Tiredness......yawn yawn..Zzzzzzzzz

[Petal]

Hi there

I've been perpetually tired all my life. When it's been really bad (ie. dozing off at the wheel at 4.30pm etc etc) I've been to the Docs and said that there just HAS to be something wrong with me. Had all the usual blood tests on more than one occasion and been told everything's fine. I've even been in the queue at the supermarket with a trolley load and been so tired that I've thought that if I had to queue any longer I'd have to leave the trolley and go home to bed.....just toooo tired to cope. My concentration levels right now are non existant.....even the simplest tasks seem difficult. I go through periods where I can't sleep at night...waking at 2am EVERY night and being awake for hours...then when I sort that out (it can go on for months) I sleep like a log and then find it difficult to wake (even waking up in the night for the loo I stumble across the landing bumping into walls n stuff). I've resorted to a few strong coffees and some Pro plus in the mornings at work just to get me started :eek:

I've just started shopping organically and trying to eat healthily etc. I was wondering about vitamins/alternative therapies.....ANYTHING!! It really is having a negative effect on my life....and I have a 3 yr old son...and sometimes I'm a grumpy Mummy cos I'm tired and I don't want to be! Ideally, I'd go to bed at 7pm when he does!

Any experiences to share? Advice?

Many thanks,
x

[rockpeblar]

Myself and my wife regularly take Barley grass capsules and spirulina tablets and we find they give us an energy boost. Should be available to buy in your local health food shop.

[cozzie]

I've had the same problems for all of my life too, as a child it was really bad to the extent that once every 4 weeks or so my parents wouldn't be able to wake me to go to school and I would just sleep right through until the next day. I had endless blood tests with none showing up anything unusual.

It wasn't until I was towards the end of my pregnancy, (2 yrs ago), that I started feeling more energetic, (in a true ironic fashion I was very ill with other things though), but, have been fairly OK since.

My Doctor concludes that it is due to my weight gain as I was terribly underweight before I got pregnant, put on 1 stone during and another 1/2 stone since and am now the correct weight for my height. Are you underweight maybe?

Sorry it's not much help, am sure someone will be along soon with some other suggestions. Hope you find something to help.

[Petal]

Thanks Rockpeblar & Cozzie

Nope....I'm def. not underweight. I could do with losing a stone or so.....I'm normal...ish weight for my height.

I get so frustrated cos this just CAN'T be normal! I work f/t but not in a particulary stressful or tiring job. At the mo. I would say I'm getting around 7/8 hrs completely zonked sleep a night ....but....I'm STILL tired! I actually feel quite ill at times...muscle/joints aching, head aches blah blah. My OH suggested that I have Well Woman check up or something. Have been quite tearful lately....but then extreme tiredness does that to me.

I dunno! :confused:

[elona]

Have you had your thyroid tested in the last six months?

It could be underactive which causes tiredness and lack of concentration etc.

[Petal]

Hi Elona

Not in the last 6 months....but then nothing has changed really....I have the whole set of tests incl thyroid every couple of years (it seems). I was just looking at the symptoms for Lupus :eek: I don't want to try to fit my symptoms to anything but it's a bit scary! I'm just totally fed up with feeling like this....I can't remember the last time I actually felt well/energised.

I'm wondering whether to try acupuncture.

x

[Petal]

D'you know? I see people who are upbeat and seemingly full of energy and I really, really envy them! I think I would rather be given heaps of energy than heaps of money!

[Becles]

Have you tried talking to staff in Holland and Barrat or a similar type of shop? If you tell them what is wrong, they might be able to offer some supplements to pick you up.

Daft as it sounds, exercise can really help. It's going to be very hard to get started in your current state, but do try and stick with something. Start with something managable, like a 30 minute swim once a week and build up from there. Once you get into it, you'll get the appetite for more exercise which will have a good effect on your overall health.

[aliasojo]

Too much carbohydrate makes me feel just like you describe. I find that if I have had too many carbs over a period, I feel as though I'm about to get flu. Achy/teary/really tired etc.)

Never met anyone who is affected similarly and Doc looks at me like I'm daft when I tell him my theory.

Unfortunately my diet does seem to have a lot of carbs as a rule (when I say a lot, I don't mean compared with whatever the normal recommended amount is...I mean compared with the amount I eat on the days I feel fine) which means I feel tired a lot as my diet isn't great these days.

I followed the Atkins plan for a while and whilst it's definately not for everyone, the reduced carb way of eating made a huge difference to the way I felt. I felt lousy for the first 2 weeks but I think that was my body adjusting, after that I felt great and had loads of energy.

Unfortunately high carb food started creeping in again and I'm back to feeling sluggish and tired again.

If all serious medical causes have been ruled out for you, it might be worth considering the foods in your diet. Perhaps some basic food that you eat regularly is causing an adverse reaction in your body?

I'm a firm believer in the way of thinking that says the foods we eat play a huge part in how well or otherwise or body works.

You can get tested for food allergies but it's costly if I remember rightly. I suppose it all depends on how desperate (or otherwise) you are to get to the bottom of it?

Might be worth considering if everything else draws a blank. It's all trial and error. :)

[Petal]

Hi Becles and Aliasojo

Becles - until a couple of weeks ago I was going to the gym 3 times a week. However, as 2 of the classes during the week start at 06:45am I found that I was literally dragging myself out of bed to do them and ending up in a worse state in the evening. I decided to concentrate on sleeping (!!) for the moment....I just don't have the energy to get up for the class/pack my gymbag and take all my work clothes/do the class etc etc. Pants eh? In true money saving stylie I've cut my membership from £46.50 pm to £20 pm but I can't go into the gym after 9am (it opens at 6am). Suits me....apart from being too tired :D

Aliasojo - to money save my OH and I have been making sarnies for our lunches. I've eaten far more bread than I normally would do recently and I do find sometimes that I'm bloated etc and I quite often suffer IBS type symptoms. Anyhow....I agree with what you say about diet affecting how you feel etc....but....this has been going on for years on and off.

[Toothsmith]

Hi Petal.

Do you snore?

[aliasojo]

...this has been going on for years on and off.

And it's more than likely you have been eating the same staples for years too?

Toothsmith are you thinking Aponea?

[Toothsmith]

Toothsmith are you thinking Aponea?


Yes, sleep apnoea can come with the symptoms described.

[Ted_Hutchinson]

Netdoctor Tired all the time query (http://www2.netdoctor.co.uk/q_a/search.asp?QID=160949&CID=all&sh=sleep&method=ExactPhrase)

[Joto]

Hi Petal
I'm not too sure my symptoms were as bad as you are describing, but two years ago I went for one of these intolerance tests at a local health food shop.
They tested me for about 100 food types and asked lots of questions (I actually went regarding another matter). To cut the story short the lady said I was intolerant to wheat products( plus various others, but wheat was the biggy).
I'm quite a sceptic and considering we were in a Health shop and wheat free pasta is about £2.50 against 49p, bread £2.50 (you get the picture). I thought they could manipulate the results.
Anyway I decided I'd paid for the test and would follow the advice and went totally wheat free for a month ( you won't believe how many things wheat is in!)
After a month they advise you to introduce the intolerant item back into your diet and because you havent eaten it for a month you should get a response which can be quite extreme.
After a month I had a wheatabix for breakfast at 9am (pure wheat) and by 11am I was like a zombie, I felt as though someone had given me a sleeping pill/spiked my drink/drugs. We had workmen in the house at the time and I had to really concentrate linking two words together and trying to keep my eyes open!
Intolerance is not the same as an allergy and is sometimes hard to pin point. I would certainly advise one of these tests. Apparently your body can become intolerant to certain things because we over eat those items( quite often its the item we crave). Wheat and dairy products are the big ones because they are present in so many foods I've since reintroduced wheat into my diet on a limited basis but when I over indulge such as after our French holiday (Baguettes and croissants) I am aware of the extreme tiredness returning. The test cost about £40 and they also tested my vitamin etc levels.

[nearlyrich]

Some of the symptoms you have described are similar to some of mine, I went from having masses of energy to feeling too tired to move, doctor tested me for everything, we had been on holiday to Malaysia and she looked for parasites etc.

I was diagnosed with Fibromyalgia which sounds really scary and not many people in my experience know what it is. I was off work for 3 months,literally sat on my bum too tired to even watch tv or read. I had pains in all different parts of my body and I couldn't concetrate on anything.

FMS isn't something you recover from, I have more good days than bad but I take more care of myself now, early nights, don't drink as much (not that I was drinking a lot) I try to eat minimum bread as it makes me feel bloated.

[Jay-Jay]

Just wanted to quickly say that I agree with the wheat/carbs thing but also that sugar is a big thing for me.

I find if I eat a big wheat/carb meal, I'm tired, shaky and unable to concentrate. Similarly I can't eat chocolate or anything sugary during the day as it completely knocks me out. I don't drink fizzy/sugary drinks or eat biscuits/chocs/sweets before about 8pm (after that I'm usually relaxing anyway so I don't mind feeling tired)

I find that if I'm excersing regularly then I feel MUCH less tired but I only excercise well at around 2pm. Any earlier or later and I'm yawning constantly and have no energy. You need to find a time for excercise that agrees with your body.

Also if I'm excercising regularly I tend to eat better. I make sure to eat something within half an hour of finishing excercise (essential to replace glycogen in your muscles) but I never fancy stodgy things which helps with the wheat/carbs problem.

Maybe if you really concentrated on excercising at a time that suits you, along with eating foods that aren't too burdening little and often, you might start to feel a bit more energetic.

[klare]

hi there.. i used to get like that i take suprydyn effervesent vitamin b you buy a tube of 10. they have really helped me kick that awful sick feeling. would also recomend yoga if you can get to a class, aromatherpy massage...if u cant afford that go to your local college when the term starts, also reflexology same again if u cant afford it go to college, would also suggest investing in something like paul mckenna sleep cd. i used to date a sleep specialist doc in the states and you remind me of a case he told me about when a patient wasnt getting enough REM sleep and they basically woke up feeling knackered and got progressivly worse through the day. Hope some of that helps

[Petal]

Wow! Thanks for all the replies. Just sitting at work eating a bowl of Fruit n Fibre with rice milk (I've noticed that cow's milk/dairy gives me a painful tummy). I'm def gonna pay more attention to what I'm eating and the effects.

Toothsmith....yes, I do snore :D

Let's see how I'm feeling this afternoon.....Zzzzzzzzzzz

x

[Treacle]

A great tip for staying awake whilst driving is to make sure you have some satsumas in the car – as soon as you feel tired start eating them, or even just peel them – just the fragrance is enough to ensure you stay awake! Works every time!

[Bennifred]

Peeling satsumas whilst you drive?! :eek: Surely not a good idea!

[Treacle]

Didn't think I said you had to be driving whilst you peel?!

Ooops for misleading anyone! Of course, you’re able to stop the car (in a safe place, before it’s mentioned!), peel the Satsuma or break the skin and then start driving again – heyho job done!!

If it’s too much of an ordeal maybe citrus air freshners do the same job – never tried them !! :-)

[Bennifred]

Sorry, treacle, was joking, didn't mean to offend! :o

[Treacle]

Don’t you worry – no offence taken, just thought I’d better reply before someone tries to do two things at once at my suggestion!!!

[Toothsmith]

Toothsmith....yes, I do snore :D


x

Go to your doctor and ask for tests for sleep apnoea (Pronounced Ap Knee ah). Sleep apnoea occures in about 10% of snorers.
If he's done all sorts of other blood tests for other conditions, then it might be worth a go.

Sleep Apnoea is a lowering of blood oxygen levels during sleep because of an obstructed airway. This can lead to sleep not giving the sufferer enough actual 'rest' and the perpetual feeling of tiredness. The lack of oxygen in body tissues for a prolonged period of time can lead to damage to the heart, and an increased likelyhood of strokes, so it is important to check out this is not happening to you.

Don't panic. The nasty things are chronic problems that happen after many years. Some dentists offer anti-snoring devices that can be quite effective in stopping it. Get properly diagnosed first though, as the dental route to a cure is private-only, and can be £2-300. Don't have anything to do with surgical cures, they are painful, and generally not very successful.

Keep in mind though that 90% of snorers are not sufferers! It could well be a diet/lifestyle problem in the end anyway. From your earlier postings, I would watch your caffine consumption as well!

[bern494]

Hi All
I too suffer from tiredness, poor sleeping pattern.

Amongst other things I have been diagnosed with Spino-Cerebella, which affects my leg muscles, bad mobility I can fall for England. Also Diabetes adult onset controlled by tablets, and getting back to the tiredness Narcolepsy (which I take 3 keep awake tablets each day), apart from that I have High blood pressure and Hypertension all of which effects my tiredness

I can associate with all tiredness sufferers and know how they feel because when you lose that ability to do things because of the tiredness it’s not very nice. I can put up with all my ailments but given a choice if they could only do one thing for me it is to stop the tiredness.
Good luck
Bern

[Petal]

Hi all

Thanks for all your replies. I'm still watching my diet etc. Thing is I'm doing everything at once so if things improve I won't necessarily know what it is...until I re-introduce things again I s'pose. I didn't have ANY diet coke last week and for me that's amazing. I was beginning to wonder if I'd had an overload of sweeteners as I've been drinking the stuff forever. I've really been craving it too..... :eek:

We'll see...

[scuzz]

A good uniterrupted night's sleep might help. I find that camomile tea helps.

Drinking plenty of water helps me to stay focus and more awake.

Have you tried burning an invigorating oil/insence like mandarin or lemongrass?

[Turning_into_scrooge]

Yes, sleep apnoea can come with the symptoms described.

So can Fibromyalgia syndrome and M.E. (chronic fatigue syndrone):) my first thought befoe i read the sleeping and not being able to sleep was sleep aponea, i don't know how that would fit with this but it dos with fibro, also the ibs and charbs and tears etc., just a thought