When I am tired my tics are worse. I have made a conscious effort to see what makes tics increase and after a bad nights sleep, I do notice they are more frequent.
It’s hard to tell by what amount, as tiredness leads to coffee which leads to tics. So it can create a snowball effect as I add things to my diet to counter the tiredness.
The NHS states that tics can be associated with tiredness. It is good to read this from a medical perspective as it really confirms it for me.
And along with this, getting to sleep can be troublesome. Whether its ticcing long into the night or waiting for the caffeine to wear off, sleep can be very hard.
According to this PubMed article, sleep disorders have been reported in 80% of Tourette’s syndrome patients. Which is a huuuuuuge chunk of the community and an awful lot of people waking up with insufficient sleep.
With tics, tiredness is a part of life and this can go on throughout life.
An endless cycle
Fatigue can contribute to a range of symptoms, including sore or aching muscles, irritability, and low mood.
For many of us with Tourette syndrome and tic disorders, these symptoms can act as tic triggers.
Muscle soreness and joint pain may increase physical discomfort, which can make tics more frequent or intense. Likewise, irritability, anger, and heightened stress levels are commonly reported triggers within the Tourette community.
As tics increase, they can become physically and mentally exhausting, further contributing to fatigue. This can create a vicious cycle in which tiredness leads to more tics, and increased tic activity leads to even greater tiredness.
The solution? Don’t be tired.
If only it was that easy…