coping with constant exhaustion

[exhaustion]

hi i don't know if this is in the right place but i didn't know where to post. my dc doesn't sleep through, she's 15 months, and while this is normal, i'm on my own with her and have other mental health and physical problems and i think i need a bit more sleep than others in order to cope. she comes into my bed now i've given up sleep training her, and i get woke up a good few times a night.

anyway, im constantly exhausted. and im struggling to deal with this. i used to suffer from bulimia and i've started binging and purging when im very tired. i feel myself gaining weight as a result and this is making me more down. i can't get motivated to do anything - i make lots of plans for the week, and then when the day comes i am so tired that i cancel them, or struggle to find the motivation to do the things i want to do.

i just don't know how to cope with it. i don't see a solution in sight - my dc isn't the worst sleeper but she does wake up a few times and i don't feel this is going to change. i find it hard to get back to sleep every time. i also can never sleep during the day if i get a couple of hours to myself.

tips ive thought of are to drink less caffiene and more water, to try to exercise and get out for a walk in the fresh air even when i feel tired and unmotivated.

i had my iron levels done and they are 12.5. i think this is on the low side but its still within the normal range. can anyone help? im really finding it hard to cope. im on a low dose of antidepressant and i can't increase it due to side effects.

Oh OP feeling exhausted leaves most of us unmotivated but to be dealing with your DD alone must make that more difficult. It sounds like you dont get a minute to yourself. Do you have any family or friends that could help at all?

Well done for getting out even when you dont feel like it. Can you perhaps start with something small each day, even if its just to the corner shop & back. Im terrible for planning too much & then finding it overwhelming. I find if I cut back, I feel better for the things I do achieve.

I have issues around eating too & find tiredness is a massive trigger, so I can relate to that. Are you getting any support from your GP? Im not sure about the iron levels part of your post. But can you maybe concentrate on getting more iron into your diet?

Its easy for me to make all of these suggestions but dealing with depression alone is one of the hardest things I've had to do. You're not alone & there are many lovely MN ladies who will be able to relate to your situation. Keep sharing...

OK maybe you need to review your medication. If you need to up your dose but can't then maybe you should try a different one.
Sleep training is hard but maybe you should try again. Changes at this age maybe easier to acomplish at this age rather than waiting. Super nanny would constantly remove the child from your bed and place in her own bed with no verbal interaction.
Would it be possible for you to get some help during the day for say a week so that if you were sleep training at night maybe some one could look after your daughter for a couple of hours so you could catch up on sleep.
Not sleeping is like torture I know.
Ask your GP to check your thyroid and vitamin B levels to rule out any other possible reasons for tiredness.

hi thanks for the replies. i should try sleep training again but i feel i don't have the energy for it or motivation. but i realise changes would be better now than later - especially as i will have more things going on in my life next year that i need strength for. i just feel i can't face it. also when she is in my bed i feel i can just cuddle her back to sleep whereas getting up everytime makes it much harder for me to get back to sleep, and its so cold at the minute.
i will go back for more blood tests to rule anything else out. ive started taking an iron supplement that i had when i was pregnant (have a whole box left over) so hopefully that will help. ive been taking it the past few days and already feel a bit better.
mashed im sorry you have eating issues too - tiredness really doesn't help cos it seems impossible to overcome when youre so tired.
my mum is a great help when she is off. i feel very thankful for her. my friends do offer but they have their own dc's and this sounds awful but i feel if i take them up on it then i would be obliged to take their dcs next time - and while i would totally do this and would be glad to under normal circumstances - i just don't feel up to it i am struggling coping with my own life at the minute. i hope soon i get stronger to be able to help out when others need it too.

anyway... i feel much better than i did a few days ago but i know its so up and down and i need to make consistent changes. getting out for a walk was a great idea and i did walk to the corner shop, so i will have to keep that up its a good start.
thank you hope everyone else is doing ok.