Tiredness, any miracle cures?

[giraffe]

Does anyone have any good rescue remedies or ideas on boosting energy levels. My tiredness is due mainly to stress as I don,t have a hectic lifestyle at the moment.I know I should exercise more, but just want to sleep instead. I usually get about 8 hours each night, which I know would be heaven for alot of people but it just is n,t enough it seems.Any advice is welcomed, thanks

[doormat]

hi giraffe, felt like this a few weeks back. I started taking iron tablets and multi vitamins. I know there is controversy in media about this at the moment but it has helped me.
You can get stuff like pro-plus from chemist that are tablets high in caffeine. Never tried them though.

[Mum2Toby]

I've tried pro-plus!! WOW!!

We used to take them regularly at Uni to do all night revision sessions. And.... reckless as we were.... we used to take loads before a night out to make sure we lasted the distance!!

They are good, but if you take too much you get the shakes and generally feel sh*t. It's like drinking WAAAAAYY too much caffeine.

Giraffe - do you normally drink a lot of tea and coffee??
And pardon my ignorance, but are you pregnant??

It may not be the length of time you are sleeping but the quality of sleep you get. There are loads of books out there about optimal sleeping patterns and herbal sleeping aids. I can't think of any offhand though!! Sorry. I'll have a look on the web and see if I can find a good link.

[tinyfeet]

coffee, fresh air, a brisk walk. All of these help me. Right now, I am pregnant and can't stand the smell of coffee, so I'm really struggling to stay awake.

[doormat]

as M2T said about sleep remedies here are a couple of tips
drink camomile tea before bed
lavender oil in burner and a couple of drops on pillows and bedding.

[LucieB]

Hi Giraffe, I also feel permanently tired. I went to see the doctor who suggested all types of blood tests - for thyroid, iron levels and so on. It might be worth visiting your doctor if it is continuing and is worrying you.
I still feel exhausted all the time but have a long commute on the tube every day, a fairly stressful time in the office and my ds is full-time at nursery so feel the pressure to give him time and attention during the 1-2 hours I see him per day.
I put it down to modern life!

[donnie]

Floradix is a really good iron supplement and it's all natural so no nasty chemical...available from health food shops or chemists. A bit pricey though.

[Lil]

Giraffe if you know you're not getting enough sleep - then surely the only sensible answer is to spend more time in bed! Taking pro-plus etc won't help you long term, you're just storing up sleep deficit, and what;s the point of blood tests etc when you know what the problem is?

Sorry to sound so boring about it, but it always amazes me how people want to resort to drugs etc to solve our problems. what is stopping you from going to bed earlier? can you sneak upstairs earlier and say watch less TV? or are you snowed under with housework in the evenings - in which case give your hubby a kick up the butt!

[giraffe]

Thanks for your comments, no I am not pregnant, well not quiet we are adopting a baby in several weeks time so maybe my body is mimicking the effects of late stages of pregnancy!!
I think the quality of sleep is a good thought and will try the lavender.I am sub conciously anxious about the forthcoming weeks and I think my sleep is disturbed although I don,t wake up with memories of troubled dreams it just seems logical.
I agree with not wanting to resort to drugs as I don,t think that is the answer, we have a holiday booked in 2 weeks so am winding to that, but the organising before a holiday I find stressful.Hopefully once there I will relax and chill and come back to happy times.
Sorry to moan on I know I have alot to be thankful for ,but have been through alot too.

[Moomin]

Congrats on the forthcoming happy event! I do think your body is responding to all the thinking and preparing you will have been doing recently. Try some deep breathing exercises and lots of restful activities, so even if you don't get enough sleep you're nice and calm and can try to mentally prepare for when you're actually dead on your feet when your new arrival comes! Lavender's definitely a good one; a long soak; milky drinks, etc, etc. Good luck but it must be hard relaxing, you must be so excited!!!

[snickers]

Warm milk before bedtime, always works for me.
Try some wind down techniques too...

Imagine you are in a posh plush lift, with soft carpets, no annoying music, noone in there but you. You are on the top floor, aand you press the button for the ground floor. As you watch the lights illuminate as you go down each floor, concentrate on relaxing all your muscles individually from your head, neck, shoulders, down through your body until at last with your toes you reach the basement. If you want you can continue the thought process to the doors opening to a real lovely place, where you feel relaxed (a quiet beach, or a mountain stream) and imagine laying down somewhere with the sun warm on your face, and concentrating on the peaceful surroundings to help empty your head of worrying thoughts.

For a power-nap style of boost, do the lift thing during the day, but then reverse the feeling, by pressing the top floor button, and imagining energy rushing back into all those relaxed muscles as you reach the top floor! Sounds a bit kookey, but it really does work!

[doormat]

giraffe-congratulations.

[windmill]

Ginseng is good. Evening primrose, although associated with depression and PMT is actually used by ME sufferers for their tiredness so can be good for the most severe lack of energy. What's your diet like, the B vitamins are useful

[Lil]

ooh Giraffe can you tell us about the forthcoming adoption? is it a baby or a child? has it been a long process..etc. tell me if I'm being too nosey, its just a process I have often thought about.

[sparkle]

I heard somewhere recently, but can't remember where, that eating an apple in the morning will have the same effect as a cup of coffee in waking you up. Haven't been brave enough yet to forgoe the caffiene and try it, but it might be worth a go.

[SamboM]

Cocaine.

[willow2]

Or crack - but it doesn't last very long.

[NQWWW]

Drink plenty of water.
Eat plenty of raw foods - salads, raw veg, etc.
Go to bed an hour earlier.

Good luck with the new arrival!

[nobby]

Like Snickers' reply really - have you tried deep breathing? There are certain yogic breathing exercises that give you such a deep feeling of relaxation that you feel you have had extra sleep anyway. They're especially good when you have a baby to look after as you can do them when the baby's feeding/slumbering etc. Try having a look in Postnatal Yoga by F. Freedman and D. Hall - get it out the library as the physical exercises won't really apply, but the breathing exercises are great.

[SamboM]

Speed is cheaper and lasts longer than cocaine or crack, maybe that's the answer.

[slug]

But so difficult to get hold of these days. (alledgedly)

[tigermoth]

berocca tablets - easy to get hold of, too. Buy them at Boots. They really clear my head and give me a lift.

Also, try for one extra early night midweek, just to boost you from one weekend to another.

[Tumbleweed]

Please don't take a whole Berocca at a time, Tigermoth - far too much Vitamin B12, which can have damaging effects!

[aloha]

I disagree. They arent' dangerous

[aloha]

B12 is a very safe vitamin - there are no known instances of toxicity or damage either from food or supplements. And deficiency is actually very common, particualarly in vegetarians.

[aloha]

I mean vegans