Hypothyroidism and Napping: How They Affect My Insomnia

I was recently diagnosed with hypothyroidism. Right after I started medication, I found relief from some of its symptoms, including the ridiculous amount of fatigue it caused. Unfortunately, the relief has not lasted. I have found myself napping off and on throughout the day and into the evening. Hypothyroidism and napping affect my insomnia.

While it might sound like I am getting more sleep, it isn’t restful sleep. I don’t wake up feeling refreshed. I still wake up feeling tired. In fact, some days are filled with an awful amount of exhaustion, fatigue, and daytime napping.

What is hypothyroidism?

Hypothyroidism happens when the thyroid gland doesn't make enough thyroid hormone and may cause increased fatigue.¹

How hypothyroidism and napping affect my insomnia

For the past 4 days, I have gotten out of bed feeling like I haven’t slept. Within an hour, I find myself struggling to stay awake. This fatigue is more than I can manage, and I find myself dozing off in my chair.

Try as I may to fight it, fatigue always wins and I end up sitting here snoozing, eventually waking up and realizing I have spent time I didn’t need to waste taking a nap.

Avoiding the inevitable doctor visit

I know I need to go back to my doctor to have my medication adjusted. It is on my to-do list. Procrastinating is something I am really good at and I avoid seeing my doctor as much as I can, especially after the number of necessary visits in the last few years.

I am weary of testing and trial and error ordeals. Due to a number of issues, I have seen more doctors and had more testing than I care to have. Still, I know this is something that won’t resolve itself.

Treating hypothyroidism is trial and error

One of the reasons why I am procrastinating is that I know this is something that will be trial and error. It may take some time to get the correct dosage to correct the issues caused by hypothyroidism. While I am so very tired all the time, some of my other issues seem to have subsided.

Will a medication adjustment bring back my nausea and dizziness? I really don’t want those symptoms to come back. If given a choice, I will take the fatigue over those symptoms.

Napping during the day and sleeping at night

Despite napping during the day and evening, I am still falling asleep at bedtime. I wake up a few times throughout the night, but I am getting about the same amount of sleep at night as I consider normal for me. Add in the napping, and I am getting more sleep. Unfortunately, more sleep does not equal less tiredness.

I have a sweet spot for how much sleep I need. If I get too much or too little, I don’t feel right. Add that to the fatigue related to my hypothyroidism and it’s a nightmare.

Struggling to stay awake

At this moment I am finding it hard to stay awake and I have only been out of bed for an hour. I feel like I got the right amount of sleep for me last night and didn’t wake up any more than usual. It was a routine night with insomnia.

I do try to get busy doing something when I feel like I might suddenly doze off, but I have had limited success with that. Since I also have mobility issues, I cannot just get up and walk around to try to stay awake. I’m stuck trying to fight it off while sitting, and I have limited success with that.

My concerns over napping and changing sleep schedule

If I continue napping during the day, will my schedule adjust so I don’t get as much sleep at night? Will I find myself stuck in a rut of needing to sleep every few hours throughout the night and day? I struggle to be productive now so such a schedule would make it impossible to get things done. I am genuinely concerned.

Do you have hypothyroidism and insomnia? How have you dealt with the fatigue? How has napping affected your sleep schedule? I would love to hear about your experience with hypothyroidism, napping, and insomnia.