Is anyone out there not constantly EXHAUSTED?

[Lottle]

And if so, what is your secret?

I'm early 30s, work pt, young son. Just looking for any tips to not constantly feel deeply exhausted. I've felt like this for what seems like forever. I'm naturally an evening person but I need to get up early so I don't think that's help. I don't even feel like an early night would fix it.

I also don't know if this is just the way I should expect to feel.

Tips please!
Thank you

You said you were deficient in vitamin D. That will cause this. What dose are you taking?
Regarding snacks, try not. They spike insulin, causing a constant peak and dip in energy. Ideally, eat 2 nutritious balanced meals a day. 3 of you love breakfast. But cutting snacks out honestly helps. Will take a week.

OP I’ve been considering writing this post for a while! 3 kids (8, 4 & 2); I work full time/own my own business which generates a fair bit of evening paperwork on top of the actual job; husband does way over full time hours and we have very little outside support. I’m fucking knackered.
Have recently cut down caffeine (to 3 big coffees per day...yes that is the post cutting down amount ) , which conversely seems to have helped the energy levels a bit. I also caught myself becoming a right miserable moany cow so gave myself a bit of a metaphorical slap and am in the process of sorting my attitude out, and slightly unexpectedly, that also seems to have helped. Also got a cleaner (just 1.5hrs a week to do kitchen and bathroom and hoover round, so at least I know the basics are done weekly) and dropped my standards in the meantime, which has made a huge difference.
Would like to cut sugar and try and make some time for yoga and get more sleep and just generally feel more in control less like I’m constantly trying to catch up with life! Fancy a commiserative ‘let’s sort our lives out’ thread?

@FourForYouGlenCoco

OP I’ve been considering writing this post for a while! 3 kids (8, 4 & 2); I work full time/own my own business which generates a fair bit of evening paperwork on top of the actual job; husband does way over full time hours and we have very little outside support. I’m fucking knackered. Have recently cut down caffeine (to 3 big coffees per day...yes that is the post cutting down amount ) , which conversely seems to have helped the energy levels a bit. I also caught myself becoming a right miserable moany cow so gave myself a bit of a metaphorical slap and am in the process of sorting my attitude out, and slightly unexpectedly, that also seems to have helped. Also got a cleaner (just 1.5hrs a week to do kitchen and bathroom and hoover round, so at least I know the basics are done weekly) and dropped my standards in the meantime, which has made a huge difference. Would like to cut sugar and try and make some time for yoga and get more sleep and just generally feel more in control less like I’m constantly trying to catch up with life! Fancy a commiserative ‘let’s sort our lives out’ thread?

omg having read that I have no excuse to be tired. I should come round and do your cleaning for you! Thread sounds good :D

@DianaT1969

You said you were deficient in vitamin D. That will cause this. What dose are you taking? Regarding snacks, try not. They spike insulin, causing a constant peak and dip in energy. Ideally, eat 2 nutritious balanced meals a day. 3 of you love breakfast. But cutting snacks out honestly helps. Will take a week.

50ug. Been taking supplements for ages now. No snacks? How many calories in each of these meals? I'm bigly struggling to picture this! What times? What about my bedtime banana?!

@Lottle the crap consumed since last Friday includes 2 bottles of wine, chips, chocolate and all round crapness I was then on the most boring Zoom call of all time this morning, and my work chum made me eat a doughnut. No hope really...

So when I am being holier than thou, which I will be tomorrow as, quite frankly, I feel crap - I will be having no sugary treats and drinking lots of water. Definitely works I promise. It's so easy to eat rubbish when you're busy - try keeping a log of what you eat and drink, it makes a huge difference. Good luck

[quote CrazyFoxLady]@Lottle the crap consumed since last Friday includes 2 bottles of wine, chips, chocolate and all round crapness I was then on the most boring Zoom call of all time this morning, and my work chum made me eat a doughnut. No hope really...

So when I am being holier than thou, which I will be tomorrow as, quite frankly, I feel crap - I will be having no sugary treats and drinking lots of water. Definitely works I promise. It's so easy to eat rubbish when you're busy - try keeping a log of what you eat and drink, it makes a huge difference. Good luck [/quote]
Thank you!

I’m 41 and have a toddler. I work four days a week. I’m hardly ever tired but I was in my 30s - maybe even chronically tired then. I’m not sure what to put this down to exactly, but the two things that have changed are: taking vitamin D, and being emotionally in a better place. I used to be very stressed at work (I was in a role I was unsuited to). Now I’m in a job I love with fantastic colleagues.

Are you sure you’re taking 50ug? That seems very low. I take 3000ug

Give up sugar slowly as it's very unpleasant if you do it cold turkey - lots of headaches. Snack on cheese, carrots, strawberries, toasted wholemeal bread, nuts etc - unprocessed stuff.

Have a read of Dr Chatterjee's amazing books, just small lifestyle tweaks will make a massive difference.

Could you let me know what you eat, especially for snacks? Can you eat fruit?

Breakfast: none (16:8 fasting), or on a 'bad day' "Noatmeal" which is a mix on hemp hearts, chia seeds, ground almonds and coconut... sounds gross but I like it. Served with bluebs and almond butter.

Lunch: salad, every day, either with egg or tuna

Dinner: any normal meal without the carb element, e.g. curry with cauli rice not rice, salon pasta with courgetti not pasta, fajitas with lettuce not wraps.

Snacks = mix of almonds, macadamias and 90% choc (not ideal obvs).

That's an ideal day. I feel amazing on it. Of course some days I eat worse and I definitely stress eat sometimes but generally that's my day. I am 16 stone so not sure what else I can do to lose weight tbh but that's not what this thread is about :)

I will add, 'noatmeal' is cooked with water so it's like a porridge, not just dry!!

I have fatigue it's. Awful. Have you checked out about this with gp. X

I found increasing water intake and hugely reducing sugar has helped a lot. I try not to snack at all but if I do I have oatcakes with cheese or nut butter or Greek yoghurt with cinnamon and nuts.

I’m sooooo exhausted all the time too! Literally just woken up on the sofa from a pre sleep nap!!

@Nightmanagerfan

Are you sure you’re taking 50ug? That seems very low. I take 3000ug

its 50ug equivalent to 2000iu. I have no idea what this means but its about right according to my bloods!

I think the only true remedy for exhaustion is to sell your children. Currently contemplating it with mine. I’m fed up of being (and looking!) tired every day.

@LolaLollypop

I think the only true remedy for exhaustion is to sell your children. Currently contemplating it with mine. I’m fed up of being (and looking!) tired every day.

:D I think I felt like this before him though so can't really blame it fully on him! Still worth looking into.

Don't snack and don't eat sugar. I have three meals a day and if you eat enough of the right things for you, you won't need to snack. Easier said than done I know but worth a try? I was permanently completely knackered until I quit sugar (again) and cut the snacks out, now I'm only mildly tired.

I felt like this and took a vitamin b complex which made me feel amazing - literally like a fog had lifted. By that point I had a 2 1/2 year old and had put it all down to post baby / toddler tiredness but I must have had low vit b levels. I bought viridian high 5 vit b which is pricey but worth it x

I'm early 40s and have the lungs of a 70 year old (about half a normal person my age) due to a health condition and just started an immuno suppressant.

I'm tired sometimes but not constantly exhausted.

Top tips

Get up when the alarm goes off, no phone in bed.
Drink a large glass of water first thing.
Always eat breakfast.
Limit caffeine to before 12.
Get some exercise daily, enough to put you in a good mood.
Give yourself 1-2 weeks where sleep is your main focus.
Eat greens and limit chocolate to once a week.
Get six hours sleep minimum a night and a couple of longer nights a week.
Get outdoors before 12 as it helps regulate the body clock to have natural light.
Talk to people daily.
Try not to focus on negatives.
Good quality B vitamin.

Thank you everyone for all the advice. I was thinking about it a lot today. I've tried to have less sugar and caffeine. I wonder if a big part is to do with the fact that I'm really a secret introvert, yet I'm around people constantly and it is very draining.

Yes, that could be it. I am an introvert too. I definitely get my energy from being alone. In fact DC2 went to nursery for that reason 😄 2 days at 16 months. His older brother was 2.5! I treasure those 2 days.

Agree being around people can be very tiring!

Give yourself 1-2 weeks where sleep is your main focus.
@User258544 can you elaborate on that? How do you make sleep your focus?