The tiredness is killing me

Every time I go out and do something, like shopping, browsing or take the kids out I am absolutely shattered after and fall asleep no matter how hard I try to stay awake. It really is quite annoying and I feel so silly having to go and lay down in the middle of the day Disappointed

At the weekend my husband suggested taking the kids (5 of them) to Smyth's toy store, just to get out of the house and do something the children would enjoy. It was packed full of people! There was music on the speakers, sounds from all the toys and hundreds of voices all at the same time. Everybody was brushing into me and the kids were going mental, wanting to try every scooter they could find. I HATED IT! When we got back I fell asleep for a couple of hours!  

Yesterday and today I have spent my mornings taking photos of Pre School kids and last week I did another Pre School. I have hundreds of photos to edit so they can order before Christmas but I am SO tired ZZzZZzzzzzzzz.. It's SO hard!

How do you deal with fatigue and work? 

Parents
  • Tiredness can be caused by many things.  

    Sometimes things that make one person tired make someone else euphoric.

    There's physical work, mental worry, coping with problems, worrying about the future, lack of exercise, dehydration, lack of sleep, too much sleep, physical illnesses etc

    Regular Sleep is very important.  Plan to get enough by going to bed at a reasonable hour.  If you get it right you will feel refreshed in the morning.  I, for example have very bad sleeping patterns.  I often wake up exhausted.  Going to sleep at 3am and getting up at 7.  I then fall asleep during the day, on buses, trains, in front of the TV.  Sleeping tablets are dangerous because of the risk of overdose/suicide.

    Regular meals also help to relax, as is having breakfast and remember to keep hydrated by just drinking water.

    Physical exercise can also help tiredness as long as it's not to rigourous.   If you're fitter you can cope better.  Physical health can help mental health is what my psychiatrist quoted.

    And get regular blood tests.   Several years ago when I was tiring very quickly, multiple blood tests eventually found that I had a low red blood cell count caused by a low iron level in my blood. I was anaemic.

  • I've had some bloods taken today, I asked them to check my iron levels and vitamin D levels so they said they'd check the whole lot while they're at it. 

    Your list of possible reasons is helpful, I'm coping with problems and worrying about the future, wondering when I'm going to come out of this burn out and worrying that whatever I do in the future is going to result in the same thing or if I'm going to be able to cope with work and still try to have a life! I can see that I am worrying more that I realise. Physical exercise, a good sleeping pattern and regular meals has always helped so that's what I'm trying to get back to and even though it doesn't feel like it sometimes, I am actually doing more than I have done in the last 12 months, even though it doesn't seem like much. I'm still not eating great or enough some days but some days I'm eating fairly well which is an improvement and most days I'm keeping hydrated and I'm getting out of bed every day so I am making progress. 

  • Hi @Blueray good idea to have got some blood tests done, I had a low vitamin D count last winter and taking the vitamin D made such a huge difference - just gave me that bit of a boost to give me the energy I needed to try getting my act together a bit, as although I knew what I had to try and do I didn't feel that I had the energy to do any of it.  Sounds like you are probably making more progress than you realise.  Going to get the blood tests done is something in itself, I have lost count how many blood test forms I have found crumpled in the bottom of my bag that I've forgotten about lol! hang in there!

Reply
  • Hi @Blueray good idea to have got some blood tests done, I had a low vitamin D count last winter and taking the vitamin D made such a huge difference - just gave me that bit of a boost to give me the energy I needed to try getting my act together a bit, as although I knew what I had to try and do I didn't feel that I had the energy to do any of it.  Sounds like you are probably making more progress than you realise.  Going to get the blood tests done is something in itself, I have lost count how many blood test forms I have found crumpled in the bottom of my bag that I've forgotten about lol! hang in there!

Children
  • Thanks Queenie, and I had to really take charge when I went to the doctors. It was a young doctor, he was new and he was trying his best but it was like he was reading from a text book. He said we only have 10 minutes and spent most of them going on about stuff that wasn't relevant to me and if he had asked me any questions, he would have known. I said look, I'm autistic, I've tried the help you're talking about but it didn't work because we didn't know I was autistic, now we do and I know what I want, I want you to check my vitamin D levels and my iron and give me some sleeping tablets. He did what I asked then, saying he can only give me 7 sleeping tablets, they're not a long term option. I said if you read my notes or listen to me, you would know that I have them every now and again, I take them for 2 or 3 nights, to help establish my sleeping pattern and then I don't need them. I'm not even ready to take them yet but I wanted to have them just in case I need them. I'm not gonna be content with spinning my wheels when I know they work when I get to the point where I need them pr I'm ready for them. They would be a bit of a waste just now as I haven't got the energy I need but as I build my strength up and I'm ready to establish a firm sleeping pattern and I'm struggling, I'll take them, I know what I'm doing. You're right, I am making more progress than I realise I just get frustrated that I can't do what I want to do but even if I only make it to the gym once, it's once more than I have in the past 12 months. 

    I've also started back at the sauna. I used to go before on mixed nights, which is really men's night and me! I like it because men are less offended than women although I've upset a couple of the men there. This time I've gone back and it feels a bit weird and even though I'm only sat in a sauna, it tires me out but again, if I make it once a week, it's a good thing. I'm just not used to such slow progress.