Always tired, need help

[Nate]

I have a problem. The problem I have is that I am always, constantly tired. I don't know why this is, but I hate it, and I want it to stop. First a little background info on the problem.

No matter how much sleep I get, I never seem to be well-rested. I have heard people say that too much sleep is as bad as too little sleep. I have tried sleeping ranges from five hours to nine hours, and everything in between, and all of them are pretty much the same as far as me being tired when I wake up.

I have heard that a routine is good, so for a couple of months I have gotten in the habit of going to bed/waking up at about the same times every day. Still no good.

I have heard that lack of physical activity can cause you to be tired too, if you sleep. I work at a warehouse, so I can assure you that there is no lack of physical activity going on.

I do work second shift, from 6 PM until the wee hours of the morning. This means I pretty much sleep during the day, and there's not a whole lot I can do about that. I have a sleep mask thingy since I do sleep when it's light out (I must have a huge head or something though, because the elastic band isn't as tight as it was when I first bought it, and it now has a hard time staying on when I sleep XD).

I'm really getting frustrated as I don't know why I'm always so tired regardless of the amount of sleep I get, or what I can do to fix it. I haven't tried drugs (legal drugs) yet, mind you, and I'd rather not. Not because I think they're bad, but because I just don't want to spend that much money on them. However, if there's a cheap OTC drug I don't know about that can help me I'm all ears. I'm willing to try anything at this point.

Any and all advice is appreciated.

[goldenspines]

Hmmm...the only advice I can offer is that your tiredness and trouble getting to sleep might have something to do with what you eat. I often feel really tired when I eat a lot of junk food and sugar, so it may be the same for you if you eat a lot of junk food. It might also be caused by stress too though...
Hope this helps.

[Fish and Chips]

I have the same problem, or rather I'm awake when I should be sleeping and sleepy when I need to be awake, even if I try to adhere to a routine sleeping schedule. Last night, I went to bed at 2 (yeah), awoke around 8ish, got out of bed for breakfast at 9:30, and then sat in classes from 10:30 until just recently, and during one of them struggled to stay alert.

[Debitt]

If the problem persists, you might want to have a doctor check it out. My friend's father had the same sort of problem, and it turned out he had sleep apnea. One of the symptoms can be feeling tired even after a normal night's rest.

Hope you can figure it out, though. Fatigue sucks, I'll pray for ya, man.

[Phantom_Sorano]

Poor Nate, I understand what you are going through.
Many sleeping problems are caused by stress and emotional turmoil. One thing I would try to do is to get on vitamins that contain iron. The body will use up too much when you work hard, and that causes lower energy and sometimes sleeping issues. Also, lay off caffeine and high sugar foods....that plays a big role. Other than that, I can not think of a healthy alternative except for doing something before bed that relaxes you and helps you to forget about the day. I hope you get better, my brother, and feel free to contact me so I can give you more options when they come to me.

[jorvaa]

It could be stress, or lack of protein, too much junk food, too little water, or a combination of any of those things. Or it could be something else, but you'd have to go to a doctor to find out what.
I notice that I'm a lot more tired when I am not properly hydrated.

[ClosetOtaku]

You should consult a physician. You may be suffering from anemia; a number of underlying conditions (some quite serious) could be responsible for that. I do not know how much you weigh, but sleep apnea (as someone else mentioned) could also be at fault; sleep apnea can be more serious in the obese. In any event, consult a physician before taking further self-care actions.

[K. Ayato]

It could be mental stress. It's really hard to fall asleep when you're physically exhausted, but your mind is still firing on all 4 cylinders.

[Alice]

I take supplements to help sleep, and they seem to help.

I take melatonin and inositol regularly in small amounts, and I take choline when my thoughts are whirling and don't want to stop.

[Ratrace]

Most people have a normal sleep patern, when they would go to sleep and wake up if they could. If you should be sleeping at night that could cause problems.

[Nate]

Hmmm...the only advice I can offer is that your tiredness and trouble getting to sleep might have something to do with what you eat. I often feel really tired when I eat a lot of junk food and sugar, so it may be the same for you if you eat a lot of junk food. It might also be caused by stress too though...

I don't eat a lot of junk food, though. Occasionally I have one candy bar at work, but it's not very often, and I don't snack much either, I stick mostly to meals. So...I dunno. :\

It could be mental stress. It's really hard to fall asleep when you're physically exhausted, but your mind is still firing on all 4 cylinders.

Oh, I have no problems falling asleep. I'm usually out as soon as my head hits the pillow. It's feeling rested when I wake up that's giving me problems.

I take melatonin and inositol regularly in small amounts, and I take choline when my thoughts are whirling and don't want to stop.

Are these OTC, what do they do, and about how much do they cost?

[Aruiko]

Though you eat well and not junk, are you sure you get all the vitamins? And is there enough diversity in you diet? Enough fish oils?
Asking these things about food seems pointles, but food is usually the cause for fatique.
I suffer the same problem. i thought i ate well, but after chanching diet, i´ve been not so tired.. all the time... it hasnt took the whole problem away.

by the way, if you could, would you sleep over 14h or so?

[mitsuki lover]

One of the problems anyone who has ever worked night or graveyard has is readjusting their internal clock because you are up working when most people are
asleep and asleep when most people are awake.So one question I might ask is how long have you been working nights?And also have you been feeling this way ever since you started working nights or has it only been recently that this has been a problem?
It might not be medical,you may simply need to ask your boss if you can switch to daytime if possible.

[Nate]

Though you eat well and not junk, are you sure you get all the vitamins? And is there enough diversity in you diet? Enough fish oils?
Asking these things about food seems pointles, but food is usually the cause for fatique.
I suffer the same problem. i thought i ate well, but after chanching diet, i´ve been not so tired.. all the time... it hasnt took the whole problem away.

I don't eat a lot of veggies, admittedly, though I have been eating salads occasionally because of that fact. Unfortunately, as a bachelor, "diversity" in my diet is pretty much unheard of. ^^]by the way, if you could, would you sleep over 14h or so?[/QUOTE]
Nah, I get headaches when I try to sleep too much.

So one question I might ask is how long have you been working nights?And also have you been feeling this way ever since you started working nights or has it only been recently that this has been a problem?

I've been working nights for almost a year now. And I've felt this way for ages, even back when I was in the Navy. For a while I just thought it was because I was in the Navy that I felt like this, but even when I got out, went to college...I've never really felt rested at all at any point in time.

[mitsuki lover]

This is odder and odder as it seems that you had this condition for quite some time now.Has anyone else in your family ever expierenced the same symptoms?It might be genetic.

[EireWolf]

Nate, definitely see a doctor about this. It could be a medical condition that's easily treatable.

[Nate]

Well, in the latest chapter of Nate vs. Tiredness, I bought some multivitamins today when I went grocery shopping. Hopefully these will help; if not, I'll go and see a doc.

[EireWolf]

Remember, for them to work, you have to take them.

I say that because, while I have multivitamins, I rarely remember to take them. (My mother even asks sometimes when I talk to her on the phone, "Have you been taking your vitamins?" Once a mom, always a mom. )

I hope this does the trick for you.

[White Raven]

Someone might have already said this but I find that I feel much more rested now that I don’t drink so much caffeine. Caffeine keeps you on a roller coaster of ups and downs.

If you are drinking too much Caffeine try backing off it slowly. In a few weeks you will notice a difference. It may not solve your problem but it might help.

[mitsuki lover]

I still think it might be partly due to genetics,though the vitamins might help,I mean they couldn't hurt.

[Bobtheduck]

I'm taking vitamins myself, here. I'm constantly tired, and I need something to change. I DO have problems getting to sleep, though. I know that's a big part of it. I've been taking vitamins nearly every day for about a week and a half. I hope it kicks in soon, but I know nutritional changes usually take about a month to have any sort of real effect.

I suggest not simply getting a blanket multivitamin, but getting, in addition to that, a b complex. B Vitamins have a bigger effect on energy, and I think a lot of people are lacking in those particular vitamins. Plus, multivitamins are based on 2000 calorie diets. You may very well have higher calorie needs than 2000 (I know I do) so you'll, consequentially, need more vitamins too. Specific vitamins, such as the B complex vitamins, tend to be more than 100% that you see in blanket multi-vitamins, because they are addressing a deficiency rather than just acting as a supplement.

[K. Ayato]

Try rotating and/or flipping your mattress. I've found that I have better nights of sleep when there's less sag in the mattress.

[mitsuki lover]

One thing I was wondering about after going off yesterday was wheter or not there might be an underlining psychological reason for it all.

[BikanDesu]

Do you know if you are a really active sleeper? You could have PLMD (Periodic Limb Movement Disorder). It basically means that while you sleep, you move around so much that you dont ever really rest. Do you have any trouble just sitting still at all? Like do you have to move your fingers or move your leg or anything? An inexplainable desire to move is often tied to PLMD. Just a thought.

This is a wiki link to PLMD, just to see if it seems accurate to you. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nocturnal_myoclonus

[Mave]

Hmm......I can't help you so I'm mostly writing to acknowledge your difficulty.

Because I exercise regularly, eat well and have a pretty good health record (at least, based on my last medical records). I mostly tired for two reasons: I'm under a great deal of prolonged stress or 2) I'm just not getting enough sleep.

I deal with number 1) by praying and reading the Bible (I know it sounds cliche but I'll swear by how real the peace of the Lord is) 2) improving my time/task management .....(i.e. learning how to say 'No' etc.etc.)

Have you seen the doctor about this? The only few ppl I've know to have sleeping problems also had back problems and needed to see the chiropractor every now and then.

[Alice]

Are these OTC, what do they do, and about how much do they cost?

They're just supplements, and no they're not expensive. I'm not sure if there's an actual dosage or not.

[Saj]

A friend of mine has the same problem as you. He used to work the graveyard shift, and while he did it, and after, he would feel fatigued even after normal amounts of rest. at one point, when he was jobless he would sleep 15-16 hours a day (when he lived with me) and still be very tired, and not able to function normally (not even play shadow run or battletech). when he went to the doctor, they told him he had "chronic Fatigue syndrome". so you might want to look that up and see if it matches your symptoms.

[Taliesin]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chronic_fatigue_syndrome

you might have a mild form of chronic fatigue

[Raiden no Kishi]

Ah, thank you, Taliesin. That leads right into my post. ^_^

I'm taking a nutrition class at the moment, and this week's topic was sweets. Turns out that sugar intake is directly linked to chronic fatigue syndrome. Ergo, I would suggest dropping your sugar intake.

Good luck!

.rai//

[Alice]

I have many of the symptoms of chronic fatigue syndrome, but not eating sugar didn't cure it for me. (It helped clear my brain fog, though, definitely.)