Sleep

One cannot create energy and function normally without doing damage. All living creatures, right down to bacteria, require time for rest when healing and repair takes place. We call this sleep. Without a good night's sleep on a regular basis all other interventions are to no avail. The average requirement is 8-9 hours between 10pm and 7am, less in the summer, more in the winter. The starting point is always sleep hygiene.

See Sleep is vital for good health - especially in CFS. The commonest causes of disturbed sleep are nocturnal hypoglycaemia (do a low carbohydrate diet), sleep apnoea syndrome (due to allergy, obesity, hypothyroidism) or hypervigilance (some people are hard-wired for this). In response to light, the adrenal and thyroid glands help determine the circadian rhythm - melatonin is a part of this. All these aspects can be tested. See Tests on Dr Myhill.co.uk. Many people resort to alcohol to help them sleep - this may initially get one off to sleep, but alcohol drops blood sugar levels and this disturbs sleep subsequently.