Incredibly Tired

[Zu]

I’ve been tired, really tired. And I don’t quite know why. Regardless of how long I sleep, I always manage to wake up just as tired or even more tired than I was the day before. This has been happening for the about last six months and it just keeps getting worse.

it’s begun to affect my school work too. I go to school feeling all spaced out and I can’t focus on anything. I’ve got no motivation and I just can't be bothered to do my work, so I’ll end up wasting all my time and having to do the work later, which just makes me even more tired.

I’m pretty sure this doesn’t have anything to do with how much I sleep or nutrition, which leads me to believe that it might be linked to mental health.

I’ve done some research and noticed that the way I’m feeling sounds quite similar to symptoms of burnout. In addition to this, an app I use, frequently brings up burnout as a possible cause for how I’m feeling. Although I can’t be 100% sure, it just seems like it could be a potential reason for this.

I’ve spoken to my mum about this, but her advice isn’t particularly useful. I’ve often thought of mentioning something about it to one of my teachers, but I don’t want to make a big deal out of it and then it turn out to be something small.

A lot of my friends are in tough positions and are experiencing difficulties with their mental health, which I support them through and work with the teachers in order to help them out. So the teachers are obviously there for me, but I just don’t know whether mentioning it is the right thing to do or if it’s even going to be something they can help me with.

Aghhhh

Any ideas on what might be causing this/how I might be able to fix this would be much appreciated.

thank you

[White_Rose]

Dear Zu

Hello and welcome to the forum. It sounds as if you are having a tough time. Look at the top line of the page under The Facts. Go to the K10 checklist. I suggest you complete the test and see what it suggests. Apps are all very well but the more they try to tell you the further away they get. You cannot use an App which is made for general needs and many people and know it has tailored the response for you. The K10 list is also general but still brings you back to the point. The point I think is that you sound like you are depressed. It's not a diagnostic tool.

Complete the test and take it to your GP for a chat about the results. I think you will find your GP very helpful.

Ironically, one of the best defences against tiredness is exercise. See if you can squeeze in a 20 minute walk or run before school, even if it' three times a week. Join a class learning Tai Chi in your local park. Go walking or swimming, or whatever floats your boat. This sort of exercise helps your system to reset and give you good sleep.

Most teachers, or anyone who has a helping role, will be only too pleased if you talk about what's happening and then find it's something small or easily fixed. It shows you are taking responsibility for yourself. I doubt anyone would say they were sorry it's only a small problem. Does your school have counsellors? It may be a good idea to talk to one of them as this is their job.

If you feel it is a mental health problem then it's even more important to see your GP. You have not told us your age so I can only guess at potential problems . Talk to the GP and include your appetite and the food you eat plus exercise and how that makes you feel. It's also a good idea to mention how you support your friends with their MH difficulties. It all has a bearing on both your physical and mental health.

I would love to continue talking to you.

Mary

[Summer Rose]

Hi Zu

Welcome to the forum and thank you for sharing your story.

Your fatigue could be related to mental health and I think Mary has given you some sound advice in that regard. I think it might also pay to consider that you may be experiencing a physical condition. For example, glandular fever is very common amongst teens. I would also ask the doctor to run a blood test.

I wish you the best of luck talking to your GP.

[LavenderTea]

Hey Zu,

Thanks for posting here. There are a couple of things that I wanted to mention.

Being tired all of the time can be a drainer. As you've already noticed, it can begin to affect different areas of your life, and school is a massive part. You've mentioned that you think it doesn't matter whether you sleep more or not, and that you think it doesn't have to do with your nutrition - that's a start! On this, I do want to point out that it could be a good idea to just make a visit to your GP anyway. A large number of people are iron deficient, and this can make you feel sluggish and tired for a large amount of the time - your GP can kick off the process of checking this.

The other thing I want to touch on it what you said about it being a burnout - this is quite possible. I'm not sure what year you're in at school, but towards the later years, it can become a lot to manage when you consider the workload, the pressure to choose a career, and the pressure to maintain some sort of social life. You've also mentioned that you support your friends through their mental health challenges - this in itself can be very tiring.

I'm really glad to hear that your school network is supportive. I'd suggest talking to your teachers anyway - no issue is too small, and if it is something that's mental health related, it's better to address it sooner rather than later - if you can manage it now, it's likely going to be less difficult later, or is less likely going to develop into a larger problem for you.

I hope this is helpful!

LT.

[Zu]

Hey Mary

thank you for responding! I completed the K10 test, my result was a 23 (moderate).

I’ve also been exercising more often and although I didn’t really see much of a change, I’ll definitely keep at it.

thank you so much for your advice, I’ll keep you posted on how it goes.

Zu

[Zu]

Thank you Summer Rose, I’ll definitely take that into consideration!

[Zu]

Thank you LavenderTea, that was definitely helpful!

Zu

[smallwolf]

Hi Zu,

Have you ever considered the possibility that it might be something medical?

Let me explain, and this is not to say that it is not mental health related but....

My son who is a competitive swimmer had a couple of issues last year (in year 11). The first was that he could easily fall asleep. For example, completing a race, and after warm down, would head up into the stands and then lie on the concrete and sleep. Also, in class (at school) could easily fall asleep. So what did we do?

After the falling asleep incident at the pool, went to a GP and then found out that he had glandular fever. Opps.

But this was in the past tense, and now in a period of getting over it. But he was still very tired. All the time.

Eventually he did a sleep study. Both a night time one and day time.

From that, we found out that he suffers from hypersomnia. You can google information on that. For him, and in a nutshell, he sleeps at night but does not receive the actual benefits of sleep. But that is the poor man's explanation in relation to my son. There is even a .org site for it in Australia. My son takes medication for it to help keep him energized during the day.

Something to think about?

Tim

[Lozz__]

Hey Zu,

I had a similar thing start happening to me in year 12. I would sleep soundly at night but during the day there were moments when I literally couldn't stay awake-it even got to the point where I would fall asleep in class!

I spoke to my doctor about it first off. After cancelling out things like low iron and glandular fever through a blood test, I did a sleep study, which found that, similar to Tim's son, I had mild hypersomnia.

I too felt like a burnout, having done well in school until yr 11, when my grades began to drop. This placed overwhelming pressure to me, and after telling a teacher at school about it, she suggested I speak to a psychologist. I found out i was depressed, which sucks, but the bright side is knowing whats wrong can help you fix it.

I have found antidepressants and excercise to be the best things for boosting my mood and fatigue.

I also suggest applying for SEAS, so you can have a backup incase your mental health is impacting your study. There is no shame in applying, and who knows if you will actually need it!

I really do hope you feel better ASAP, its so shit feeling lousy 😞

Lozz