Tired ALL of the time 🥱😴

[Melly1801]

Just wondering if anyone has been through similar and what was wrong if you have?

I’m tired all of the time, and I don’t mean a little bit, it’s debilitating. I can sleep for seven, eight, nine or ten hours and I feel exactly the same - exhausted. My eyes burn I’m so tired. I can easily nap every day, and I wake up feeling worse.

I’ve been to the doctor numerous times and had numerous standard blood tests (vitamin d, diabetics, thyroid etc) and all come back normal. The doctors don’t seem to take it seriously - the last one said I needed to set aside ten minutes a day to ‘clear my mind’ 🙄 this is really impacting my life, I can’t do normal things. I’m not depressed, although feeling tired all of the time does take its toll but it’s not depression causing the fatigue!

I’m 30, recently had my first baby but the fatigue started before I was pregnant (has been going on about 18 months now), and baby sleeps well so it’s nothing to do with that, which is what I thought the doctor would try and blame it on but they didn’t. I’m a healthy weight, eat healthily and was active up until the last trimester working out regularly. I was still just as tired when I worked out.

Please does anyone have any ideas what could be causing it? I’m considering paying to see a doctor privately in the hope they take it seriously but I’m not sure I could afford any of the further investigations so will probably be pointless.

It really could be anything, from anemia, a high sugar diet, or CFS. We can’t really tell you.

It might be helpful to describe your general diet and lifestyle though? Not saying you’re lying about a healthy diet, but one persons ‘heathy’ is another’s persons unhealthy. In regards to diet, I’d concentrate on very low sugar, to avoid those spikes & crashes.

Do you get enough exercise?

With a new baby, I’m sure it’s normal to be extra tired, even if you are sleeping well.

@Bookaholic73 I eat mainly complex carbs, vegetables, fruit (only berries) and fish. I avoid sugar as I have a blood sugar disorder.

I can’t currently workout as I had a nasty tear, so I’m waiting for that to heal. But as I said in the original post, when I did workout it made no difference.

I’ve felt tired before the baby was here, so it’s not that. I know it could be anything but I’m getting frustrated any GP I see doesn’t seem to believe how debilitating this is and just brushes it off as the standard blood tests come back fine, so I wondered if anyone had similar and what they were diagnosed with.

3 things that helped me - 1. Taking an iron supplement/multivitamin 2. Having a low sugar diet for a week 3. Cutting out bread for week

Keep a diary. Log everything that's the only way you will be able to pin point what's making you tired.
Keep going back to the gp, you might get lucky one day

I am tired all the time.
Pre covid I had all the standard tests. Nothing. My gp wanted to explore early menopause, but then a locum gp sent me for a sleep apnea test, convinced it must be that. He told me they wouldn't investigate anything else until they had those results. I waited almost two years for the tests because of waiting lists and covid. Nothing.
I'm sorry I can't give you the magic key either, but I just wanted to say you're not alone.

Are you taking an iron supplement anyway, although you're not iron deficient?

New Babies are exhausting. How does yours let you sleep so well! Lucky you in that respect.

I had anemia during pregnancy and stupidly stopped taking the tabs postpartum, funny enough I still needed them. I went from having to lie down for several hours a day and sleep ridiculous amounts to feeling okayish. Hopefully it is something as simple as that for you, although I agree they shouldn't be dismissing you.

@emanresua it’s so frustrating isn’t it? The doctor did ask if I snore and I’m overweight, I’m guessing to rule out the sleep apnea. I just never feel refreshed when I wake up no matter how long I’ve slept for.

@lljkk I was taking them up to a month or so ago, but again that made no difference. Like I said, I was exhausted before I was even pregnant so it’s not the baby - although yes it’s tiring but I don’t feel like it makes me any more tired as ive felt like this for around 18 months 😞 I am lucky, he sleeps for 5-7 hours, wakes for a feed then straight back to sleep for another 3/4/5 hours. Not in a full routine yet but he’s always been good at sleeping at night touch wood. My husband does a lot during the night and day too.

Ah thanks @Booknooks but my iron and ferritin have been checked and they’re all fine, ferritin was low before so I took tablets but they didn’t make me feel any better and nor do I feel better now ferritin is at a ‘normal’ level. Unfortunately three different GPs have been dismissive after the initial blood tests were all fine - this one did say she’d call me back in two months to check up, but I’m not going to wait that long. I know things won’t improve with ten minutes of mindfulness a day 😒

I too have been suffering from fatigue for years. Have also been to the doctor, had tests, taken supplements, tried more exercise, less exercise, yoga etc but can never shake it.

The way I deal with it is having to be very careful what I plan to do in each day. I have come to accept I just cannot go past a certain point without repercussions. For example a day out shopping will leave me exhausted the next day. So I will plan the shopping trip to ensure it’sthe day before an “empty” day if that makes sense in order to have recovery time.
It is like a crashing tidal wave of fatigue.

With a little one though you have got your hands full so this might not be much help.

Did they include liver function tests with your bloods? I was severely fatigued and it turned out to be an autoimmune disease that caused cirrhosis. My ALP, bilirubin, Alt, and all those bloods were really high.

feeling with you.. I have CFS/ME and am always exhausted. Just now am hitting the shorter daylight downer; does the lack of light affect YOU?

Did they test your B12? I’m the same and think I’m low in B12.

I had/have similar. I went away with my sister - who never sleeps. She said I woke up quite a lot in the night. Not complete waking but like coming to the surface out of sleep then going back down again. I guess a bit like apnea. I don't remember it and felt like I was sleeping straight through. Now I've put on more weight, I think its my snoring that is having the same effect.

I feel exhausted all the time
I have a two year old and am 30 weeks pregnant. I was signed off for two weeks due to being so exhausted.

Last week I had my bloods done again and yesterday the midwife called to say my iron levels are low. So I'm now being prescribed iron