Sleeping so much: Hi everyone. Hope... - British Liver Trust

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Sleeping so much

LorraineLouise profile image
11 Replies

Hi everyone.

Hope this post finds you feeling well. I was wondering if anyone knows what causes the fatigue? Even in days when I feeling well and plan to do something, the fatigue sets in , no matter how much I slept or didn't sleep the night before. Everyday between 3 and 5 pm. Can't do anything but sleep. Then when I wake up I am ok again.

Just wondering if anyone else has the same symptoms.

Thank you again for always great advise and input.

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LorraineLouise profile image
LorraineLouise
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11 Replies
Identity75 profile image
Identity75

Fatigue is my biggest symptom. I go to bed of an evening about 2100. I'm up just after 5. I'll sleep again around 9-10, then probably again around 3-4.

It doesn't seem to matter how much sleep or how many naps I take I always feel the same.

The only thing I've found that does help slightly and was advised by my dietician was to eat regularly through the day and more importantly have a snack just before bed. Plenty of protein.

I just say listen to your body and try to do what your body needs. If you need to nap then nap. I know it's a pain.

RHGB profile image
RHGB

' I was wondering if anyone knows what causes the fatigue?'

Liver damage causes it. People usually think, the brain (having a stroke) and the heart (having a heart attack) are the only real important organs in the body. The liver is just as important. An analogy I like to use is a steam train. The brain is the driver, the heart is the engine and the liver is the coal fire that drives the engine.

When the coal fire isn't working properly the engine (the body/heart) can't function a 100%. If your liver is not functioning properly, your body will not be getting its energy properly and will want to shut down (sleep/rest) to recover. It is normal for people to think, I eat, I put food in my stomach, it has energy, job done. But it is not, the liver has the job of converting food to energy, otherwise it just gets converted to waste product.

Also the liver stores energy. Back in the day, you could have a full English for breakfast and skip lunch, because the would keep you going the whole day. The hospital dietician said to me, my liver can only store energy for two hours. So regardless of what I eat, I should snack mid morning, mid afternoon and before I go to bed. That is why you feel tired, because your liver cannot process food properly and store energy. So your body shuts down.

catrinamakes profile image
catrinamakes in reply to RHGB

Thank you for suh a good explanation, I also have cirrhosis, and never could understand why I'm tired most days, when i have done very little. Now I understand it a bit better. Thanks catrina.

LorraineLouise profile image
LorraineLouise in reply to RHGB

That makes so much sense. Thank you for that great explanation. I will listen to my body and just do what it is telling me to do. Again many thanks.

carllovatt profile image
carllovatt

hi lorraine i have seen in my mrs that the amount of sleep she needs is related to the condition of her liver, after nursing her back from H E 6 months ago she can make it for

10 whole hours a day

as for the cause. are liver is not processing the blood so well, then you have un-cleaned blood in the system, so the body shuts down to deal with it

LorraineLouise profile image
LorraineLouise in reply to carllovatt

Thank you for the reply. All makes sense. I will just have to listen to my body and nap when needed.

dckimberly profile image
dckimberly

Sleeping a lot is normal with liver disease. In fact, the weather changing will cause us to sleep all the time also. Like this week, a temp change and M sleeping round the clock. I hear next week it will be very hot again..so I may sleep through that also.

The liver does or is part of 500 jobs daily. Sleeping times is just one of those things!

Back to bed for me now!

XOXO

Kimberly

LorraineLouise profile image
LorraineLouise in reply to dckimberly

I get it! Nite! Nite!

in reply to dckimberly

Hope you had sweet dreams! Thanks, I also have noticed cold weather really makes me tired. And very hot weather seems to provoke drops in sodium levels where I feel very unwell, almost like fainting. I do wonder whether having ALD exacerbates any individual predisposition to fainting in sudden hot weather (like getting in a car as hot as an oven and in my case 7 years back whilst in Spain, suddenly the June sun came out and it was ovenlike I collapsed and got multiple facial fractures (Guardsman's fracture, collapsed straight down onto face)! Anyone else experience this?

addiej profile image
addiej

My husband did it was like he would give out just have to take a nap it is caused by everything your body is going through or that is what the doctor told us

Dldtx profile image
Dldtx

I did the same prior to getting some medications I couldn't sleep I was tired but just as you I would more or less nap sleeping a couple hours but not consistently and never 6-8 hours straight. It was explained to me that as the others have described basically the liver is in control and also I had lost the ability to make melatonin . My doctors prescribed me lorazepam to help sleep for me it works

Dld 🤠

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