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I am having issues with sleeping lately. I cannot fall asleep in the evening. I will give you a little background on my activities, and what i thought might be an issue.
About 3 months ago i got mononucleosis. Since then, i stopped going to my Ju Jitsu practices that i was going to for the past 4 years, 5 times a week. I would usually get so tired at those practice sessions that i would fall asleep almost instantly after lying in my bed.
In the mean time, i started taking multivitamins. I noticed that a few days after i started taking multivitamins, my issues with sleeping began. Then i stopped them for 2-3 weeks, and i had no trouble sleeping again. Yesterday and today i took multivitamins again and today i cannot fall asleep.
At first i thought it's the lack of practice that's causing it. I thought that i got used to get very tired at practice, and perhaps i'm having too much energy left now at the end of the day and it's causing me problems with sleeping.
But today i noticed that perhaps multivitamin intake might be causing it.
Of course, at the begining of mononucleosis, i was VERY tired, and would sleep at least 12 hours a day, but now i'm not getting tired because of mononucleosis, and i guess i'm having counter-affect...not being tired at all.
I would just like to point out that i've noticed that perhaps multivitamin intake might be connected to my issue.
Is it a known fact? Has anyone got any idea what might be causing it? I've asked my doctor about it, and she said it might be that the lack of practice is affecting me. However, at the time of asking, i haven't noticed the multivitamin affecting my sleep.
Has anyone got any ideas/suggestions/experiences to share?
Hi. I think your doctor is probably right. Now that you are recovering from the mono, the pendulum may just be swinging in the other direction so to speak, and your body needs a bit of time to readjust. You may be more aware of your increased levels of energy as well, having been forced to forgo your normal activities for so long.
It is good that you postponed your training though. One possible complication of mono is enlargement of the spleen. Engaging in vigorous physical activity during a bout of mono can put you at some risk of rupturing the organ.
Your being tired was very understandable. Mono is caused by the Epstein-Barr virus, most commonly implicated in chronic fatigue syndrome. One of the functions of the spleen is to remove worn red blood cells from your system via marcrophages, specialized cells that rid your system of various biological "debris." Given that your immune system was busy fighting the virus, and your splenic function may have been a bit compromised, your blood probably wasn't being recycled at the rate it normally would be. Any red blood cells that were worn would only be able to carry limited oxygen, if any. That is probably the primary reason you were so tired.
Now that you are recovering, your body would be utilizing the additional iron in your diet to replenish the hemoglobin in your red blood cells, allowing more oxygen to circulate throughout your system.
Other than that, unless your supplements are particularly high in B complex, particularly vitamin B6, I shouldn't think you would see any adverse effects regarding sleep. I would recommend taking the vitamins in the morning though, not before bed time.
Given your accustomed level of activity, I would think the supplemental vitamins only beneficial, but give it a little longer and see how it goes. I'm glad you're feeling a good bit better. I'm currently recovering from my second bout with chronic lyme disease, so I can certainly sympathize energy-wise.
I agree with Thomas, and appreciate the detail he presented.
B vitamins are especially troublesome if you take them too late in the day. Best to take them early.
A good orthomolecular sleep aid is Taurine, a non-essential amino acid. It's often found in those "energy drinks" because it counteracts the nervousness that can come with the caffiene. Taurine is also a key to producing dietary bile that digests lipids (like those omega-3's you should be taking! Lol)
Melatonin is good, too.
As I got older I found that I needed less sleep, so I started with Melatonin, which worked, but is hard to get here in Germany. I do take 11 different vitamins and minerals a day, but only in the morning as most supplements give you the energy that a regular diet usually should. As another post said, don't give up on the vitamins, but take them in the morning. Taurine 'speeds' me up, but so does valium - I guess I'm backwards. I also have to take strong pain meds which make me lay down, but my mind just keeps on going so I'm glad that there is Melatonin around which has by far been the best. Good Luck and swift recovery so that you can get back to a healthy routine.
Just to append my "research results" to this. Out of curiosity, i've taken my vitamins about 2 hours before going to bed yesterday, and had no problems with sleeping. I didn't do anything exhausting that day which would make me fall asleep easier. It just seems that my sleep wasnt affected by vitamins intake.
Looks like something else caused my sleeping issues...
The only one who can get in tune with your body is you, and it looks like you are on the way to recovery, congrats!. But I would still continue the vitamins, they can't hurt. Maybe it could have been the stress and frustration of not being able to be as active as you were used to being before your illness and now are accustomed to the healing process and more comfortable with it. Have a Good Weekend!
It might be it...although, i don't really believe in stress. I'm a pretty flegmatic person and handle everything easily. Well, perhaps i'll understand it with time.
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