Why am I so tired ALL THE TIME?

motivatekait

Hi guys! For the past 4/5 weeks I've been following my macros pretty consistently, and I'll have decent energy in the morning, but come 2pm or so I get absolutely DRAINED. I get so exhausted that I can't focus on any of my work and have a hard time not just going to sleep.

I have a pretty consistent sleep schedule (9pm-5am), workout 5 days a week, and drink two coffees a day (one at 6am and the other around 12pm). I got my blood checked last month and I seem to be in good health, so I'm trying to figure out why I get so tired.
I eat 1200-1300 cals a day (my diary is open), and obviously I understand calories are energy so it would make sense for me to experience fatigue while dieting, but even upping my calories to around 1400 is enough to kick me into maintenance (I work from home so I have a very low activity level apart from my workouts). I think I eat like 40% calories from carbs, also.

Basically I was wondering if any of you guys have experienced pretty consistent fatigue like this or if something about my diet (even if just the reduced calories) is making me so exhausted?

TavistockToad

So you're losing less than half a pound a week?

What are your stats?

motivatekait

TavistockToad wrote: »

So you're losing less than half a pound a week?

What are your stats?

5'5" 130lbs. I don't have a whole lot to lose so it's a very slow process unfortunately.

JeromeBarry1

Could you be iron deficient?
Could you be deficient in B-complex vitamins?

How are you with getting sufficient good sleep?

DresdenSinn

Your diet looks fine, I'm on 1200kcal/day diet with carbs/fat/protein macros of 5%/75%/20% and have plenty of energy (I'm well into Ketosis). And your sleep is good. There has to be an underlying issue, are you stressed or worried? Maybe your work is boring or mentally taxing and that makes you fatigued.

L1zardQueen

Circadian rythym

motivatekait

JeromeBarry1 wrote: »

Could you be iron deficient?

I'm not sure. I do track my iron intake, but I usually only reach my target a few days a week, so I don't know if that's enough. I don't eat red meat very often so the only real iron I get is from spinach and fortified cereals.
I have no idea about the B-complex vitamins, but I get a pretty good nights sleep on a regular basis. It seems like no matter how good my sleep is I still never have enough energy throughout the day.

Poisonedpawn78

This exact thing happens to me. Question for you. I know you say your sleep schedule is good, about 8 hours. However how are you sleeping during that time? are you sleeping the full 8 hours through or are you waking up constantly/going to the bathroom, maybe takes a long time to fall asleep and something wakes you up in the middle of the night?

The reason i ask is because there is a point where if you do not get enough REM sleep over a long period of time you will start to experience these narcoleptic crashes exactly as you describe it, you wake up fine, make it through half the day and then suddenly you can barely stay awake and need a nap. And its not a "im tired" feeling but an overwhelming, uncontrollable urge to sleep.

If this sounds like its hitting home at all, talk with your doctor about it and see if there are any sleep aids that can help you STAY asleep for the full 8 hours. He may also request a sleep study to test for sleep apnea.

motivatekait

DresdenSinn wrote: »

Your diet looks fine, I'm on 1200kcal/day diet with carbs/fat/protein macros of 5%/75%/20% and have plenty of energy (I'm well into Ketosis). And your sleep is good. There has to be an underlying issue, are you stressed or worried? Maybe your work is boring or mentally taxing and that makes you fatigued.

I'm actually in a really great place in my life right now, love my job, and have relatively low stress levels, so I don't think that would be contributing. It's very frustrating!

Poisonedpawn78

.

motivatekait

Tiny_Dancer_in_Pink wrote: »

Circadian rythym

I've been on the same sleep schedule for around a year now so I'm not sure if the actual sleep cycle itself is the issue. I seem to get a pretty deep sleep consistently night after night.

motivatekait

Poisonedpawn78 wrote: »

This exact thing happens to me. Question for you. I know you say your sleep schedule is good, about 8 hours. However how are you sleeping during that time? are you sleeping the full 8 hours through or are you waking up constantly/going to the bathroom, maybe takes a long time to fall asleep and something wakes you up in the middle of the night?

The reason i ask is because there is a point where if you do not get enough REM sleep over a long period of time you will start to experience these narcoleptic crashes exactly as you describe it, you wake up fine, make it through half the day and then suddenly you can barely stay awake and need a nap. And its not a "im tired" feeling but an overwhelming, uncontrollable urge to sleep.

If this sounds like its hitting home at all, talk with your doctor about it and see if there are any sleep aids that can help you STAY asleep for the full 8 hours. He may also request a sleep study to test for sleep apnea.

These past few weeks I've been sleeping pretty deeply each night. I am naturally a very light sleeper and it doesn't take much for me to wake up in the night, so I did think that was the source of my exhaustion initially, but lately I've been sleeping really well and I still feel so darn tired!

L1zardQueen

I always get sleepy at 2pm.

https://sleep.org/articles/reasons-for-afternoon-slump/

jgnatca

You might ask for a blood panel to rule out thyroid, diabetes, iron or b vitamin deficiency.

Do you have a big or small lunch? If small try adding more protein. If big, try cutting carbs.

I always saved a protein rich 100 calorie snack for the afternoon slump. Half a protein bar or some edamame pods would do it.

Sheisinlove109

Everyone else could weigh in on this and I've never done it before but what about trying melatonin for a few weeks?

Other ideas, leave a fan on for white noise. Maybe you're waking up and not fully waking up in the night and it's throwing you off?

Room dark enough? Even an alarm clock can throw me off.

Changing hormones as we age?


I'm struggling with sleep too from a huge schedule change in my life. No fun!

Just ideas...talk with your doc.

motivatekait

jgnatca wrote: »

You might ask for a blood panel to rule out thyroid, diabetes, iron or b vitamin deficiency.

Do you have a big or small lunch? If small try adding more protein. If big, try cutting carbs.

I always saved a protein rich 100 calorie snack for the afternoon slump. Half a protein bar or some edamame pods would do it.

Pretty decent sized I suppose. I usually eat either an egg white omelet, chicken and rice, or an egg with roasted veggies and a small white potato.

Maybe I'll have to invest in a good energy bar for a midday pick-me-up. Thanks!

motivatekait

sunsweet77 wrote: »

Everyone else could weigh in on this and I've never done it before but what about trying melatonin for a few weeks?

Other ideas, leave a fan on for white noise. Maybe you're waking up and not fully waking up in the night and it's throwing you off?

Room dark enough? Even an alarm clock can throw me off.

Changing hormones as we age?


I'm struggling with sleep too from a huge schedule change in my life. No fun!

Just ideas...talk with your doc.

I actually have been considering melatonin, but I feel like I've been sleeping so well recently, I'm not sure if I would need it! But maybe I'm not sleeping as good as I think I am. It might be worth a shot. As far as room darkness goes, it's still bright outside when I go to bed so maybe I should invest in some good curtains haha.
Thank you, best of luck to you too! Let me know if you try melatonin and if you find it helps.

evergreenlake

It sounds very similar to iron deficiency, if you don't eat red meat, iron from vegetables may not be enough. Consult your doctor and see if taking iron supplements would help (and take them with food!)
Also, it's natural for all of our bodies to want to nap after lunch, so maybe scheduling in a bit of stretching and a power nap around that time would be helpful.

TavistockToad

motivatekait wrote: »

TavistockToad wrote: »

So you're losing less than half a pound a week?

What are your stats?

5'5" 130lbs. I don't have a whole lot to lose so it's a very slow process unfortunately.

Unless you're very sedentary you can eat more than you are doing. I am the same height and 3lbs heavier than you and maintain on net 1800 cals.

Purplebunnysarah

Any chance you could be pregnant?

CharlieBeansmomTracey

DresdenSinn wrote: »

Your diet looks fine, I'm on 1200kcal/day diet with carbs/fat/protein macros of 5%/75%/20% and have plenty of energy (I'm well into Ketosis). And your sleep is good. There has to be an underlying issue, are you stressed or worried? Maybe your work is boring or mentally taxing and that makes you fatigued.

not to sidetrack the post but being male why are you eating the amount of calories for a short/sedentary/elderly woman?

Luna3386

Maybe you could eat at maintenance for a while and see if that helps. Maybe increase your neat but taking some walking breaks.

Usually when I eat too little I get exhausted.

motivatekait

evergreenlake wrote: »

It sounds very similar to iron deficiency, if you don't eat red meat, iron from vegetables may not be enough. Consult your doctor and see if taking iron supplements would help (and take them with food!)
Also, it's natural for all of our bodies to want to nap after lunch, so maybe scheduling in a bit of stretching and a power nap around that time would be helpful.

The more I look into it, the more I believe it may have something to do with inadequate iron levels. I'll try incorporating more iron-rich foods into my diet this next week and see how I feel, thanks!

DresdenSinn

CharlieBeansmomTracey wrote: »

DresdenSinn wrote: »

Your diet looks fine, I'm on 1200kcal/day diet with carbs/fat/protein macros of 5%/75%/20% and have plenty of energy (I'm well into Ketosis). And your sleep is good. There has to be an underlying issue, are you stressed or worried? Maybe your work is boring or mentally taxing and that makes you fatigued.

not to sidetrack the post but being male why are you eating the amount of calories for a short/sedentary/elderly woman?

LOL! I bulk in the Autumn/Winter and cut in Spring/Summer, it's only short term I assure you.

12774

You did say that you had blood work done recently. . Maybe some additional blood tests are necessary. Please follow the advice of your physician and not MFP members.

62apples

can you take a short nap during lunch?
if you get 60 min, set your timer/alarm for 30 min.
if you get 30 min, then 15 min might do it.
one lady at my work took naps during lunch and it helped her.

Psychgrrl

As a chronically anemic person, we don't absorb iron from plant sources as well as meat. So, if you're not hitting the rda from plant sources, you're likely not coming close to what you need.

Also, vitamin d levels can drastically affect energy levels. Easy blood test at the doc. Both iron/ferritin and vit d.

CTcutie

Do you think you're getting enough exercise? Maybe take a short walk at lunch?

HeidiCooksSupper

If your work time is flexible, your could try a more traditional European schedule with a break for "siesta." It would mean shifting everything you do after work a bit later but that nap at midday might be just what you need. Or you could go the opposite way and try a midday walk to rev up.

Gisel2015

Do see your doctor and explain to him how tired you feel and ask him to do another blood test to cover any possible anemia, iron deficiency, complete thyroid panel and possible Vits B12 and D deficiency.

GoldenEye_

Do you eat foods containing vitamin C with your plant-based iron sources? It increases absorbtion of the iron and since you say you don't get that much iron that seems like a good idea to do.

Maybe it'd be nice to check your nutrients and vitamin intake on cronometer.com It's free and shows you what you eat and breaks down everything from lipids to vitamins to minerals, etc. It makes it easier to see if you're getting enough of everything.