Morning People--PLEASE HELP!
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free skin care · Fri Jun 02, 2006 5:38 am

I can't get out of bed. I really can't.

I get 8 hours of sleep most nights and yet when the alarm goes off at 6am, I don't get up until 7am and then it's a mad rush to get to work.

I've tried putting the alarm on the other side of the room, yet despite a blaring radio, or the buzzer, I'll just sleep through it or ignore it. It's starting to get depressing--as I'd like to exercise in the am and have breakfast.

Lastly, even with 8 hours of sleep, I'm tired ALL the time. I'm going to try the Zone Diet since it's supposed to help with fatique (or at least increase my healthy fats), but does anyone have any suggestions?

I get ready for bed at 9pm--asleep by 10. There shouldn't be any reason why I can't get up! Confused

free skin care · Fri Jun 02, 2006 6:59 am

DiverChick no suggestion but I have a question. Did this just start after you ran your marathon? If so it could be that your body needs extra sleep to fully recover from the stress you put it through.

free skin care · Fri Jun 02, 2006 7:39 am

I think it would be worth getting a physical done by your doc as well. There are times that we need more than 8 hours of sleep, sort of as a "catch up", so you might want to try that on the weekends if you can. If you still feel tired after 8/9 hours though, I would definitely get a check my your doc just to be sure there isn't something else going on. Good luck!

free skin care · Fri Jun 02, 2006 7:44 am

The zone diet WILL help you with fatigue, so will cutting out most of the sugar in your diet. I think its sugar that's mostly to blame for that icky no energy fatigue feeling. Maybe your body DOES need the extra sleep from your marathon. I know that about a half year ago I would go to sleep at 10 or 10:30 and couldn't get up until 9:30 and even then had to drag myself out of bed. That was right after my breakup so I figure that was the reason. These days I'm back to my normal schedule of going to sleep around 11 and waking up at 6 or so. Sometimes I wake up earlier and have to force myself to go back to sleep until 6. Have you always been consistent with the time you go to sleep? If its a newer thing it will take some time to adjust to where you're waking up at the time you want. In fact I've found that if you bounce around a lot with your bedtime that it takes awhile to adjust to being able to wake up early naturally.

free skin care · Fri Jun 02, 2006 7:55 am

Thanks for the replies guys!

This actually happened before the marathon and has always been a problem for me. I don't eat refined sugra, but thought the extra healthy fats may help.

I recently had a bunch of bloody work done and everything was fine. BUt I would probably sleep 12+ hours if no one woke me up. The most depressing part is that I never wake up feeling "rested." I'm always exhausted? Confused

I used to think I was just lazy and waking still tired was normal until I started to read about it. Hmmmm.

free skin care · Fri Jun 02, 2006 8:11 am

DiverChick maybe you are sleeping long enough but the quality of your sleep is poor. I know that there are many sleep disorders and sometimes people can wake up many times during the night and not know it so they are all tired the next morning. Maybe you need to have your sleep assessed.

Also, when you had your bloodwork done did they do a TSH test? Hypothyroidism can cause the symptoms you are describing.

free skin care · Fri Jun 02, 2006 8:15 am

Hey Diver Chick,

I agree with what ThersaL said.

Also,
Here's two kind of left-field ideas:

First: I heard somewhere recently that some researchers think that everybody has their own individual internal clock that dictates when your body wants to rise in the morning. Everyone is different, and some people will be resistant to awakening at 6am no matter how much sleep that they get. They also believe that most teenagers go through a phase when their clocks are set to arise mid-morning, and that they are literally unable to pay attention in early morning classes because of this. In fact, some people are trying to have school schedules changed to start later in the day because of this research.

Second: I also have a terrible time waking up in the morning, and it turns out to be a common symptom of my Attention Deficit Disorder. If you have trouble staying organized, are thought of as scatter-brained, or are a habitual procrastinator, you may have ADD.

Anyway, I hope you find a solution, 'cause I know that it's a drag to drag in the morning.

-- Bee

free skin care · Fri Jun 02, 2006 8:30 am

I'm like that as well. I'm really not a morning person. In fact, its a running joke at work (blah) and I'm lucky that I make my own hours.

ANYWAYS, I found that if I exercised on a regular basis, I have no problems getting up and I'm not as tired. Of course, when I am working out, my diet automatically cleans up as well.

Even if I'm not working out, if I at least walk for 1/2-45 minutues with my puggy, I also feel tons better and sleep better...and wake up feeling better Smile

free skin care · Fri Jun 02, 2006 9:36 am

Thanks again for the responses.

I did have my thyroid checked and I sleep pretty heavy--not aware of getting up but I will check.

As far as ADD, that's interesting as I can check all of the above!

I do exercise alot. Just finished a marathon and am training for a 1/2 IM. I figured I'd require more sleep from that, but I even nap after long training session for a bit, then sleep fine at night and STILL wake up tired. If I HAVE to get up for something, I will. I'm just never rested. In fact, I just got back from lunch and am ready to fall over I'm so tired.

I guess I should make an appointment with the doctor! Confused

free skin care · Fri Jun 02, 2006 12:13 pm

I wake up feeling more energetic after a shorter sleep - could it be that eight hours is too much for you? If I have a long sleep I wake up feeling drowsy and lethargic and have found that six hours is the ideal time for me.

free skin care · Fri Jun 02, 2006 12:32 pm

ANything's worth trying!

God, what I could do if I only had to sleep 6 hours! Smile

free skin care · Fri Jun 02, 2006 1:02 pm

Try it and think of all the fun you could have staying up late Smile

One more tip given with caution because it does not suit everyone, but if nothing else works a shot of liquid ginseng first thing in the morning packs a powerful punch.

free skin care · Fri Jun 02, 2006 2:23 pm

I started taking Iron pills when I felt like I was tired a lot. This actually helped. I can get 6 hours of sleep now a night and I feel fine. I'm still a little sluggish in the mornings but nothing compared to how I used to be.

Fri Jun 16, 2006 7:56 pm

I feel for you. I've tried many things to get good sleep. There are so many things that contribute to a good nights sleep: good bed, pillows, good diet, proper exercise. You really have to play around.
But I would concure-from research and personal experience-Sugar and Caffeine are 2 big ones! That's why the Zone, or Atkins, helps with fatigue. If you're not on that energy/chemical roller coaster, your energy is steadier, and you feel more rested. If you haven't yet, try cutting both those out for a couple weeks and see how you feel.
As far as quality of sleep, I used to think I got a solid 8hrs (w/maybe one bathroom visit per night). I even thought the way I woke up was normal for a non-am person Sad

. When I had some health problems a few yrs ago, my doctor suspected my sleep patterns and wanted to put me on a super-low dose anti-depression med. (common perscription for sleep since it has a "side effect" of drowsiness) but I didn't think I needed it. Recently, I was taking Benadryl for a few days for allergies. Though I was a little groggy in the morning, I couldn't believe how rested I felt. Was this what I was supposed to feel like? To avoid the morning groggies, I cut the benadryl back to half of a 25mg tab (12.5mg). It seemed to be just enough to help me sleep deeper yet not wake up drowsy. And I feel better. I don't even do it every day, maybe 2-4 days a week or maybe not for weeks. But I do make sure to take it 30-120 minutes before bed, and when I can get a solid 8 hrs. for me this seems to be the right recipe. Now, my dermatologist says Benedryl is dehydrating (including for the skin) so she is recommending I now try the low-dose anti-depressant. I might now that I see the difference. If you try this, maybe play around with the benadryl first to see if it makes a difference. (Also, herbally, Valarian root works for some too. It knocks me out initally but not sure if I sleep better through out.) Hope some of that helps. Good Luck!

free skin care · Tue Jun 20, 2006 2:31 am

I agree, you may not getting a good QUALITY sleep. Also if you dream a lot (ie. sleep is always in the REM stage) then you will tend to wake up tired and exhausted because your brain had not had much rest. You get the most rest from the first few stages of sleep (I don't know if that makes sense but this is what I learned as a psychology major). I have the same problem as you do but not as bad, I would sleep 12 hrs a day if no one woke me up. But I found the more you sleep the more fatigued you will get, which makes sense because the more you sleep when you don't need it the more you will be in REM sleep. When I actually get 6 hrs of sleep after always sleeping in I feel extra refreshed. You will get better sleep the more tired you are as well. I can't sleep with a set internal clock generally, if I get 8 hrs everyday eventually I will have the same problem as you and can't get up. So I vary myself, sleep a lot one day and then sleep little the next. Maybe you can try that.

free skin care · Tue Jun 20, 2006 11:46 am

I notice a HUGE difference in how tired I am the next morning when I eat any time close to the time I go to sleep. Within 2-3 hours, to be precise. It sounds silly, but it makes all the difference in the world for me. If I eat close to bedtime, I wake up the next morning feeling very groggy. If I don't, I can get right out of bed and it seems (although may be my imagination) that I have more energy throughout that next day. Now, I'm not saying that I Always do this, but I Always notice a correlative effect. I also try to sleep in an even number of hours. That also sounds silly Embarassed

but again, makes a difference for me. Maybe try that for a couple of days and see if you notice a difference?

free skin care · Tue Jun 20, 2006 11:56 am

It may be worth looking into taking some supplements, your body might be lacking in something, a deficiency in B Vitamins can leave you feeling exhausted.
I would go to the doctor though and get a check up, it could be Thyroid related, insist that the doctor run some routine blood tests, these should include the thyroid. At least you will know for sure.

free skin care · Tue Jun 20, 2006 12:43 pm

could you be experiencing low level pain from your strenuous excercising that maybe doesn't register with you conciously?

Many times i will wake up exhausted and the next night i will take some pain medication (aspirin) and i sleep much better that night. I have had chronic severe backpain for years and i have gotten so used to it that i oftne ignore it. However, i find when i actually take something for the pain (even when i don't consciously feel it), i always sleep much deeper and wake up more refreshed...

If your body is constantly trying to fight inflammation from different sources (muscle aches and pains, chronic conditions, maybe it cannot relax enough to actually heal during sleep like it's supposed to... just my theory...

free skin care · Wed Jun 21, 2006 8:38 pm

As a marathon runner, you are probably careful about your diet, but are you sure you are eating enough? Especially enough protein? And, since you mention the Zone diet, enough carbohydrates? (That's low carb, isn't it?)

Cutting carbohydrates really is not a good idea for runners, your body needs them for fuel. If you are worried about your carboydrate intake, focus on eating complex carbohydrates found in whole grains instead of refined flours. You also mention increasing your intake of good fats - so you could also try to replace whatever your regular protein is with fish a couple of times a week.

If you are cutting carbohydrates while training for these endurance events, I would not be surprised if that is why your body is tired.

free skin care · Wed Jun 21, 2006 8:53 pm

This is an experience I have historically had as well, and although it hasn't been consatn all my life, it's sort of a default mode I go into.

The last time I went through a period of what you describes ( and I am very conscientious about diet, attitude, exercise, etc.), I got a Five Element Acupuncturist to treat me for a particular block in my system. This treatment instantly brought my energy back, and I felt like a new person. Since that time, I have learned to notice the signs that I am headed toward that type of block and get a treament or otherwise re-direct my course. Five Element is a totally different system of Acupuncture than most, so you's have to find someone trained that way, but it rocks!!

Also, I want to say that this issue was DEEPLY rooted in my history, thinking, attitude toward life, experiences, etc., etc. and was not something I could really shift on my own or with a supplement, diet change, that sort of thing. It was like the fatigue was due to my Life fORCE eNERGY NOT GETTING THROUGH, and once the deeper block was removed, it flowed just fine.

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