctor - ETA who is great but understandably not so deeply knowledgeable about dysautonomia.

I’ve started looking at your video’s again recently and I’m even more impressed. You’re so right in your intro. ‘Anecdotal evidence’ is generally unreasonably pooh-poohed and most people don’t realise how dubious the findings of some of the more ‘evidence based’ research actually are. I feel you’re acknowledging that without generalising, which I think is great! You’re doing fantastic work by providing your knowledge and insights with your videos for free. I have certainly benefited from your presentations and I’m confident most people following you have! 🙏🙏🙏

Thanks very much for making this video! The suggestions and recommendations offered here may really be helpful to many people suffering from these conditions like Dysautonomia, POTS and Long Covid... I can only speak for myself really but I found your suggestions helpful particularly in terms of suffering from Long Covid/Dysutonomia Sleep Disturbance which has been going on for about 3 years now. Sleep Hygiene, Integrative Treatments like Acupuncture and also Herbal Supplements can really help as you mentioned. Thanks again for making and posting this particular video!

Thank you so much for this site. Had a heart attack 6 months ago and had never heard of dysautomnia so have had 6 months of hell and panic attacks. It might seem 'out there' for some, but I get relief listening to 'Frequency music' (different htz) on You Tube at night for re-setting or stabilising the Vagus Nerve - or frequency music for stimulating the parasympathetic nervous system. Hope this helps someone else x

Such a clear listening voice and so much wise information ...Thank you .

I had long covid insomnia "wired but tired" as I saw someone write below. I hadn't smoked weed in over 2 months since i'd had covid and decided to give it a go again...best sleep in weeks and have not had any wired feelings in the middle of the night since. Been a month now and feeling more relaxed and no longer tired during the day. Thanks THC ;)

Magnesium Glycamate 400mg ,Fish Oil 1000mg bed time ..helps me with sound sleep ..9am to 4am..7hours .Night dinner 1egg n 1. Banana 2glass of water..

Thank you so much for collaborating with other medical approaches…. It is so needed and so very much appreciated… I find diet and supplements the most helpful approach for me. I have Hypermobility, PoTS, ADHD… and I have recently been diagnosed with SIBO and a parasite called B Hominis… going on the FODMAP diet improved not only my sleep and my energy, I got rid of persistent nausea and flatulence… I take among other things Magnesium, Vitamin D, CBD Oil, and supplements to improve my digestion and oils to get rid of the parasite. Also I find that pacing, sleep hygiene, Vagus nerve stimulation, earplugs and blackout mask are very helpful. And when I can’t sleep I meditate on a Psalm or scriptures in my heart as this takes my focus away from not sleeping and gives me such reassurance, peace and comfort, as my Lord and Shepherd is always with me…. God bless you all… 💞🙏🏼 xxx

Love this guy so honest ❤❤❤❤

The lady’s point about sleep quality being impacted by over activity in the day so true. Counter intuitive but over tired = poor sleep for. But on other hand some physical activity during day helps. Will definitely try to pre bed banana routine! Many thanks Sanjay.

Thank you both, this is excellent

Thanks, Dr. Gupta, for bringing in to this discussion, other possibilities for wellness. I too, have the rapid heat beat upon awakening. With a pace maker, and a diagnosis of afib, not sure what to do. I worry about taking blood thinners, but decided to take them, based on family history. Still trying to cut down on stress, and go to bed a little earlier to calm myself before sleeping. I don't get tired at night, but if I decide to watch something on RU-vid, I go right to sleep. I have to laugh at that... more to come...

We need more research into sleep. I have paroxysmal Afib and I've noticed changes in my sleep like waking up at 3 or 4 am then not being able to go back to sleep several days in a row will precipitate an episode several days later.

As a lifelong insomniac who is now 70 yo suffering from long covid and CKD stage 5 on peritoneal dialysis, I currently take low-dose naltrexone (not sure of any benefits so far), slow-release melatonin 10 kg/night, and CBD oil blend "Comfortably Numb"and Ashwagandha to lower my high cortisol. TheCBD really helps to fall asleep, as does the ashwagandha, but it is very shallow sleep with numerous awakenings throughout the night resulting in maximum of only a few hours sleep if I am lucky - often none. Thank you for this video.

So interesting I listened twice. Sleep is a huge issue, especially nowadays.

Thank you so much for these information videos ❤! If I take Mestinon too close to bedtime it makes me wired. Im using surgical tape on my mouth at night it has helped me so much - no toilet visits during the night. There is plenty of research done on this method! -Use only the nose for breathing - mouth should be closed whilst sleeping HRT makes a huge difference for women from age of 40 and onwards I use HRT and Melatonin, magnesium with b6 Lavender oil on my face chest and feet before bed I use the CALM app that have lots of sleep stories and meditations it’s fantastic when I wake up wired - I can put a sleep story on and just lay without getting stressed that I’m not sleeping and after a short while I drift of again. I have POTS, fibromyalgia, postcovid, hyper mobility syndrome , adhd, and I’m in menopause - that’s quite a challenge to say the least 😅

Lovely video. Personally I have found that acupuncture does seem to lower my heart rate and relax my nervous system in general, leading to improved sleep.

I think I have Sleep Apnea, and about to get sleep study done. I am so far being told by my doctor that he doesn't think it is Apnea, but my chronic sinusitis and allergies...but I am now taking Singulair and Cetirizine for those. I guess we'll see..won't we.

Amitriptyline has helped my sleep, headaches, depression, anxiety. Still feel the ectopic beats in the morning and still have dizziness on standing through day. I have woken to a pounding heart. Keeping a health journal to keep track of headaches and how i slept.

Before I was diagnosed with dysautonomia I was on clonidine for a while (psychiatrist had prescribed it for anxiety) and it seemed to help.

Cold showers and Cold plunging were huge in my Long Covid dysautonomia journey!

You mention that B blockers at night can drop the HR too low. I feel this may be a problem for me. My pre sleep HR on B blocker can be 48. What happens during sleep then? Occasionally I get woken with PAF. What’s the mechanism? Thank you 🙏

I love your posts.

Lemon Balm tea helps me to relax at night...yes magnesium is helpful. Also stop electronic devices a few hours before your bedtime...use blublockers eyewear to block the blue light...EMF I believe is really creating havoc to humans. And those "smart meters" that they have attached to homes are truly disturbing so don't have your bed against the wall where one is installed. So many things affecting the more sensitive humans...blessings to all.

Lovely Doctor

Thank you, Dr. Gupta for your blessed work! Recently learned lifelong and current breathing patterns contribute to all systems function, especiallythe ANS/PNS balance, vagal health ... recc. book: Breath by James Nestor, wonderful engaging read, learn value of and how to nose breathe, and trial mouth strips to train nighttime nose breathing, has changed sleep quality so very fast!

Sorry forgot love your videos you have helped me a lot be safe

I recently started drinking a few ounces of electrolyte solution when I get up to go to the bathroom at night, instead of water. Doesn’t cause additional bathroom trips, and prevents the skin wrinkling of dehydration in the morning.

I've had ME for 28 years and for 3:years possibly POTS for a few hours in the morning and omg I so wish you were my doctor. I fall asleep quickly but cannot stay asleep. I have great sleep hygiene, no phone, nothing stimulating before bed, go to be at the same time; I can manage about 7-7.5 hours sleep but as you describe I wake up often according to my Fitbit and am aware of long spells awake. I read, stay relaxed and eventually I fall asleep again. I find a weighted blanket stops me being restless and a long wedge pillow helps with my standing up first thing in the morning.

Yes, I have definitely noticed that simple sugar snacks at night have helped me fall asleep. Sometimes, though, I still wake up with a start at times, and feel I need a second sugar snack to get back to sleep. Also Cannabis with THC is most helpful -even a bit in the middle of the night to go back to sleep.

I swear Dr. Gupta made this video for me.. 🤣🤣 Because for the first time in a good little while ive been having some problems sleeping over the last several nights. and thought to myself what's going on? And I just happened to open RU-vid this morning and there he was doing a video about sleep. 👌👌👍

I find many people these days are speaking so quickly that i do not catch all the words. The young lady’s speech here sounds as if you have sped up the audio.

I find I can’t sleep at all but a few hours a night. I have insomnia & I sleep for a few hours then wake up and repeat all night. The thing is I can wake up and have no fatigue or tired or anything my sleep cycle is bizarre I wake up refreshed and not fatigued at all which is even more bizarre. I can get several hours of sleep off and on all night wake up and ready to go for 12 hours 😌 no problem

Being open-minded to all options and feeling supported helps you to cope and have hope with any condition.

I tried LDN with high hopes that it would stop the night time adrenaline surges. Not only did it not work for me, but it made my sleep worse. I'm back at the drawing board again.

I found the following helped greatly with my Long Covid CFS/POTS - Thiamine TTFD 100mg, Benfothiamine 200mg, Activated B Complex (with Choline) EAA/BCAA 1 scoop twice a day in a litre of coconut water (for potassium) CoQ10 300mg twice a day, Magnesium threonate 400mg morning, Magnesium Glycinate 400mg nightly. I no longer get the dizzyness upon standing, HR is slightly elevated when standing still from resting 70 up to standing 90 but it’s so much better than when it was 120bpm plus. I can exercise again and 9mg of melatonin helps me get to sleep. In case of emergency I have clonazepam to keep the adrenaline surges under control.

Hi Dr Sanjay I always watch your yt vids. Helps me calm down from episodes of Mobitz1 as diagnosed by my EPS. I would love to know more about mobitz1 and your reassurance that im just fine and other people who need information about it. More power to you. Thank you in advance Dr Sanjay Gupta.

My phone and watching TV makes me wired but I feel addicted to the phone. I need to put it down way earlier before bed. I will try to be strict about it this week.

Earthing sheet on my bed has improved quality of sleep but limited in aiding amount of sleep. Currently considering CBD oil. Àcupuncture has been helpful, Bach's remedies also helpful but so far nothing has solved insomnia outright. Can tolerate being bimodal but I am continually fatigued. Valuable discussion. Thankyou

I was suffering from insomnia for so many years. I tried almost everything i find on google and medicinal research. Somewhere I read onion could help in go to sleep etc. unfortunately when i started keeping my food note i found that the eating onion was keeping me awake till late night. I stopped eating and it improved a bit. Then i remember my grandmother used to give us nutmug with water. I tried that and withing 3 to 4 days my sleep improved 80%. Then used reiki and I had absolutely good result and insomnia become a past.

For the past couple of days, my husband has set the alarm to wake me up in the middle of the night. My heart rate seems to be going up due to crashing BP. So he wakes me and I drink electrolytes, take 1 g salt pill, and take a few gulps of a protein shake. Then I repeat this when the alarm goes off in the morning. The alarm wakes me up before I naturally wake up and I think for some reason that helps too. I also get the adrenaline rush when I nap.o

I wake up and begin sweating profusely . I gave up shopping because the horrible sweating is so embarrassing. My feet and hands get a burning sensation at night. The tachycardia is very unpredictable and has wakened me and was terrifying. I went to hospital a couple of times . But they just said I didn’t have a heart attack. So I dread sleep fearing it may happen again. I also drink water at night for dry mouth. Thank you Dr for So Much help and understanding.

Good morning. I have POTS and Sever ME. Have been almost bed ridden for 10 years. For me the only thing that made a good lasting difference is being on a carnivore diet. The complete removal of all carbs and caffeine. With that other things like pacing help. Craniosacral can help. Not taking supplements. Either too much or not enough salt. When I was taking electrolytes for my pots I could not sleep. There is research on keto/ketovore/carnivore/lion diet. I'm now in the light in the day and get a few hours out of bed most days. There are some experts in those diets like Dr ken Berry MD, myzerocablife and mikela Peterson. Dr Berry wrote a book called lies my doctor told me full of medical myths around diet and covers the research its a great resource. He currently writing the proper human diet. I think you will find some really helpful information to help with your insomnia and patients. Thanks for the great question.

I've been diagnosed with Cardiogenic Dysautonomia. The past year has been hell. I passed out most times I've stood up. I've fractured my ankle, knee, and finger. I can fall asleep but can't stay asleep. I've been in the ICU 5 times with either extremely low or high blood pressure and heart rate. I've been defibrilated, and now have a pacemaker which has completely resolved the syncope upon standing. I still can't regulate my body temp, have GI issues, and horrible insomnia, Vtach at times. This is still a nightmare.

There might be sleep apnea in way more people than diagnosed I have it and I struggle with the CPAP therapy

Sublingual vit D drops have been the most useful to treat my POTS symptoms. To sleep, I use CBN in a tincture I make. Cbn is the sleep cannabinoid. Game changer!!!

I had been eating a mostly low carb diet to lose weight & did lose 20 pounds. But had to add back some carbs, especially at night, or I'd wake at 2 AM and could not go back to sleep. Someone said it's because low insulin causes a spike in cortisol levels. Another medical professional said insulin is needed for production of various hormones that regulate sleep. I don't know, but if I don't eat a carb rich snack in the evening, I don't sleep well.

I was wondering if u could talk about inter arm blood pressure. Sometimes mine are 15 mmhg apart. Sometimes 5 mmhg apart. Should I be concerned? Thank you for sharing your knowledge/wisdom

Meditation especially the one taught in Inner Engineering, walking in nature in the evening, and tart cherry juice

Would love to meet you when I head to London.

I have a personal theory that my REM sleep cycle is one of my many Sympathetic Nervous System (SNS) triggers. When I wake up in the middle of the night or early morning sweating with tachycardia, nausea, etc, it is always during my REM sleep cycle when I am dreaming. It’s the same way my thoughts, daydreams can trigger my SNS during the day.

I’m historically a mathematician and more recently biostatistician, until I was recently ”let go” by a large international agency. What you say sounds very familiar to a long Covid sufferer. In particular the reactive hypoglycaemia, which I more or less stumbled onto after discovering the enthusiasm of some cyclists for very high carbohydrate diets. My experience of cycling relied mostly on water and bars, but post Covid even a short hill was terrifying. Once I started shovelling down rice and bananas, I could ride up several hundred metres again. My suspicion is that this relates to the degradation of aerobic cell function with Covid, so consuming vast quantities of simple carbs seem to bypass this, at least for a day or two. This was traumatic after years working alongside nutritionists who waffled on about ”empty carbs” without looking at conversion efficiencies. Anyway, swinging between 11 hours and 2 hours sleep seems too familiar, as do the issues with fluid consuption, getting up several times in the night to pee, being wired and tired, and several other issues that my brain fog is hiding from me :-( Pooling of fluid in the gut and the lower limbs, for eg. All this while cycling 100+ km one day and not leaving the house a day later, which synchronises with a lower gut that expands or contracts. Have you looked at patients who monitor their blood glucose? This now seems esential for high level cycling and has overturned some of the received notions relating high sugars to insulin resistance... Regards, Graham

I've never had sleep issues until l fairly recently. What has been working for me, if I can't seem to get my mind to shut down is taking 25 mg of Trazadone. The pills I have are 50 but I found that was too much so I cut them in half.

OT:. Dr. I thought I heard on one of your vlogs to contact your secretary to talk to you. I can't find it. My son was recently dx with SVT and WPW. No doc nor his pediatrician will call me back. I am scared out of my mind. I haven't slept for almost 3 weeks since his dx. My son is 17 . Would I be able to talk to you. Ty in advance. I enjoy your videos. Ty for being one of the few doctor's with a heart.

HERE'S A STORY FOR FOOD FOR THOUGHT: This sleep thing is something that I have understood very late in my undiagnosed POTS story (I'm 50 now and not able to work full-time anymore since my late 30s). My fundamental problem is that I could never feel insomnia. I cannot feel being tired. For three weeks I did when I stopped my betablockers in my late 30s, then it went back to the normal hyperactive thing. I'm likely to have the hyperadrenal type with a possible complication in my late 30s of autoimmune disease (my autoimmune markers were at the borderline but presented with bad enough hip joint pain that did subsume and started just being migratory small joint pains. At this point my skin tone started to change and has since gone back to normal, suggestive of pseudo-Addisons disease). I knew I was not sleeping. Ever. As a child it took me two hours to fall asleep. In my childhood I tried to stay quiet in order not to disturb others when I was awake at odd hours. At adulthood I avoided sleeping with men, because I knew I never could. Now that I think back, it often was that my body could not cope with their bodily heat, if they were the cuddling type. My heart rate would just be so elevated that I could not sleep because of that. My inability to manage my body temperature has been a major issue (I measured this at the point when I thought my problems were because of my low thyroid). At max the separation between rectal and armpit temperature was 2C degrees. Normal separation was above 1C. It was not very surprising because I had learnt as a child that armpit was not a thing to do, because it would always be 35.5-36.8 C, no matter how sick I was. On average I probably slept about 6-7 hours as a child. I had constipation at the age of 2-weeks and always after that. In addition, I have always had low red cell count since child and by now I've lost the little hair I ever had. When I finally was taken seriously (after I had started vomiting in my mid 40s -- before this I had gone through multiple Holter tests in two countries with the same benign tachycardia results over 15 years) the sleep test result was that I slept less than I thought. As in I thought I slept 6-7 hours but what I actually slept was less than that, because I was awake during the night without realising it. My life has been a story of being wired. At least for a decade in my early adulthood I remember sleep being about fluctuating between sleep and obsession (as in having to do this or that the next day). I worked as a manager in a global company and did two Ph.Ds. Probably all down to the stress hormones just not letting me rest. I developed perfect time manegement skills in order to allow me to sleep the best I could and was able to get rid of that obsessive thing about having things to do. Buut today I cannot sleep more the five hours without EXCERCISE. Just for reference: I also went through the full psychiatric testing that cleared me from any anxiety, depression or personality disorders that could have caused my behavior for other reasons. I'm a very secure person psychologically and was lucky to have the parents I have. *** OK, back to the sleep thing. My advice is this: I you are young and do not have EDS, do the max exercise you can without getting huge adverse effects. You know what that limit is. And go on a quasi-keto diet. I know the difference between a pizza and life is a difficult one, but it is a choice we have to make. And never forget that being half-comatose is also rest. Think of it as meditation just as long as your mind is not racing to plan for the next day. ***

Hello m’dear and thank you. I have EHLERS-Danlos Syndrome and have steadfastly ignored advice from the NHS for many years. I was a nurse and midwife but had to retired. I have sleep very badly since aged 18.

I have been diagnosed with anxiety disorder and put on ciplar la 20 and multivitamin. But sometimes I feel tiredness not all day and slightly fast heart rate around my medicine time daily. Am i healing perfectly or do I need to change my cardiologist????

My sympathetic nervous system is upregulated due to complex regional pain syndrome and a spinal fluid leak. I lost the ability to sleep. I listen to yellow brick cinema. I try to soak in a hot bath. The only thing that works is tizanadine and clonidine. I have to take Lyrica too. I'm in agonizing pain. Why has the chemical composition of tizanidine changed?

I’ve been referred to sleep station and awaiting a care plan. Also taking a small dose of OTC Phenergan helps me sleep, but it can cause a bit of a hangover effect.

For me what seems to work is to take iron and magnesium not long before going to bed, on the top of my usual 3mg melatonin. It has been only for 4 nights now but for the first time in years I didn't wake up with my heart pounding, high anxiety, knife-like pain in the chest.

I have had that waking with an adrenaline rush -usually around 3am. It led to me dreading or feeling scared to go to sleep. I put it down to anxiety and found the DARE app which had info on palpitations from Dr Gupta. Which led me here. It is reassuring to find others also have this dilemma but that you don’t brush them off. It can feel like a living nightmare because you wonder what’s wrong, can’t find answers, can’t get answers so then Google and get more anxiety. Mine only happens at night so I wonder if it is to do with blood sugar somehow or napping during the day due to previous bad night’s sleep?

You say she is a health coach. Can you let us know how to get in touch with her or someone like her from her company? I have been living with a chronic illness for 12 years and just recently figured out I have POTS and having someone to talk to you would really help.

All about calming the nervous system

I can fall asleep any time . 6 hrs I’m done wide awake . Don’t feel tired or down , some of us 6 hrs we done

For me vasovagal exercises, sleep hygiene, ear plugs, vitamin D, magnesium and eating dinner early and not exercising too close to bed time.

What about biohacking tactics like breathwork, cold exposure, sauna, red light? I already use all of these and have recently been diagnosed with long covid (upgraded from "lingering covid" in the first half year after)), but my symptoms aren't too awfully bad compared to what I read/hear about ... perhaps because all of these things plus careful attention to diet and sleep are already in my lifestyle? I had a significant backslide a few months ago so am just finally getting into doing some investigation. Previously, I didn't want to give it so much mental energy and attention....

High doses of sublingual vit d have been wildly helpful for me to help control pots symptoms. In terms of sleep, the cannabinoid called cbn has been a game changer for me! I'm getting a full solid, restful 10+ hours of sleep every single night. 1st time in my life & I'm 49 years old. I used to get 2-5 hrs of sleep a night if I were lucky!

Thank you Thank you i thought that i was on my own in this setuation i started beta blockers 3.75 m g 3am one night 4am another night feeling knackered ime 73 now early morn away for walkies 5k 7 days a week ime 6ft and 100 kg just looking to hit the right meny any help please take care

Do you recommend a lidocaine cream so you can go back to 😴 sleep?

What good doctors can you recommend in Los Angeles, CA for dysautonomia

I find myself most alert between two or 3 AM. I heard that maybe there are some biological processes that are going on at that time like liver detox. Does anyone know if this is the case?

I am a physician suffering from POTS and inappropriate sinus tachycardia. There are times when I just cannot sleep and other times when I sleep for days. I was Rx Modafinil 200mg without relief. I am going to ask for 400mg…we shall see.

I found Marijuana edibles extremely effective for helping to get to sleep. Unsure how restful the effect is but it's a huge relief instead of wasting 5hrs being tired not sleeping till 2am. I am able to fall asleep listening to an audio accidentally wake up and then not be able to sleep for hours.I think alot of it is driven by work/city life.

Where abouts in york are you based I have s.eep apnea and when I wake up my heart seems to go into an arithmea

I think a commit ly profit size thing like self stetheling where you want a baby so bad and you can’t get pregnant I think the same thing can happen with sleep I think sometimes wanting something too bad can be a horrible thing to kind of make things worse getting the mind off the focus of needing to sleep because they’re at a point where they need it I’m sure Not to mentally fixate on needing to sleep find other things to do that would create an induced sleepless sleepy sleepiness like activities that are calming and everything before bedtime far before bedtime staying away from certain stimulants good sleep hygiene like she said but also I notice like some people need to do more activity through the day tend to sleep at night too like exercise

If every Dr thought like Sanjay the NHS would be saved and Boris would be out of lies

If my partner is awake, I massage &scratch his back 10 min or so and I reap the benefit by then nodding out! I will get up and eat or drink and play my ukulele softly. Also lay on yoga mat and touch my face and ears then return to bed

Found out Life Extensions, Neuro-Mag has Magnesium L Theronate, the only one that crosses the blood brain barrier, and it helped me with the frozen thoughts I had with the brain fog, 3 times a day with l-glutathione & NAC. Takes 3 weeks initially, but an added side effect from long hauler the weight gain, was I started a small weight loss.

My 22 y/o son has palpitations and gastric reflux since his 2nd covid injection. He’s seen a cardiologist and he doesn’t know if it Bigeminy or something else. His gastroenterologist says he has reflux but his gastroscope was NAD. The ENT said his oesophagus is inflamed which makes me thinks it’s an inflammatory response so I’ve got him on Phenerghan at night and Loratadine in the morn. It seems to ease his throat but he gets more palpitations from the antihistamine so is afraid to keep taking it. I don’t know what else to do to help him.

One other thought….a lot of the dysautonomia symptoms sound just like menopause. Just saying. How do dysautonomia patients fare during menopause?