Exhausted all the time

[bellakinnies]

Please lord someone help me.

For the past 5 years I've been utterly exhausted no matter how much sleep I get. I can't cope with much activity without being ready for a nap hibernation To make matters worse i've just started a master's degree which requires two 5am starts a week.

I am overweight but this problem goes further back than that. I have had my tonsils removed as they were causing sleep aponea but shortly after the op the tiredness resumed, doctor says I no longer have it and to lose the weight before I come back despite my insistence that it can't be caused by that (timeline wise) After my masters I would like to have a baby but worry I won't cope with the extra tiredness

I don't really know what I'm asking, does anyone have similar experiences - or at least any tips on waking up so bloody early?!

What's your diet like? What are you eating and drinking on a typical day?

I eat pretty much everything I should, fruit, vegetables, grains etc. I'm only fat because I eat cake too

I usually have one or two coffees a day just to make it through, tried a 6 week caffeine detox - made no difference :(

I should also mention I'm 27 as other threads have suggested menopause as a reason

Have you had full bloods. Bit D, anaemia, past glandular fever, thyroid, etc

Have you had some blood tests? Echo the pp. Check for anaemia, vitamin d deficiency? When I was breastfeeding I was low on iron, zinc and vitamin d and I felt bloody awful. Do you take a multivitamin? The pregnancy ones tend to be good, I take them now even though I'm not pregnant.

I have sleep apnoea. I was told by ENT that tonsil removal in adults doesn't usually cure it. I would see another gp. Your symptoms sound like mine.

Funny someone should mention glandular fever as I had it for months when I was 17

I almost certainly don't have the apnoea anymore - the adenoids were taken too and my long suffering DP now says I am silent and breathe normally

Doc won't do anything until I've lost a stone or two, so that's next on the agenda. I'll enjoy going back thin and telling him the problem is still there

freezingwinter I don't take multivitamins but will give it a go, thanks :)

List out for me what you've eaten and drunk over the last 2-3 days

You definitely need full bloods testing it could be so many things - vitaminD, vitamin B12, thyroid, anaemia, food allergies etc. And get copies of your results when they've been done, as many things can cause fatigue but doctors will not treat if you are within range.

Good luck with losing weight

The thyroid thing can make you very tired

The fact that you had glandular fever could mean that you now have Chronic Fatigue. It is possible for it to lie dormant for a while. Hopefully it's not that, and is a vitamin deficiency as suggested above, but it's another possibility.

Good luck going forward and identifying the cause. I know it can be really off putting to have to fight for a diagnosis and ask for help when you're already exhausted, but it is worth persevering. If you can get a diagnosis of some sort then you might be able to get extra support from your uni during your masters, which is always worth having.

OP, I had this for about five years too and it was really no fun at all. I worked out through trial, error and desperation how to combat it.
Try all and any of these. So long as you don't overdo it, they can't do you any harm:
Floradix liquid or the cheaper Feratin liquid - liquid iron to quickly raise iron levels.
Loads of water. I mean loads. When I remember to drink 3 litres a day I have so much more energy than if I drink 1-2 litres.
Vitamin D. Spend a minimum of one hour in daylight every day, with as much skin exposed as you can. Loads of UK people are Vit D deficient and it really drains your energy.
Vitamin B/multi vit
L-Tyrosine amino acid supplement
HIIT training for 7 mins a day
Cool showers.
Cut down on processed sugar, white flour and alcohol. Give them up for a while if you can.

Try all of these every day for a fortnight and see if you feel any better at all. I do. And when I forget to keep at it because I feel fine, it takes just a few days for the exhaustion to come back in.

It won't do anything to your vitamin D levels to be out in the sun now (assuming you're in the UK), as the sun doesn't get high enough to generate any vitamin D now until next year. But definitely make sure you do next summer and add a supplement in now.

Did you have blood tests? My tiredness is caused by low B12 (take a high dosage tablet dissolved under tongue every day) and low iron - less bad now as am on pill and have much lighter periods.

Worth a blood test to see.

The 5am starts aren't probably helping!

Exercise, counter intuitively, helps give me more energy.

Good luck. Its a horrible place to be.

Davina, is that true? The sun is much stronger now than it usually is at this time of year. I'm still trying to get out as much as possible.
Does anyone know the best Vit D supplements to take?

It is - the sun has to be at least 31.5 degrees before we can make vit D, and the sun in the U.K. isn't that high anymore, regardless of how strong it feels unfortunately. I've got a vitamin d app (dminder) that I use to track my vitamin d on (both supplements and sun exposure). It's really handy, although I've not been able to test how accurate it is yet, as the NHS won't retest my results until November.

A lot of people recommend Solgar or Jarrows for vitamin supplements.

Thanks Davina. I just bought the Vit D spray from Holland & Barrett as it seems to be one of the stronger varieties and says it's more easily absorbed. We used to be told Vit D could only be absorbed from sun not supplements. Wonder when that changed.