Issues when Dark outside
 

Hope someone might be of help on this question.

Suffered a head injury 5 months ago. During the day i have ample energy to walk several miles however as soon as it gets dark out my body/brain feel exhausted and i want to shut down. It feels as if i'm so called "out of it" or have extreme "brain fog". Is this a vision issue, brain issue or simply sleep deprivation issue?

Is this due to the fact that i have heavily struggled with severe insomnia the past 5 months (3-4 hours of sleep per night) or is it a PCS symptom?

My other symptoms are a few headaches now and then, on-going Tinnitus which is bothersome and floaters in my vision that i noticed when i look in lighted areas.


Thanks

Pcs
 

Hello there,

Insomnia is one side effect of pcs, as is brain fog. It sounds like you are doing a lot in the day, and at night you're feeling the effects of it all. My suggestion would be to go a bit slower. Walk less, and see what else you can scale back on so you can pace your energy throughout the day.

There is also just the horrible fatigue that comes with brain healing. I don't know if that is what you are experiencing at night as well.

As for sleep, I take melatonin every night, still, and some other supplements, but they are not so much to do with the brain injury I had.

Hope this helps!

Sincerely,

poetrymom

This symptom is called 'sundowning.' It is common with many forms of dementia because the subject reaches their limit of energy at about the same time that the sun goes down.

What sleep hygiene have you tried to get better sleep ?

Getting good sleep takes discipline. I have struggled for 14 years and have systems I use to get to sleep.

oddly the only thing that helps me sleep at night is if i have a nap during the day... I may not feel tired but if I do not sleep for a few hours I am up all night.

Thanks for your input.

I truly hope this is i won't have permanent diagnosis of sundown syndrome or dementia as this is my first major concussion.

Unable to sleep well because my tinnitus is very bothersome. it amplifies with white noise.

I haven't had 6 hours of sleep in 6 months. I try to nap however the squealing tinnitus is so loud i can't.

I did not say that sundowning is an indication of dementia. I said that it is common to people with dementia as their brains fatigue later in the day at the same time as the sun sets.

Please do not try to read more into your situation than is evident. Nobody suggested a permanent diagnosis of anything.

Have you tried sleeping with music, especially soft lyrics ? The brain will focus on the understandable lyrics and may be able to ignore, even partially, your tinnitus. I find I do best with music and lyrics I know so my brain is not listening actively, more passively.

Thanks for your insight mark. I'm going to try good ole fashioned talk radio and see how that works.

Back in the good ole days I would always fall asleep listening to ESPN talk radio.