DD feels tired, is this normal for teenagers?

[Lottie4]

Over the last couple of months DD has been saying she feels tired and I've actually noticed her yawning more (she has always been the last person to admit tiredness so this is unusual). She normally in bed by 10pm and gets up just after 7am, her room is gadget free! She's now saying her legs have been feeling tired over the last couple of weeks when she's walking for more than a short time or cycling, both of which she used to doing. She says the rest of her body feels fine, but she hasn't really used it for exercise that much over the holidays.

She's 13. Is this normal for teenagers as they enter puberty and massive changes are going on, or could it be something else? She seems alert in herself, doing as well as usual at school, doesn't look tired or pale.

I've told her for now we need to ensure she's eating well and enough for a couple of weeks, and to take it gently while exercising (but not stop doing it), and we'll see how she feels in a couple of weeks.

Well it could be any number of things but I wouldn't ignore it just because she's a teen. I had quite a serious illness age 13 that went undiagnosed for longer than it should because it was put down to teen laziness.

I hope it turns out to be nothing major.

Thanks - I'm certainly keeping on eye on her. For now I'm keeping a close eye on what she's eating and getting her to take it a bit more easy. She's not the sort to moan about being tired and makes the most of every minute, so I won't put it down to laziness if it continues.

I would get blood tests done just for peace of mind.

It might be worth getting both her iron and ferritin stores levels checked, particularly if she has started her periods.

Anaemia?
Virus?

Take her to the docs, if only to acknowledge how she's feeling and rule out anything else.
I had a very tired teen DD 13. Blood tests showed nothing but allergy tests showed that she's very allergic to dust.......she was a bit snotty but tiredness seemed to be a big part of the symptoms. She now has meds and is a million times better. I felt bad that I'd ignored it as normal teen tiredness for such a long time.

Just saw a post about teen diabetics tired thirsty Toilet thinner (4t) - hope not but look for signs.

Thanks everyone. I will see how she goes for a few days, but I do know I need to take her if she feels no better in a few days.

momtothree - I had thought of diabetes. She's certainly not drinking any more or going more, but I will keep on eye on this.

I've suggested we go out on a bike ride this afternoon (but shorter than usual) and she's well up for that, so she does have some energy.

Has she started her periods? If they are heavy, she maybe anaemic. Does she look tired? Also, if she's started her periods she may be finding she's lacking energy just before she comes on (I eat loads before I'm due on, but often find my sugar levels drop quicker than normal) and then when she's on feel more tired than normal - it's something to do with a change in hormones at that time.

As you say look at her diet and see if there are any easy improvements. I wouldn't give her vitamin/mineral tablets as it's better the doctor has a true picture if she does end up having tests.

Has she had her growth spurt?

Pretty sure she's had her growth spurt as she grew 8cm a couple of years ago and then 12cm last year before starting her periods. She's only had seven periods (roughly monthly) but they are very light - I think she could almost use panty liners.

Madmog, I always feel tired as well at the time of my period and I think DD does as well, but she's tired inbetween times.

Anyway, we had a quiet day at home yesterday and she went up to bed at 9.30pm last time, in the hope she would feel refreshed for school today. I've been gently trying to encourage her to eat a bit more (healthy things). She has been doing well for her recently in running at school, they have a 5km run coming up this week so it will be interesting to see how she feels she does with that. Luckily, they are allowed just to walk with teacher or even drop out, so there's no pressure.

I was the same. My mum bought me Feroglobin. It's liquid iron with loads of B fvits in it. Very gentle on the digestion as well. I still use it now. Far better than iron tablets imho.
It took about a week to work but I can still remember the before and after.
Although I still hated PE.

My sister was really tired and got a lot of headaches. They suspected the 'kissing disease' (I don't know the English name, but you know what I mean). She didn't have that, but it turns out she needed glasses! All the squinting and focussing of her eyes caused her to be so tired.

Ikn ow the feeling - I remember when I was 13 and tired. I'm now much older & still tired.
I'll always be tired, but that's because I'm depressed. get her checked out, have a chat with her :)

Mononucleosis, Fatty?

In Britain it is usually known as glandular fever.

I had this with both my teenage DDs and it was anaemia both times. Very common in teenage girls.

My DD went for blood tests and was found to be low in vitamin D. Was prescribed vits for 3 months and is awaiting re-test results. In the meantime she's had outbreak of herpes which made her even more exhausted. Worth seeing GP but seems to go with being a teen for many. Mine thought hers was worse in winter so I bought a SAD lamp which she thinks has helped.

just make sure she IS eating, teens sometimes get tired if they are anorexic or bulimic. Obviously don't give her lots of bad food, but give her food she likes to encourage her to eat it all, even if she doesn't have a disorder, to make sure she has the energy.

My eldest teen is often tired. He's 6ft now and growing so quickly that he has livid red stretch marks on his back. I just put the tiredness down to that.

My DS 14 has just been diagnosed with Glandular Fever. He is exhausted and seems to catch all the sickness going about.
It took 3 blood tests to diagnose him and rule out anything more sinister.
This has ben going on quite a few months. He has also dozed off in class a few times.

Teens growing normal SHOULD have spells of tiredness, lasting several months or more. This happens during growth, although it might not be visible growth. Bone density increases, which increases weight, but not height. This leaves teen bodies with muscles with insufficient strength to lift the newly dense bones, and makes normal movement a lot more tiring. Hands and feet also become heavier, and add to the extra muscular effort being made every minute.

My brothers used to sleep til midday every weekend. My DS is the same.

Has she had a recent viral infection, like a sore throat? Glandular fever was my first though because your description reminds me of myself around that age, and it took several blood tests for it to show positive.

my 14 year old was like this. She started her periods last year. She doesn't swallow tablets and has a strong sense of smell/taste, so will refuse any strong tasting medicines. I gave her spatone which is water containing iron - she mixed it with orange juice. All is now well.

Old fashioned idea, but there may be some truth in it - growing pains. My dd (13) has the same sleep pattern as yours and she's generally ok, but can get quite tired now and then. Hope all is well.