Defeat Insomnia During Long Covid: Learn the Top 10 Tips!

Are you struggling with insomnia during long Covid? In this video, we'll share 10 top tips that will help you overcome insomnia and get a good night's sleep!
If you're struggling with insomnia during long Covid, then this video is for you! We'll share 10 top tips that will help you get a good night's sleep and overcome your insomnia. From an autonomic nervous system and Polyvagal perspective I will dispel the unhelpful myth, and help you uncover the truth.
Can you also spot the one tip I forgot to mention? Let me know what you think it is in the comments below...
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REMINDER: The information provided in this video is for educational and informational purposes only, and should not be construed as medical advice. Make sure to do your own research and consult with trusted healthcare professionals before making any decisions about what may be right for you.

[@szaw4452]

Spot on... The sleep hygiene hasn't worked one bit.

[@sallyriggs465]

So glad it resonated. Hopefully some of these strategies will be more helpful 🤗

[@esther7867]

Thank you for this! I had sleeping issues before contracting covid, which had just improved to a point where I felt my sleep was 'reasonably ok' - and that is when I got (long) covid and my sleep got completely messed up again! Pretty frustrating. Now more than a year later I have been symptom free for a while, only my sleep is still an issue. I have also found that it works so much better for me to be as flexible with my sleeping hours as I can. I try to give myself space to be in bed for 10 hours every night which takes off some pressure, it helps to be more relaxed about waking up and lying awake, knowing there is some space in the 'schedule' for the time spent awake. There's so many rules about stuff you shouldn't do before going to bed and they made no difference for me, I fall asleep very quickly usually even if I did all the stuff you're not supposed to do... it's just waking up that is the problem exactly as you describe. Love the idea of having something to listen to, I will definitely try that - this also helped me when I got anxiety on the bus/other environments because of the long covid!

[@sallyriggs465]

So glad to hear this was useful Esther! Sending hugs that it gets better soon 🤗🤗

[@heidihancock5487]

Thanks for this video. Ive had awful insomnia since july 2022 after a 3rd bout of covid. It led to severe anxiety, panic attacks and depression. All of which iam still suffering from. I cant sleep more than 2 or 3 hours and my nervous system is alternating between figh flight, freeze and fawn.I will definitely be watching more of your videos thanks. Its good toknow people can heal.

[@sallyriggs465]

More than welcome Heidi! And hang in there- I was very similar for a long time but can sleep 10 hours straight now 😃

[@heidihancock5487]

❤ wow that's good to know. 10 hrs straight. How did you get to that! 😊

[@sallyriggs465]

by calming my nervous system...

[@patmccotter4219]

Hi Sally, how did u calm the nervous system?

[@mike_zander]

Sally, thanks so much for the tips! this is the most brutal symptom with long covid. I had this bad the first time I had long covid. As well as the second time long hauling and now again after a bad crash. I wake up in pure panic, heart beating out of my chest and sometimes super shallow breathing. In the moment, you don't think you'll make it through and it's so easy to let your thoughts spiral. I force myself to do the 4,7,8 breathing pattern to manually force myself into a less sympathetic state. The only thing I have lying around is klonopin which I may have to take small doses for now. When things settle down a bit, my go-to concoction is magnesium glycinate (Nootropics depot brand), sleepy tea extra (w valerian) and inositol.

[@CocoK1314]

I am so happy to find this video! I start having difficulty to sleep since I caught Covid last month. Even I fall into sleep, I start dreaming with all the weirdest dreams, then I am up around 1-2 am and can't go back to sleep! Everyone around me was talling me to leave the room while I am awake, try not to nap, and keep at the quiet place etc..... NOT WORKING! There was one time I forced myself to tolerate it and ended up with 6 days no sleeping pushed my anxity to the highest level. This vido totally make sense and make me understand what is going now! I am less stress about my sleep now! I will try to be patient and wait for my recovery! Thank you so much!!!

[@sallyriggs465]

More than welcome coco so glad it resonated!! 🤗

[@xiaoyichen177]

Do you fully vaccinated? I take one year to recover my sleep from Covid. I try so many different things and nothing works. I just take some herbal supplements when not sleeping and I do the accupuouture. It’s very very difficult at the time. Now my sleep back to normal now. I think just be patient and pray. It will heal.

[@ReAlNeRd1]

@@xiaoyichen177how did you fix your insomnia

[@cindynappa1417]

Thank you for this information, your recommendations are so intuitive as they pertain to LC. I have been focused on sleep hygiene strategies which have not been effective.

[@sallyriggs465]

More than welcome! Wishing you sweet dreams soon! 🤗

[@Kaz-fb9lz]

Thanks for this video, very helpful. I’ve never understood or agreed with the don’t nap during the day advice for CFS or long covid. With babies they tell you that an over tired baby will have more trouble falling asleep and that it takes energy to fall asleep, wouldn’t that also apply to adults?

[@sallyriggs465]

If you’re in extended fight or flight then yes that “overtired” analogy is a good one! The only reason to avoid naps is if your circadian rhythm is off. But that’s not our issue, so sleep when you can and your body will thank you! 🤗

[@imunchienandalusia]

This is excellent, i've been battling CFS and insomia for SOOOOOO long - and all these things i'm being told, that i've tried frustrate the daylights out of me. I'm not a stupid person, i've tried what they told me. I know it's a nervous system thing. Thank you for validating this. Dr Sally - what do you think about having a telly in the room? I just watching boring youtube videos not action or stimulating movies. It's become my only solace in CFS. I've been told i HAVE to get it out of my room but i feel so lonely during my wakeups. I will just do podcasts if you think that's the best path, since you've worked your way out of this mess. Thanks

[@sallyriggs465]

This is another example of CBT-i fails is. If I was following CBT-i I would say it has to go. But all the reasons you list for having it are valid and important. Full disclosure- I bought a new TV a couple years ago and put the old one in my bedroom for the first time in my life. I watch the Today show when I wake up (and also scroll social media) cos I have a med I have to take and wait 30 mins before the next one (and can’t eat yet so why get up?!?) I’d say keep the TV - it’s not massively triggering your nervous system if you’re watching calm stuff. Also our brains see TV and think it’s real so losing yourself in a TV show (literally) is a break from being sick for a bit!

[@imunchienandalusia]

@@sallyriggs465 Thank you for your response. Saw your video with Raelan today and i think i'm going to do your program.

[@EvinFox]

My sleep rhythm is 7:30 pm - 4:30 am.

[@sallyriggs465]

And if that’s what your body needs right now that’s okay! Sleep before midnight is twice as powerful anyway so that may be why your body is pulling for that! Just go with it.

[@mleanage]

thanks for this! very helpful and informative :)

[@sallyriggs465]

More than welcome!

[@susandrucker7937]

Thank you for information. Only LC patients get the

[@sallyriggs465]

More than welcome! 🤗

[@taplubambhos2869]

So right everything you've said. Both my parents died in covid 3 years back I'm 35. I have ptsd from it and a body that doesn't recover easily from exercise. Recently I had severe stomach ache and subsequently insomnia. My gf had the same. I only sleep from 7am to 12 pm. I thought I had sibo and bad gut bacteria so i took b vitamins and got overdose and tingling. Then we connected the dots. We have covid again. She gets low grade fever. Our dog has fevr she had it earlier in covid as well. We were out of breath on a walk. So sad we are. Really hope we recover soon. Our apartment really does give us ptsd. We are torn between memories of my parents and the horror we faced of no available oxygen in delhi india. It was really nightmarish. I am in therapy. I really hope my body recovers. Thanks for ur video

[@sallyriggs465]

More than welcome. I hope you both feel better soon. 🤗

[@sarahdean6441]

Best sleep video for us I've ever seen and I had cfs for many years. Agreed with everything you say, I ignored all the "don't sleep in the day"etc advice. Is your book and course for long haul cfs which may include covid effects too?

[@sallyriggs465]

So glad it resonated Sarah! My book (and the online course based on it) are written specifically for people with Long Covid and vaccine injury. But the material will very much resonate with CFS especially if you also think there are some covid issue in there!

[@sonnja7855]

Great video! I find it helpful to take my antihistamin (Ketotifen) in the evening because it works just as well as Ambien for me. Also I now found a duosleep melatonin pill which has both regular melatonin that let's me fall asleep and long-release melatonin which is released evenly over 8 hours and prevents me from waking up frequently. With the combination of Ketotifen and long-release melatonin I can now sleep much longer and better, often 8-9 hours.

[@sallyriggs465]

Fabulous! Thanks for sharing. I do love my ketitofen too! ❤️

[@ambrosauree]

Thanks you, that's very reassuring. I'm ina relapse right now, I through it was because of a reinfection but maybe I'm actually healing, I hope so!

[@sallyriggs465]

I hope so too! 🤗

[@moorishmoorish4929]

Thanks what nervous system medication best to look for

[@sallyriggs465]

Typically for nervous system change we are using Polyvagal strategies rather than medication, although supposedly famotidine does activate the vagus nerve (another reason why it can be great for us, but check with your Dr obviously)

[@max-cs9ko]

My problem is my sleep timing, I generally sleep at 3-4 am and wake by 12 at noon, I don’t know what to do about it

[@sallyriggs465]

Does that interfere with what you have to do in the daytime? Or are you taking medical leave to rest up for a while and have a more flexible schedule?

[@max-cs9ko]

​@@sallyriggs465i had a flexible routine as I am a student and it doesn't interfere my class timing, but i feel irritated because of it as I loss half of my day time sleeping

[@sallyriggs465]

I hear you on the irritation. Everything about Long covid is beyond irritating. But in all honesty if you can just go with this for now it will a lot less stress on your body. And more than likely as your nervous system calms down and gets into rest and digest more, your normal sleep pattern will begin to return.

[@max-cs9ko]

​@@sallyriggs465thanks for your feedback

[@briechilli4496]

Thank you so much for this video. I am in a living nightmare with my long covid since May 2023. I have slept as you explained only 2-3 if lucky a 4 hour night for all these monthssss. My fatigue is severe, i am couch/bed bound with awful brain fog/issues and panic/ dread, mainly in freeze. Heart palpitations, taking 5 mg beta blockers, i cannot tolerate sleeping meds or ssris. I was healthy and fit before covid living a normal life, power walking, doing exercises and on no medications at all. I am 67 yrs old female. Can your course help me ? I have zero motivation due to the crushing exhaustion. My mind feels empty, i feel hopeless.

[@sallyriggs465]

It’s hard for me to make promises about the course. And I can only speak from experience and what I have seen with other clients. Your situation sounds very similar. And we can all benefit from nervous system calming.

[@JonathanGlassco]

Hi Sally, any tips? I am 90% recovered from LC by practicing meditation and brain retraining. I am now able to sleep through the night again (after a few years of terrible insomnia), however, my issue now seems to be unrefreshed sleep. I will have a full night's deep sleep (my Oura ring shows I get into REM and deep sleep) but I wake up feeling out of it and have bags under my eyes. It's like my brain is not fully getting to bed even though my Oura ring shows that I am. Has anyone else experienced this? This is the only thing I have left then I will be fully recovered, very frustrating!

[@sallyriggs465]

This is absolutely standard. Your nervous system still isn’t getting into rest and digest when you sleep. Just need to work more on your nervous system.

[@JonathanGlassco]

@@sallyriggs465 do you think working out at night (8pm) is bad for this? I feel much more fight or flight after working out.. but it’s hard to work out in the morning with nonrefreshed sleep

[@sallyriggs465]

@@JonathanGlassco unfortunately yes this will push your sleep back alot as it will take a long while to get the adrenalin and cortisol out of your system at 8pm at night!

[@pelilin2519]

Cant even fall asleep 😢 will this heal. Im so tired.

[@sallyriggs465]

If you follow the recommendations in the video it should help…

[@pelilin2519]

​@@sallyriggs465The anxiety and performance issue was very hard to swallow when lacking of sleep.

[@rachelfrancoeur8020]

@pelilin2519 my friend can’t fall asleep either. Have you found any Dr that can help or believes you?

[@rachelfrancoeur8020]

Dr Riggs, my friend hasn’t slept naturally since she got long haulers Covid and was treated with antibiotics and steroids. No one understands her fatigue yet inability to sleep. Only benzos work and even they don’t work all the time. She has been to so many drs and they blow her off as depressed (put her on antidepressants ) or anxious. Duh😢. Her heart always feels racing, her eyes feel like they are twitching, she is exhausted and unable to work, has a chronic cough and clears throat all the time. Brain fog as well. No Drs seem to know what to do. She have terrible health insurance and very little money. What should she to to get proper help? She is only 46 yo.

[@ryanlogan2911]

Nicotine patches or gum….

[@sallyriggs465]

Lots of people are certainly talking about this treatment. We don’t have any randomized controlled trials. Anecdotally on platforms like Eureka people are reporting mixed response. Also lots of side effects and drug interactions to look out for.

[@rachelfrancoeur8020]

@ryanlogan2911 can you explain your comment “Nicotine patches or gum”? My friend has not fallen asleep naturally since Covid diagnosis in 2021. No sleep meds work except benzos and they don’t even work all the time. I’m exhausted and dread nights.

[@germanside7890]