Tired all the time with no energy at 23 years old!

beckyhope

Could it be something in your diet? Maybe you are allergic to gluten, dairy, or have a sensitivity to sugar. You could try changing one thing in your diet to see if it helps. Then if you feel better cutting that thing out, it could be related.
Are you under an abnormal amount of stress? Stress makes you tired as well.
I would consider exercising in spite of the fatigue. Nothing strenuous, like walking to see if it "wakes you up" or makes it worse.

I used to be tired all the time - to the point where it seemed like in order to lift my hand, it would make me more tired I think mine was diet and weight related. When I started exercising and eating better foods and losing weight I have had a lot more energy.

mellynat

That sounds like mono......
I'd see anther doctor. And keep pushing yourself to workout do cardio everyday. I would always use that excuse am too tiered or fatigued to workout. BUt after 3, 4wks of doing it all the time I felt way better. Start off with jumping jacks ot get your heat beat up... HOpe you feel better and figure out what's causing it..

andiimarie

I was having the same problem and a doctor tested me for sleep apnea. Sure enough, I have it. I hadn't been sleeping well for so long I had forgotten what it was like to actually sleep for more than 30 minutes at a time!

I can relate to the quoted post.

I have been experiencing fatigue since sophomore year of high school. All of the doctors I saw diagnosed it as depression and gave me drugs. With a change in job and insurance, I saw another doctor. He suspected sleep apnea and sure enough, a couple sleep studies later and a CPAP machine was delivered to my house today.

My advice is that if the fatigue feels like something more than what your current doctor is making it out to be, see another doctor and don't be afraid to speak up and tell him/her that this is just not a normal day to day malaise.

igora_soma

I have natural red hair and used to have the same problem, it was a vitamin D deficiency.

Did they run other tests with your blood? Did you recently start taking any new medications?

Sorry to hear about this! I'd definitely go straight to a specialist, or else see another doctor.

Best of luck.

beckyhope

Oh and another thing i would try is drinking more water. I think this affects fatigue as well.

Krushchev

Aside from the previously mentioned sleep apnea, two other possibilities come to mind just off the top of my head. One is Chronic fatigue syndrome. The other is Celiac's (aka Celiac's Sprue), which often results in a misdiagnosis of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome.

And I agree with the advice to get a second opinion.

Celiac was actually my first thought, lol.

GreenLifeGirl

Yes, definitely good see a doctor. It might be tempting to put it off but it could make all the difference for you...just to know what's wrong and how to address it.

ljcatch22

Wow, this is me exactly! I'm not sure it matters, but I'm also a redhead, and 23. I have had sleep studies, and thyroid tests, and taken depression meds, you name it. It is so frustrating because I used to be very, very active. I've been to a few doctors and most of them just gave me grief since I'm so young. I had one outright accuse me of drug seeking. (I'm in graduate school and got a whole speech about how I shouldn't use ritalin, etc. to make it through school. I was pretty pissed.)

It has contributed to about a 30 pound weight gain, and is the main reason I'm here at MFP. I've had one doctor speculate that its due to the mono I caught my freshman year of college. I'm considering getting a test for gluten intolerance/celiac. (My dad has some weird food allergies)

I can't really help you out a lot, but compared to how I was doing a year or so ago, I'm much better, even though not back to where I was. I cut out almost all of my dairy. I've always been somewhat lactose intolerant, but loved milk so much that I was willing to suffer the consequences. I finally noticed that I seemed more sluggish after drinking milk, and dropped it fast. I have a super strict sleep schedule. I need to sleep at least 9-10 hours a night and I try to go to bed at the same time every night and wake up at the same time. Lastly, and this was the hardest, I cut out most of my caffeine. I was chugging a soda about every hour a so just to have the energy to make it through the day. This ended up causing me about a grand in dental bills because the acid screwed up my teeth. After the first two weeks, I notice some improvement in my energy.

If you need someone to talk to, feel free to message me. Most of my family and friends just can't really understand. I don't think my parents really got it until I visited them and slept almost 2 days straight, just getting up for a couple of hours when they made me. Luckily, I hardly ever do that now, but I do still sleep a lot more than most.

Edit - Also, are you taking any multivitamins with iron? Iron deficiency anemia can cause serious fatigue problems and is actually a symptom of celiac's disease.

Espressocycle

Do you know what your thyroid TSH level was? I'm hypothyroid and my doctors kept me at 3.8 TSH for 10 years, throughout which I felt like crud. Turns out "normal" is a range of .5 to 4.5, so 3.8 was still relatively high. Some doctors start treating at 3.

Doctors don't take fatigue and such seriously. I really don't understand why, when they harp on minor weight gain like crazy. I think my doc just prescribed me more thyroid hormone to get me off the phone, but I felt better right away.

Espressocycle

You NEED to see a doctor. There are any number of diseases, conditions or syndromes that can cause this.

You obviously did not bother to read anything other than the title to this thread

Actually I did. I suppose I should have said "another" or "a real" doctor. I find it hard ot believe that any certified doctor would say this is all due to red hair, which is complete nonsense. And if s/he did then I'd report them.

My thoughts exactly. I mean really, what kind of doctor tells someone that suddenly feeling like crap is because of their hair color. Surprised he didn't say you are Irish so you ought to be deinking more.

embersfallen

bump... been feeling like this for years....

BobbyClerici

So I am looking for maybe some insight into what could be going on with me. I've been fighting with extreme tiredness for about 2 years now....for a long time I made excuses, oh it must be my job, I must be fighting a cold etc, etc. So finally when my eyes started looking like I slept an hour each night (they are so puffy and sore) I decided enough was enough and went to my doctor. My thyroid and iron test came back normal but I was told that I needed to exercise more or I could be tired because of my natural red hair...redheads need more sleep?

I have been a full time athlete my entire life and I love working out but for the past few years I haven't had the energy to work out most days and when I do, it doesn't really seem to make a difference. I have been in 2 different jobs since and am now back in school, so the whole job thing is ruled out. I get at least 8 hours of sleep a night, if not more and find it painful to get out of bed in the morning because I am sooo tired. It feels like I am fighting off a cold everyday, I should have way more energy for being 23 years old! It doesn't matter if I get 6 hours of sleep or 11, I still feel the same. I take a multivitamin and calcium/vitamin D everyday and eat relatively healthy.

This is so frustrating for me because I just want to sleep all the time...and I've never felt like this before in my life. I'm missing out on so much and miss feeling rested! I am wondering if anyone has dealt with this before or knows of a specialist doctor that I could get in touch with that might be able to help?

Talk to ANOTHER doctor, and let her advise you on a specialist referral.
Nobody should suffer with this needlessly.

Like some here, I had sleep apnea where my throat blubber was clogging my breathing, because I was so fat. I got a CPAp which helped, and I lost a bunch of weight and no longer need it to sleep well.

Silverhillbilly

I have felt exactly as you have felt - it is because of another condition. Definitely - go see another doctor and don't stop until you find exactly what is causing your symptoms. Good Luck!

c1m1

Maybe you need some more full sun exposure. Higher elevations suffer from this, due to colder temperatures. Truth be told most people do not get enough sun. We are inside most of the time, and a few minutes of sun in your car does not count. Google it there is a lot of information about this. Seasonal Affective Disorder.
Best wishes, and be good to you.

dragonflybird

Not to scare you, but I remember a time when I was 26 and I was tired ALL the time and I was exercising and eating right. I kept going to my doctor and he kept checking my blood. It kept coming back normal. 6 months later I was getting a routine pap done and it came back as pre-cancerous. I got a cone biopsy done right away and once that procedure was done, I felt so much better. So, all in all, just go to a doctor and get him or her to check EVERYTHING....not just blood work.

candj2009

I would find out what thyroid numbers your doctor's office is going by. Most offices still go by the .5 to 5 range and endocrinologists are recommending a smaller range of .3 to 3. I recently went in with the same symptoms as you and my dr tested my thyroid. Said it was still normal. My 2008 levels were TSH 1.8 and free T4 15.8. This time my numbers were TSH 4.06 and free T4 1.1. I called an endocrinologist and made an appointment. Talked to the nurse there and she said numbers as high as mine and fatige, hair falling out, weight gain, etc. are not normal and they will get me to feeling better. Just wish Jan. 5th would get here sooner.

Bentley2718

Go see another doctor, something isn't right...but be prepared to fight. I had a similar problem in my early 20s. It took me literally years of fighting with doctors to get a diagnosis. I hope things work out better for you, but fatigue can be hard to figure out, and doctors may want to tell you it's lack of exercise, too much caffeine, etc., try what they say, but don't be afraid to tell them when it's not working.

Also, for me at least, for exercising to work to make me feel better takes a while, like a month. The same goes with healthy eating.

candj2009

Mine is 4.06 and my PCP won't treat it.......going to see endocrinologist in Jan. They've changed the normal range to .3 to 3 now but you are right, many doctors still go by the old numbers as normal.

Bentley2718

Maybe you need some more full sun exposure. Higher elevations suffer from this, due to colder temperatures. Truth be told most people do not get enough sun. We are inside most of the time, and a few minutes of sun in your car does not count. Google it there is a lot of information about this. Seasonal Affective Disorder.
Best wishes, and be good to you.

Elevation has nothing to do with this (people actually get more exposure to sunlight at higher elevations, because the atmosphere is thinner). Temperature may be somewhat related, as people stay inside when it's cold, but they also stay in side when it's really hot. The length of the day (and hence sun exposure) is related to LATITUDE, that is how far you live from the equator. Also, SAD would only be a problem in the winter.

2April

Could also be your house/car - chronic exposure to low levels of carbon monoxide can cause these symptoms as well. Be sure to get to the bottom of whatever is making you sick.
Hope you feel better.

Beatrix0810

I'm guessing

1) sleep apnea
2) a parasite

I'm going with Sleep Apnea. My ex bf was the same way. He was 6'4", an athelete, in good shape, ran in a social running club. But every time he pushed himself or started to train for a marathon - he would get sick and his body would break down. The doctor had him on anti-depressants for a long time and nothing worked. Then I came into the picture and the first time I ever slept over I got 0 hours of sleep. The poor guy would wake up GASPING for air and he snored SO LOUD that I could hear him several rooms away. He got a CPAP machine and that helped, but he eventually ended up getting surgery. Cut to about 3 months after surgery - the kid finished his first half marathon and started training for a full. He felt better and less tire/depressed all the time and just healthier in general. I think you should definitely talk to a sleep specialist and see if that's your issue, especially if all the other tests you've done are coming back normal. Good luck! I hope you find your energy again!

2April

Could also be your house/car - chronic exposure to low levels of carbon monoxide can cause these symptoms as well. Be sure to get to the bottom of whatever is making you sick.
Hope you feel better.

"Some experts believe that exposure to low levels of the gas may explain why thousands see their GPs complaining of chronic exhaustion."

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-1357042/Why-feeling-tired-time-mean-theres-killer-house.html#ixzz1h1UywppM

Apazman

you have mylaria

abcwhite10

I know you said you saw a dr. and the thyroid was normal, but the tiredness and puffy (especially if you feel/look like your eyes are bulging), sore eyes, along with a slew of other symptoms are indications of hyperthyroid. I would read, read, read, and either revisit your dr. or find another one that will refer you on to an internist or something.

As you can see there are all kinds of suggestions from other posters and I'm sure any of them could be possible. Definitely not acceptable to just think you need more sleep becuase you're a redhead. Keep digging and be persisten and hopefully you'll get answers.

janinedunn60

it sounds like me when i had glandular fever. i was not sick. just tired all the time. had a blood test and thats what it was.

littlelaura

my daughter is 21 years old we spent the last 2 years at Drs she was tested for a year straight for leukemia, thank God that is not the case but in the process found out she had crohns disease. Started with mono, a sudden allergy to everything under the sun, extreme exhaustion, cold utercaria, her gall bladder removed, high wbc repeatedly, and intense ab pains randomly, she would get bloated all over her body , clothing wouldnt fit, yet she was never hungry and couldnt eat and losing weight yet "looked" fat in her lower belly. Its been a long ordeal, she has a colonoscopy friday to do a biopsy to confirm but a urologist and gastoentologist has already pretty much confirmed this with other tests. Keep getting checked out dont let them say your young and to live with it. You know your body, you know yourself and you know how you should be feeling but arent. If one doctor wont listen find another till you find one who will be sympathetic and keep testing till you get answers. Also look into lyme disease.

Eleanorjanethinner

Yup, chiming in to agree - see another doctor, and another one and another one until you get an answer.

I had Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (also called ME) after getting Glandular Fever and it took about 6 - 9 months of trips to Drs and the hospital to get diagnosed. Then a lot of experimentation with treatment to find things that helped.

Ilovedrinkingtea

Please see a doctor as soon as you can OP, a friend of mine told me once "I'm so tired and I can't sleep...I'm hungry and I can't eat...I feel weak and exhausted all the time". It turned out she had leukaemia. Sorry I'm not telling you this to panic you, but if you're body is saying something is wrong you need to listen, I think after this it's always better to go to the doctor and have tests - just to be on the safe side xx

stephevers1227

So I'm not an expert but the symptoms are similar to mine. I have 3 conditions so it might not help you any haha. I found out 5 years ago I was hypothyroid...still trying to get that level. I am severely vitamin D deficient (a condition that is on the rise and not routinely tested--ask for it). I also found out a year and a half ago that I have Rheumatoid Arthritis. I didn't have "classic arthritis symptoms" it was mostly that I was flat out exhausted ALL the time, sick all the time and I got fed up and asked the doctor to test me. RA was positive. When I went to see the rheumatologist, he said that RA actually affects your immune system which EVENTUALLY affects your joints. So you may need to have autoimmune checked. Are your feet stiff in the morning for about the first 15 min or fingers/toes bluish when you get cold?

AZackery

Get checked for diabetes. You might even be a little anemic as well.