Chronic insomnia with long COVID, now somewhat better after nervous system work and pacing
- Condition
- Long COVID
- At worst
- Not stated
- Ill before improving or writing
- Not stated
- Last post
- Apr 2024
In their words
- Condition: Long COVID
r/covidlonghaulers
In context ↗ - Now: Somewhat better
I still have to work on this daily but sleep has gotten a lot better and more restful
In context ↗
Summary
After chronic insomnia that neither Ambien nor a dozen other sleep aids helped, the person worked on their nervous system and practised pacing, staying as active as they could without crashing. Sleep became a lot better and more restful, and they stopped needing medication for it. They said they still had to work on it daily.
Ask Miruvor AI
What they tried
What they credit
Their words about each treatment
- worked on my nervous system · Helped
I worked on my nervous system and practiced pacing (being as active as I could without crashing).
In context ↗ - pacing · Helped
practiced pacing (being as active as I could without crashing) ... sleep has gotten a lot better and more restful
In context ↗ - Ambien · No change
Before I was taking Ambien and a dozen other things and even that didn’t work.
In context ↗ - Xanax · Helped
nothing really worked for me anyway except for Xanax which I used to be dependent on (and was super hard to get off of)
In context ↗ - herbs · No change
I just dealt with chronic insomnia and took things like herbs, Doxepin, Trazodone
In context ↗ - Doxepin · No change
nothing really worked for me anyway ... took things like herbs, Doxepin, Trazodone Etc
In context ↗
Approaches: Brain retraining · Pacing
Their path
They say too little about how ill they were at each step to draw it on the severity scale, so the steps are listed as they describe them. Dates are when they posted.
| When | What happened | After |
|---|---|---|
| — | chronic insomnia and unrefreshing sleepSo I just dealt with chronic insomnia and took things like herbs, Doxepin, TrazodoneIn context ↗ | |
| — | sleep so bad that sleep medication did not helpBefore I was taking Ambien and a dozen other things and even that didn’t work.In context ↗ | |
| 2024-04-05 | sleep much better after nervous system work and pacingI still have to work on this daily but sleep has gotten a lot better and more restful. I don’t even take medication for sleep.In context ↗ | Pacing and the energy envelope |
Adverse events
- Alprazolam (Xanax)“Xanax which I used to be dependent on (and was super hard to get off of)” In context ↗ Withdrawal problems
Symptoms mentioned
Their words about their symptoms
- Sleep problems
I still have to work on this daily but sleep has gotten a lot better and more restful.
In context ↗ - Post-exertional malaise
practiced pacing (being as active as I could without crashing)
In context ↗
Ask Miruvor AI
Similar stories
-
Long COVID too faint to walk or drive, now good most days at about 80-85%
A woman who fell ill with long COVID in August 2023 was too faint to walk around much or drive, with brain fog, breathlessness and anxiety. Quitting her job and resting six months, plus supplements, brought her to about 90% by mid-2024, but a January 2025…
-
Housebound with ME/CFS for two years, now much better with rest and pacing
Steven in Scotland fell ill at 19 in 1991, mostly mild for decades and at about 80% for a decade. A Covid vaccine around January 2025 crashed him to moderate-to-severe, housebound for about two years. By late 2026 he was back to mild, surfing on holiday,…
-
Housebound and mostly bedbound with ME/CFS, a little better with pacing and rest
Tide 52539 fell ill at 15 in 2012 after severe mono and stayed mild for a decade before declining to moderate; therapy that pushed them through symptoms during long COVID left them severe. By 2026 they were housebound and mostly bedbound. Radical rest,…
-
ME/CFS suicidal and unable to get out of bed, now about 85% better after DNRS
Owl 83142 dates their illness to Lyme disease in 2005 and was diagnosed with ME/CFS in 2013; in 2017 they were suicidal and at their worst couldn't get out of bed. They credit DNRS brain retraining in 2017 for hives easing within two weeks and about 65%…