Exhaustion & Fatigue

BabyBearFrigon

Hey everyone,

So I wanted to get a few opinions on my situation here. I do have a doctors appointment coming up, however, I'd like to ask the community of powerlifters and athletic individuals what they think, or if they've experienced similar things, and or if they have found cures or ways to subside these symptoms.

I am a competitive powerlifter. My program fluctuates between three and four-day programs, workouts lasting no less that 2 hours. I have both a Coach and a Nutritionist and I am currently in my second or third week of a fat loss phase (as Iw ould like to get down to 182 to compete in a smaller weight class).

For the past couple of weeks, two, three at the most, I have been feeling completed exhausted when waking up in the morning and fatigued throughout the day. Mentally, I am there, ready to train and get on with my day. However, even after 7 to 9 hours of sleep, I feel as though I am waking up after having taken a sleep aid; very foggy, feeling like a rock laying in my bed. I do work second shift, 3PM to 11PM and I am generally in bed sleeping by 2AM at the latest. I sleep until 9AM or 10AM. I WANT to be up and out of bed by 9AM to have the most productive day, but when my alarm goes off, I feel as though I was awake all night long.

Reg. Schedule:

10AM to 12AM Gym
12PM - 2PM Meal prep. and get ready for work
3PM - 11PM Work
11:30PM Home
Between 12PM and 1PM Bed/Sleep

OR

Nothing in the morning but productiveness because I'm so tired that I don't leave my house...
1PM - 2PM Meal prep. and get ready for work
3PM - 11PM Work
11:30PM Home
12AM - 2AM Gym
2:15AM Sleep

I am quite D deficient and I take a supplement for that. I do get vitamin D from other sources, however, my body has a hard time processing it because of liver damage from living with Hep. C for 17 years. A fellow nurse friend of mine, and my PT, said that I may be iron deficient as well, and should consider taking an iron (or more natural sources of) and vitamin C supplement to help my body more efficiently absorb and process other vitamins and minerals. As my Nutritionist is away from being at the Arnold, so I haven't been able to talk to her about this yet, but I plan to, and as far as I know, I eat a healthy variety of foods, 'cept for my cheat meals

I know that I move a lot in my sleep, and maybe I wake up once in the night to use the bathroom or get a drink of water, but that's normal from time to time.

Right now this physical aspect of my life is really putting a damper on my training program and exercise life. I HAVE to get to the gym at certain times in order to make my day run smoothly, get to work, and still feel like I have a moment to myself, however, I just feel as though I've been run over by a truck every morning as of late. My energy levels are so low that they're competing with my mental ability to motivate myself and get going every day.

Does any of this sound familiar to anyone? Has anyone experienced this and found out something that's wrong nutritionally, mentally, physically, or even spiritually? I just want my physical energy level to be that of my mental motivational level. I used to have that equally in my life, for the most part. Where did it go? And nothing has changed drastically in my life in the last 6 months, no mental or physical changes that would exceed the norm for me.

Much appreciate in advance.
Thanks,
Hannah

tiptoethruthetulips

Bump

BeChill73

A full blood test will reveal if you are iron deficient and supplements are not recommended without doctor advice as too much iron can be bad for you. Many other vitamin deficiencies and illnesses have fatigue as a factor.

I deal with fatigue on a daily basis, in my case caused by MS and iron deficiency anaemia. The anaemia is because my cycle is only 21-22 days long and I can't eat a lot of red meat so wihout supplementation I lose more iron than I can replace.

DannyYMi54321

We have a lot in common - fatigue, a lot of exercise, crazy schedules - chronic vitamin deficiencies. You sound like you could be anemic - or - kinda no real name for this yet in hematology but "pre-anemia syndrome". I have been conplaining about not feeling well to my hematologist and PCP and cardiologist and pulmonologist and ortho doc and the NP at the weight management center (I'm a real mess, LOL) for 3 years. One thing no one mentioned to me was how critical Ferritin levels are - especially in athletes. Your hemaglobin can be fine but your reserve iron as shown by Ferritin, Iron Binding Capacity, Hematocrit can be very low. My Ferritin was 32 three years ago, and 9 last June. 50 seems the minimum for any athlete, 100 and over is better. Have that and your B vitamin levels tested.

I started taking actual Ferritin - could only find it on Amazon, but it's cheap and made in USA, plus organic iron chelate supplements, monthly B12 shots, oral B complex, D, and C and got it up to 65 by September. Definitely more energy, more aerobic endurance - and nice to be able to run again without chest pain.

Alas, I got supplement fatigue and slacked off in the fall - and it fell to 43 as of February.

Other thing - major caffeine addict, I quit cold turkey 6 days ago and actually feel better with more energy already.

BabyBearFrigon

tiptoethruthetulips wrote: »

Bump

Yeah, I don't think so, but if you're right, it'll be a work of God and I'll let you know.

BabyBearFrigon

BeChill73 wrote: »

A full blood test will reveal if you are iron deficient and supplements are not recommended without doctor advice as too much iron can be bad for you. Many other vitamin deficiencies and illnesses have fatigue as a factor.

I deal with fatigue on a daily basis, in my case caused by MS and iron deficiency anaemia. The anaemia is because my cycle is only 21-22 days long and I can't eat a lot of red meat so wihout supplementation I lose more iron than I can replace.

Thank you for the insight. My doctors appointment isn't for two weeks, so I won't start or ad anything to my diet/regain before then. And I'll have the full blood work done, I'm due for a hemoglobin count anyways.

BabyBearFrigon

DannyYMi54321 wrote: »

We have a lot in common - fatigue, a lot of exercise, crazy schedules - chronic vitamin deficiencies. You sound like you could be anemic - or - kinda no real name for this yet in hematology but "pre-anemia syndrome". I have been conplaining about not feeling well to my hematologist and PCP and cardiologist and pulmonologist and ortho doc and the NP at the weight management center (I'm a real mess, LOL) for 3 years. One thing no one mentioned to me was how critical Ferritin levels are - especially in athletes. Your hemaglobin can be fine but your reserve iron as shown by Ferritin, Iron Binding Capacity, Hematocrit can be very low. My Ferritin was 32 three years ago, and 9 last June. 50 seems the minimum for any athlete, 100 and over is better. Have that and your B vitamin levels tested.

I started taking actual Ferritin - could only find it on Amazon, but it's cheap and made in USA, plus organic iron chelate supplements, monthly B12 shots, oral B complex, D, and C and got it up to 65 by September. Definitely more energy, more aerobic endurance - and nice to be able to run again without chest pain.

Alas, I got supplement fatigue and slacked off in the fall - and it fell to 43 as of February.

Other thing - major caffeine addict, I quit cold turkey 6 days ago and actually feel better with more energy already.

So basically, it could be a variety of things! Haha, thank you. This just broadens the issue (if there's an actual issue) as to where I was making it to be something as simple as one or two things.

Thank you for sharing your experience! I too also drink a lot of coffee. I just love it, I don't feel any side effects from it as far as energy boost or lack there of, or even withdrawals if I don't drink it. But, that could play a part in it. I've recently started drinking more tea as a side win my 101 oz of water a day, so at least I know it's not dehydration related.

ashcky

Are you eating enough to fuel your workouts? I generally feel more fatigued with less quality sleep.

not_a_runner

This is probably of no help, but I'm also power lifter of sorts and deal with chronic fatigue.
I'm hypothyroid (I've also been told I have Lyme Disease). When on thyroid meds I feel slightly better but never great.
Thyroid issues can cause fatigue and other problems, maybe it would be worth getting that checked since you're getting bloodwork any way?
A lot of days after work I'm choosing to either do my workouts or do other adulty things (like clean my house...) most of the time I do the workouts and as a result my house is a mess. But I digress.... lol
My bloodwork usually comes back fine, I get it done pretty regularly to monitor my meds. My iron has been low at times but that's pretty common for women - it has it's ups and downs.
I often wonder if the intense training is too much for my body to handle and if I'd feel better if I stopped or did significantly less, but that's really not an option. I'm not sure why I'd get out of bed some days if I didn't have training to look forward to lol.
Sooo, yeah. I don't have any answers, but I can sympathize.

Lizzy622

When do you take your Vitamin D? When I switched from the evening to morning, I slept much better. Vitamin D can interfere with sleep.

BabyBearFrigon

ashcky wrote: »

Are you eating enough to fuel your workouts? I generally feel more fatigued with less quality sleep.

My Nutritionist makes sure I have enough to fuel my workouts, even during this cutting phase. Even if I was eating too little, I don't think I'd sacrifice one for the other. I need to get stronger and be in a lighter weight class, so perhaps this is just a low right now. Not sure. She'll give me more info when I talk to her, however, she is very particular with my macro intake and knows I training quite intensely throughout the week.

BabyBearFrigon

TresaAswegan wrote: »

This is probably of no help, but I'm also power lifter of sorts and deal with chronic fatigue.
I'm hypothyroid (I've also been told I have Lyme Disease). When on thyroid meds I feel slightly better but never great.
Thyroid issues can cause fatigue and other problems, maybe it would be worth getting that checked since you're getting bloodwork any way?
A lot of days after work I'm choosing to either do my workouts or do other adulty things (like clean my house...) most of the time I do the workouts and as a result my house is a mess. But I digress.... lol
My bloodwork usually comes back fine, I get it done pretty regularly to monitor my meds. My iron has been low at times but that's pretty common for women - it has it's ups and downs.
I often wonder if the intense training is too much for my body to handle and if I'd feel better if I stopped or did significantly less, but that's really not an option. I'm not sure why I'd get out of bed some days if I didn't have training to look forward to lol.
Sooo, yeah. I don't have any answers, but I can sympathize.

Well, I will say that I haven't had my blood taken in quite some time, well over the 6 month period I'm supposed to be tested to see if my Hep. C has come out of remission - let's hope it's not that - and so I'll be getting that checked out at the doctors. I did have my thyroid checked a year or two ago, and it was normal. I have a really hard time losing fat mass and thought that my thyroid might be the reason why, but nope. I'm sure that could change over time, though, right? So it wouldn't hurt to ask again.

I may ask my Coach to make me a three day a week program instead of five days, but then I feel lazy the rest of the week! My Nutritionist would say just to fill those extra days with light cardio, but I hate walking, or biking . . . I just feel like I'm doing nothing while I watch other people work.

Thanks for sharing! I appreciate empathy, haha. And keep up the good work!

BabyBearFrigon

Lizzy622 wrote: »

When do you take your Vitamin D? When I switched from the evening to morning, I slept much better. Vitamin D can interfere with sleep.

I take a 50000mg of Vitamin D once a week, usually Sunday morning. It's what my doctor prescribed me.

DannyYMi54321

BabyBearFrigon - question for you, you mentioned feeling very tired even after getting 7 or 8 hours of sleep. Do you have any spontaneous movement in your legs while you sleep or are close to sleep?

Another sign of low Ferritin levels is twitchy, jerky leg movement during sleep. It superficially resembles "restless leg syndrome" and is often diagnosed as that, but there is a difference -- RLS is a neurological disorder. The leg twitching caused by iron deficiency is a neuro-muscular thing (I guess kind of a feedback loop, there isn't a ton of literature out there). It responds dramatically and rapidly to iron supplements - I was officially diagnosed by a neurologist with RLS, and the anti-spasmodic/anti-seizure type drugs they gave me did nothing for it. When I started taking Ferritin supplements last June, it stopped within 2 weeks. I knew my iron was falling off recently because I started having the twitching, jumping "frog legs" again the past few months.

Just something to consider.

BabyBearFrigon

DannyYMi54321 wrote: »

BabyBearFrigon - question for you, you mentioned feeling very tired even after getting 7 or 8 hours of sleep. Do you have any spontaneous movement in your legs while you sleep or are close to sleep?

Another sign of low Ferritin levels is twitchy, jerky leg movement during sleep. It superficially resembles "restless leg syndrome" and is often diagnosed as that, but there is a difference -- RLS is a neurological disorder. The leg twitching caused by iron deficiency is a neuro-muscular thing (I guess kind of a feedback loop, there isn't a ton of literature out there). It responds dramatically and rapidly to iron supplements - I was officially diagnosed by a neurologist with RLS, and the anti-spasmodic/anti-seizure type drugs they gave me did nothing for it. When I started taking Ferritin supplements last June, it stopped within 2 weeks. I knew my iron was falling off recently because I started having the twitching, jumping "frog legs" again the past few months.

Just something to consider.

That's interesting Danny, no, I don't kick or anything like that when I sleep, and no one has ever mentioned if I did from sleeping with my Mom, friends in a hotel room, or my roommate. I sleep pretty soundly when I'm out without a lot fo movement. I may toss or turn, per normal, but nothing like RLS, sleeping or otherwise. I'll have to ask my doctor about Ferritin. I myself haven't heard of it before, nor have I read anything on it.

lorrpb

Could be sleep apnea

BeChill73

Ferritin is kind of your stored iron. I take "Ferrograd C" to supplement because I have iron-deficiency anaemia... it's iron in the form of ferrous sulfate plus Vit C (to help absorption) and available over the counter at our pharmacies, but still best to check your bloods first as mentioned before due to the risk of toxicity if you already have acceptable levels and then load up with more.

JukeboxHeroine

I second the sleep apnea suggestion. If blood work turns out normal you may want to ask for a
Sleep study. Sleep apnea does not just affect the obese.

BabyBearFrigon

UPDATE:

1) Not pregnant

2) My liver and kidney functions are fine, along with my iron and vitamin D levels. I'm not anemic nor does my doctor think that I'm pre-anemic. My Hep C is still in remission (and more than likely will stay that way since the treatments I took in 2007 are now guaranteed as a cure). I had a slight inflammation marker go off, however, they said it could have been something as little as a tooth ache and aren't worried about it. They also said my thyroid is normal, which I knew that would be.

My doctor is concerned that I may not be hitting a REM sleep and that I'm just bouncing around between an actual resting state and barely waking up, something my PT will be helping me with along with a few other aches and pains. I have no signs of sleep apnea (snoring, heavy breathing, large movements at night, and therefore, no reason to test for it.

I do appreciate the discussion! As for now, despite how I'm feeling, there is nothing that can be found that is physically wrong with me, which is a good thing! It's just frustrating. I am due for a physical in June, and then, if I am still having these side effects, more will be done to figure out what's possibly wrong.

pamfgil

You don't mention blood sugar, if you are sensitive to sugar it can cause fatigue, has that been looked at?

zekni

Im 35, 5'9" around 185lbs. Im a long distance cyclist(100-200 miles/week), some weights, walking, swimming. I get a lot of excercise, sometimes im cutting weight, sometimes im not. While im training tho, if i dont take a week off every 4-6 weeks to recover, i feel exactly how you describe, and its not worth it. I generally get a massage every week as well, and as long as i take my recovery weeks, im strong and energized and injury free the rest of the time. Every body's body is different, but you have to figire out what works for ypurs, amd sometimes that is recovery time

andielyn

Good luck. Fatigue is probably one of the most frustrating symptoms ever. I highly recommend keeping a basic daily journal, rating your level of fatigue and pain (you mentioned random aches and pains in your initial post), any other symptom, sleep, and activity. I wear a simple Fitbit (Flex2 after my Flex died) and it auto tracks sleep as well.as restless periods. It's pretty accurate. Keep it simple so it's easy to do daily. A pattern may emerge. If nothing else, you have data. Hopefully it will just resolve but if it doesn't, stay on it. Fatigue can become debilitating and it is real.

BabyBearFrigon

pamfgil wrote: »

You don't mention blood sugar, if you are sensitive to sugar it can cause fatigue, has that been looked at?

Interesting, I hadn't thought of that, however, sugar doesn't really have an effect on me, that I know of. I don't eat a lot of processed foods such as candies or highly sugary cereals, dried fruits, or anything like that, so when I do have something processed like that, I just feel sick afterwards since it's not a constant in my diet. My doctor said I didn't have any diabetic symptoms, which I would assume also has to do with sugar levels at some point.

BabyBearFrigon

zekni wrote: »

Im 35, 5'9" around 185lbs. Im a long distance cyclist(100-200 miles/week), some weights, walking, swimming. I get a lot of excercise, sometimes im cutting weight, sometimes im not. While im training tho, if i dont take a week off every 4-6 weeks to recover, i feel exactly how you describe, and its not worth it. I generally get a massage every week as well, and as long as i take my recovery weeks, im strong and energized and injury free the rest of the time. Every body's body is different, but you have to figire out what works for ypurs, amd sometimes that is recovery time

Thanks very interesting, thank you for sharing that! I do workout a lot and I don't have too much down time. While I'd love to get a massage every week, it's not in my budget, however, I do get them before and after lifting meets. I've also quite enjoyed sessions of cupping, graston, and dry needling.

My PT suggested Calm.com to me and wants me to practice more mindful sleeping with me legs up. There are some ladies in my community you perform Raki, perhaps a session or two of that would be beneficial as well.

I guess what I'm saying is, you're right, I don't think I give myself enough time to recuperate, however in changing Coaches these past two weeks I've found that my fatigue has faded a bit as I only lift heavy three times a week and hike for an hour on the treadmill with a weighted vest on alternating days with my lifting. Thank you for bringing my attention back to recovery, I do know how important that is, especially for growing muscle. Sleeps is 100% necessary for an athlete, just as nutrition and exercise are 100% necessary as well. My PT has some other focusses, physically, along with sleep medication that will hopefully give some relief to these restless nights and fatigued mornings.

BabyBearFrigon

andielyn wrote: »

Good luck. Fatigue is probably one of the most frustrating symptoms ever. I highly recommend keeping a basic daily journal, rating your level of fatigue and pain (you mentioned random aches and pains in your initial post), any other symptom, sleep, and activity. I wear a simple Fitbit (Flex2 after my Flex died) and it auto tracks sleep as well.as restless periods. It's pretty accurate. Keep it simple so it's easy to do daily. A pattern may emerge. If nothing else, you have data. Hopefully it will just resolve but if it doesn't, stay on it. Fatigue can become debilitating and it is real.

Thank you, it definately is frustrating. I'v heard about tracking your sleep with a "sleep juonral" althugh nver really though abuot taking is seriously, until now. Perhaps I will, thank you for the suggestion. If it terns out any interestnig results, i'll let you know.

lorrpb

If you're not getting REM, it could be due to sleep apnea.

BabyBearFrigon

lorrpb wrote: »

If you're not getting REM, it could be due to sleep apnea.

Unfortunately my doctor says I have no symptoms of sleep apnea (snoring, moving during my sleep, getting up at night, etc.) so she sees no need for a sleep apnea test.