Sleep and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome
Copyright 2005 Wendy Owen
Could improving your sleep lessen the symptoms of Chronic
Fatigue Syndrome (CFS)?
Our aim here is to understand the connection between the two as
it may be possible to confuse the symptoms of CFS and sleep
deprivation. There are however definite differences.
Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Symptoms
The main symptom of CFS and probably the hardest to live with,
is constant and persistent fatigue lasting 6 months or more.
Others include:
Feeling feverish Sore throat Muscle aches and pains Tender or
swollen lymph nodes Joint pain More headaches than usual
Abnormal lethargy after exercise Poor concentration Depression
Poor quality sleep
Although not everyone who suffers with CFS will display all of
the above, two or more of these symptoms would definitely bear
further investigation. By contrast, sleep deprived people would
not usually experience swollen lymph nodes, joint pain,
feverishness or sore throat.
CFS often follows a bout of flu or other respiratory disease.
It’s onset can be quite sudden following recovery of the initial
disease. It occurs more frequently in middle age and elderly
people, and twice as often in women as men. Sleep deprivation is
not so choosey! It can affect male, female and all ages alike.
CFS is a debilitating illness which is hard to diagnose due to
the symptoms being non specific. Also the symptoms described by
the sufferers often cannot be verified. For instance, patients
often describe feeling feverish although their temperature is
normal.
Recent studies indicate CFS may in fact be an immune disorder
due to inflammation of the immune system, but there are medical
practitioners who still believe it to be a disease of
“malingerers”. In fact some of those suffering with CFS often
wonder sometimes if they are imagining their symptoms. But CFS
is very real and can lead to broken marriages and wrecked
careers.
It is very important for those who suspect they have CFS to seek
medical attention straight away. If you feel your doctor is not
taking you seriously, get a second and even a third opinion. It
helps if you have been seeing the same doctor for some time, as
they know you and can recognize that you are not a
“hypochondriac” or a time waster looking for sympathy.
CFS is certainly not new, although the association of symptoms
under the name Chronic Fatigue Syndrome only took place in the
1990s. Previously it was largely overlooked or thought to be
something else, for example low blood sugar, Lyme disease,
allergies, fybromyalgia, yeast infections etc.
Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Treatment
These vary from antidepressants, steroids, immune system
medications and anti-histamines to the more holistic treatments
like evening primrose oil, diet therapy, cognitive behavioural
therapy, removal of dental fillings (mercury poisoning) and
gentle exercise programs.
Although lack of a definite treatment for CFS leaves a lot to be
desired, the above treatments, whether all or a combination, can
prove fairly effective. The broad answer seems to be to treat
the symptoms as they occur and make the effort to improve
quality of sleep.
The quality of sleep of patients must have a direct effect on
the severity of the disease. If depression is the main problem,
treatment of that can significantly improve the quality of
sleep, thus relieving somewhat the persistent fatigue.
In conclusion. a combination of better quality sleep with gentle
exercise, optimal diet and cognitive behavioural therapy would
go a long way to improving the lives of patients with CFS. This
article is for informational purposes only and should not be
taken as medical advice. Please see your health care provider.