I think you may have Sleep Apnea!

I'm going mostly off the symptoms of being tired all the time and waking up more tired than when you went to bed.

Sleep Apnea is when you stop breathing when you sleep. Your body kicks you away enough to gasp for air, and you fall back asleep. You probably don't even notice any of this.

I'd talk to your doctor about getting in for a sleep test for apnea. Also have him do more breathing tests and chest exams.

A filter couldn't hurt for the cold-symptoms, which may be unrelated.

You have so many different symptoms relating to lots of different sleep disorders ive read about. But the heavy weight on your chest is one of the symptoms of sleep paralysis which is what i have, but that seems to be the only symptom related to sleep paralysis whereas there are a lot more which you havent mentioned so i doubt you could say your experience is all soley down to sleep paralysis so im not sure

As a result of trauma, biological changes occur, making it difficult for you to fall asleep. Watchfulness or hyper-arousal will be always present making it hard to sleep. You will always be awake to protect yourself from danger.

Some medical conditions associated with post traumatic stress disorder can make it difficult for you to sleep. The conditions can be pelvic problems, chronic pain, stomach and digestive problems. Using drugs and alcohol are also associated with difficulty in sleeping.

What about depression? I have had that since I was thirteen years old. Many of your symptoms mirror mine when I don't take my medicine.



These are some of the symptoms for depression. And these are what I feel if I don't take my meds.

I also know that depression can cause pain. You know that commercial for the depression pill that says "depression hurts"?

Out of curiosity, are you overweight at all? Or any extra body fat? If so, that could be the cause of your pain. You should probably see a psychiatrist and tell him/her your symptoms. Especially if the medical doctors don't help. It's an idea.

Sounds like a combination of Sleep Apnea and something else. A sleep study may be helpful with the use of a CPAP machine to help with the airflow. For chest pain a stress test may be helpful. Discuss these suggestions with your doctor

hey, im a 16 year old male and i have been going through something similar though only for 6-7 weeks, its driving me crazy it feels like i am going insane!

it was during the last week of school in a class when i first noticed a difference. it just felt like i had lost all concentration and felt extremly tired. i am not sure if this sickness has come due to poor sleeping habits or a poor diet. after a week i was not satisified and decided to see a doctor, i had had two blood tests and both come back with nothing wrong though it says i have apparently had glandular fever in the past.

the symptoms i get from all this are all very simmilar to yours:

* I feel extreamly weak all of the time, especially in the morning.
* I feel kinda like i always have a cold
* i have no motivation
* I am constantly tired and lethargic
* When i wake up i'm never refreshed, i feel more tired then when i went to sleep.
* I cannot concentrate during the day at all and my memory is affected greatly i cannot recall anything from 2-3 days before
* i feel depressed.
* i have stomach pains and diareah
* my apetite has changed iusually don't feel hungry, though i try to eat something anyway
* I also get anxiety or panic attacks, i become very fidgety and my mouth feels all dry and flemmy to the extent where i gag and throw up.
* i have lost interest in activities which i found previously fun
* sensitivity to light, noise or smells, light is alot more brighter and sensitive and i feel like i have puffy eyes, i have this numb and tingly feeling
* all of my lifes events feel foggy and dazing

i have researched a fair bit on the internet into what this could be. what i have come across that have similar syptoms were:

-glandular fever
-chronic fatigue
-depression

i am looking into depression because my father has depression. i have just recently made an appointment to go to a psychologist in a week or two, because the doctor can no longer recoemmend any stradegies or medication. all that was sugessted was vitamins and standard procedures like lots of fluids, regular exercise, rest etc none of it seems to help

if theres anyone out there who has feels like this or has overcome this i would be really appreciative if you write back and give me some more information

thank you

Hi,

I know this discussion thread was started last year but I thought just in case you are still looking on here I would let you know some information relating to glandular fever.

I have glandular fever. I have all the exact same symptoms. I was diagnosed with Epstein-Barr (aka glandular fever). While there are no medications (antibiotics) to help cure glandular (because it cannot be cured) - there are some things you can do to help relieve the symptoms.
1) Take pain relievers to help with any pain, fever or discomfort;
2) get plenty of rest (even if you feel that its not helping - it really is as your body begins to heal itself when you are sleeping;
3) if you have a day when you do feel a little less tired than usual you can do some very light exercise if you feel up to it(take a gentle, slow stroll around the block or down your street - under no circumstances should you go for a run or hike)
4) make sure you are eating healthy (no junk food, lollies, potato chips, soft drink, alcohol, fatty foods etc)

And remember, glandular fever can recur at a later date even after years of feeling fine. It usually recurs due to being run down or unwell, getting stressed. Also, it can cause depression and can lead to other diseases/viruses such as chronic fatigue, hepatitus and can cause damage to your liver (which can lead to jaundice)

If you want to find out more info on glandular fever there are unlimited websites providing info so check them out and go to a doctor and ask them to test for glandular fever - a lot of doctors still don't test for it and if you find that your usual doctor does not listen to you anymore find another doctor. I went through 6 doctors before I found one that beleived me and found the cause of my problems. You know yourself better than anyone else does and if you know there is something wrong then do not give up trying to find out what it is!!!

Good Luck!!!!

Hi,

I have to agree with the last post. I had all of those symptoms for about 8 years following glandular fever/Epstein Barr. Apparently you wont always test positive in a blood test even if you have it initially, but eventually when you body does start to get on top of it and produce antibodies you are more likely to get an accurate test result.
My advice is simular to the:
-Rest, rest, rest.
-Eat well and avoid junk. I got sooooo addicted to sugar (if gives you the feeling of having a bit of energy and a clearer head for all of 15 to 20 minutes) that when I went cold turkey and gave it up I was throwing up and feeling like I was about to pass out within an hour of my "sugarless diet" because my blood sugar levels were struggling to adjust. It was a very important step though. I gave up eating anything that had any sugar in it at all (initially including fruit and fruit juices), and I honestly feel that this was one of the most important steps, though one of the hardest.
(NB - you may want to investigate chronic candidiasis on the internet. It seems to be a hotly debated topic, and not being a doctor I can't comment on it or how many chronic Glandular Fever sufferers it would affect, but I really felt like I started to improve after taking Nystatin tablets in combination with the above diet. I wouldn't probably worry about going down this path unless you were getting gastro problems such as bloating/diarrhoea/constipation and possibly thrush. I think that it is possible that having a Chronic Fatigue/post viral syndrome just makes you more susceptible to getting additional problems such as these as your immune system is so whacked.
-Exercise is important, but you will need to completely review what you classify as exercise. Swap jogging etc for gentle, stress free and enjoyable activities. Do things that make you feel better after them rather than exhausted, even if all that this means is getting up and sitting in a rocking chair or little more that floating about in a pool or at the beach. Regular and non-strenuous is the key.
-Seriously limit exposure to any controllable toxins. After I started to eventually get some improvement in health due to dietary changes etc. I realised that an event such as sitting in a freshly painted room, or sitting in a car as it is being re-fuelled was all that it took to have be bed bound the next day. I seem to be fine with these things now, it was just a problem while I was sick.
-I took supplements and found that most didn't do much, but a few made a lot of difference. Particularly SAMe. It is an amino acid that is a pre-cursor to serotonin. It makes you feel happier, makes you ache a little less and is good for your liver. Unfortunately it is not as cheep as some supplements, but I know a few people who have got a great benefit from it (and a few who haven�t noticed a benefit - mostly big men so perhaps a higher dose would have helped). If you are interested in buying this, just be aware that it is available in both an amino acid form and as a homeopathic formula. The homeopathic formula is a lot cheaper than the real compound but I really can not vouch that it would work. I would recommend the real thing. I also think that a multi vitamin as well as zinc would be good. Just be careful of not taking zinc in large amounts or for long periods (ie - read the bottle), but I think it is quite an important nutrient for enhancing immunity and reducing the likelihood of being flattened by all of the other colds and flues passing by. Making sure that you are not low in iron is also really important for your immune system. It is probably worth getting this tested by a doctor. A young female may benefit from going ahead and taking an iron supplement, but men in particular should be aware of a condition called haematomocrosis which involves there bodies having too much iron. Iron supplements could be dangerous for people with this disease, and this disease has a few simular symptoms to other fatigue type syndromes.
-Contraceptive pills! If you are a woman and are finding that your symptoms are worse during your period, you may find some relief from asking you doctor about taking a contraceptive pill and skipping the breaks (ie- never bleeding). The hormonal fluctuations that occur can make you more sensitive to pain, so that your muscles and joints actually hurt more at this time ...as well as feeling more tired than your usual tired state.
-You are suffering from a real illness and you do deserve to get better ....and you may need to shop around until you find a doctor that understands this and is willing to help. You may find a few (or perhaps many) doctors on the way who will tell you that it is stress related, just a cold, or in your head etc. KEEP LOOKING until you find one who recognises that you are unwell. They really are out there (I personally have found more success by going to doctors in the higher socio-economic areas - rather than where I live). Don�t be afraid to tell them that you are looking for a second opinion after seeing other doctors. Even ask them for a full blood work up and a test for glandular fever. If you have no luck, ask to be referred to a rheumatologist (muscle specialist), immunologist or neurologist depending on what area your worst symptoms are. Often specialists are more informed about diseases and conditions such as post viral fatigue syndromes. (Best to ask around and see if anyone you know has a relevant specialist that they can recommend). You may also find that there are doctors in your area that have a special interested in these syndromes (ask Chronic fatigue support groups in the area, or check the net)
-My only other advice is to adopt life style/health changes such as the ones above as soon as you can! I only started to improve after I made these changes. Giving up eating junk food and sugar is very very hard when you are so fatigued, as is even getting to the shelf with your supplements on it sometimes, but I think that if I had made these changes sooner I would have recovered sooner.

Recovery can take a bit of time, but as soon as you feel yourself starting to improve you will probably feel more and more positive about the situation.

Best of luck,
T.