Tired All the Time!!!!!!!!! - Holly Springs,NC

Updated on April 02, 2010
L.C. asks from Holly Springs, NC
45 answers

I am asking this for my SIL, who is 37 and tired ALL THE TIME(not preg ). She eats healthy, goes to the gym 6 days a week. She went to the doctor and was told she needed vitamin D , which she has been taking but sees no difference at all. She has to take an hour nap every day or she just can't get everything done with 3 kids (8, 6 and 4) Just wanted to see if anybody had this happen to them.Thank u:)
Also I do not know if it's connected but she has been eating healthy and going to the gym since Jan and barely lost any weight while her husband's weight is falling off like crazy.

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K.C.

answers from Minneapolis on

I would also agree that it is her thyroid...I was the same way, went to the club, but maybe lost a couple pounds, but I was always tired, and I had to be put on thyroid meds.

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T.S.

answers from Asheville on

My guess would be her thyroid - she should see her doctor OR she is just plain worn out from going to the gym everyday and chasing after 3 kids.

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V.C.

answers from Louisville on

She may need to consider getting some blood tests to confirm thyroid and also insulin resistance, I have been feeling the same way and have had thyroid since my daughter has been 6 months old....

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C.Y.

answers from Dallas on

PAY ATTENTION: because here is your answer! make a list of all the foods you eat including sauses and things you hardly ever eat but have before. Give the list to your doctor and ask him to do an IGg food allergy test. Ask him to test you for a full food pannel as well as the foods on your list! This simple blood test will give you an idea to what you may be allergic to as well as what you are sensetive to. It will give you a low, moderate and high rating. Be specific and tell your doc you want to see ALL of the results. and each level. above a 7 in HIGH, below a 3 is low. You may not experience actual allergy symptoms, but your body is being worn down by the food. NEXT: check out this list of acid and alkaline foods and (http://www.rense.com/1.mpicons/acidalka.htm) read through them to see how much balance you have in your diet. !

this will make a WORLD of difference! You dont need to follow it exactly, but it will make you aware of balance in your food choices.

I personally was experiencing the same thing and I found out that I was very sensetive to EGGS. I stoped eating them and I cam back to life in less than two weeks and a simple Benodite clay clense. (this is just to clean out your system) follow up with some enzimes and flora for you little intestines.

Hope this helps! I am positive you will be cured if you can wake up long enough to read this... LOL

1 mom found this helpful
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J.S.

answers from Raleigh on

Lots of good responses out there. Keeping up with our kids takes a lot out of us. Making sure we have enough sleep is so important, but admitedly I don't always get enough either. Is she having any problems with her sleep/sleep cycles? Snoring, sleep apnea, etc.? Also, she should have her doctor check her blood glucose level too. Fatigue is also a symptom of diabetes and I seem to recall that there is a correlation with low Vitamin D and blood glucose levels.

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E.M.

answers from Louisville on

omg your sister in law is me. im writing this before i law down for my nap... i have been to doctor after doctor and no one has come up with anything. Until i went to a doctor in new albany Indiana He did a complete lab work up and found out that i have insulin resistance and my thyroid wasnt acting right t3 and t4 were out of wack. that was the good news, the bad news i tried the insuilin resistant diet all the vitamins and it hasnt worked...yet but have her look up insuilin resistance and see if that sounds like what shes going through their are a ton of great books out there

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C.R.

answers from Knoxville on

Did they check her iron levels, hormones and thyroid? Is she eating protein? Does she drink coffee? As far as the weight thing, people lose a different rates. If her thyroid is not working properly that could cause her symptoms, as well as her hormones. Coffee can make you tired also. If her reg. dr. did not check her hormones then she should consult either her OB/GYN or a dr. who specializes in hormone replacement therapy. You do not have to be at menopause age to have hormone imbalances.

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L.P.

answers from Boca Raton on

i can't believe i am going to type this but i was reading me up until a week ago. i have graves disease so i always blamed my tiredness at graves. i am also low on vit d and take 2000 units a day per doc recommendation but did not make a difference. then last week i had a physical and blood done and my doc said i had very low vit B12. alright so what. well she gave me a vit B12 booster shot. OHHH MY GODDD. oh my god, i cannot explain i feel like me again, and it's been 5 years since i haven't. according to my doc i will get these shots once a month for 3 months then test my levels again and if they're not up she will test me for celiac disease. ok that's besides the point. my point is after i got the shot i did some research and apparently people take these shots (get at pharmacy without rx) for energy and weight loss. people were saying they take one shot a week to keep up the energy. i can tell a week after i took mine my energy is going down but nowhere to where i was before getting it. i feel awesome. i have been shooting hoops with my kids every day. i never was able to do that before. iw as tired before waking up, i was tired all day every day. no matter how long i slept. so i honetslt to god recommend these shots (discuss with doctor too as i am not a healthcare professional) but it has changed my days and my life. i will be begging the doc to look into maybe getting it twice a month. but feeelll sooo awesome.

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A.B.

answers from Nashville on

Sounds like it could be thyroid problems. Go to a different doctor and have it checked.

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S.I.

answers from Johnson City on

She might try asking the dr for a B-12 shot. They last for about a month and really work for me. Also, 6 days a week is alot to work out. Yes, exercise gives you energy but she may just be using up too much energy working out and not giving her body any time to rest. I would suggest she try a 3 or 4 day workout routine and doing a yoga class one of those days if that is something she has not tried. It really makes you more lean while also really clearing your mind. Stress can prevent weight from coming off as easily. So, its good for the body and the soul.

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M.R.

answers from Hickory on

hi i also was the same with vit. d and it takes a couple of months to notice the difference.
hope all turns out good.

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R.D.

answers from Raleigh on

She should see her doctor. I have had similar symtoms and I believe it's a hormonal imbalance. I have not been able to lose weight. I eat healthy, and I exercise. I have to take naps too! My brain wants to get a lot of work done but my body say's no way.
I have contacted the hormone replacement therapy center in Cary. It's all natural hormone replacement. It could also be her thyroid. I would have her check both of these.

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A.R.

answers from Lexington on

It sounds like it's def. her thyroid. I went through the same exact thing!!!!

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D.J.

answers from Dallas on

I had that happen and turns out I was anemic.Have her to get her iron level checked.Also b vitamins are good for energy.

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T.J.

answers from Johnson City on

She needs a completer physical. Complete blood workup. Hormones, Thyroid, etc. If any of these are out of wack it can cause alot of things.

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K.D.

answers from Raleigh on

Is she on any kind of birth control?? This sounds like me when I was on Mirena. I also had other symptoms that went away when I had it taken out, but I really noticed a difference in the way I lost weight and my energy level.

L.M.

answers from Knoxville on

Taking a vitamin D supplement is a good start, but what about the other essential vitamins. Chances are if she is not getting enough vit. D, she may be low in others. You need all the essential mineral to work to together to give you the health & energy she needs. Tell her keep it in mind that not all vitamin supplements are created equal. The typical over the counter vitamin has minerals in form which the body cannot absorb and therefore is useless to take,. I take a vitamin supplement which has pre-bound the mineral to a protein and fiber unit, just like in nature. It mimics the way minerals are found in fruits & vegetables and makes it easier for the body to use. This process makes the minerals 10 times more absorbable. Another problem with traditional supplements is that unbound minerals can generate free radicals that actually cancel out the benefits of your antioxidant vitamins (vitamin C & E).
Hope this helps with how vitamins & minerals work for increasing energy levels.

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L.C.

answers from Saginaw on

Sounds like she needs her thyroid or iron tested.

Andrew Weil suggests that even 'moderately low' thyroid causes enough symptoms to merit low-dose treatment, because there's no good reason to let it get worse.

Iron deficiency is a common cause of exhaustion -- and some people find that eating wheat interferes with iron absorption... maybe too much wheat in the healthy diet?

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L.D.

answers from Nashville on

You might want to research hypothyroidism. It is really common and very treatable. Though it could just be that she has 3 kids! I have 2 and am tired.

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K.H.

answers from Huntington on

I have not read any of the other responses, but my first thought was anemia (low blood iron). Does she like to chew on ice? This is often a bizarre indicator of anemia.

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P.G.

answers from Raleigh on

She should have a complete physical done, if she hasn't already. She needs her blood levels checked for anemia. If all turns out normal, her metabolism may be slowing down. One other thought, but she would need a referral for, is to get an echocardiogram of her heart - a painless ultrasound to rule out any dysfunction of valves and to check the pumping function of the heart. This is not routine unless a primary MD sees indication for it. Just a thought.

P.

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J.A.

answers from Louisville on

Tell her to have her thyroid levels checked. Hypothyroidism can cause all the symptoms listed and more. If she also aches all over, have her ask her doctor about fibromyalgia as it can cause extreme fatigue and problems losing weight. Hope that gives her some ideas to discuss with her doctor. Good luck to you.

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E.K.

answers from Louisville on

I am the SIL - not literally - but same situation. I only have 2 kids, 6 & 3. It took a few things to diagnose me. First CBC while I was on the pill. Came back all abnormal - overload of estrogen. So, no BCP for two months and then CBC again. Came back still abnormal, but swung the other direction - no estrogen. Final diagnosis - perimenopause. I'm 33. This is not normal, and my body went completely out of wack from it. Hot flashes, tired all the time, blood sugar drops out of nowhere, weight gain or lack of loss, etc. So, bye-bye pill and hello natural menopause as it comes. I chose not to take medication to prevent the menopause, and there were several reasons for that on a personal side, but I take supplements to offset some of the side effects and most of the time feel pretty normal. Just finding out WHY I was feeling so out of wack helped me tackle each issue and learn how to combat it. She needs to see a doctor and ask them to run blood work based on her symptoms - not just a shot in the dark. Good luck to her!

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K.S.

answers from Minneapolis on

It could possibly be depression. But I would definitely recommend vitamins. I currently take a handful of probiotics and other vitamins, but just started taking Luminex this month and noticed a difference in a couple of days. Luminex is an herbal supplement that contains natural ingredients like St Johns Wart, griffonia seed, folate, and vitamin B12. It may be an option to help boost her overall mood!

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J.P.

answers from Memphis on

Did her docter test her blood? She may be anemic. Iron pills will help that.
Jen

T.F.

answers from Dallas on

Vitamin D is very crucial and I have to take it in liquid form so it will absorb.... Also, I take siquid B-12 and sometimes get B-12 injections. Both have helped a lot

To do this, she needs to see the Dr. and have a complete workup done to figure out the issue. My issue is that my body does not absorb B-12 or D so I have to get it in other forms....injections, high powered gel pills (50,000mg)

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S.P.

answers from Charlotte on

How long has she been taking the Vitamin D. If its only been 2 or 3 weeks or so, once a week(50,00IUD) then she needs to give it more time like 6 weeks before her levels get back to normal. I had the same problem with being tired all the time and I WAS PREGNANT on top of that. I was nearly falling asleep on my ride to work. It will get better and the low levels should improve soon. As far as weight loss, it going to easier for a man. I have the same problem....Cant help with that one....

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K.P.

answers from Memphis on

My first thought was iron, because when I get anemic, I get tired. My second thought was thyroid, which others mentioned below -- particularly with her weight issues, although men do lose weight more quickly than women (particularly with hormone levels changing as she gets older, it unfortunately makes it much harder for women to lose weight). Even if her diet is "healthy" it may not be the right one for her, and is making her sluggish instead of revitalized. As the saying goes, "diff'rent strokes for diff'rent folks."

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D.B.

answers from Charlotte on

.

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A.H.

answers from Minneapolis on

You don't mention any other symptoms, so I would begin by requesting a sleep study. Or have your SIL set up a camera to record herself sleeping at night to see if there are any breathing disruptions, alot of tossing/turning, or any other strange happenings. Even snoring could be a sign of something disrupting sleep.
The only other thing that comes to mind is possible depression. Having three children myself (almost 12, 10, and 8, birthdays begin in a month or so), you can easily become overwhelmed with life and get depressed. If this is a possibility, she needs to have a very open conversation with her doctor so she can get proper help.
Good luck to your SIL!

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J.B.

answers from Asheville on

You may be sleep deprived. If you breathe through your mouth while sleeping, you are not getting "good" sleep. If you snore, you are breathing through your mouth. A sleep study would be the next step. Learn more at IJustWantToSleep.com

E.S.

answers from Asheville on

I agree with the thyroid and anemia answers, also include Epstein Barr Virus (cronic fatigue syndrome) I felt like that before I was diagnosed with Hypothyroidism, I was also cold all the time and I usually burn up even in winter.
My brother moved to Utah and felt like that until a Dr. told him that many people who are used to a lower elevation have that feeling. For some reason higher elevations cause you to use more iron. He had anemia and just took iron until his body adjusted.
I have an Aunt with Epstein Barr, but I don't know much about it. Just a guess.
Let us know what happens and good luck. (If you don't want to change Dr.s make him/her at least test for thyroid problems. It should be between .5 and 4.5 although women tend to feel better in the lower end of the range.)

Beth

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M.K.

answers from Houston on

There is an actual syndrome called TaTT - tired all the time, she could google that

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J.P.

answers from Boise on

If they suggest vitamin D, has she been outside much or had any "me" time? I get this way with cabin fever. May not have anything to do with it, but it couldn't hurt.

N.P.

answers from Albany on

Hi there,

There could be many reasons for this... She might want to get her doctor to run some blood work. She might be deficient in her B vitamins, it could be a sign of a thyroid going wonky, it could be chronic fatigue syndrome (which I have)....these are just a few examples. Best to have blood work done to narrow down what might be going on. Good luck!

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A.T.

answers from Wilmington on

Have the dr. do a blood test to check her thyroid. The symptoms are exactly what you are explaining. There are specific tests she should ask for and they would be thyroid antibodies-thyroid peroxidase (TPO), thyroiglobulin antibody; T4, TSH, Free T4 and T3-free. These blood test have to be broken out like this to give the patient the best reading and diagnosis. I have been going through this myself and these are what my Nurese Practitioner recommends. She specializes in hormone balancing and is located in Wilmington. Keep us posted.

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B.

answers from Augusta on

I am a mom of just two and I'm tired all the time too.
I know I don't get enough sleep but it's unavoidable.
She may not be getting enough sleep or the right kind of sleep.
I can't get everything done with just two kids , she may be trying to do too much and her body is just tired.

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D.W.

answers from Indianapolis on

It's interesting reading the other comment and seeing what we all think may be the source of the fatigue. In my case, I'd agree with having a CBC (complete blood count) drawn to see if there are any abnormalities.

I'd also ask if there have been any other symptoms. Being tired is such an ambiguous symptom and can have so many causes (vitamin/hormone deficiencies, cancer, depression, etc).

In particular, I'd ask if she's been either gaining/losing weight, been nauseated, night sweats.

I had issues with fatigue, but I was the mom to a newborn and a newly 2 year old. I was losing weight (ummm, I was 7 wks postpartum) and getting flushed from what I thought was pregnancy hormones leaving my system. It ended-up being a much more serious issue that my instincts had to press for a biopsy and diagnosis. I did have a swollen lymph node in a suspicious place (my collarbone) - otherwise, no one would have ordered the thousands of dollars of tests to lead to an eventual cancer diagnosis.

I don't think that's your SIL's situation, but it's always good to be diligent.

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A.R.

answers from Parkersburg on

L.:
Has she had her thyroid checked? That could be the problem. It is just a blood test to check. Also, she may have sleep apnea. It makes you really tired. I had it and gained weight. I've alway had a hard time losing weight.

Good luck to her, hope she finds out what is going on. In the meantime, tell her to schedule some "me" time for herself. Even if it is 20 minutes a day.
A.

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M.A.

answers from Knoxville on

This happened to my friend and she went to the dr and they said she had Lyme Diesease. It was weird because we live in a state that it is very rare but after months of different test and they acctualy told her is was in her head but finaly they tested for lymes and she was positive. She is about 1 1/2 months into her treatment and we are praying it works but it would not hurt to test for this.

V.C.

answers from Dallas on

L.,
I felt that way until I started taking supplements. If she is interested, the ones I use are Shaklee and can be found at http://www.shaklee.net/healthforlife. I would recommend the vitalizer pack with iron and the Energyzing Soy protein. They have a money back guarantee.
Victoria

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K.B.

answers from Cincinnati on

AH! It sounds like me! I only have one 6 year old and work nights but even when I'm off for a week I'm exhausted and go to bed right with my son--so sleeping 10-12 hours a night. I have had blood work out the wahzoo done and nothing at all came back abnormal. I do have a hormone imbalance due to a prolactinoma but that SHOULD only make me feel like I'm breastfeeding--not dragging all the time.
I don't know how long she has been taking vitimin D but it could take awhile for that to get the levels up and keep them up.
Caffine has a counter affect--I have found when I don't consume any caffine that I'm actually MUCH better off.
My doc always waves it off on night shift :-/ I'm still working on getting more test done. Best of luck to her!

L.B.

answers from New York on

Has she had blood work done? I would ask the MD to check for vit B12 deficiency, iron deficiency and thyroid problems some of the more common causes of fatique.

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R.M.

answers from Nashville on

It could be any number of things- anemia, thyroid issue, early onset menopause or other hormonal imbalance, depression, sleep deprivation. Fatigue and weight issues could be any of those (although I'm not sure about anemia and weight). I would tell her to go see her doctor and ask for bloodwork to be done.

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M.C.

answers from Greensboro on

You have had some really good answers. Without some lab work, it would be impossible to say what the problem is. However, I take an all natural product that is completely safe and easy to take. We hear a lot about toxins today in the environment, as well as in food and water. We just cannot escape them. This product safely allows us to eliminate those things from the body and then lets the body function as it should. The product does not know the name of the problem or disease, it just removes the trash(toxins) and lets the body function better. It won't hurt and it just might help. If you want more info please message me. M.

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