Why does 8 hours sleep still feel like it's not enough?

[HeadFairy]

I know I do a lot, I'm working 3 days a week. I'm usually up at about 6.30 to 7am to get ds up and ready for the cm, I work until about 10.30pm home by 10.45-11pm. I go straight bed, crash as soon as my head hits the pillow, so I'm getting about 7-8 hours a night, but I'm soooo tired. I don't think I'm missing anything nutritionally, I eat a balanced diet, and take a multivitamin. Could there be something else that might help?

The first thing I'd say is you aren't giving yourself time to wind down before going to sleep. The body goes through a series of stages before settling properly to sleep, part of this process is your body relaxing and cooling down. Sound to me like you're rushing around right up to the point of going to bed then just crashing from exhaustion every night.

Sounds odd but I would first try taking half an hour to sit downstairs with a warm drink (milk or milky drink) with the radio or some music on to just let yourself relax and then go to bed.

Have a look at this too:

www.patient.co.uk/showdoc/23068774/

Thanks for that pheebe, it's true I do come home from work very psyched, I do a very stressful job and it's stressful up to the time I leave the office, but does the fact that I fall asleep straight away not mean that I'm getting proper sleep? I just assumed because I was actually sleeping very deeply I was getting enough sleep but I just don't feel very refreshed.

You get up between 6.30 and 7, get your son up, then go to work until 2230, then have 15 mins travel home, crawl into bed, get up and do the same thing the next day???!! Where are your break periods? When do you start work? What do you eat at mealtimes and do you have time to cook, sit down and eat it? My god woman, you sound like you're running yourself into the ground.

does the fact that I fall asleep straight away not mean that I'm getting proper sleep

No actually it doesn't. There are many stages to sleep and if you're sleeping through exhaustion your body isn't getting the right balance of the different types of sleep. That's a very simplistic explanation but the best I can do as I have to go pick the kids up

Try the wind down time for a week or two. if no change see your GP they'll be able to tell if there's anything medical going on but DON'T be fobbed off with sleeping pills. They won't help in your situation.

Forrester, I start work at 10.30am (I have to do public transport to get there so I leave at about 9.30) and finish at about 10.30pm (sometimes I can get away a wee bit before, maybe 10pm) I do have about an hour and a half at home after I've dropped ds off to have a shower and some breakfast, but as we're selling our house at the moment I usually spend that dashing around trying to make the house presentable in case we get any viewings during the day.

Things are frantic at the moment, I guess I don't ever really get time to sit and relax. I do get meal breaks at work, which is more than I can say when I'm at home with ds on my days off

Pheebe, I'm definitely going to try that, I'm working Monday - Wednesday next week, and then the following week I'm on nights for a week which kill me, so I've got to sort something out fast. It's stupid because I always feel I should go to bed when dh goes to bed, which is almost as soon as I get home, but really having half an hour to wind down sounds like such a good thing to do.

maybe get your thyroid checked out. Exhaustion was one of my first symptoms and I was getting 9hrs sleep every night !

Mousemole, did you have any other symptoms? I'm feeling fine other than waking up shattered every day.

that's good as means it's unlikely to be your thyroid. I had dry hair/skin, weight gain, not depression but feeling a bit down. If you haven't got any of these then I doubt its your thyroid. Have you had iron levels checked ?

Headfairy are you a nurse? your working pattern sounds very similar. If you have a physically demanding job (on your feet all the time) plus have to work shifts then this will add to the tiredness.
Is the feeling tired a recent thing, or generally all the time? If it's a recent thing you should probably see your GP for a check-up.

Mousemole, I wish I could put my excess weight down to thyroid problems, sadly I think it's due to my cake/chocolate intake

Mellin - I'm not a nurse, I work in telly, news, so while it's not physically demanding (quite the opposite, sit on my backside all day) it is intensly stressful. I finish work as soon as the Ten O'clock news is done and I go home so wired sometimes, especially if it's been busy. Our staffing levels have halved over the past few years and the job is way more intense than I remember. I often end up shaking and with a massively pounding heart from the vast quantities of adrenaline surging around.

The tired thing is fairly new. It's so hard to tell because having a young child is tiring, but it just struck me I shouldn't be waking up from 8 hours sleep feeling so exhausted I could literally crawl back in to bed. When I get to work and said adrenaline starts pumping it's not so bad, by if I stop for a second the slump is terrible. I really struggle to keep my eyes open.

''I often end up shaking and with a massively pounding heart from the vast quantities of adrenaline surging around''

Shaking and heart pounding can be thyoid related actually, but normally means an overactive thyroid. this can make you feel exhausted as your body is woking in overdrive all day. I've had both over and underactive thyroid and both made me knackered !

Headfairy, I have just been diagnosed with hyperthyroid. It sounds like you have some of the symptons I had. Try Patientuk website. I had jitters, felt like I was on the go constantly, my hair was still falling out despite stopping bf about 4 months before. I was tired..all..the..time..which is apparently a symtom of hypo, but can show up on hyper people too.
Ask your doc for a blood test, they checked me for anaemia, diabetes and thyroid function.

Now i'm on the beta blockers (for my racing heart) and the medication I am a lot lot better.

The only reason I think the pounding heart and shaking hands are adrenaline related is because it's always when we've had a really crazy programme and I've been editing right up to the second my piece runs. I don't get it at any other time. It's always been like that in this job, but the needing masses of sleep is new to me.

mmh most likely just normal for you then, but you might have glandular fever or something weird like that. Recommend blood tests, might put your mind at rest

Supergluebum, I've had glandular fever before. Can it make a resurgence?

Dunno, not a doc I'm afraid! Maybe? Did you feel the same?

No, last time I had a terrible sore throat and really high temperature. I was sleeping about 23 hours a day too.