Energy levels/stamina

[developingperson]

Hi all,

Have just joined up to the forum and wanted some advice on something that has been plaguing me for years.

I find it difficult to make it through the day without having a nap and seemingly need 8-9 hours sleep to function properly. Thinking about it I have always had poor energy levels and I can remember from the age of 14, falling asleep in lessons!

This is a big problem as sometimes I am so tired I can literally sleep for about 12 hours on the weekend before feeling alive and awake. Too much time spent sleeping!

I eat a healthy diet, get a reasonable amount of exercise (3-4 times a week) and sleep like a baby most of the time.

I wonder if it could be something else like a food allergy of thyroid problem?

Any ideas?

[Wanderer]

What symptoms happen when you sleep less e.g. 7/8hrs?

Have you tried sleeping less?

Are you overweight at all?

Perhaps a different sleep schedule is required, see the sticky at the top of the physical forum.

W

[developingperson]

Hi wanderer,

Have not tried sleeping 7 hours for a long time, if I get 8 then I feel even more tired.

I must admit my sleep schedule is not the greatest (im at uni) I get to bed at different times and wake up at different times. When I have worked a 9-5 job and had regular sleep patterns I was knackered all the time and needed about 9 hours sleep a night.

Im not overweight and have rarely woken up with any energy in the morning.

[Holistic Star]

It could be an allergy so if you go down that route of investigation find someone who can test you properly to see what it is.

For a long time I had an intollerance of yeast without realising it and would regularly fall asleep in the most inconvenient places. Middle of lessons at school, middle of business meetings once I started work.
As beer has a lot of yeast in, I would frequently fall asleep next to the speakers in nightclubs!
I also would wake up feeling exhausted even after a full nights sleep.

I'm not saying yours is yeast - but once I eliminated it from my diet it made a lot of difference.

[빈센트]

I have that "problem" if you wish to call it that. I need 10+ hours to feel energized when I wake up. Usually I get about 5-6 hours. I usually lift weights to keep my energy levels up.

[Lola]

developingperson -

Have a thorough physical including blood tests to check everything, particularly thyroid function and iron levels. Hypothyroidism or anemia can cause significant loss of energy.

I had the same problem 10 yrs ago - turned out to be thyroid.

[Alvin]

I also had the same problem.

What was recommended to me was (if your health check turns out okay):

1) Regular exercise will boost your energy levels.

2) Good, healthy live foods will boost your energy levels. Think greens.

3) No eating right before you sleep, at least a few hours before. That's because digestion takes a lot of energy, and if your body is concentrating on instead of getting the rest you need, you'll wake up groggy.

I find that natural stimulants throughout the day helps, like juices or tea. I do coffee too, but I wouldn't recommend it highly - it's a sin of mine :P