Exhausted All Day, Wide Awake All Night...

You may be suffering from Vitamin D deficiency. I know this bc I was always a "night owl", but could never get up in the afternoon and was tired all day, but wired at night. Anyway, I always thought I was an insomniac and in college, I signed up for an insomnia study at the sleep center at Cornell Medical in NYC. Well, I went there and they asked me a bunch of questinos and said, "well the bad news is that you dont qualify for the insomnia study...good news is that we know whats wrong". They diagnosed me with a little-known sleep disorder called DSPS or Delayed Sleep Phase Syndrome. Basically, your biological clock is out of whack. Your biological clock is set by the intake of Vitamiin D. The ONLY way to get Vitamin D naturally is by sunlight. To reset your clock, you basically have to get in about 10,000 luxes of light (a measurement of sunlight) for about 45 min a day for a week. This means taking a 1/2 hour-45 min walk in the mornings or just spending time outside on a normal day. You can also buy special lamps for this. This should help you sleep better after about a week. Look it up online, its quite interesting. I hope this helps bc I wish I knew this about 10 years ago...it drastically changed my life. Feel free to message me with anything!

I am the same way, but I dont do all that you do during the day. LOL. can you try to clean a bit latter in the day that way you will be so tired at night and crash then?

Wow - you sound like me...my slump usually hits around 2 pm. Different days, I do different things, depending on what the kids and I are into.

The MOST effective thing I can do, is to lay down and get about a 30 minute snooze in...no longer because then I am groggy for a few hours...just a quick power nap. Unfortunately with 3 boys, that is not always an option.

In cooler weather a quick walk outside will do the trick...but in this SC summer we have been having I haven't done that lately.

A quick snack with good protein and carb balance is a quick and lasting energy boost.

My most common mistake is going for that coffee or sugary snack...quick pick me up...but then I crash.

When I am wired at nite, (like I was last nite) SOMETIMES it is helpful just to get up and do a few little chores, or make a list of tasks that need to be done the next day or so. Sometimes just losing myself in a good book or magazine will help me settle down...or doing some kind of puzzle - crosswords, word finds, etc...they allow me to focus on something other than what is wiring my brain. Make sense?

Good Luck! and know you are not alone in your midnight madness:)

T.

I agree that vitamins may be the culprit. I used to have that slump during the mid afternoon almost every day. Part of the issue with me was my sugar and have found if you eat small snacks plus don't eat huge meals at meal times that helps. But my biggest help has been to change my vitamins. I switched to Vitality pack (my hubby did too) and we have both noticed a huge difference in our energy / stamina whatever you would call it. Now I rarely get those mid afternoon slumps and I have found that I sleep better at night too.

OMG I thought it was just me Im so glad you posted this I do the same thing and I have even tried doing house work later in the day and doing nothing in the morning but watching my little girl play and I still have the same problem lmao for the longest time I was like what is wrong with me I have just got use to it now it still bothers me but its good to know Im not alone and I have been doing it for almost 3 years now
anyways take care and God Bless!!
Best wishes!
Stac!

It is so hard to get yourself back into a good schedule after you have been out for a while. You might get your thyroid checked.

I get the same way a lot. Before I got prenant I tool Melatonin (totally natural and not habit forming) Helped a lot.

Try pushing your self in the day and keep going, then you can fall asleep easier at night, and sleep harder. That is what I have had to resort to or I can't sleep at night if I rest in the afternoon either. Its like you get this second wind right after dinner. Speaking of food, have you been eating a breakfast or lunch? It is important for moms to refuel also to keep the energy up.

have your thyroid checked by a specialist, not your regular doctor.

.

Ok you can try these :)

Sleepytime tea-
Valerian root- herb store
Passiflora/or pasiflower- herb store
magnesium powder- vitamin store

Soft/ambient music-

I know your pain!!! I get insomnia and it kicks my butt!
Some of the above herbs may really work well with your system,
pasiflora can be amazing!!

Let me know how it works!! Sweet dreams ;)

It sounds counter productive but make sure you are exercising enough during the day. Also make sure you are not taking in any caffeine from the afternoon on. Even hidden caffeine. Is your mind racing at night? Try meditation everyday and it should help. Just like we do for our kids, start a bedtime routine. A warm soak or read a book first. You will start to associate it with sleepy time. A 20 minute cat nap when you are super tired during the day might help prevent a second wind later on.

I would try to 'reset' my bodys clock by taking something to help you sleep for a night or two. That way, you will be rested when you wake up and awake enough to tackle the entire day. Avoid a heavy lunch if you can, also, DON'T SIT for more than 5 minutes after lunch, because its torture to get going again if you hang out doing nothing much for long lol...after lunch is such a sleepy time for me too. Good luck :)

Are you sure your wired and not that you have aches and pains, even slight ones that could be keeping you awake? I sometimes take an ibuprofen when I toss and turn all night, even when I don't think the aching muscles are hurting bad enough to keep me awake. This usually puts me to sleep.

Also, are you drinking or eating a lot of caffeine after noon. This could keep you awake as well. Not me but my aunt has this problem.

If you are dieting and actually eating all those veggies you are supposed to be eating daily and still taking a multivitamin besides, that may be a problem for some. It was for me.

My first thought is about stress because it can definitely sneak up and get us. It's not so much the big stressors in life that deplete us (although they certainly do), but the little stressors that run beneath the radar and pile up. A friend refers to it as death by 10,000 paper cuts. As a stress management coach I see this frequently and it's been my personal experience as well. Unchecked stress has big consequences well beyond affecting our sleep patterns. --- Also, have you ever had your thyroid checked? That too was my personal experience in feeling so deeply tired after sleep that I could barely get up. All is well now. Good luck with it!! - Best, S.