Housebound with moderate ME/CFS, somewhat better with sleep routine and meditation
- Condition
- ME/CFS
- At worst
- Moderate (mostly housebound)
- Ill before improving or writing
- Not stated
- Last post
- Apr 2021
In their words
- Condition: ME/CFS
I'm still a person with moderate CFS
In context ↗ - At worst: Moderate
I'm still a person with moderate CFS
In context ↗ - Now: Somewhat better
I'm still a person with moderate CFS, but this makes me less vulnerable to PEM, POTS, brain fog, etc.
In context ↗ - Began after: nothing they could name
I went years without a diagnosis, gradually losing more and more function
Read from 15 of their posts and comments; links to the 12 this page draws on
Summary
A Reddit user with moderate, housebound CFS who fell ill in their late twenties and declined gradually for years without a diagnosis. They credited a strict sleep routine and nightly sleep meditation with modest gains in sleep, pain, dizziness and nausea, and less vulnerability to PEM, and found heart-rate monitoring helpful for pacing; they experimented with gentle restorative yoga. Low-dose naltrexone was stopped because of nausea, poor appetite and odd dreams. They remained housebound.
Ask Miruvor AI
What they tried
What they credit
Also tried
Their words about each treatment
- Magnesium · No change
Yes, but I will probably switch soon as I haven't noticed improvement.
In context ↗ - low-dose naltrexone · Worse
I wasn't able to tolerate the side effects, so I had to discontinue it.
In context ↗ - consistent sleep schedule and bedtime routine · Helped
After working on my sleep since last December, I've seen some improvements. I have a consistent wake up time and a consistent bed time routine.
In context ↗ - cutting out caffeine, alcohol, and most sugar · Helped
I have cut out caffeine, alcohol, and most sugar from my life
In context ↗ - herbal sleepy tea · Helped
I make myself a cup of sleepy tea (equal parts oat straw, chamomile, passion flower, and lemon balm)
In context ↗ - restorative yoga · Not said
I've been experimenting with yoga. I can do it as long as I keep the sessions under 20 minutes, and only restorative (no standing poses).
In context ↗ - compression stockings · Not said
I wear compression stockings
In context ↗ - electrolytes · Not said
drink some electrolytes after
In context ↗ - physiotherapy exercises · Not said
I also have some physiotherapy exercises that I try to do on days that I'm not doing yoga
In context ↗ - CBT for insomnia course · Helped
I took a five week course on CBT for insomnia a while ago ... I still don't sleep fantastically, but it's much better than it was
In context ↗ - sleep meditation · Helped
My symptom tracker shows a ~25% improvement in my symptoms the day after I do a sleep meditation
In context ↗ - pacing · Helped
has been incredibly helpful for my pacing
In context ↗ - symptom tracking and heart rate monitor (FitBit Inspire HR) · Helped
I think tracking helped me understand myself and my symptoms better ... I also found a heart rate monitor to be really helpful
In context ↗ - fold-up stool · Helped
I have a fold up stool that I keep in my purse ... I have so much less anxiety about going out
In context ↗
Approaches: Alternative therapies · Diet · Mind-body practices
Their path
How ill they were on the ME/CFS severity scale, estimated from what they describe at each point, in the order they describe; they don’t give enough times to place each step. Hover or tap a point. 1 step says too little to place on the scale and is only in the table. Dates are when they posted. What the levels mean.
Show as a table
| When | What happened | Where they were |
|---|---|---|
| late twenties | fell ill during a graduate program and declined gradually for years without a diagnosisI didn't get sick until my late twentiesIn context ↗ | Not stated |
| 2020-06 | most ill and financially strained periodI'm actually the most sick and financially strained right now that I've ever beenIn context ↗ | Moderate |
| 2020-08 | some improvement after months of strict sleep routine and cutting caffeine, alcohol and most sugarAfter working on my sleep since last December, I've seen some improvements.In context ↗ | Moderate |
| 2021-02 | consistent sleep schedule and bedtime routine reduced pain, dizziness and nauseahaving a consistent sleep schedule has made a big difference for me ... reduces my pain and dizziness/nauseaIn context ↗ | Moderate |
Adverse events
- Low-dose naltrexone“I wasn't able to tolerate the side effects, so I had to discontinue it.” In context ↗ Side effects
- Low-dose naltrexone“Mostly nausea and decreased appetite, but I did have weird dreams as well.” In context ↗ Gut side effects
- Low-dose naltrexone“but I did have weird dreams as well” In context ↗ Other
Symptoms mentioned
Their words about their symptoms
- Post-exertional malaise
this makes me less vulnerable to PEM, POTS, brain fog, etc.
In context ↗ - POTS & dysautonomia
orthostatic intolerance is a big issue for me
In context ↗ - Sleep problems
I am very bad at sleeping, and have been my while life
In context ↗ - Pain & fibromyalgia
reduces my pain and dizziness/nausea
In context ↗ - Heart symptoms & palpitations
I can't always feel when my heart is racing
In context ↗
Ask Miruvor AI
Similar stories
-
Bedbound at worst with long COVID, now much better with pacing and supplements
Pebble 85566 caught Covid in early 2025 while burnt out and developed long Covid with POTS and ME/CFS, becoming bedbound at worst. Pacing and naturopath-prescribed supplements, which they credit, brought them to moderate/mild by January 2026. A five-week…
-
Bedbound for 18 months with long COVID, now much better on ivabradine and nicotine patches
Fjord 15222 got long COVID in April 2022, was mild for a year, then crashed in July 2023 into severe illness: bedbound for 18 months, unable to eat enough, with MCAS, IST dysautonomia and insomnia. Over the next 18 months they improved to a mild state,…
-
Long COVID with brain fog and vertigo, bedridden six weeks, now much better with pacing
Stream 58646, a man in his forties, developed long COVID after a December 2022 infection, with lost taste and smell, brain fog, palpitations, headaches and vertigo. A work-stress nervous breakdown left him bedridden for six weeks. He credits TMG, CBD,…
-
Housebound long COVID, improved then relapsed after calcium channel blockers and Ranexa
Long COVID began in January 2021, two weeks after his second Pfizer shot; by early 2022 he was housebound with chest pain, brain fog, migraines, fatigue and anxiety, and a booster made him worse. Over four years he improved gradually, crediting time, a clean…