Sleep a lot but always tired?

[Anonymous]

I don't have kids yet (TTC). I sleep at least 8 to 9 hours a night but I still feel tired upon waking up and I feel like I need a nap toward the afternoon/evening (and sometimes I take a nap for 1 to 2 hours when I get home from work). When I take a nap it's never for 15 minutes or something. I always end up sleeping for like two hours straight. I've had my blood tested several times but nothing was found. I fall asleep within one minute of getting into bed. I sleep throught the night and don't get interrupted. How can I feel more well-rested?

[Anonymous]

Have you had your thyroid tested?

[Anonymous]

I started snoring, that's why I'm not well rested. I'm working on getting a sleep study done now (my thyroid levels are fine).

[Anonymous]

I'd say thyroid or low iron.

[Anonymous]

You could also look into PCOS. Being tired is one symptom because your pancreas is working so hard due to insulin resistance. Also if you are TTC better to find out now so that you can get that taken care of before it becomes an impediment.

[Anonymous]

anemia? lack of exercise? bad diet? lyme disease?

you are right that this is not a normal amount of sleep.

[Anonymous]

I was going to post something like this! I have a child and if I thought I had bad sleep before at least I used to catch up on weekends, but now I'm completely hosed and feel like a zombie most days. For you, I would talk to your doctor again, get more blood tests done.

My problem is the stress and generally being a nightowl while my son is a morning person. If I go to Europe it actually helps my sleep!

[Anonymous]

if if it's nothing sleep-related (apnea, narcolepsy, EDS), you may also want to test your vitamin B levels and make sure your thyroid levels are optimal for you -- some people function much better at lower-than-"average" levels

[Anonymous]

Yeah definitely get this worked out before pregnancy...starting 3 rd trimester you probably won't get 8 hours again for a few years at least...

[Anonymous]

How is your mattress? I was feeling tired all the time for a few years and got a new mattress a few months ago and it made a big difference. I also agree w/ the PP who mentioned excercise. That can actually give you more energy as well.

[Anonymous]

Also, try a multivitamin. When I start feeling run down I can noticed an almost immediate difference (within a day or so) if I start taking a multivitamin if I hadn't been previously. And this is probably obvious but be sure to take a pg test!! If you're already pg then this would be normal.

[Anonymous]

Maybe you are just sleeping too much. Try sleeping seven hours for a few nights and see if you feel better. I find 6-7 hours is optimal for me.

[Anonymous]

Are you sure you're not pregnant? I was like this for a few weeks before I found out I was pregnant...

[Anonymous]

I would definitely look into getting a sleep study done if your blood panels are coming back normal. You may not be getting to the deepest levels of sleep and not know it because you don't fully wake up. I have sleep issues related to my fibromyalgia and I can sleep 10, 12, or even 14 hours in a night and still wake up exhausted. Less sleep just makes it even worse. I definitely use the weekends the recharge the best I can. Good luck!

[Anonymous]

Some of my thoughts have already been posted, but my final thought is this...have you considered food sensitivities. My fatigue started with just bouts, lasting 1-3 days. Then intermittent muscle weakness. Then joint pain. Then fatigue all day every day. Then endless brain fog. This went on for 3 years, maybe. I had a great diet (whole grains, LOTS of fruits and veggies, no fried foods, no processed foods, no artificial stuff, no white sugar) and exercised six times a week. I was dx with Grave's Disease years before (hYperthyroid) and even went back on meds against my doctor's advice because I was convinced my levels were not right for me. Six mo.nths later still felt miserable.

Well, fast forward to now. I feel great! Loads of energy and no pain. I have many food sensitivities that I knew nothing about (I was also eating turkey and almonds daily and both contain tryptophan, which makes you sleepy). Gluten and sulfites are the biggest offenders. But sulfites hide in many foods and eating it makes me very cranky, like PMS swings. Also, I was reading another thread about systemic candida (yeast) making people tired. Good luck getting to the bottom of this, OP.