Feeling “tired all the time” is a modern-day plague. It’s rare that I meet someone who doesn’t describe this feeling. Seriously.
So what’s up with that? Well, I have some thoughts. And on my Yummy Mummy Club blog I’ve broken down 10 über-common reasons for that feeling of fatigue.
You can read all about them, here, and see if one (or more) is the culprit for you. (If you can stay awake long enough, that is…)
Dr Kim,
I got diagnosed with sleep apnea last fall. I came home one afternoon and flopped on the bed beside my girlfriend, exhausted, and immediately fell asleep. When I woke up she told me, “did you know you stop breathing when you’re sleeping?”
GREAT.
I know about sleep apnea, as my dad had it.
But it made sense. I was absolutely beat most of the time – I had black smudges under my eyes and I couldn’t figure out why – I thought I was sleeping fine. Anyhow, a visit to see my GP, and it’s to the sleep clinic I go. Turns out I stop sleeping clinic 60 times an hour. The sleep specialist told me he didn’t think he had anyone else as bad in his entire clinic. My own doctor has joked about not sending me for anymore tests for anything, since I never end up with a minor case of anything.
Anyhow, fast forward to 9.5 months after starting to use a CPAP machine – and holy cow! What a difference real sleep makes. My immune system actually works now, I go to the gym 5 nights a week, I’m less stressed out – it’s amazing.
BTW, when I first started using the CPAP, I wanted to throw it out the window. Now if it were stolen, I would hunt down the thief and kill him.
So that’s my sleep story.
Hope all is well!
Paul
Posted by Paul | October 9, 2012, 7:49 pmWow, Paul–you just don’t do things by halves, do you? That’s a classic case of the lead-up to a sleep apnea diagnosis. I’m glad the CPAP machine works so beautifully for you–restful sleep is a miracle, isn’t it? Cheers!
Posted by Kim Foster | October 10, 2012, 8:13 pmLOL… no, I don’t do anything by halves. Sometimes I think it might be nice, though.
Posted by Paul | October 14, 2012, 10:56 am