MEDICAL MATTERS
- Medical Matters features questions asked by Members of the ME Association on health-related topics.
- Dr Charles Shepherd and the ME Association’s other advisers answer these questions by sharing their expert knowledge.
- Medical Matters is based on the popular ‘Ask the Doctor’ series in ME Essential magazine.
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Questions in the Category: Sleep Paralysis
Sleep apnoea
Like most people with ME/CFS, I always wake up from what is often an erratic night’s sleep feeling totally unrefreshed. I also went through a phase of sleeping for very long periods at the start of my illness. I now find that I’m feeling very sleepy during the day but this isn’t the same as the debilitating ME fatigue that I also experience.
My GP has queried whether I might have a condition called sleep apnoea. Is this more common in people with ME? And can it be treated?
Paralysed by Sleep
Like most people with ME my sleep has been badly affected. I never manage to get a solid night’s sleep and always feel ‘sleep deprived’ on waking up.
More recently, I’ve had a more unusual symptom which can best be described as feeling ‘paralysed by sleep’ when I wake up. I can’t move or speakfor a short period of time – after which everything quickly returns to normal. My GP isn’t sure what is going wrong. Could this be connected to ME?
Dr Charles Shepherd
Dr Shepherd has been Trustee and Hon. Medical Adviser to the ME Association for more than 40 years. He is integral to the charity’s activities and provides information and support based on his professional knowledge, personal experience as a doctor with ME/CFS, and the understanding gained from helping many thousands of people with the condition. He was a member of the comittee responsible for the 2021 NICE Clinical Guideline and is a recognised expert on ME/CFS in the UK. His knowledge extends to Post-Viral Fatigue Syndromes (PVFS), Myalgic Encephalopathy/Encephalomyelitis (ME), Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS), and Post-Acute Sequelae of SARS-CoV-2 infection (PASC) or Long Covid.
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Medical Matters is based on the popular ‘Ask the Doctor‘ series featured in the highly-regarded member’s magazine, ME Essential, and in the healthcare professional magazine, ME Medical. Both are produced by the ME Association and published as hard-copy magazines every 3 months and sent to members and healthcare professionals by post to home or business addresses.
If you are a Health Care Professional you can sign-up to receive ME Medical magazine (people with ME/CFS can also nominate their HCP by completing the sign-up form).