Feeling Unreal

[Robinia]

What causes the feeling of being spaced out & unreal? (Not alchohol or drugs!) Do lots of people feel like this & how do you get out of it? I can barely think straight some of the time & it feels like I'm going dafter than I already am!!

[woofgang]

okay noddy, these are from personal experience...low blood sugar (or unstable blood sugar levels), not drinking enough water, lack of sleep, stress, needing a break from work, menopause if you are of the correct gender. How's youir health generally, how's your diet, what kind of life do you lead. If a decent diet, upping the water intake, enough rest and generally de-stressing don't sort it, then I think that a trip to the quack may be in order

[IndieSinger]

I used to feel like that if I stopped eating and if I continued, I would keep fainting.

[brawburd]

all of the above reasons, but also anaemia and thyroid problems. Get checked out.

[molly]

I used to feel the same way when I was a teenager and often thought there was something very wrong with me. I had terrible eating problems then and was incredibly thin, so Woofgang's answer of low blood sugar must have been the answer in my case. Thanks Woofgang, I always wondered why I felt like that.

[Robinia]

Thanks for all replies ...I think, woofgang, that all you say is about right. The past 3 yrs have been very stressful,inc bereavements,family illness, which took 11months of last year to sort as well as physical problems of my own.Now that I'm not running on adrenaline maybe I've just gone into shutdown. I do need to put weight on, (yes on!) & I try to eat every couple of hrs, but it's more than just 'light-headedness'. I'm not anaemic either - just pale & interesting! (?)

[Cetti]

If you're going daft noddy then I suspect most of the female population ( and a few males!) are as well!! I hope you will also take comfort in the knowledge that this is quite a common occurrance as you can see from the above replies.

I've had this on many occasions and it can be pretty terrifying, but as long as you've had a check for any underlying cause then I would put it down to stress - and trying to think of too many things at once. Delegate - and spend time on you!!

[Cetti]

I think we posted the same time noddy - the answer to your problem is in your reply. It takes a long time for the mind and body to adjust after being on overload for such a long time. I repeat.... you're not daft, just emotionally and physically exhausted. Be kind to yourself - you deserve it!

[Robinia]

Cetti, thank you for your very reassuring reply.I think I'm one of those people that likes to be in control (of myself not others) & this is a feeling of losing control.Will do as I'm told & chill out a while - hope we get some warm sunshine soon - it always helps!!

[TommyC]

All of the above, Noddy, but in my own experience the two main culprits are almost always low blood sugar (ie. lack of decent food and too much emotional energy output) and lack of enough sound sleep. Perhaps living a sensible lifestyle doesn't really sound like that much of a problem to many people, but once serious stress kicks in and you start to spread yourself too thinly, it's surprising how quickly things can go downhill physically. You have my best wishes for a swift recovery.

[Robinia]

Thanks so much TommyC. Stress has been the common thread in all of the replies & as you see by my previous reply it's certainly true of me.After so much time sorting out others maybe it's time so sort myself!

[GYPSEY]

I get this exact feeling becuase I have IIH, I also suffer from extreme fainting/sickness bouts if I do not eat somethingI do not allow myself to go hungry

[Robinia]

Thank you Gypsey but since I posted this question I have realised that this can often be caused by stress & depression.  It is also a symptom of Fibromyalgia which I have recently had diagnosed.

Wishing you all the best with your own health.