So my hubby is the MAV sufferer. And he’s mostly under control with meds, but soooo fatigued. All the time. We have two little kids & currently he works from home, but wants to try doing a f/t job - I think he thinks it would force him to just push through. Distract him. I’m not convinced.
I’m nervous he’s going to struggle because he day naps a lot. I don’t really know if he can just push through without the day sleep or whether he’ll just be a non-functioning zombie on legs without those naps. Or maybe he just needs to go to bed at 9pm or something???
I’m not really sure how fatigued you all get - so I’m trying to wrap my head around it. Is it MAV? Is it the meds? or is it something else?
Do you sleep 8 hours a day? Or more?
Do you need naps?
if yes, how often & for how long?
And how much do your sleeping patterns change when you’re very MAV’y, versus mostly under control (if you can achieve that elusive state)?
For me, it’s a combo of factors. The MAV itself fatigues me, as it is very tiring working to keep balance, etc. Our nervous system is basically in constant overdrive, and depending on how bad the dizziness is, the extra tension, etc. adds to the physical fatigue. Certain meds can have fatigue as a side effect too. The ones I am on now do not for me, but I have been on meds in the past that made me just want to sleep all the time - sometimes I got past that as I adjusted to the med, sometimes not.
I try not to take naps, since regular sleep is part of the migraine trigger reduction lifestyle, but there are days where I just HAVE to. If the vertigo is beyond disabling, or the nausea gets way too bad, I will nap. If I just feel physically exhausted, I’ll try to rest without sleeping first, and only nap if that doesn’t help. I always say I’m just going to lay down for a half hour, but it usually ends up being more like 1.5 hours. Oops. I definitely need more than 8 hours of sleep. Before I went to chronic dizziness, I was fine on about 7. Now I need 9-ish. I don’t have any under control days anymore, but I do fluctuate and I definitely have more energy on better days.
Now, ALL that said, it really comes down to “your mileage may vary”. We are all different, with different manifestations of this illness, different additional health issues and lifestyles, etc., so what works for me is not necessarily what will work for someone else. Speaking for myself only, in my current state, there is no way I could hold down a full time job. Right now I work part time on my own hours. In past periods of exacerbations, which were not as long or as severe as this has been, I was able to keep up full time work and manage. I didn’t feel well, but the distraction actually helped me from an emotional standpoint - I didn’t feel like the illness was ruling my life.
I wish you and your hubby the best, whatever you guys decide. It’s never an easy decision.