7 ms·

Why do some people feel tired all the time?

58 points by devonnull 3y ago

mguerville 3y ago
The article is more about sleep quality but I personally often realize that I am lethargic rather than tired when life/work is a bit boring and magically find energy when it gets exciting. Most of us have relatively dull and repetitive lives so we don't get the adrenaline flowing enough to fend off a baseline tiredness/lethargy on most days
binary132 3y ago
I recently was diagnosed with sleep apnea (am in my late 30s), and once I got used to wearing a mask (nasal pillows with Ayr gel to improve the seal work best for me) the quality of life improvement was enormous.
Nevin1901 3y ago
I thought I always felt tired. Until I got a sleep mask, ear plugs, stopped eating 4 hours before bed, slept in a cold room, and went to bed at the same time every night. I found my body just adjusted itself back to its natural rhythm. Curious how many of the contestants surveyed did exactly this and still had trouble with their sleep. Edit: diet and general lifestyle changes (such as going to the gym and being outside) also helped.
- TurkishPoptart 3y ago
  How cold?
- encoderer 3y ago
  What led to you making so many changes to your normal routine all at once?
  - spidersenses 3y ago
    Not the parent, but in my case it was the attempt to optimize the process of falling asleep, in any way possible, after years of sleeping problems. There are a lot of articles, books or YT videos compiling tips and tricks. 4-7-8 breathing is another common advice. After I had been diagnosed with sleep apnea, I received a prescription for an APAP machine (auto-adjusting pressure, in contrast to constant-pressure CPAP). Unfortunately, I still wake up every night after ~3 hours of sleep with a feeling of suffocating and panicking which makes me take off the breathing mask. Therefore I have yet to experience any positive effects from using the APAP machine to treat the apnea. Any advice from somebody who has gone through the same thing?
    - threecheese 3y ago
      I’m sure it has occurred to you to try CPAP; was it ruled out by your pulmonologist? If the pressure is incorrect enough to wake you up gasping, “it ain’t workin’”. As a CPAP user, being able to access the hidden control menu for my device was key: it allowed me to change the pressure, the ramp, and other runtime configuration that really improved my experience - which improved my compliance and thus my energy level (and that small thing of not being at risk of sleep-death!). You have to press a certain combo of buttons to access, maybe your APAP has something similar?
  - Nevin1901 3y ago
    I implemented these changes over the course of a few months. I was so sick of being sleep deprived I eventually optimized my sleep.
addicted 3y ago
For me it was sleep apnea. It was undiagnosed and I have lived most of my life basically exhausted. Once I was diagnosed, thanks to a CPAP recall/shortage during the pandemic I couldn’t get a CPAP machine so used a custom fit oral appliance which took a few days to get used to, but once I did I woke up one day, having done nothing very different from any other day, feeling fresher than I can ever remember feeling. It was fascinating to realize that I had basically lived my entire adult life of over 2 decades in a half asleep stupor.
- 5F7bGnd6fWJ66xN 3y ago
  Thanks for the info. I suffer from it as well. Can you please write in more about the "custom fit oral appliance" ? I'm interested in trying it myself.
  - achileas 3y ago
    Not OP, but old dentist made and sold these. It is a custom-fit mouthpiece that forces you to keep your lower jaw forward while you sleep, preventing airway collapse. It’s the same thing you’re taught to do for CPR to force the airway open.
    - robotguy 3y ago
      Oh man, I had something like that as a kid, for my overbite. It was called a bionator and was like a retainer on steroids.
- polishdude20 3y ago
  Can you say more about this custom appliance?
  - avidiax 3y ago
    It positions your lower jaw so that your airway is more open.
- svillar 3y ago
nine_zeros 3y ago
My sleep improved once I started measuring using a whoop strap. Within a few days of wearing the strap, it was clear to me that my 8 hours were ineffective 8 hours. I was accumulating significant debt every day and when I paid it off over the weekend, I felt energized again. I recognized that every day is different and needed to change my environment, and consistency accordingly. Sleep is now a non-negotiable thing in my life.
- CharlesW 3y ago
  Apple Watch is teaching me this lesson right now. Any success stories in terms of improving your ratio of sleep to in-bed time?
  - nine_zeros 3y ago
    Besides the obvious less screen time in bed, the major ones for me were 1. Reducing alcohol consumption down to zero during week nights makes my percentage of rem sleep go up and percentage of light sleep go down 2. My deepest sleep is after 4 am. So dark blocking curtains help my sleep tremendously. 3. Certain workouts, such as light cardio, make my sleep and recovery better as opposed to others, such as playing a sport. 4. My ideal sleep temperature is between 68 and 70F. These are all I know so far.
    - CharlesW 3y ago
      Appreciated, thanks!
pedalpete 3y ago
As we age slow-wave sleep degrades. This is the stage of glymphatic clearing the article describes. This decrease in slow-wave sleep begins in our late 30s and is linked to Alzheimer's, Diabetes, weakened immune function and more. We've been working on this for a few years through auditory stimulation during sleep. Published peer reviewed research using our stimulation protocol is at https://soundmind.co/research https://soundmind.co/research
- enervation 3y ago
  When will this be released? What can we do in the interim?
  - pedalpete 3y ago
    Q1 '25 We're in the process of getting Ethics approval in Australia (which is a legal requirement to provide units for our trial). Discussions with manufacturers has begun. We're also collaborating with some universities and providing units for them to run their own trials.
  - byt143 3y ago
    Second !
icedchai 3y ago
For a few people I know, it was thyroid related.
- Schinken_ 3y ago
  I was diagnosed with thyroid problems (hashimoto) when I was around 18. Now, 12 years later, I can safely say: It did help with some of the tiredness, a specific kind of tiredness. I am still tired in a different way. I feel like I either need a lot of sleep in general (usually 9-10 hours) or something else is up.
saaspirant 3y ago
I am feeling tired all the time. My hand / legs go numb when I am in same position for more than 10 mins or so. I feel lot of weird stuff when I am asleep. Thyroid, Vitamin D, b12, diabetes, iron levels, brain MRI all came up normal. So my neuro suggested seeing a psychiatrist (I was depressed during Covid) which also didn't show any improvement. I have GERD though. Anyone in the similar boat? I feel like I might a possible explanation from this thread. My doctors couldn't find anything. I am 25, work in IT. All this issues started during Covid (when I was sitting all day in front of my computer) and got worse after that.
- Nugget0 3y ago
  I'm around the same age and I've been struggling with constant fatigue for years. It's very hard to be taken seriously. I am absolutely not an expert, but perhaps you have some kind of circulation issue? I hope you can find answers.
- rpigab 3y ago
  Same boat, I'm a 32 software developer and gamer, always spent most of the day on a computer, but since last year I'm very tired every day, I'm a father and doctors dismissed me as having some sort of midlife crisis or changes in my life even though from my perspective, I've never been happier, the only thing bringing me down is being tired. I sometimes feel dizzy when standing up, way more often and stronger than the natural dizzy you sometimes get when staying sitting too long. The list of possible reasons is long and not all can be tested: long Covid, ME/CFS, diabetes, sleep apnea, depression, vitamin deficiencies. I've tried to practice more sports, stopped all coffee and alcohol for a month, slept for longer, nothing changed, but I should continue some of this anyway. There's also this documentary on long covid or me/cfs where some people have it so much worse, can't get out of bed like the Youtuber PhysicsGirl... Devastating. Early studies seem to indicate permanent brain damage because of viruses like Covid, so there might be no chance of recovery, just learning to live with it.
  - adaptbrian 3y ago
    Anecdotal here but last year I changed my diet radically and completely swept away my daily tiredness and cyclical cluster headaches. First year in 7 years without one. Largely I eat leafs and meats while keeping carbs down, keeping dairy low etc. It's not easy to make this adjustment but for me, where I was at physically I would try anything. Going to bed before the kids is for the birds. My primary doc gave me the same rigamoure that you got so I finally kicked them to the curb and started a search for a new one. Found a doc who suggested the diet change and its worked well, I'll be working on adding some foods back in this year.
malux85 3y ago
For me it was diet, after I gave up gluten, dairy, sugar, and virtually all carbs, and just stick to 80% meat, 20% vegetables, water and tea, I am full of energy, pain free, and hunger is very different, I only eat 1 meal a day and I’m not hungry (although it is a big meal usually - ~1500 calories)

58 points by devonnull 3y ago

The article is more about sleep quality but I personally often realize that I am lethargic rather than tired when life/work is a bit boring and magically find energy when it gets exciting. Most of us have relatively dull and repetitive lives so we don't get the adrenaline flowing enough to fend off a baseline tiredness/lethargy on most days

binary132 3y ago

I recently was diagnosed with sleep apnea (am in my late 30s), and once I got used to wearing a mask (nasal pillows with Ayr gel to improve the seal work best for me) the quality of life improvement was enormous.

Nevin1901 3y ago

I thought I always felt tired. Until I got a sleep mask, ear plugs, stopped eating 4 hours before bed, slept in a cold room, and went to bed at the same time every night. I found my body just adjusted itself back to its natural rhythm. Curious how many of the contestants surveyed did exactly this and still had trouble with their sleep. Edit: diet and general lifestyle changes (such as going to the gym and being outside) also helped.

TurkishPoptart 3y ago
How cold?
encoderer 3y ago
What led to you making so many changes to your normal routine all at once?
- spidersenses 3y ago
  Not the parent, but in my case it was the attempt to optimize the process of falling asleep, in any way possible, after years of sleeping problems. There are a lot of articles, books or YT videos compiling tips and tricks. 4-7-8 breathing is another common advice. After I had been diagnosed with sleep apnea, I received a prescription for an APAP machine (auto-adjusting pressure, in contrast to constant-pressure CPAP). Unfortunately, I still wake up every night after ~3 hours of sleep with a feeling of suffocating and panicking which makes me take off the breathing mask. Therefore I have yet to experience any positive effects from using the APAP machine to treat the apnea. Any advice from somebody who has gone through the same thing?
  - threecheese 3y ago
    I’m sure it has occurred to you to try CPAP; was it ruled out by your pulmonologist? If the pressure is incorrect enough to wake you up gasping, “it ain’t workin’”. As a CPAP user, being able to access the hidden control menu for my device was key: it allowed me to change the pressure, the ramp, and other runtime configuration that really improved my experience - which improved my compliance and thus my energy level (and that small thing of not being at risk of sleep-death!). You have to press a certain combo of buttons to access, maybe your APAP has something similar?
- Nevin1901 3y ago
  I implemented these changes over the course of a few months. I was so sick of being sleep deprived I eventually optimized my sleep.

addicted 3y ago

For me it was sleep apnea. It was undiagnosed and I have lived most of my life basically exhausted. Once I was diagnosed, thanks to a CPAP recall/shortage during the pandemic I couldn’t get a CPAP machine so used a custom fit oral appliance which took a few days to get used to, but once I did I woke up one day, having done nothing very different from any other day, feeling fresher than I can ever remember feeling. It was fascinating to realize that I had basically lived my entire adult life of over 2 decades in a half asleep stupor.

5F7bGnd6fWJ66xN 3y ago
Thanks for the info. I suffer from it as well. Can you please write in more about the "custom fit oral appliance" ? I'm interested in trying it myself.
- achileas 3y ago
  Not OP, but old dentist made and sold these. It is a custom-fit mouthpiece that forces you to keep your lower jaw forward while you sleep, preventing airway collapse. It’s the same thing you’re taught to do for CPR to force the airway open.
  - robotguy 3y ago
    Oh man, I had something like that as a kid, for my overbite. It was called a bionator and was like a retainer on steroids.
polishdude20 3y ago
Can you say more about this custom appliance?
- avidiax 3y ago
  It positions your lower jaw so that your airway is more open.
svillar 3y ago

nine_zeros 3y ago

My sleep improved once I started measuring using a whoop strap. Within a few days of wearing the strap, it was clear to me that my 8 hours were ineffective 8 hours. I was accumulating significant debt every day and when I paid it off over the weekend, I felt energized again. I recognized that every day is different and needed to change my environment, and consistency accordingly. Sleep is now a non-negotiable thing in my life.

CharlesW 3y ago
Apple Watch is teaching me this lesson right now. Any success stories in terms of improving your ratio of sleep to in-bed time?
- nine_zeros 3y ago
  Besides the obvious less screen time in bed, the major ones for me were 1. Reducing alcohol consumption down to zero during week nights makes my percentage of rem sleep go up and percentage of light sleep go down 2. My deepest sleep is after 4 am. So dark blocking curtains help my sleep tremendously. 3. Certain workouts, such as light cardio, make my sleep and recovery better as opposed to others, such as playing a sport. 4. My ideal sleep temperature is between 68 and 70F. These are all I know so far.
  - CharlesW 3y ago
    Appreciated, thanks!

pedalpete 3y ago

As we age slow-wave sleep degrades. This is the stage of glymphatic clearing the article describes. This decrease in slow-wave sleep begins in our late 30s and is linked to Alzheimer's, Diabetes, weakened immune function and more. We've been working on this for a few years through auditory stimulation during sleep. Published peer reviewed research using our stimulation protocol is at https://soundmind.co/research https://soundmind.co/research

enervation 3y ago
When will this be released? What can we do in the interim?
- pedalpete 3y ago
  Q1 '25 We're in the process of getting Ethics approval in Australia (which is a legal requirement to provide units for our trial). Discussions with manufacturers has begun. We're also collaborating with some universities and providing units for them to run their own trials.
- byt143 3y ago
  Second !

icedchai 3y ago

For a few people I know, it was thyroid related.

Schinken_ 3y ago
I was diagnosed with thyroid problems (hashimoto) when I was around 18. Now, 12 years later, I can safely say: It did help with some of the tiredness, a specific kind of tiredness. I am still tired in a different way. I feel like I either need a lot of sleep in general (usually 9-10 hours) or something else is up.

saaspirant 3y ago

I am feeling tired all the time. My hand / legs go numb when I am in same position for more than 10 mins or so. I feel lot of weird stuff when I am asleep. Thyroid, Vitamin D, b12, diabetes, iron levels, brain MRI all came up normal. So my neuro suggested seeing a psychiatrist (I was depressed during Covid) which also didn't show any improvement. I have GERD though. Anyone in the similar boat? I feel like I might a possible explanation from this thread. My doctors couldn't find anything. I am 25, work in IT. All this issues started during Covid (when I was sitting all day in front of my computer) and got worse after that.

Nugget0 3y ago
I'm around the same age and I've been struggling with constant fatigue for years. It's very hard to be taken seriously. I am absolutely not an expert, but perhaps you have some kind of circulation issue? I hope you can find answers.
rpigab 3y ago
Same boat, I'm a 32 software developer and gamer, always spent most of the day on a computer, but since last year I'm very tired every day, I'm a father and doctors dismissed me as having some sort of midlife crisis or changes in my life even though from my perspective, I've never been happier, the only thing bringing me down is being tired. I sometimes feel dizzy when standing up, way more often and stronger than the natural dizzy you sometimes get when staying sitting too long. The list of possible reasons is long and not all can be tested: long Covid, ME/CFS, diabetes, sleep apnea, depression, vitamin deficiencies. I've tried to practice more sports, stopped all coffee and alcohol for a month, slept for longer, nothing changed, but I should continue some of this anyway. There's also this documentary on long covid or me/cfs where some people have it so much worse, can't get out of bed like the Youtuber PhysicsGirl... Devastating. Early studies seem to indicate permanent brain damage because of viruses like Covid, so there might be no chance of recovery, just learning to live with it.
- adaptbrian 3y ago
  Anecdotal here but last year I changed my diet radically and completely swept away my daily tiredness and cyclical cluster headaches. First year in 7 years without one. Largely I eat leafs and meats while keeping carbs down, keeping dairy low etc. It's not easy to make this adjustment but for me, where I was at physically I would try anything. Going to bed before the kids is for the birds. My primary doc gave me the same rigamoure that you got so I finally kicked them to the curb and started a search for a new one. Found a doc who suggested the diet change and its worked well, I'll be working on adding some foods back in this year.

malux85 3y ago

For me it was diet, after I gave up gluten, dairy, sugar, and virtually all carbs, and just stick to 80% meat, 20% vegetables, water and tea, I am full of energy, pain free, and hunger is very different, I only eat 1 meal a day and I’m not hungry (although it is a big meal usually - ~1500 calories)