To be going to bed straight after the kids every night?

[BabCNesbitt]

Two DCs, youngest has just turned 3. They’re usually in bed by about 8 each night and when DC2 is finally asleep, I get into bed and crash out because I’m exhausted, every bloody night. I get up at 6am and work four days a week, but DH is great and does equal shares of getting the kids ready for school/nursery and ready for bed, and does most of the cooking too.

I went to the GP a few months ago because I was feeling so tired and bleh all the time and apparently blood tests showed that everything was fine but that my iron stores were a bit low (told this by the receptionist over the phone, no figures given). I’ve been taking Holland and Barrett iron supplements since then but I’m still bloody knackered all the time. Is this just normal for a mid-forties woman who gets up at 6am? Or WIBU to pester the GP again for more tests or something like that?

Following as I feel the same. Wondering if it’s normal to be this tired all the time

Of course it's normal! If your tired your tired. 14hours on the go daily would exhaust anyone. This stage should pass. How old is your eldest are they in school? Things get much better once they are in nursery/preschool in my experience.

I’m tired too and do this. I take B vitamin/B12 supplements from H&B which help a bit.

8-6 is a lot of sleep for an adult.
It may be worth seeing the GP again. My kids are 2 and 4 and I'm always tired. I'm sure that a big part of it for me is that I get so little time alone and I really need that to recharge. It sounds like you have little time to yourself to do things that you enjoy, you're either asleep, at work or looking after kids. You could just be a bit burnt out.

B12 will only boost you if you have a deficiency. You can be tested for that.
Yes it's life with mini tornadoes I think, haven't felt rested for a long time

I’m the same, and I’ve only just turned 30! My son is 19 months but either I fall asleep in his tiny cot bed putting him to sleep or I go to bed straight after usually around the same time you mentioned.

I work 3 days a week, currently have an underactive thyroid (which came on after the birth) and also suffer from some anxiety/depression.

On quite a lot of meds but like you bloods came back recently normal so everything seems fine.

Can only pin point it down to having kids. Our bodies are never the same after you’ve given birth and life is both emotionally and physically draining a lot of the time.

It would be sensible to go back and be checked again to ensure your iron levels have improved. There could be medical issues causing you to not absorb the iron from the pills very well.

Do you have/could you have any kind of stomach issue such as IBS? That can also cause serious exhaustion but isn't something that would be picked up by a blood test.

Have you considered that maybe you're sleeping too much?
10 hours is a lot of sleep.

I am the same. No down time. I go to bed at 9 if not at work

No, no stomach issues, and older DC is in Year 3 so that’s (usually!) far less stress and effort at bedtime. I do go out to the cinema with friends about once a fortnight but I’m pretty much fit for nothing the next day (although come to think of it, I’m pretty brain foggy most of the time at the moment).

Have you considered that maybe you're sleeping too much?

Pretty sure she has. Pretty sure that is why she posted the question.

This level of tiredness hit me at that same age. It turned out to be perimenopause related. Even though I sleep more, the quality of my sleep is not like it used to and Idon't get deep, restorative sleep like I did before.

It's really frustrating and a vicious circle as I fear doing anything in the evenings and having to battle the urge to want to go to sleep, yet once I'm over it, I'm wide awake and likely to be able to fall asleep until 2am, and still wide awake again at 6am leaving me even more shattered for the next few days after.

Still worth investigating everything. Did you get your B12 and VitD level tested? It can take some time to raise your iron levels and the correct supplement to take normally is ferrous sulphate .

I think it's inevitable that we're knackered when our lives consist of working and being a mum to two small kids.

But then there's a line, and if you feel like youve crossed the line, get checked out again.

I've started taking vitamin d, a good multivit, sublingual b12 (veggie) and spa tone for iron. I think the winter is always tougher too.

No helpful advice but I feel the same! I went to the GP last year as I was convinced there was an underlying cause. I was also getting a lot of mouth ulcers and my hair was starting to fall out so I was sure there was a reason for it all. All blood tests were normal.

I have started taking a multivitamin and have cut back on alcohol, I think it might have made a bit of a difference but it's hard to tell. I think if I could find some motivation and energy to exercise that would help too, but haven't managed that yet.

Another one here. I'm usually up at 5am with DS, working full time, home for bed and tea then crash out on sofa. It's endless fun.

I need my 8 hours but that seems a lot to me. Is your work particularly hectic?? I go to bed around 10pm on week days for a 6am start.
I was TATT so took up a sport which despite being quite knackering and needing time out to do it really helped as I had some time to myself, got a bit fitter and was properly physically tired rather than just ‘tired’

10 hours is a hell of a lot of sleep especially if you're sleeping that much every night and are still tired. I notice you're mid forties with a 3 year old, that might be it but I'd be going back to the gp if I were you.

@hazell42 well aren't you clever? I clearly meant she needs to go to bed later and she might actually feel better.

Try adding some exercise, exercise gives you so much energy.

If you wake up tired or can only function if you have 10 hours sleep then yes I would go back to the GP.

Somethings not right. It is exhausting working and little ones but that seems excessive.

I’m 25 with no children but work 55 hours a week and I would ideally be in bed by 8 every night. I thought about speaking to my gp because I feel abnormally tired but I suppose that’s just how it is. I can’t imagine throwing 2 children into the mix though

Did the GP test your thyroid function? AFAIK it's not part of a standard blood panel and needs to be requested separately. Sleeping a lot and still feeling exhausted is what prompted me to go to the doctor before I was diagnosed with an underactive thyroid.

Gah, drip feeding probably, but: I take the iron supplement plus biotin, vitamin D and a multivitamin daily. Oh, and I don’t drink either or have caffeine (barrel of laughs, me).

I agree about the exercise. Even if it’s one class a week.
I used to feel like this, but I realised my quality of sleep was low as I was constantly being woken by my children. As a result going to bed super early didn’t really give me much benefit.
I now make it to 9.30/10pm but I swim once a week and do an exercise class once a week. Both in the evening. My quality of sleep has improved massively and now I sometimes don’t wake when the children do because I’m in such a deep sleep.
What is your diet like? I’ve improved mine and stopped eating right before bed, which again has improved my sleep.
What does your partner think of you going to bed so early? Surely you get no evening together as a result and he will be sat up alone.
Also, I know it gets mentioned on every thread, but sleeping a lot and that feeling of constant exhaustion can be a sign depression. Just something to consider.

Is it fatigue (if you've ever had flu that horrible drained feeling) or tiredness (like you haven't slept properly for days?)