[Unfatigued]

Not the most cheerful topic, perhaps, but hey, misery loves company, as the saying goes!

One reason this interests me is that I only recently learnt that when insomniacs talk about feeling tiredness and fatigue, most of them are referring to physical fatigue, as opposed to mental fatigue. This came as a real surprise to me, because despite suffering from insomnia myself for decades, I’ve never experienced physical fatigue as a result. Mental fatigue, brain fog, slow thinking, and trouble concentrating, for sure, but not physical tiredness.

Anyway, I’d say the baseline symptoms of my insomnia are that mental fatigue, and an accompanying feeling that my brain is gently throbbing. If I close my eyes, it almost feels sometimes as if I’m wearing a tight winter hat.

After a couple of nights of particularly bad sleep, the brain throbbing can feel like my head’s going to explode (perhaps that’s a bit of an exaggeration, but not much). I’ll also sometimes get a sore throat and what feels like reduced lung capacity (slight difficulty breathing), as if I’ve got a cold coming on. And sometimes I’ll alternate between feeling uncomfortably hot and getting the shivers, even in moderate temperatures.

What about you?

[Spindledog]

Very interesting. You seem better at describing your symptoms than me. I am going to pay closer attention to the nuances of symptoms. Mostly, I feel dragged out, like a hang over,and no energy. Like a hang over. But then I get that confused with how I feel after I’ve taken a sleeping pill, which I don’t do anymore, no matter what. Often I feel disgust, anger, and failure more than anything.

[Unfatigued]

It is interesting how the experience of insomnia can differ from person to person. How do you feel after a nap (if you can get one)? I’m rarely able to nap, but whenever I have managed one, it has improved my mood quite a bit, even if it didn’t relieve other symptoms.

One other thing I’ve noticed that a night or two (or three) of particularly bad sleep can do is increase my pain sensitivity. My chronic lower back pain feels a whole lot worse than usual in those situations.

[Martin Reed]

One of the most common issues I hear related to insomnia and fatigue is a sense of experiencing “brain fog” — which I think implies mental fatigue rather than physical fatigue.

Of course, everyone is different and I am yet to meet someone with insomnia who doesn’t experience fatigue in some form or another and to some degree! Perhaps that’s true of most human beings, regardless of whether they have insomnia or not!

—

If you are ready to stop struggling with insomnia you can enroll in the online insomnia coaching course right now! If you would prefer ongoing phone or video coaching calls as part of a powerful three month program that will help you reclaim your life from insomnia, consider applying for the Insomnia Mastery program.

The content of this post is provided for informational and educational purposes only. It is not medical advice and is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease, disorder, or medical condition. It should never replace any advice given to you by your physician or any other licensed healthcare provider. Insomnia Coach LLC offers coaching services only and does not provide therapy, counseling, medical advice, or medical treatment. All content is provided “as is” and without warranties, either express or implied.

[Author]

Posts