Energy levels

Hi. Yes, I REALLY struggle with my physical energy levels. I feel like I also have mental burn out. Two days ago, I was out with someone, and I just felt like crying. With me being mentally burnt out, I know it isn't helping matters. One of my support workers told me that I should go to a residential care home for a few weeks, to get some respite. They meant it in a nice way. And I thought year 2020 was crazy enough. Maybe, but given how I feel right now, it can't get any worse. I just wish I could sleep for a few days, and then my body wouldn't feel so lethargic. I've had COVID, so I'm not sure if that's causing my tiredness. I look athletic, but that's just not how I'm feeling. Looks can definitely be decieving.

I've just woken up and I am worn out.

Problem is that I woke at 2am, couldn't get back to sleep. And then when I fell asleep I had terrible nightmares.

sleep is ok , quality is not great.  The mental health team have spoke about someone helping me just recently. I just wish i could understand why ? what's driving me crazy is the stumbling over my own two feet ,it feels like i want to go one way and my body the other ? and like i previously said the emotions are terrible. I am having a review supposedly and when im contacted i will bring this up. I contacted the NHS  near to me who specifically deal with autism  and they said my mental health team should be covering autism ?  

You need to see a GP with a greater understanding of autism and mental health apparently every GP surgery has a doctor that is trained in those additional needs, you have to request them specifically. You could be unintentionally ignoring the warning signs of burnout. How are you sleeping and the quality of sleep ?

What you have described is quite familiar. is it possible you have ADHD and have been struggling to self regulate yourself. I have found that when I have experienced burnout or after a meltdown I withdraw and if it goes on too long i have what is called dopamine deficiency. Usually my ADHD related behaviour compels me to constantly seek out task that make me produce it naturally its what makes me sometime inattentive. But I also get dopamine delicacy symptoms coming down from extreme hyper fixations too.

You need to request a needs assessment and a social worker will come and assess you and will put a care plan in place. 

When I went though this, they said it could be literally anything - it's why it look so long to diagnose.      It could be meds-related but who knows - best to get it sorted professionally..

I have been like this since i can remember, even when working in the family business i remember having extreme fatigue to the point i wanted to curl up and break down  but i couldn't. my bloods did show something but that level is back to normal  ,the local NHS mental health team are looking at my meds and maybe a change ?  

Speak to your GP - there are now more specialist services to look at this - it can be CFS / ME - but it can also be a number of other things - it's often a process of elimination to get down to the root cause - if they can find one.   

Some health authorities have dedicated CFS / ME teams that can often help.

In my experience, there tends to be two things that can cause these symptoms - one is a real medical problem - difficult to diagnose - the second is a combination of long-term mental health problems that just gradually crush you.      They are often much easier to help when the team can see you.

Identifying what's causing your symptoms will be the first big step.

I had a brain injury some years ago - one of the long-lasting outcomes was a total lack of energy - it has caused an awful lot of problems in my life - they eventually diagnosed CFS after about 2 years of being passed around the various departments and specialists and being thoroughly examined and tested.

It sounds to me like the symptoms of a number of conditions. Myalgic encephalomyelitis is the first one that springs to mind. I was diagnosed with this back a long while back. The symptoms are an overwhelming fatigue, which cannot be improved by rest or sleeping. It gets may worse after any activity, whether it’s physical or mental. Major Depression can also cause extreme fatigue. 

Disclaimer: The Community and the National Autistic Society websites in general are not a substitute for professional advice. You should consult your doctor, or other relevant professional, before making any decisions that could affect the health of you or others. 

im jobless and live with parents, so i can sleep or rest whenever so i dont notice lol
although my energy levels were a up and down thing during martial arts classes and was hard for me to figure out how i got optimal levels, from changing stuff i eat on day to resting early or doing some excercise bike before i went to lesons to see if that energized me more, but its often just was a random coin toss. some days i could have unlimited energy others id go blurry eyed and pale after the workout session part of the lesson and require a sit down.

I have always been a low energy person - some days are worse than others!!!  It takes me two coffee’s and a pot of tea to get going in the mornings !!  I’m not too bad when outside whether walking my dog, gardening or up my allotment but I found working in an office years ago draining!  I drummed up the energy needed to clean houses for people when I was doing that but somehow it’s not the same cleaning my own house !!!

Caffeine is my best friend. Without it, I can't function. Routine tasks, such as laundry and washing-up, wear me out more than an office job.