Improvements from lack of sleep

Symptoms Neurological
#1

Ok, this is the third or fourth time this has happened so I can no longer chalk it up to a fluke or coincidence.

Friday night I stayed out pretty late and only managed to get to sleep around 5ish. I got up to go to work around 7, so I only slept for an hour or two. I’ve had other occasions where I only slept an hour or not at all for a couple days. Every single time, this results in my brain fog being greatly diminished, but only until I sleep. So during the day when I’m running on little or no sleep, I am more alert, feel less fog or haziness, better mood, more of my personality back, etc. I even experience a little libido boost. Yesterday at work I had 2 spontaneous erections while sitting at my desk, which never happens anymore. But as soon as I get some rest, I feel like shit again. Right now, after sleeping for 15 hours, my brain fog is pretty bad.

Has anyone else experienced this? Any thoughts as to what may be causing it? It seems that, at least in my case, not sleeping upregulates something that improves my condition until I sleep and that thing goes back down. If I can figure out what is being upregulated, maybe I can improve my condition.

#2

A few of us has. I certaintly have noticed it many times. I think it forces the adrenals to produce more catacholamines as well as cortisol. Long term this would be detrimental and likely result in another crash, but thats just my theory.

#3

I believe most of our problems result from lack of cortisol. When you stay awake, and have to work, you re forcing your body to produce more cortisol. The same thing happens when someone fasts. Many here have reported improvement when fasting (more cortisol is produced when fasting).

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#4

Well according to my recent bloodwork my cortisol is fine, unless I need superhuman levels of it to feel normal now.

#5

the times I had my cortisol measured it was above range most of the day/night. I am definitely not lacking cortisol

#6

I thought I read someone mention dopamine is raised when you don’t sleep. Maybe that’s it?

#7

Also, I have found that caffeine seems to improve my brain fog slightly. I’m currently at work and as the day progressed I felt the fog get really bad. Like I was struggling to read, feeling panicked, slurring my words, etc. I said “fuck it I don’t care” and got a mountain dew. I’ve drank half of it now and it really took the edge off. The only explanation I can think of is that I think caffeine raises dopamine. Could be wrong, though. Anyway, thought that mind provide a clue to people smarter than I am on the subject. Take care.

#8

I had this same occurrence again yesterday. This is a pattern that I used to point out in the first couple years after I crashed and I felt like not many people could relate. It seems to happen with me when I under sleep (only get a couple hours tops) after having slept enough or overslept for a few days prior. It’s like it shocks my system. And it is night and day how much better and more alert I feel (yes, even some surges in libido too). I will say I used to be able to run on a couple hours of sleep a night for days in a row, even in the first couple years after my crash. Nowadays my body is just too broken down if I do it more than one day… maybe two tops. I start to feel it physically in terms of joint pain and muscle soreness, and cannot function much at all. It’s rather alarming how much less resilient my body has become in such a short period of time.

#9

Interesting research showing that acute lack of sleep can actually improve inflammation. Acute sleep deprivation lowered expression of inflammatory factors and increased release of an anti-inflammatory cytokine.

ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2696570/

#10

You should know that depression lifts when you do sleep deprivation and then comes back once you sleep again. Its well acknowledge by researchers.
Now if depressions lifts through reduction in inflammatory cytokines, through rasing dopamine, balancing HPA or raising cortisol, i dont know…