Exhaustion advice - if you can I'd appreciate it..

FitterStrongerHappier

SO - I'm trying to figure out why it is that I am so tired all the time. I wake up tired, and toward the end of the day, I am exhausted. it reminds me of when I was pregnant sometime back, but, I'm not pregnant. I'm pretty frustrated, because it's affecting my life in a negative way.

I did a little reading, and I don't have some of the typical things that cause it - but I am wondering about the circadian thing. I've been recently playing with my day schedule to fit in working out, work, and housework etc etc... which sounds pretty simple, but the workout I have been trying to sneak in at 5:30 or 6:30 in the morning. Even if i get 7-8 hours of sleep, I still find myself waking exhausted and dragging all day.

I end up going to my workout tired, which leaves me not at my best. I'm really getting frustrated. does anyone have any suggestions? if it the circadian thing, and I want to really do the 5:30 workouts - but that means I get up at 4:30 AM. I try to be in bed by 9 - but I'm digressing.

I also get majorly worn out just from a the warmups at Crossfit(my workout of choice). I figure my cardiovascular health needs serious improvement.

anyhow - i don't do caffeine as i have problems with it. so that's out.

any thoughts ? could it be a vitamin deficiency, or not being hydrated enough - i heard that those 2 things can result. and I'm bad about hydration. actually if that can really cause this - let me know because it's the easiest thing to test and remedy.

thanks in advance.

larueglover61

I think that you should consider going to an endocrinologist. to have s jorough check of your thyroid. I have same issue with exhaustion and have learned that I have nhypothyroidism. I will be starting medicine and am hopeful that will take care of it. Also, sleep apnea can be an issue. Try checking all of this after trying the water if it does not work for you..

Sharon

lachesissss

Do you know if you have a vitamin D or are iron deficient? I had fatigue problems where I would feel tired all the time, have body aches, needed a mid-afternoon nap to do evening activities, etc. I had a basic workup done by my primary physcian and found out I was deficient in both, a situation that was easily rectified by OTC supplements and I feel 100% better. Perhaps start there? Good Luck!

evileen99

You could be anemic.

I'd suggest making an appointment with you doc to get checked out

murdie

I agree, you should have your thyroid checked. It sounds like I felt before mine was diagnosed!

ValerieMomof2

Few questions:
1) how long has it been going on?
2) Are you working out at home or having to drive somewhere to the gym? Just wondering if you were at home why you would get up an hour earlier.
3) I briefly looked at your diary, but didn't really get into it. How much are you eating normally? And do you eat back your exercise calories?

LaurenAOK

I agree, sounds like it could be hypothyroid. Do you have trouble losing weight or any of the other symptoms? I'd definitely look into that.

Also, this isn't exactly a formal diagnosis, but is it possible you're just not a morning person? After years and years of struggling with waking up early I've finally accepted that I'm just not cut out for it. When I wake up at 6am, it doesn't matter if I've gotten a perfectly full night's sleep, I will be exhausted and miserable all day. I couldn't imagine workout out that early in the morning. I'd probably faint.

Bettyeditor

Are you certain that you are getting enough calories? The affects of under-eating are insidious.... I ate 1200-1300 for months and thought I was okay. Finally symptoms like constant fatigue and cold all the time and nails chipping and hair falling out etc. piled up on me.

Now I am eating at my full TDEE and I have BUCKETS of energy every day. Its like I am not even the same person!

pinkraynedropjacki

Have you ever thought it could be low Iron levels? I get like that when I'm low so I constantly take iron tablets.

rogerbosch

Maybe you're overtraining? I'd try eating a bit above your goal instead of under (looked at your diary) for some weeks. You need fuel for all those workouts!

Mich4871

Have your thyroid and your Vitamin D levels checked!

I've been on a weight loss STALL for the past 6 months and was beyond exhausted all the time, turns out I have NO Vitamin D. I just started on mega dose of Vitamin D twice a week along with 5000 units of Vitamin D capsules on the days I don't take the mega dose.

xxnellie146xx

When my iron was low, I was tired all of the time. Maybe you should schedule an appt with your doctor and have blood work done and see if you are deficient in anything and go from there.

ChapinaGrande

I was in EXACTLY the same situation for many, many years. I kept talking to doctors and they all kept telling me it was normal, I was a high school student, or I was a college student, or I was pregnant, or I was a mother of a baby, or I was the mother of a toddler, or I was a single mother or... Finally, I told my doctor, "Look. I'm 32 years old and I feel 70. This is NOT normal anymore. You're going to tell me to exercise. I already do. You're going to tell me to sleep more. Tried it. Sleep less. Tried it. Eat better. I can't eat any better! Please listen to me and look into this." After testing, misdiagnoses, and other setbacks, I recently learned that I've been having multiple partial temporal lobe seizures every hour of my life since childhood. My brain has been using so much energy seizing that it didn't have any energy for anything else. I'm in the process now of getting on medication and I hope to become a productive citizen soon.

I'm not trying to tell you that you have epilepsy like I do. I AM trying to tell you that fatigue isn't always one of those symptoms that is taken seriously on its own. If you don't have any other symptoms, I encourage you to visit your doctor anyway and be your own advocate. Push them to take it seriously. It's a quality of life issue. Every human deserves energy. That's one of those bare-minimum things that everyone needs. Good luck!

To answer your question, yeah, dehydration can make you tired, too. Have you tried melatonin? It can help with sleep. It helped me a little, so it may help a normal brain a lot more.

skinnydreams19

Are you eating enough calories? I know I'd be barely-able-to-move exhausted on 1400-ish calories per day. Try upping to TDEE - 20% or TDEE - 15%. Especially since you're so active, that may help you get more out of your workouts and have more energy to enjoy life

jjeanne2

I would suggest talking to your doctor, in addition to all of the reasons that everyone else posted it could be sleep apnea. It is a major cause of fatigue and exhaustion because your body doesn't get enough oxygen. I used to wake up exhausted every day too, and thought there was something majorly wrong, as it turns out... my husbands sleep apnea was keeping ME from getting a restful nights sleep because he snored ALL NIGHT LONG and no matter how hard I tried to ignore it, I wasn't resting, I would sleep for about an hour at a time and have to move him all around to get him to stop snoring before I could fall back to sleep.
So.. if anyone has every told you that you snore at night... it might be worth looking into. :-)

amnsetie

I had a look at your diary. You are not logging the exercise. So you may not be eating enough.
Also if you are exercising so early you should really have a more substantial breakfast.
Shakes are not enough to set you up for the day.
Try some eggs and bacon.
Something to drink as well.
Maybe milk
Protein in the morning is great for energy

MyM0wM0w

Didn't read through all the responses so someone probably said this already....but have you been to a sleep clinic? You don't have to be overweight to suffer from sleep apnea. If you're body isn't getting good REM sleep at night you'll wake up feeling worse than when you went to sleep and feel exhausted all the time....

dbmata

Didn't read through all the responses so someone probably said this already....but have you been to a sleep clinic? You don't have to be overweight to suffer from sleep apnea. If you're body isn't getting good REM sleep at night you'll wake up feeling worse than when you went to sleep and feel exhausted all the time....

and to build off this, how do you feel when you sleep more than 7 or 8 hours? That number is merely an average, some people need more. When I was in a little better shape and running the same workouts I'm trying to get back into now, I needed about 10 hours a night or I was utter crap the next day.

You can try that one easily. Sleep more. What happens?

FitterStrongerHappier

First off - thank you everyone for the replies. I really do appreciate it!

a couple of answers to the questions:
1. I had my thyroid checked recently for other reasons and it's fine
2. I am trying to not eat back my exercise calories - 1500 is a fair goal I think - but - with Crossfit it's hard to guage your calorie burn. my fitbit is on the brink, so I only have gotten 2 good reads but I'm guessing the workouts average between 350 and 800 or so calories burned depending on the day. Yes that's a broad number, but Crossfit is never the same thing twice so the levels vary.
3. I've never had a sleep study - I don't 'think' i have sleep apnea but who knows?
4. I've been trying to figure out a schedule that will work, and, because I do crossfit, (LOVE IT), I have to workout when the classes are timed - and do so around my husband's work and daughter's preschool schedule, and still get dinner ready, take care of the house, etc. the most convenient time is the 5:30 AM workout, so I can be home in time for my husband to leave for work. There are some other times, but it's really hard to make those work. If I do the 9:30, by the time I get home, shower, eat, etc - my entire morning is shot and I need to get things done.
5. I take a multivitamin - but I do know I tested low on vitamin D pretty consistently, so that might have an impact. I also used to take a B supplement (not tested low, but I think it used to help with energy and had forgotten about it until just now) - I'll be adding D, B, and Iron to my supplements officially tomorrow.


Lastly - I am taking a medication that MIGHT lead to UTI's, as well as having a kidney stone, and I've read those can contribute. someone mentioned fatigue as being a symptom of a ton of problems - the proverbial needle in the haystack. I'll try the Hydration and supplements first and see how that goes. I might also skip my morning workout at 5:30 - only because I am SO exhausted right now. It might not be really beneficial to go that exhausted, I might give myself some extra rest. I also have been trying to do Crossfit 5 days a week (weekdays) - - and am not in the greatest shape so it might be contributing to the exhaustion - but I want to get better so pushing is the only way to make that happen. right?

And, sadly, yes I think getting more sleep might be helpful, but I just don't see how I can manage to do that - i mean, getting to bed at 7:30 at night - or 6:30 - just to get up at 4:30 - just doesn't seem feasible.

Dang, I'd just love to wake up feeling rested though. this dragging through my days is really getting old.

thank you again!

LaurenAOK

I was in EXACTLY the same situation for many, many years. I kept talking to doctors and they all kept telling me it was normal, I was a high school student, or I was a college student, or I was pregnant, or I was a mother of a baby, or I was the mother of a toddler, or I was a single mother or... Finally, I told my doctor, "Look. I'm 32 years old and I feel 70. This is NOT normal anymore. You're going to tell me to exercise. I already do. You're going to tell me to sleep more. Tried it. Sleep less. Tried it. Eat better. I can't eat any better! Please listen to me and look into this." After testing, misdiagnoses, and other setbacks, I recently learned that I've been having multiple partial temporal lobe seizures every hour of my life since childhood. My brain has been using so much energy seizing that it didn't have any energy for anything else. I'm in the process now of getting on medication and I hope to become a productive citizen soon.

That's some scary stuff! So glad you finally got it figured out!

LaurenAOK

2. I am trying to not eat back my exercise calories - 1500 is a fair goal I think - but - with Crossfit it's hard to guage your calorie burn. my fitbit is on the brink, so I only have gotten 2 good reads but I'm guessing the workouts average between 350 and 800 or so calories burned depending on the day. Yes that's a broad number, but Crossfit is never the same thing twice so the levels vary.

Definitely try eating your calories back for a while and see if that helps! If you're eating 1500 and burning around, say, 500, you're averaging a net of 1000 calories a day. Anyone would be exhausted on so little calories - plus it's not healthy! Calculate your BMR and make sure you're NETTING at least that amount every day. This has made worlds of difference for a lot of people (myself included).

AmandaReimer1

How often are you working out? I'd suggest scale it back to a few days a week so you can get more sleep and see what happens!

Selunca

I follow everyone elses comments - go see your Dr. A simple blood test can tell you a wonderful smattering of things, and rule many of them out. Including anemia, and hypothyroid. You described how I felt before I was diagnosed with Hypothyroid.

dbmata

And, sadly, yes I think getting more sleep might be helpful, but I just don't see how I can manage to do that - i mean, getting to bed at 7:30 at night - or 6:30 - just to get up at 4:30 - just doesn't seem feasible.

Dang, I'd just love to wake up feeling rested though. this dragging through my days is really getting old.

thank you again!

Does feeling normal seem like something that would be important to you? Adding in sleep is the easiest and lowest cost thing you can try at the moment, no?

melindasuefritz

sleep -
sleep in stop getting up at 430 or 530 am

ValerieMomof2

I completely understand the not being able to get to bed earlier. Usually AM workouts energize people (not all but many) so I would highly suggest eating back your exercise calories. You should be netting 1500 calories at least. You can't get a good workout if your body isn't fueled so eat back at least some.

60x60

I'd recommend making an appointment with the dr. for a few weeks out. In the meantime, experiment with more water especially if you are taking new medications. You can experiment with some of the other advice as well. Then if you are still experiencing the exhaustion when you see the dr., you can itemize what you have already tried and help her move forward with the identification of your problem. Being exhausted is one of the worst feelings and I highly sympathize. In the past mine was from low thyroid (requires ongoing tweaking) and later in life from low potassium.