I can’t get more than 4 hours sleep without getting up several times. After the first time I get up falling asleep again is much harder. And of course after those nights of not getting the right amount of sleep I feel devastated in the mornings. It would improve my mood much more if I could manage to sleep longer.
What is about your sleep pattern? I am afraid to take meds but if it is the only way I will consider it.
To be honest ….this side effect has hit me so bad I consider a night of minimum 4 hours sleep (including any extra awakenings ) a job well done.
I know for most people and probably yourself included this isn’t ideal ……well it’s prob not ideal for me either ! But anything 4 hours + is better than those nights of 0- 2 hours, they were just the worst parts of my life so far.
I will say though I am now on month 4 of Mirtazapine and it has made a world of difference . There’s fewer awakenings in the night for me now (if any at all) and I usually get 6-7 hours per night. Some nights are shitty still but these are getting fewer and fewer. Antidepressants should be used with caution and aren’t for everyone , but so far this has been a game changer for me.
As someone who has suffered extremely in the area of sleep for coming up to 2 years ….my honest observations are : falling asleep / feeling tired/ sleep onset = GABA problem and :
Awakenings through the night/disturbances / sleep quality : is linked to serotonin/melatonin conversion and general mood problem.
Perhaps there’s minerals or supplements you could try *carefully * to address either the GABA or serotonin issues. Magnesium , Vitamin B6 , Lemonbalm , 5htp, kiwi fruit ……
Coming from someone who used Zopiclone every night for 6 months at full dose, I would try and avoid benzodiazepines or the Z- Drugs for sleep etc I think in terms of the sleep cycles , they make things worse
*use all with caution and ideally speak to doctor first etc
This amount of sleep is taking us to nowhere. How is our body supposed to heal when we even struggle for normal sleeping hours. 4 hours in our case is still nothing. Some doc told me there are just a few people doing good with less sleep. Regularly the body needs at least 6 hours (still nothing).
I am afraid of trying zopiclone. It is affecting the same receptors as benzos. For now I will stay with my vitamine c and magnesium but it is not making any differences for my sleep, I take them for other issues.
Thank you I will contact my doc first but they will most likely put me into some other dangerous meds.
My sleep has greatly improved these last weeks, from not being able to sleep at all or get like 3 hours in a good night. I now sleep 7-9 hours and wake up refreshed most days.
What I did that have helped me is:
Creatine 5g/day.
Magnesiumglycinate + magnesiumtaurat every evening (low dose).
400mg L-theanine before bed.
Taurine 8g per day (half morning, half evening).
300 mcg melatonin instant release + 750 mcg 6 hour timed release.
Light excersie every day (walking, weightlifting, biking or swimming).
It’s such a relief being able to sleep, it’s one of the worst symptoms of PFS to be honest.
Some of these stuff have hurt / crashed people but for me there haven’t been any bad reaction yet. That doesn’t mean the same is true for you, so weigh your own risk / reward before trying anything.
Trying experimenting with eating before bed.
Protein or nuts even carbs. This all helps to keep sugar levels balanced. Some of the best sleep I’ve had was after crushing ice cream and chocolate. If you can tolerate it, doing the sweets for me causes digestive flare ups but at least I feel rested.
Also try supplements that regulate blood sugar like fiber, they also have helped me with sleep. A multivitamin too but aminos and minerals didn’t help me at all. Pills make me groggy and dont wear off fast enough the next day and sleep pills or tranquilizers same idea.
@Cbrandel @betweenjobs
thank you guys for your help. If nothing else is helping me I will consider to take supplements or even meds. Exercises or eating late does not really affect my sleep. I had the best 2 days of sleeping last week with the covid infection, damn it felt so good to sleep over 8 hours for the first time since years.
btw: Today I had an appointment with dr. Zitzmann (well known doc for pfs in germany). Had to drive hours to get to him! That was fun, I never went this far alone by myself so therefore I am really proud of it. And on german highways you can drive until your tires are burning, so I flew there with like 250 kmh by car 
Now real talk: He practically knows the same stuff as we do, I would actually say that we know even more than him. He made blood tests, asked me some questions and checked my balls. Everything was fine but I have to wait at least 3 weeks for the first results and a few weeks more for the check of my receptors.
Maybe some guys know about my improvement with alcohol and erections, he told me that alcohol is affecting the transmitters in my head and thats why I am getting much more better erections after drinking the next days.
I saw some other guys there with the same issues as we, man my heart was hurting by looking at these guys and knowing that we all struggle with the same. To the guys I saw there today: You are not alone stay strong!
@Jonnas12 years ago I would sometimes have a slice of turkey, a handful of cherries or lettuce leaves these would help greatly with my sleep
Thank you my friend I will take a look at this. I heard of a now good friend of mine that melatonin is helping with this issue too.
My pleasure the aforementioned worked for me for a long time. I was obviously becoming sensitive to things but was anaware and till taking fin. Fast forward to 2 years ago when I tried a very small amount of melatonin which blew me apart. GOOD LUCK I hope something helps 