Child is tired all the time. What to check?

[Anonymous]

DD is tired all the time. Consistent sleep is something we are trying to fix but even on stretches where she sleeps well she's exhausted. Where would you start in terms of trying to figure out what's going on? She did go to the pediatrician and get basic labs which were fine.

[Anonymous]

I have a kid like this. We haven't gotten all the way to the bottom of it yet, but...

Possible issues:
Sleep apnea
Environmental allergies

What to do:
ENT to look and see if there is anything structural going on breathing-wise
Allergy testing
Sleep study

[Anonymous]

Iron
Folic acid
CBC

[Anonymous]

Thyroid
Lyme
Adenoids
Celiac

[Anonymous]

Iron (Ferritin - it's a separate test but super important. For 45 years, no one tested me for it. One Dr here did and it was life changing - my ferritin was 11. It should be much higher. I used to get dizzy going up the stairs even though I was a runner.) Also, she should take magnesium.

Are there any other symptoms?

[Anonymous]

Also thyroid

[Anonymous]

Iron.

[Anonymous]

How old is she? I would also say iron if she has heavy periods.

[Anonymous]

Everything that was said above, but if she’s a teen, it’s super popular to do energy drinks, which is terrible for these kids. Bodies and brain still developing, and they’re teaching their body how to get energy from a fake source. It throws off their sleep cycles, they’re crashing not getting good sleep.

[Anonymous]

Just to mention the obvious: If she sleeps with her phone nearby, she's on the phone at all hours, and not sleeping. Ask me how I know.

[Anonymous]

Narcolepsy is more common than you would think. It's not just falling asleep mid-sentence.

We had DS evaluated for sleep apnea which turned out to be the case.

[Anonymous]

Is she an introvert? I didn’t know I was one until HS. I did after school activities and then wanted to take a nap. The doctor ran all kinds of tests but I was fine. After I found out what was “wrong” with me, I stopped doing all of that after school stuff and was totally fine.

[Anonymous]

Celiac disease -run an IGA TTG blood test

[Anonymous]

Thyroid. Go to an endocrinologist and get a more comprehensive thyroid panel: TSH, T3, T4, thyroid antibodies.

I have Graves’ disease and can tell you from personal experience that messed up thyroid levels can make you exhausted.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Just to mention the obvious: If she sleeps with her phone nearby, she's on the phone at all hours, and not sleeping. Ask me how I know.

This is the most likely answer explanation. She doesn’t realize how much she is on it, so she can’t accurately tell you. All electronics out of her room after 9 pm and two weeks later, the problem will be solved.