Constant Fatigue

[mamapigeon]

I am soooo tired all the time. I am getting about 10 hours of sleep a night (with a few little wake ups from my ds to nurse), but I want to go back to sleep before I even get up! I've had depression for years, which I know can cause fatigue, but I don't know if it's from that. Everyone tells me this is part of being a parent, but I've been tired like this for a couple of years now.

I just want to know if there are some foods or herbs that can boost energy (something like peppermint, maybe)?

TIA!

[mamapigeon]

Wow, over a hundred views and no one knows of anything that I could do?

[LaughingHyena]

Last year I was SO tired all the time, I really did not want to get out of bed at all and found it hard to stay awake. Eventually I went to the docs who did some blood tests and found out I have type 1 diabetes. Something of a shock to me as I didn't feel I was drinking that much more than usual or had many of the other symptoms but apparently it can creep up more slowly in older people than the dramatic onset you usually get with children.

Hopefully you want find anything that extreme but I think it would be worth getting some blood tests for iron levels and so on.

[mbravebird]

I'd look into adrenal and thyroid functioning:

http://www.drrind.com/therapies/metabolic-scorecard

and here's a basic summary of treatment approaches for that:

http://www.howigotmyhealthback.com/adrenal-and-thyroid-treatment.php

[Marnica]

I would rule out things like Epstein Barr Virus and Lyme disease, then I would look at thyroid and adrenal issues as well. my chronic fatigue turned out to be undiagnosed hypothyroidism and adrenal fatigue. the thing is a regular conventional doc will most likely not diagnose these things. Try and find an MD who is into alternative medicine as well or an ND.

[mamapigeon]

Thanks for the suggestions! I had my thyroid checked 2 years ago and everything seemed fine at the time... Pretty sure I don't have Lyme disease as it's been years since I've been anywhere near ticks and I never developed the bullseye rash. I'll try to get as much checked out as I can (I don't have insurance right now) and hopefully it will be something simple like losing weight and exercising more.

[APToddlerMama]

I wouldn't be suprised if it was depression.  Do you have other symptoms of anything other than fatigue? 

[APToddlerMama]

what about sleep apnea?  I think it can be more of an issue for those who are a bit overweight.  You may not be getting the good sleep you think you are...especially with waking up to nurse and co-sleeping. 

[mbravebird]

Originally Posted by mamapigeon 

Thanks for the suggestions! I had my thyroid checked 2 years ago and everything seemed fine at the time... Pretty sure I don't have Lyme disease as it's been years since I've been anywhere near ticks and I never developed the bullseye rash. I'll try to get as much checked out as I can (I don't have insurance right now) and hopefully it will be something simple like losing weight and exercising more.

Low thyroid function isn't always caught by the tests because their "normal" range is too wide. The website I linked will give you a more accurate "optimal" range you can compare your scores to, and will explain interpretation if your scores fell in the lab "normal"  but outside of the "optimal". Also, thyroid function can change in two years, particularly after a pregnancy.

[mamapigeon]

APToddlerMama- I do seem to be experiencing some depression (crying, feeling apathetic, changes in appetite). No clue about the sleep apnea, but you're right that just waking up to nurse is a a big sleep disturber!

mbravebird- You make a good point, my score might have been at the edge of "normal". I'll have to call and see what it was!

[Fnord]

Definitely get your thyroid checked, and make sure you get a thyroid antibodies test in addition to the regular TSH and T4 tests. My TSH and T4 were normal, but my antibodies were 4 times the normal range, and i was having early symptoms of hypothyroidism.

I have a history of depression, anxiety and fatigue and I ended up being diagnosed with Hashimoto's. Catching it early can stop your symptoms from worsening.

[SweetSilver]

Nobody has mentioned allergies.  I have had severe grass allergies for a long time.  About 2 years ago, I started getting new symptoms, so I got tested.  Yup.  Allergic to everything.  But we'd already been doing as much as we could with enviro allergies for my daughter, so a few months later I decided almost apologetically to get tested for food allergies.  I had a milk allergy supposedly as a kid, but I didn't think i had any-- maybe soy?  Try everything!  Once I started eliminating these foods I felt soooo much better, like taking Prozac.   I'm totally serious!  I thought I had pp depression even after am

lmost 2 years, or bipolar disorder.  Nope.  Food allergies.

[mamapigeon]

Thank you for the suggestions. I'll try to get my thyroid checked again, finances permitting. I really hope it's nothing like that, and I'm pretty sure it's not. If I cut back on calories and exercise, I lose weight at a nice rate. Isn't it really hard if you have thyroid trouble?

SweetSilver- I remember you suggesting allergies/reflux in regard to my fussy DS a while back. It seems as though dairy was the issue there, and while I see no improvement myself, it certainly is possible that I have other allergies.

I read a post somewhere on here a day or two ago about vitamin D deficiency, which I actually had during pregnancy, so I'm thinking I might get my levels checked again.

[Viola]

Originally Posted by mamapigeon 

I read a post somewhere on here a day or two ago about vitamin D deficiency, which I actually had during pregnancy, so I'm thinking I might get my levels checked again.

That was going to be my suggestion.  I've had more energy since my doctor told me to take vitamin D after he found out I was low. Also low iron can make me feel really fatigued.  

[Mom2M]

If you're getting thyroid testing done, see if you can get a whole standard panel of blood work including iron and Vitamin D. My iron was very low after pregnancy and nursing for a couple years. There were almost zero iron stores and hemoglobin of 8. I was extremely fatigued, felt cold and my hair was thinning (which I attributed to PP hair loss that was going on for a long time) and I had lost my appetite.
I hope you feel better soon.