to ask if you have overwhelming tiredness and how you deal with it?

[overwhelminglyexhausted]

I go up to bed between 10pm-midnight, tired. I have a bath, go to bed and read a book (paper, not kindle/tablet/phone) but I can't get to sleep.
I've tried milky drinks and it's not helped.

I'll be awake until 3am sometimes and give up and go downstairs because I'm sick of lying in bed awake. I take the DCs to school then come home (I haven't gone back to work yet as I finished my job before xmas and am looking for a new one) and sometimes I end up going back to bed for 2-3 hours because I am so shattered. I've tried not to do this but it makes no difference. Then I work but get a period around 4-6 where I am bone crushingly exhausted but get through it and am fine for the rest of the day.

and repeat. I haven't had a good night sleep in ages.

Are you getting fresh air/exercise? A simple relaxation/meditation app might help you switch off

I haven’t found a way around it yet to be honest, my wall occurs around 5-6pm and it’s like I’ve been hit with a big cartoon mallet with the word “EXHAUSTION” stamped across it.

But my DH is very unwell and has been for over a year and our DC are 2yo. I load myself up on caffeine in the mornings and just push through until our DC are in bed - by that point (having pushed through the wall) I find myself wired but physically exhausted so I do whatever I can to relax and distract myself until I manage to drift off, which usually happens on the settee because like you I can’t stand lying awake in bed for ages.

My usual fall asleep time is 3-4am and then up again by 7-8am. I do find getting out and about can help and trying to excercise myself into tiredness has worked on occasion but it’s my brain that doesn’t want to go to sleep :/ OP and I hope others come along with suggestions that help!

Are you suffering from anxiety? That always affects my sleep

I don’t think the light at the moment helps. It is very low where I live and I’ve been napping a lot on my days off. Today I’ve done very little apart from a bit of cooking and taken down a few decorations. Caffeine takes 12 hours to leave the body so if you are drinking any past lunchtime that will stop you being able to switch off. Daylight and exercise are the best but not easy at the moment. I haven’t managed any today!

A friend of mine found CBD oil helped with her poor sleep

I've had periods like this where I just can't sleep, then have to nap.
I have found ways that help. Not cure, but help.
This first is you have to go cold turkey on the naps, and also do not go to sleep early, but just a bit late.
So I will go to bed at 11.
Then I listen to something boring but soothing through my headphones. I tend to iPlayer gardeners question time.
Then I get up early - about 6 or 6.30.
Do not have a lie in.
After a week of this I can then normally start going to bed slightly earlier. But if I nap, or lie in, or go to bed too early, it seems to trigger the insomnia again.

I take 4 medications that all cause fatigue.

I don't have children so I do manage to get lots of sleep at least 9 hours a night which I need to be able to function.
Even so I need a pyjama morning every week.
I can only work part time due to my health, the fatigue being one reason. I do 8 hour shifts when most colleagues do 12 hours.

I've started going to the gym to get fit but I don't go on a work day.

I've been cutting down one of the epilepsy medications that causes the worst fatigue under medical supervision which has helped a bit but I've now got to increase another one as the epilepsy is not well controlled.

If you’re peri-menopausal/menopausal then definitely try magnesium. It’s like a magic spell’s been cast on me and I positively sink into sleep when I take it.

I've experienced this, it was horrible. Mostly fuelled by anxiety which I tackled so that helped. On the whole I find I sleep best when I am eating well and exercising regularly, and not stressing too much!
I use the Lush sleep lotion (can't remember the name - smells like lavender) and listen to a sleep relaxation audio on YouTube if I feel like I'm going to struggle to drift off.
Hope you get there x

Thank you for the suggestions, I am indeed peri-menopausal - probably nearly menopausal by now (I hope).

I take liquid magnesium, the tablets upset my stomach a bit. There’s lots of ways to take it, including onto the skin. I hope it works for you!

Another vote for magnesium.
Take that along with evening primrose oil and vitamin d but the magnesium was like a light switch turning on.
Cutting down on caffeine and going to bed when I'm tired whatever the time helps as well.

Vitamin B12 + complex (it is one tablet/liquid).

I find Vitamin D keeps me awake, even with the B, so needs to be taken in the morning and the B at night.

Bach Rescue Night spray or any form of the Rescue Remedy.

I have horrible fatigue at the moment - a side effect of meds, compounded by poor sleep (separate injury, which disturbs sleep)

I find that getting out and taking exercise (even if not for long) in daylight, ideally somewhere that’s green. helps enormously with my general energy levels

Meditation (a body scan sort of thing) might help too - I find them very relaxing and I’m sure you’ll be able to find postcards that would talk you through one

I bought a SAD lamp 10 days ago and it's really helpful for me. I use it for 30 mins in the morning about 1-2 hours after waking. You can go about your normal day in front of it, work at a computer etc, just glance at the lamp every minute or so. It increases serotonin (happy hormone) which converts to melotonin in the evening and this hormone helps you sleep.

I've only had one bad night's sleep since starting using it and my mood has improved.

I had this when my thyroid started failing go and get a full blood panel done , if it is this it's fixable , I hit my wall at around 3 in the day and sometimes couldnt sleep at night it causes all sorts of problems if it's let go

Melatonin and magnesium.
Start with 2mg melatonin and work up from that if needed. Biovea.com is a good reliable website.

A scoop of Epsom salts(magnesium) and himalayan salts added to your bath water.
Cut out as much caffeine as possible. Decaf is good.

If you stay up past 10pm when you are already very over tired your cortisol levels will rise when they should be falling and that's what's keeping you awake until 3am.
The more you do this the more the brain gets into the habit of staying awake and then it becomes a vicious circle.
Listen to relaxing relaxing music for sleep or ASMR videos...you can black out your screen is just the noises you need to hear.

GentleWhispering or WhispersRed are my favourites.

I think your problem is probably hormone related but you could try this.

You seem to get about five hours sleep (3am-sometime? and 4-6pm). So that’s what you aim for per night.

If 3am is when you usually fall asleep then that’s when you go to bed. No point in trying earlier.

Set alarm for the time you want to get up say 7am.

No naps. Go to bed the next night again at 3am. The alarm is key, as is no naps under any circs.

You will be exhausted so next night go to bed earlier like 2am or even 1am. No earlier though. Alarm at the usual time no naps. After a couple of nights go to bed half an hour earlier. Follow the usual programme.

Gradually move bedtime u til it’s midnight or 11pm or whatever you want.

It’s supposed to work. I’m on the programme just now as I’ve been up late and back to work is a killer!

Get your iron levels and thyroid checked.

In the meantime, plenty of fresh fruit and veg, a walk in fresh air each day, no screen time after 6pm and no caffeine, energy drinks or fizzy drinks.

@LilyJade were you on epilim? My mum took it for years and was always totally wiped out.

I found that my insomnia disappeared when I went low carb and for the first time in my life, I did not feel tired when getting up in the morning.

Vitamin B12!!!!!!
I use patches as the tablets upset my stomach. Get them on amazon.
Totally life changing.

Is there a chance you could have depression? This is very similar to my sleep “pattern”. Would be worth seeing your GP

All these vitamins which are being suggested, is it safe to take all of them each day? That sounds like a lot?