Tired and hungover feeling all the time

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Even when not drinking! I’m so lethargic, tired and headachey. I’ve tried cutting things out in my diet (eg careful with sugar or not drinking alcohol, which I did for 3 months) Nothing makes a difference! In fact having a glass of wine helps keep me awake a little longer when I do have it, otherwise I’m ready for bed at 4 or 5. For info im 44, average weight. Went to doctor a year ago and bloods were normal.

Also I don’t have wine every night and not until dinner time - just realised that post made it sound like I open bottles at 4 🙈

How much sleep do you get? How much water do you drink every day?

Eye test ?

I am same age and often feel similar

Being ready to go to bed at 4 or 5pm is really not normal (unless you’re working shifts). Go back to your GP.

Any other symptoms? Brain fog? Could be CFS. If you have to go to bed at 4 then that’s bad fatigue.

Have you got a carbon monoxide detector?

The fatigue and hungover feeling sounds like what I went through with post viral fatigue. Tends to be diagnosed when all blood tests and other scans come back normal. There’s something going on at a cellular level which means you can’t produce as much energy as normal.

Did this follow any illness?

How are your bowels? I feel like this and it's so much worse when I'm constipated (I have IBS and diverticular disease). Also could be hormone related.

Edited to add, that that the glass of wine thing also applies to me - it keeps me awake longer

This is how perimenopause has often felt for me, like being hungover every day. Blood tests aren't the best way to determine if you're in peri, it's more about symptoms. Maybe have a look at a list of peri symp and see if you recognise any others. Sorry you're feeling like this, it's rotten. But there are treatments that can really help.

Thanks for all these helpful qs! Bowels are fine, brain fog is quite bad. I think I get good sleep but I know it’s not always easy to tell - I certainly feel like I wake up tired. I’m very good with water 2-4 litres a day. Eyes all ok. No shift work :-( I’m lucky that I have the opportunity to rest quite frequently and I still feel like this!

I often feel done at 4pm and get bad headaches which I think are hormonal.

Dehydration? Depression? Try drinking more and wat a piece of fruit. An apple really helps my brain fog.

Have you tried cutting alcohol out completely? Whatever short dopamine spike it gives you, followed by stress hormones like cortisol (same as caffeine), will be countered by how it impacts your sleep. Even one glass. Even as early as 4pm. I’d cut it out completely for 3 months.

Beyond that, this is how I felt when I had vitamin D deficiency. I wasn’t even “deficient” but just at the cutoff for deficiency, so GP said, that’s probably not the cause. It definitely was. 4 weeks of replacement dosing and I felt like myself again.

I’d push for further blood testing. I currently have cancer and it’s the most tired I’ve felt since, which goes to show you how tired I was. Beyond that, are you burnt out? How can you take a break and rest? Sometimes honestly, we need to stop and rest and look after ourselves.

Thyroid?

Your symptoms exactly describe my perimenopause symptoms.

Best to get your actual blood test results. They may be normal/within range but it doesn’t mean they’re good enough to allow you to feel well.
Have you had thyroid blood tests?

I used to feel hungover after no booze as part of perimenopause. The Balance app is great for recording your symptoms and lifestyle stuff like sleep and activity levels. You could track your symptoms for a few weeks and then go back to the GP to discuss

I felt like this when I was diagnosed with a B12 deficiency. I would definitely get your bloods checked.

OP has said bloods were done and they were normal (though it was a year ago). Obviously get all those checked again. But if/when all bloods come back fine (and scans etc) then it often does end up being a chronic fatigue issue.

Perimenopause made me feel tired and my sleep crap but at no point was I going to bed at 4pm. That is quite severe fatigue. And she says this has been going on for a year so appears to be a chronic issue.

Get bloods done again.

check thyroid results against “stop the thyroid madness” or Isabella W “optimal thyroid” advice.

Check vitamin d and b12 levels. Again look for optimal - which maybe narrower range than NHS “normal”

if over 40 consider HRT discussion with appropriate GP

Thanks I think having read all these responses I will go back to GP and ask for another round of bloods. I do suspect peri menopause but only a year ago was told I was too young! I’m 44 now.

I’ve felt exactly like this since starting perimenopause. It’s been awful. I think I’m through it now and rarely feel it. It was horrible at the time though and ended up getting buccaneer a few times because I felt so hungover & nauseous.

Yes - it’s a good point. We do have one

no I don’t think so - it’s been my new normal for so long I can’t pinpoint it to any particular illness