Tired - Reston,VA

Hi V.,

Jess is right. Exercise will boost your energy level. Good nutrition will as well. Make sure you are avoiding fast foods and processed foods that are full of chemicals and look into an absorbable multivitamin/mineral complex. I take one that is guaranteed to absorb and I can actually feel it.

God bless,

M.

Do you exercise? I know it sounds backwards but it will boost your energy naturally.

It could honestly be 100 different things - thyroid issues, Depression issues, low Vitamin D levels, cancer, etc.

If you have other symptoms, I'd recommend calling your Primary Care Provider and getting a work-up just to make sure you're not missing anything serious.

Follow your gut and trust your instincts. If you think it's worth pressing for an answer, do it. There are also hormones besides thyroid that can have an impact on your energy levels and fatigue.

Good luck!

When I combine this post with your other one about having a 12 yo son who has become a difficult tween, I understand more about the possible reasons that cause you to be are tired.

Dealing with the pre-teen and teen issues is difficult both emotionally and physically. One of the reasons that we become so overloaded emotionally is that being involved with their attempts to become independent brings up our own unresolved feelings from when we were that age. I was in therapy with my daughter when she was that age going thru those behaviors. My therapist suggested that having this happen could be a good thing for me because it enabled me to process my feelings from that age. Turned out to be true.

My 9 yo granddaughter is acting like a tween in many ways. I've been pleased to find that so far I've not had any strong feelings about her hit and miss rebellion. I know I'm able to stay calm and be more consistent because I am a grandmother and not with her all of the time and don't feel as responsible for her behavior. At the same time, I see my daughter sometimes reacting in an angry and inconsistent way with her daughter, just as I did with her. Maturation is an ongoing process. Unfortunately, parents often have much work to do right along with their children. Thank god for grandparents who've successfully negotiated parenthood!? To my daughter it doesn't always seem like a good thing.

You have a new stress with your son's taking the next step towards adult hood. He doesn't have the advantage of viewing his actions from the far side but you do. Hopefully, you reached adulthood without too much pain and reached it being able to be a responsible adult. If so, your son will also succeed just as you have.

If you had much pain and had to learn responsibility the hard way, it's possible that he will also have difficulty. If you are aware or can become aware of how his behavior is a process of learning and that you can allow him to make mistakes while teaching him how to behave to prevent the big, life altering mistakes that some teens make you will have less stress and a more successful relationship.

I'll stop here and go to your other post for more suggestions on that subject.

As to being always tired, exercise will help! The older we get the more important nearly daily active physical exercise becomes. I think that our bodies start breaking down while we're still in our twenties. I began to feel it in my late 30's and really feel it in my 50's. Without exercise we become tired and even physically weaker.

I get my exercise by briskly walking. I look at my watch. When I'm 15 minutes out I turn around and walk back. I try to walk anytime the distance and timing is such that I can. I park in the far reaches of the parking lot. I take the stairs instead of the elevator.

I need more muscle strengthening exercise now that both of my grandchildren are getting too big to pick up. Before, I somewhat equated picking them up with lifting weights. lol

I took a 40 minute low impact aerobics class in which we used weights and want to get back to doing that. In the meantime, I'm lifting food cans above my head when I take them out of or put them in the cupboard. Looks silly! But I can feel a difference.

On the advice of my doctor, during my annual physical exam, I started taking Vit. D, a new scientific discovery that helps us stay healthier. And after my 70+ yo friend's doctor suggested she start taking a Vit B complex pill, I started that. I've been taking a probiotic combination pill for awhile. After I'd been on the combination of supplements and pills for a couple of weeks I've been less tired.

Over my lifetime, I've learned that depression also decreases my energy. Having a 12 yo son can make one depressed without our realizing it. The degree of depression can be related to our possible buried and left over feelings from our tween and teen years. That may be something that you want to consider and deal with.

Otherwise just the stress of our sense of responsibility for and need to deal with our children's behavior and feelings can cause us to be tired.
It is actual tiredness and not "just in our head" as some would like us to believe.

It's been my experience that being sure to have a healthy diet, taking supplements, exercising, finding a way to recognize and deal with our own feelings, as well as finding ways to be successful with parenting and other life issues will increase out energy level and allow us to feel happier. Being tired is a complex issue. Once illness has been ruled out it's up to us to figure out how to help ourselves. You've asked a really good question! I wish you success!

The vit D is what we get from the sunlight. New research has found that some of us are not getting enough Vit D even tho we may get out in the sun. In the Pacific NW where I live there may not be enough sun for us to get enough Vit. D. lol

How is your exposure to light? If it is rainy and dark (and we had a long winter down here in the South where I live this year and it affected me a LOT!) and you snuggle in instead of getting out in the daylight, it can cause you to be tired.
You also might consider some B vitamins.

Do you have sleep apnea. You might not be getting enough oxygen and it can cause you to feel tired. If your chest is tight and you shallow breathe, that also can cause you to feel tired due to not expanding properly.

V.,
I would get a check up. It could be either your iron or thyroid. It could also be a nutritional deficiency.
I am a wellness educator and would be happy to help you if you want to contact me.
Victoria

Have you had your B12 levels checked or thyroid checked?

Allergies maybe? If your thyroid turns out to be normal, ask your doc about getting an allergy test, especially if you have any other symptoms that could be allergy-related.

try eating more and good calories. sometimes i'm tired because my body needs fuel, not sleep.

I second everyone who said get your thyroid checked. Search WebMD or MayoClinic for hypothyroidism. It's what I have. I also take some vit d supplements (2000 ius daily) which made a BIG difference, and I take an organic daily vitamin, which made a big difference. Two years ago I was always exhausted, and the dr started me on thyroid meds (as a side note, if you ever go to a dr and they kind of blow you off, go to another. that happened to me-first dr said i was perfectly fine I was just a mother who ate too much, and I knew he was wrong but then I didn't want to be treated that poorly elsewhere. two years after that I was finally diagnosed and it made a world of difference), then about 3 months later I started vit d, which also made a HUGE difference, and then just recently I've started organic vitamins. When I started them, I noticed a lot of changes-more energy, more restful sleep, and some weight loss (I wasn't overweight 4 years ago when I saw the doctor, but I sure did get that way the time between seeing doctors). I'm always at my best doing all 3, though if I'm getting a lot of sun, I only take 1000 iu of vit d, or sometimes none if I've been in the sun most of the day. Hope you find something that helps!

Have your thyroid checked. Could also be hormone related, depending on your age. But I would bet on your thyroid. Good luck!

Dear V.,
when was your last check up and have you told your primary care doctor about this? I went through being VERY tired a couple years ago. Went to the Ob/GYN for regular check up/pap and it was fine. My normal physical was good too.
Right after my frist I had anemic problems but I was find after taking iron pills etc.
But I was sleepy all the time, not pregnant... Over the summer I got a thrush infection(can u believe it) but my doctor at the time didn't think to do ANY blood work!!!! Anywhoo I found out that I was diabetic, my blood sugar was HIGH and a side effect for high blood sugar is feeeling very tired and lethargic and it is also a symptom of thyroid issues. So see if you can get blood work done and maybe see a specialist(if insurance covers it or else its very expensive), better safe than sorry right? Do you have any other symptoms??
Good Luck,
pammy

You are likely dehydrated. Try a week of drinking like a half gallon of water a day.
also, get thyroid checked.

A good B complex vitamin will help a ton!

Depression? Thyroid? Chronic fatigue syndrome?

maybe check your thyroid???

That used to be me! Do you take vitamins? Did you know that if you are deficient in any nutrients your body will not go into REM sleep? I started taking excellent vitamins ~ 4 years ago and feel incredible. This vitamin line has been proven scientifically to have a better absorption rate than any other vitamin on the market. Happy to share more; feel free to message me. Good luck!