So tired all the time...

I'm always tired... I mean ALWAYS. I make sure I get 8 hours of sleep a night, and even then I need to "catch up" on the weekend. If I sleep to the point where I feel rested, I need to be getting at least 12 hours a night. I've always been like this.

Yesterday I even called in sick because I just felt so tired that I felt like I couldn't do it. I ended up dragging myself out of bed after 13 hours of sleep because there was some stuff I felt like I should get done.  I know sometimes my boyfriend calls in sick because he hates his job and feels like he can't handle another day, but I love my job! I just feel like I can't wake up! 

I'm not depressed, I exercise daily, eat well, go to bed at the same time every night, have had my thyroid checked, and make sure I get plenty of iron. What could be wrong with me?

Also - I have mentioned it to a couple doctors (I never see the same one because I have to go to a clinic as I have no family doctor), and all they ever say is that some people need more sleep then others, or that I should try increasing my iron. I'm sure this is true, but this is crazy! Being this tired all the time is miserable! I'm sick of trying to pretend to be enthousiastic when all I want to do is take a nap!

It can be very frustrating to think that one is doing all the right things (eating properly, exercising, sleeping 8 hrs) and still feel poorly.  That in and of itself can lead to a minor depression. 

So the thyroid has been checked.  You are eating a proper percentage of protein each day (hopefully).  You are spacing out your meals and snacks.  And getting a solid 8 hours of sleep each night (solid sleep as opposed to waking every few hrs and dozing back to sleep).  What could it be?

Am not a member of the medical profession.  But here is my suggestion to you....sometimes Dr's dont listen to their patients, especially if you are seeing a different one each time you are at the clinic.  Make an appointment.  Start charting your eating and sleeping and exercising patterns.  Take the chart with you and sit the Dr down for a good talk.  Tell him/her that you know there is something 'off'' in your body.  Request a full blood workup and ask him/her what this could possibly be.\

If the Dr realizes you are not some 'flaky' female who has hypochondriac tendencies (sadly some of them feel this way), he/she is more likely to pay attention and not slough you off.

In the mean time, take a look at the protein levels you have and perhaps bump them up a bit.  Be kind to yourself and continue to get your good 8 hrs of sleep.  I wouldnt go 13 hrs...it tends to make you sluggish when you sleep more.  You actually arent helping yourself there.  On the flipside...if you have a virus or something and are sick, then bedrest and naps really do help.

Wish I could help more, perhaps someone else has an idea.

Have you heard of chronic fatigue syndrome? Maybe this is a possibility...

Are you waking up feeling tired?  I went through a period of this and was sent for a sleep test.  They hook you up to a bunch of wires and you get monitored through one night.  They check for things like apnea (where you stop breathing), etc.  Thankfully I didn't have apnea but I'm a restless sleeper and do toss and turn alot.  That really didn't change until I changed my diet.  I switched to more whole foods and losing weight and now I pretty much have no problems with sleeping and wake up feeling rested.  I also try to avoid eating a couple hours before I go to bed now as well.

I'm the same way - always have been. I sleep 8 - 9 hrs per night and it actually hurts to get up before 8 am some days. I also suffer from SADD and I live in Canada so it can be pretty bad at some times of the year. I started taking melatonin last fall and that helped a lot. Exercise also helps a lot. I've also figured out that my monthly cycle has ALOT to do with it - the first days of my cycle I need a forklift to get my butt out of bed.

I've also had everything checked and I think it really is just the way my body works and that my circadian rythems are different.

Make an appointment with an endocrinologist to evaluate your thyroid and hormone levels. What is your diet like. It is clean/balanced? Do you drink plenty of water? Do you take any medication?

My mother has chronic fatigue syndrome and needs much more sleep than most people because she is tired so often- she supposedly developed it as a result of getting mono as a teenager. So there's apparently a connection there, if that's applicable at all.

Best,

lahnals

After doing a bit of research, I did decide to try to get an appointment with an andocrinologist. I have had my thyroid tested before, as I had mentioned, but it was just done by a family dr, and I never actually heard results back (most of the time it seems the poicy is if you don't dear from them then everythings fine). I have a couple other issues that I think may be linked - extream exhaustion, constipation, extreamly pale dry skin, and always feeling cold.  Those are all supposedly symtoms of hypothyroidism. I have also suffered from a lack of sex drive over the past many years, which nothing has helped - and I say that mentioned in  my thyroid research. I don't seem to be gaining unexplained weight (if I gain weight, I KNOW what caused it!)... but I don't think that HAS to be a symptom. I've made an appointment with a doc, and am going to be asking for a referral to a specialist.

Get a blood test.

A year or two ago I was REALLY tired, absolutely exhausted, struggling at work etc. I went to the docs a few times and always got the same response, that I needed to rest etc.

I kept going back to see different docs and in the end the one I normally go to see sent me for blood tests. I could tell that it was more of a way to keep me quiet, however the day after the blood test the doc called me back and said he wanted to see me that day.

He informed me that my liver function test was abnormally high - not as high as what you would expect in an alcoholic for example, but way too high for someone of my age. He said it was most likely due to a virus that my body was fighting against, but I had to go back a fortnight later and have another blood test to check. If it was still high I would have to be checked out for cirrosis, hepatitis and any other type of liver problem. When I had the second test, it came back at the top end of the normal range so was given the all clear.

It is likely to be nothing, you might just be run down or getting over a virus or something, but a blood test may show up any problems that you aren't aware of or can rule out a lot of things to ease your mind.

Have you gotten a blood test recently?  Maybe you're anemic, which causes most of those symptoms.  Do you get enough iron?  Here's some more information about the symptoms, causes, and treatments of anemia:  http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/anemia/DS003 21

Original Post by htracey:

After doing a bit of research, I did decide to try to get an appointment with an endocrinologist. I have had my thyroid tested before, as I had mentioned, but it was just done by a family dr, and I never actually heard results back (most of the time it seems the poicy is if you don't dear from them then everythings fine). I have a couple other issues that I think may be linked - extream exhaustion, constipation, extreamly pale dry skin, and always feeling cold.  Those are all supposedly symtoms of hypothyroidism. I have also suffered from a lack of sex drive over the past many years, which nothing has helped - and I say that mentioned in  my thyroid research. I don't seem to be gaining unexplained weight (if I gain weight, I KNOW what caused it!)... but I don't think that HAS to be a symptom. I've made an appointment with a doc, and am going to be asking for a referral to a specialist.

 An endocrinologist will most likely do an ultrasound of your thyroid along with specific blood work. There is also a condition called adrenal fatigue. They can test you for that also. Tell them you want a complete blood workup. Including hepatitis, HIV and Epstein Barr virus. Have your vitamin levels checked too. Also a SGOT which is a liver enzyme test.

I was tired too at one point and went to the doctor.  She did blood tests and checked all my levels.  Turns out I was very low on some important vitamins and minerals . . . the biggest being b12.  I now get B12 injections once a month and it has helped tremendously.

She also recommended I take Omega3, a multi vitamin, vitamin D and a hormone replacement called DHEA.  She helped with diet too, as far as what amounts of protein I should be trying to get, etc., for my age, height and weight.

Honestly, I've felt so much better since following her advice.

My doc rocks!

I have hypothyroidism and I am anemic as well.  On meds for both, including iron shots when needed.  Was still extremely tired, couldn't sleep well, cold all the time, moderately depressed, didn't want to do anything on my days off, etc.  Blood work looked okay so doc decided to check my Vitamin D levels - she said I had the lowest Vit D levels their office had ever seen.  Started me on 2000 mg of Vit D twice per day, then upped it to about 3000-6000 twice per day and it ROCKS!

Adding in the healthy changes to my food & the exercise I'm getting since starting CC and I feel better than I have in YEARS!  I think I have more energy now than I've ever had.  The Vit D was the first step - I can't believe how much better I felt taking it.  Next series of blood tests showed a dramatic improvement, just from the supplements.  The RDA is pretty low but they are thinking of upping it to 2000 mg RDA because of the benefits.

Hang in there & good luck!  But most important - DON'T GIVE UP!  Find a doc that will listen to you & work with you.  That was a huge thing for me, too.

maybe you arent eating enough?

i notice that i get tired if i consistently have a 750-calorie deficit for even a few days. i always just shoot for a 500-calorie deficit because i never really feel hungry or deprived or weak or tired shooting for a 1 lb weekly weight loss.

Original Post by merylwhite1:

Have you heard of chronic fatigue syndrome? Maybe this is a possibility...

 This was my first "instinct"...but if you say you've always been this way, then you don't have CFS.  I've had it for 19 years now, and I have a few questions for you.  1) Do you have times when you feel "normal", and then all of a sudden, your energy level "bottoms out" within 2-5 minutes?  Like someone is "turning you down"?  2) When you get really tired, do you also have either body aches or a sore throat and swollen lymph nodes?  3) Do you have trouble with your vision, concentration, and/or short-term memory?

 If your answers to the above questions are "Yes", then you may very well have Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and should get diagnosed properly.  That involves ruling out every other thing that it could possibly be.