Health · Mental Health · 18 hrs ago
Former Olympic sprinter Beth Dobbin spends 22 hours a day in bed with ME
Beth Dobbin, a former British Olympic sprinter, has ME and spends more than 22 hours a day in bed at her home in Doncaster.
She is 32 and competed at the Tokyo Olympics five years ago.
Her illness followed Covid and glandular fever in the winter of 2021-22, after which her health steadily worsened.
Dobbin says light or loud sounds can trigger a crash that may last for months, and she has lost her independence and ability to work or exercise.
ME has no cure or specific treatment, and the illness can cause more than 200 symptoms.
More than 400,000 people in the UK are estimated to have ME, while specialist NHS services are limited; Dobbin waited 22 months for an in-person appointment with a private specialist.
Long Covid has brought more attention and research funding because its symptoms overlap with ME, and Dobbin hopes this will lead to future treatment.
Former British Olympic sprinter Beth Dobbin, 32, says ME has left her spending more than 22 hours a day in bed.
She gets out of bed only to eat and use the toilet, and left her home just five times this year.
Dobbin says light or loud noise can trigger a crash lasting from a day to months.
She traces the start of her illness to Covid and glandular fever infections in the winter of 2021-22.
She says a half-hour interview could affect her health for months, but she wants to raise awareness.
- Who
- Beth Dobbin, a former British Olympic sprinter.
- What
- She has ME and says she spends more than 22 hours a day in bed.
- When
- The article was published on 17 October 2026; her illness began after infections in the winter of 2021-22.
- Where
- Doncaster, England.
- Why
- She says her illness followed Covid and glandular fever infections; the sources do not state a confirmed medical cause.
This story does not have two clearly opposing sides.
Dobbin contracted Covid and glandular fever, which she later identified through retrospective tests.
Her health worsened during the World Championships, Commonwealth Games and European Championships.
Following six weeks of rest, she could manage only about three weeks of training.
Dobbin waited for an in-person appointment with a private specialist she had found herself.
The article reported that she spent more than 22 hours a day in bed and had left home five times that year.
- Age
- 32
- Time in bed
- More than 22 hours a day
- Time outside home
- Five times that year
- Initial infections
- Covid and glandular fever, winter 2021-22
- Specialist appointment wait
- 22 months
- Estimated people with ME in the UK
- More than 400,000; the actual number may exceed one million
3 sources
What people are saying
It’s life-decimating
I have lost my independence, my health, the ability to work, to exercise.
I wish it was only fatigue, then it would be a walk in the park. It is so much more than that.
I am so desperate to help her, but I can’t, because there is nothing.