Why am I so tired? Very frustrating, please help!

LaurenAOK
LaurenAOK Posts: 2,475 Member
edited November 11 in Health and Weight Loss
This is something that has been happening to me occasionally for a while but it has happened to me for the pas three days in a row and I'm very frustrated!

I planned to start the New Rules of Fitness program a few days ago (Tuesday). I came home from school, ate lunch around 2, and sat down to do a bit of homework and then head out to the gym. By 2:30 I was feeling very sleepy so I decided to allow myself a nap because I hadn't slept well the night before. I set an alarm for 3:15 so it would only be a light catnap... then I woke up and it was 5:30!! I ended up not having time to get to the gym because I had to do homework and get together with a friend that night to record a song cover.

So I decided to start the next day (yesterday). But, the same exact thing happened! Same times and everything. I came home from work/class, ate lunch, sat down around 2:30 (planning to go to the gym around 4). I realized I felt a bit sleepy so allowed myself a nap before the gym again (thinking there was no way I'd oversleep). I did the same thing and set my alarm for about 45 minutes later... next thing I know I'm waking up and it's 6:00!! I once again had no time to go to the gym that day.

Then today. Today I had absolutely no excuse because I got a full 8 hours of sleep last night! But I came home, at lunch around 3:30, and all of a sudden felt very tired. I decided to close my eyes while still sitting up in bed... I didn't even set an alarm because I knew I'd gotten plenty of sleep and figured if I napped it would only be for like 5 minutes. WRONG. I woke up and it was... wait for it... 7:20pm! What the heck?!

This is very frustrating and I don't know why my body is so tired like this. It may have something to do with lunch, because I do seem to be getting that "full and sleepy" feeling. The only solution I can think of right now is to go do homework on the couch or something after lunch, but even then I may fall asleep if the apartment is quiet. This is really hindering my daily activities and I don't know what to do about it or what the cause may be. Do you guys have any ideas? I'll open up my diary. Thanks!

Additional info: I don't always get a full 8 hours of sleep per night, but I normally get pretty close. It's not like I'm living on 5 to 6 hours of sleep each night. I also never drink coffee or anything in the morning so it's not a caffeine crash.

ETA: It's not that my alarm hasn't been going off, either... I've just been sleeping straight through it or turning it off in my sleep. This suggests that I am sleeping very heavily.
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Replies

  • Kaelabaela
    Kaelabaela Posts: 50
    don't get in a nap habit! Thats what will mess you up, try having some coffee, that works for me!!
  • Skeebee
    Skeebee Posts: 740 Member
    I see you are 20. When I was 22, I had the same thing happen. I did workout in the afternoons, had school, got around 7 hours of sleep a night. But, I would lay down around 2 and wake up and it would be like 6 or 7! This happened a lot. I think I was overworking my body. Even with a good nights sleep, the things I was doing daily took a toll. And, for some reason, at that age, my body still needed extra sleep. Now that I'm 30, i can do the same things and I don't need to nap as often as I have adjusted. I don't know why, but it only was happening when I was in my younger 20's like my body was still "growing". I know this might not help you much, but I thought i would share that I never truly found the cause, but eventually got out of the "funk" as I grew older. And, same deal. Setting an alarm did not help.
  • jhartram
    jhartram Posts: 165
    You might want to look at your iron levels... sounds like I feel and I'm pretty anemic.

    Some of the things that help me are:
    Not sitting down much, and when I do I set a timer for 15 minutes.
    Play energetic music.
    When I get really tired I do a short, high intensity workout and ride the high as far as I can
    5 hour energy

    Hope this helps!
  • LaurenAOK
    LaurenAOK Posts: 2,475 Member
    don't get in a nap habit! Thats what will mess you up, try having some coffee, that works for me!!

    The weird thing is, I'm not a "napper!" I napped a lot last year, but for the past year or so I very rarely ever take naps. That's why I'm wondering why I'm suddenly getting these huge urges to sleep after lunch. Maybe I'll try some coffee next time.
  • kp1439
    kp1439 Posts: 343 Member
    drink coffee or caffine drinks before workout .. that will help you a lot
  • neverstray
    neverstray Posts: 3,845 Member
    I used to do that. It's because school bored the s%^t out of me. Maybe it bores you too.
  • Uglyduckling2swan
    Uglyduckling2swan Posts: 48
    My trainer told me that taking Vit B before workout helps. It did for me. I'm not as tired as I used to be in the afternoon (I workout in the morning)
  • Noadi
    Noadi Posts: 27
    It sounds like your body is telling you that you need more sleep. This could be because even if you are in bed for 8 hours that you aren't sleeping soundly enough to get enough rest, or you could be overtiring yourself, or you could have a deficiency in some nutrient like iron or vitamin D (you can try to eat foods with more of these and see if it helps or go to your doctor to get your levels tested).
  • LaurenAOK
    LaurenAOK Posts: 2,475 Member
    I see you are 20. When I was 22, I had the same thing happen. I did workout in the afternoons, had school, got around 7 hours of sleep a night. But, I would lay down around 2 and wake up and it would be like 6 or 7! This happened a lot. I think I was overworking my body. Even with a good nights sleep, the things I was doing daily took a toll. And, for some reason, at that age, my body still needed extra sleep. Now that I'm 30, i can do the same things and I don't need to nap as often as I have adjusted. I don't know why, but it only was happening when I was in my younger 20's like my body was still "growing". I know this might not help you much, but I thought i would share that I never truly found the cause, but eventually got out of the "funk" as I grew older. And, same deal. Setting an alarm did not help.

    Ah, thank you! I'm glad I'm not the only one, makes me feel less crazy. I think you may be right about my body being overworked... I am very busy with going to school full time, working, and extracurricular activities (I direct an a cappella group which, while awesome, drains the heck out of me). Hopefully this is a phase that will pass!
    You might want to look at your iron levels... sounds like I feel and I'm pretty anemic.

    Some of the things that help me are:
    Not sitting down much, and when I do I set a timer for 15 minutes.
    Play energetic music.
    When I get really tired I do a short, high intensity workout and ride the high as far as I can
    5 hour energy

    Hope this helps!

    Good suggestion! I hadn't even thought of iron. I'll definitely look into that and maybe start taking a supplement or something. Thanks!
  • melvac
    melvac Posts: 333 Member
    I was very tired too what helped me this last year was by eating every 2 to 3 hours that I believe is keeping my metabolism up
  • Josie_lifting_cats
    Josie_lifting_cats Posts: 949 Member
    I find that I go through a phase kind of like that yearly. I will wake up in the morning and sit up in bed and find it takes all the energy I have to sit up and breathe. The only thing I can compare it to is when I had Lyme disease and I was SO TIRED all the time.

    Unfortunately I don't have a great solution. This year seemed better. I'm an allergy sufferer, and thought maybe that was the problem. So I began taking a Claritin before bed like normal, but also a full dose of Benadryl at the same time. I think because I had more medication fighting off the allergies, I seemed to be able to function a little better over all and have less overall exhaustion. Not sure if that helps, though.

    Good luck!
  • carriecarrot
    carriecarrot Posts: 70 Member
    Try eating breakfast in the morning and see if that helps you stay alert for the rest of the day.
  • reddi2roll
    reddi2roll Posts: 356 Member
    I agree with the other posters that at your age you probably need more than 8 hrs of sleep. Try to go to bed even an hour earlier..I know that is hard when you are young. If this is a change for your and it persists, consider getting a medical check up to make sure you don't have any health issues, thyroid, mono etc.
  • beach_chelle
    beach_chelle Posts: 221
    I have sleeping issues, especially with trouble waking and not feeling rested. I have an iPhone and found an alarm app that allows you to put the phone on your bed to sense your movement while sleeping and you set the alarm to wake you within a window. That has helped with not feeling so tired through the day. It's called sleep cycle.
    Also could just be age related, or hormone levels changing due to adding exercise and eating habits.
    Best advice if it continues for a month or so and is interfering with your life see your DOCTOR! Could be something more seriouse.
  • sjtreely
    sjtreely Posts: 1,014 Member
    Is there a possibility you could be pregnant?

    Could it be cycle related?

    Could you be getting over being sick or on the verge of getting sick?

    Are you well hydrated?
  • BrandyontheRun
    BrandyontheRun Posts: 204 Member
    All last week I was dead tired!! It was awful... I thought maybe I had over exercised, so I took 2 rest days (instead of my normal 1) and also started taking multivitamins again. Am feeling much better this week!!
  • asia_hanebach
    asia_hanebach Posts: 275 Member
    Before you go to take your nap, try doing jupming jacks for a minute or two, or doing a few push-ups. I'm terrible at getting enough sleep (I just don't have time in my life right now to get 8 hours), so when I find that it's 3:00-ish and I'm starting to drift off, I usually do literally about 3 or 4 minutes of exercise just to wake myself up, and that's usually enough to carry on with my day.
  • KittyMerlot
    KittyMerlot Posts: 8
    Hi...
    I sent you a "friend" and in that was what I come across within my medical diagnosis for some of my patients ..... I triage their energy levels.
    When you read, hope it helps. Your body is telling you to "listen" and you should "listen".....but, do it wisely.

    You are a human not a machine. So, be kind and gentle. Perhaps doing yoga and not the gym will help you focus and gain strength and gain some inner calmness with you studies and singing.

    Best of choices to you :)
  • elizabeth51608
    elizabeth51608 Posts: 31 Member
    I think you are eating too much "junk" food (simple carbs, etc.) and not enough "fuel foods." I used to do the same thing as you--eat small portions of whatever I wanted, as long as my calories were on track. Problem is, I used up all my calories on junky food and not whole, fresh foods that could fuel my body. I am still tired sometimes but my energy has gotten so much better since I started eating healthy and not JUST counting calories! Also I eat 5-6 times a day and that REALLY helps!! 2pm might be the time when your blood sugar is out of whack (thus making you sleepy). Here's what a typical day looks like for me---

    7:30 am 1 egg + 2 whites OR 2 slices turkey bacon, slice of Ezekiel bread OR a whole wheat bagel thin, + sugar free jam or jelly
    10:30 am 4-oz cup of Oikos greek yogurt, 1/4 cup fresh raspberries (or blackberries, strawberries, blueberries, etc.)
    1:30 pm 4 oz baked sweet potato, 4-6 ounce boneless, skinless chicken breast, baby spinach + baby romaine salad tossed with one tsp of olive oil, 1-2 tbsp balsamic or red wine vinegar, salt + pepper.
    4:30-5pm protein shake + 1/4 cup fruit (I love the Pure Protein Frosty Chocolate Shake--110 calories, 1 gram of sugar and low carbs!)
    7:30 pm 4-6 ounces lean meat, or eggs, serving of veggies (I love roasted asparagus, steamed broccoli, etc.) plus a smaller salad (no more than 2-3 cups of salad greens)
    After the gym (9-10pm) If I feel like I need it, I will eat another small snack. 1/2 a protein shake, or whatever SMALL thing I want.

    I limit myself to 1200 calories a day and I am losing slowly but surely :)

    Good luck!!!
  • LaurenAOK
    LaurenAOK Posts: 2,475 Member
    Wow, thanks for all the replies! There have been some really good suggestions here.

    I realized I have been eating more junk food recently than I am proud of... It's been a busy couple of weeks for me and my eating habits have not been as good as I want them to be. Perhaps this could have something to do with it. My life is calming down a little bit now so I should have time for better meals!
  • petreebird
    petreebird Posts: 344 Member
    I noticed in your profile that you say your a vegetarian. I respect that, but you still need protein. Your daily protein intake is extremely low. I think I read you should get about 1 g of protein per pound of lean body mass. You're barely getting 50 g's. You might try increasing that.
    Also, a couple weeks ago I felt the same way and went to the doctor's. My white count was elevated, but I didn't feel sick, just tired. Apparently my body was "sick" and trying to fight something off, hence the fatigue. A week later I was feeling much better and my white count was back to normal. You may just be fighting a bug or something too.

    Feel better soon :flowerforyou: and remember, when your body says "stop, slow down, I need to rest", it's probably because it's true. :smile:
  • 2cherryblossoms
    2cherryblossoms Posts: 9 Member
    It could be a particular food that you're eating that's causing the problem. Have you added anything that you never had before? That's happened to me before.
  • LaurenAOK
    LaurenAOK Posts: 2,475 Member
    I noticed in your profile that you say your a vegetarian. I respect that, but you still need protein. Your daily protein intake is extremely low. I think I read you should get about 1 g of protein per pound of lean body mass. You're barely getting 50 g's. You might try increasing that.
    Also, a couple weeks ago I felt the same way and went to the doctor's. My white count was elevated, but I didn't feel sick, just tired. Apparently my body was "sick" and trying to fight something off, hence the fatigue. A week later I was feeling much better and my white count was back to normal. You may just be fighting a bug or something too.

    Feel better soon :flowerforyou: and remember, when your body says "stop, slow down, I need to rest", it's probably because it's true. :smile:

    Thanks for the advice! Yeah, you're probably right about the protein. When I first went vegetarian I was really careful about it and made sure to get plenty of protein. More recently I have been slacking in that department and I know that's not good for me. I'll have to make a bigger effort there.

    And interesting about the possible "sickness!" I hadn't thought of that, but it makes sense. Hopefully that's all this is, because that would mean it should go away soon! :laugh:
  • thelovelyLIZ
    thelovelyLIZ Posts: 1,227 Member
    It may be your monthly hormones, I always get exhausted the week of/week before my period.

    I also take B-vitamin supplement for extra energy, it's wonderful. B-12 specifically is what does it, but it needs other B-vitamins to interact with, so I take a well rounded B vitamin.
  • jjblogs
    jjblogs Posts: 327 Member
    Protein and iron....make sure you're getting enough. Honestly, try blackstrap molasses. Sounds weird, but a tablespoon will really help your iron level soar. Great stuff....works for me big time.
  • mochomito
    mochomito Posts: 81 Member
    are you getting enough protein? when the body isn't used to diet or excersise it gets tiered and out of wack. That happens to me too - i could go 14 hours with sleep and still be tiered. I don't want to tell you to have caffine or chocolate because that would defy the purpose of trying to be healthier - but maybe suggest eating a snack like baby carrots or something - drinking water and going to the gym before you get home - then that way with the excersise you feel energize because you body is moving and has to wake up.

    sorry for my misspellings - i can't spell.
  • candyastra
    candyastra Posts: 42
    Maybe you should see a doctor as well. If may be nothing but fatigue, but it may be something more serious. I was like that for a long, long time until I was finally diagnosed with hypothyroidism, I could literally sleep anywhere! It doesn't hurt to get checked!
  • lizard053
    lizard053 Posts: 2,344 Member
    I'm having the same problem this week, but I also am getting over a nasty head cold. I go through phases of low energy like that all the time. But particularly in the late winter, it's just the time of year and the fact that we all push our bodies too hard during the winter days. You may want to see a doctor. It could be a vitamin deficiency. I have B-12 anemia, and need to get it through injections as I just plain can't get it from food. I also have D3 deficiency, due to not enough sunlight! Both can be tested for in bloodwork, and you want to be high-normal. I had a real bad bout just before I was diagnosed hypothyroid too. Again, blood work can eliminate that too. Though I still have the generic diagnosis of chronic fatigue on top of hypothyroid. I just tire out easily. It all started around when I was 23-24. So if it continues much longer, see your doctor. It could really make a huge difference in how you feel!
  • abhiforlife
    abhiforlife Posts: 75 Member
    The Iron intake is a good place to start. I just looked at the last few days and it seems like your iron intake rarely makes it to 100%, which is not a good sign.

    Tracking nutrient intake is critical, that will naturally lead you to eating healthier foods that keep within calorie limits but hit 100% on all the tracked nutrients. Supplements should be the last resort to get the nutrients you need. Nutrients are absorbed best when eaten in their natural forms, especially iron, which needs Vit C to aid absorption.
  • jadedone
    jadedone Posts: 2,446 Member
    I agree about checking your iron. I also find that having a multivitamin helps with sleepiness. And a few more glasses of COLD water help me stay awake. Usually the afternoon sleepies pass quickly. It could also be a sign of low blood sugar, so have a small snack, a multivitamin and some water and see if your energy picks back up.
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