Is it normal for me to be so tired

[lharris1]

Young, in shape (around 53kg) no dependants, living alone in London. I also take iron supplements daily as have often been anaemic in past.

I feel like I don’t have an excuse to be feeling tired. 8+ hours is a long time to sleep surely? How are people coping with working full time with caring responsibilities

I sleep just before midnight, then wake up at around 8.40am. I still really struggle waking up in the morning so may even snooze alarm for an extra 10 mins but I have to be logged in to my work laptop by 9.
I’ll often ‘work’ (attend morning meetings camera off) from bed for first hour which I know is bad/gross but I’m just too exhausted to get up properly.

Only by 10am-ish do I feel more awake.

After work (finish anywhere from 5.30 - 6.30) I’m then too tired to cook so most of the time grab a healthier ready meal from supermarket for dinner.

The odd evening after work I may have plans with friends and will force myself to fight tiredness because of it. However, the next morning will suffer with more tiredness.

I would make an appointment with your GP.

How is your mental health?

Sounds like you could be depressed? Living alone and wfh could do that. Do you do much in the way of socialising?

Please look at your Vitamin D.

Have you tried going to bed earlier? Even a few nights a week if being asleep by 10ish might help.

I would get vit D and B12 levels checked.

Daft as it sounds is it possible you are oversleeping? I read that every hour of sleep before 12 is worth two hours of sleep after, so maybe you need to go to get earlier and get up a little earlier.
If you are at home all day and don't see daylight then your vitamin D levels will be low for sure.
Also get yourself a SAD lamp from amazon, they are only about £20 but 10 minutes in the morning will make such an immediate difference.
I don't look directly into mine but have it facing me while I work.

Go to bed eariler.

Bed 10pm
Take a good multi vit
Get D and B12 levels checked
Drink more water
Exercise (brisk walk) daily
Eat more protein

How long have you felt like this and what hours do you go to bed/get up on a weekend?

Get your thyroid levels checked and Vit B12 make sure they are in the upper third of the so called “ normal range” if not get your GP to treat you or refer to endocrinologist.

So, you are just over 8st, how tall are you and so you have any difficulty maintaining weight?

Any feelings of mild anxiety? Often a little warm? Did you used to be a bit heavier?

I agree woth checking yr VIt D but if any of the above are present, I'd ask to have your thyroid checked too. I agree with the pp who suggested going to bed earlier, 10 to 7, get dresswd and have a ten mi ute walk before work.

Age?

Get out and walk around the block at dawn, every morning, have a morning coffee.

Thanks all! I’m late twenties. I do have good friends here I see on weekends, or occasionally an evening after work.

I take vitamin d supplement daily. Average around 6 units of alcohol a week (although now trying to drink less).

I have to go to the office at least once a week, and for that day I force myself up at 8am, and leave flat half8. I’ve always prioritised living somewhere with a short commute because struggle with mornings.
Feel awful/exhausted in morning going to office but to be fair, afterwards it makes me feel less ‘guilty’ as I haven’t been so lazy.

On weekends I usually make plans and can easily do 18k steps without realising (I don’t drive, take tube everywhere). Unless I have to be somewhere in morning I’ll lie in until half 10ish.

I know I sound pathetic but really struggle falling asleep earlier, think I’ve always been a night owl. Probably doesn’t help that on weekends I often stay up even later (if I’m going on a night out I’ll be back around 2am)

I used to go to a Spin or Pilates class twice a week after work but stopped going as I wanted to save money. Also I didn’t want to lose more weight (always been on skinny side).

I think I’ve always been an anxious person for as long as I can remember. It’s always been my ‘base’ level so don’t know much different. I wouldn’t say I have poor mental health anymore

I was prev diagnosed with moderate depression whilst at uni but I think things were much harder back then as I didn’t have as many friends, and no direct consequences from missing classes unlike work. Missed my dissertation deadline but uni were extremely supportive of my diagnosis and gave huge extension, still managed to get a 2.1.

Tried a few different types of antidepressants but none helped. Thankfully due to situational changes my life improved (moving cities, new friends, fresh start)

Late twenties. That seems like a great idea, and I feel embarrassed I struggle with doing something so simple. However in the morning it’s just so hard to leave bed

It's worth getting yourself checked out. Are you eating regularly - just thinking it sounds like you have 10 mins before you start work, and if you haven't had a healthy breakfast, then you're sugar levels will be low making you feel tired to start with.

Your diet doesn't sound great. Assume you don't have a decent breakfast if you only leave yourself 10 minutes before starting work. And ready meals are not going to be healthy, no matter how good they sound. Do you eat lunch?

Get yourself up in the morning, have a decent breakfast and a shower and sit at your desk to work.
Go to bed a bit earlier and get up a bit earlier.
Get some fresh air every day.

Hiya. I've also been like this (pre-baby me). High sleep needs and very bad in the morning!

I agree to get your thyroid, iron etc checked as that may be the culprit. But if not here's what has helped me before:

• phone alarm on loud on the other side of the room
• alarm on loud also in the bathroom / kitchen (5/10 mins later) so I need to also leave the room to switch it off
• work hard to get a new, sustainable morning routine with something in it that you actually enjoy.

Once you struggle through the first few weeks of a morning it does become the new normal and you can do it automatically without thinking. Here's a suggestion:

• up and dressed in leggings / workout stuff straight away. Have something laid out to throw on so you don't have to think about it
• upbeat music!!! Put your headphones straight in. Have a playlist ready to go so you don't have to choose anything when you're tired. If you're not into music choose a funny podcast or audiobook you look forward to, but get it chosen the night before
• walk / run outside - even if it's just around the block
• buy a coffee from somewhere nice / make one when you get home
• an easy but tasty breakfast ready to go / minimal effort (something you genuinely enjoy) for when you get home

I cannot stress enough how much easier the mornings become if you force yourself to get fresh air before you have to log on to work. Even if it's cold, wet and dark. It really really helps.

Be kind to yourself. I know WFH has its benefits but it can be really rough on your mental health and it really tests your willpower. You're not a failure because you're struggling with it - it's a bizarre existence

I'd go for being more healthy on the diet, those ready meals can't be too good for you. Try batch cooking a dish at the weekend, freeze a few portions of what you cook, after a few weeks of doing this you'll end up with a selection of different dishes in the freezer, then it's easy.

No, not remotely normal but it sounds like you have quite an unhealthy and sedentary lifestyle so it’s also not entirely surprising.

Morning sunlight in the eyeballs - Google it. It's good for you.

I’ve always been more of a night owl - some people would struggle having to work later than their natural body clock. We can force a different timescale with earlier bedtimes etc to fit into societal norms, but some people just naturally feel better later in the morning and some earlier. There were people who would have been useless in late afternoon/early evening meetings, yet there is not the same expectation for say early breakfast meetings. The deciding factor between two job offers (had been contracting at both) for me was the culture - one had a breakfast meeting culture and less autonomy, the other which I chose had a more pragmatic approach inc some flexibility on start and finish times, which got more out of people.

You’ve mentioned being anaemic - are iron tablets doing enough?
It’s obviously worth getting some bloods done as various PPs have said.

I feel guilty for being so lazy but if it’s of any help I don’t drive and walk a lot.

According to my phone my daily avg is 7500 steps a day. I can def improve this if I simply get out more on my wfh days, as pp have suggested a morning walk would be great.

I don’t notice I’m walking so much on weekends (eg around 18k sometimes more) but still struggle with waking up early then.

I don’t like feeling of eating breakfast too soon after waking up. So tend to have it around 10am ish- something like porridge, avocado toast, eggs

Thank you @LizardLasagne some good tips, trying to feel more motivated and excited about ‘resetting’ 😊