Is it normal to be this tired?

**5ft Diva** · #1 10-23-2008, 06:56 PM

I wanted to know if it's normal to be really tired around 3 and 4 in the afternoon. I'm fine if I keep moving, but if I sit down...at all...then I am in trouble. (That's why reading is not a good activity to do w/ my kids after they get home from school.) (Now that I think of it, I notice that I'm tired if I sit down to read w/ the kids around 10 or 11 as well.) Anyway, I was wondering if it's normal because for me it's not normal to feel this tired. I've always been a really light sleeper and could never take a nap. Now I notice that around the same time every day my reboot button needs to be "pushed" via a nap. Anyway, like I said, the issue is whether or not this is normal.

TIA

P.S. I notice that my remedy to not getting tired is to just stay busy. I don't know if this is necessarily a good thing. WDYT?

natickgirl · #2 10-23-2008, 11:51 PM

Yes, it is normal--at least for me. Those are my "slump" times, too. Like you, I find that I'm OK if I stay busy, but if I sit down.....

bookworm · #3 10-24-2008, 08:00 AM

Yeah, I used to doze off mid-word when reading to my youngest kids a couple of years ago.

When I was diagnosed with chronic fatigue I hoped that meant I would get some kind of help, but the meds we tried didn't work, and I don't like taking anything unless it actually does me good.

I'm about where you are now, so maybe it has improved, instead of drowsy all the time, I'm mostly just tired afternoons... and some mornings, but not every day any more. And I'm pretty sure my fatigue is hormonal, too... whether normal or not, there are weeks when it's worse and weeks when it's better.

I've been trying to take naps when I can, before the kids get home, and when I had little ones at home still, I would nap when they did some days. It really cuts into time I would like to be actually DOING stuff, but I feel so much better afterwards that I figure I must have needed it!

Are you able to take re-charging naps when you need them?

Dia Minha · #4 10-24-2008, 08:37 AM

Diva, are you getting enough sleep at night? Sometimes I see you have posted after midnight and then I know you are up getting kids ready for school in the morning.

My grandpa had a saying, "Every hour of sleep before midnight, is worth two after." It is completely true. I have tested my body to see how much sleep it needs a night. I concluded I needed at least nine hours and do better if I get in between nine and ten. At first I thought I was lazy because I needed so much sleep and then someone pointed out to me that when I get that much sleep I get so much more done. That's not laziness, that's just smart. Anyway, I can't always get ten hours of sleep every night, but the earlier I get to bed the less sleep I need. For example, if I go to bed after eleven, I'm dragging myself out of bed at seven and feel tired all day. If I go to bed before 10:00 I am up before 5:30 running full speed (at least until noon, but that's another story).

I still have slumps through the day, so I think it is totally normal, but since this hasn't been a problem for you in the past, I would say that you are probably not getting enough sleep at night.

natickgirl · #5 10-24-2008, 08:52 AM

Are you getting enough protein and iron? The things that cause me the most fatigue are: not enough sleep, anemia, poor diet, and not enough exercise. Exercise is a biggie...I have so much more energy when I exercise, and I sleep & eat better, too--which gives me more energy to exercise!

Dia Minha · #6 10-24-2008, 10:27 AM

Good points Natick. Since I have increased my protein and have been better at taking my iron I have been feeling so much better. Eating better does really help. If you eat too much refined carbohydrates (sugar, white flour, white pasta, white rice, etc.) it gives you a spurt of energy, but can make you crash. Fiber and protein is more sustainable.

I'm still having a hard time with the exercise. On the days I exercise I feel really good right after I finish, but I crash hard. I think that has to do with my body not really being normal right now whether it is hormones or something similiar to fybromyalgia.

Oh, and don't forget your vitamin Bs. The vitamin Bs help with digestion and metabolism. They will also help your body use the protein you eat. Vitamin C helps with iron absorption. Calcium with added vitamin D and magnesium can also help with metabolism, but shouldn't be taken to close to iron, because the calcium can prevent iron absorption or vice versa.