So tired...

[GreyhoundsRUs]

I'm tired. I think I'm more tired than is normal for a person with two small children, but I don't know When it starts getting close to nap time, I can barely stay awake, and I end up sleeping for at least 1 hour during nap time. Thyroid is well within the normal range. I rarely ever have caffeine (like maybe 1 Diet Coke every 2 weeks). I get an average of 7 hours of sleep a night. I exercise about 45 minutes a day. I take a multivitamin every day. Is my body just conditioned to taking a nap? Is there something I can do to have more energy (besides drink coffee)?

[Sheherezade]

Iron? B vitamins? Vitamin D and magnesium?

Parenting little kids is exhausting......


Angie

[GreyhoundsRUs]

I take a regular old multi-vit - should I add other things or go the individual supplement route? Should I see a nutritionist? Is there a good website that tells me how much of this stuff I need?

A is especially mentally taxing, but I don't think that other SAHMs are fighting to stay awake??

[MAPPLEBUM]

Have you been consistently rested for several weeks or months? No major stress or anxiety in the last 6 months? If not my first thought would be a vitamin deficiency. Didn't you recently start exercising again? And aren't you dieting? Depending on how inactive you were / how much you're restricting calories it could just be that. When I amped up my workout regimen a few years ago I would fall asleep like a baby in the afternoons too.

[Vanquisher]

Any chance of mono or some other virus?

[TulipsAndSunscreen]

ISD? Infant Sibling Disease?

[PrincessFiona]

I still go through phases of needing a nap. I also often laid down with the kiddos during nap time. I knew other moms who did too. Honestly, if you can get in an hour of rest, why not? Being a mom takes a lot of effort and energy.

[GreyhoundsRUs]

Have you been consistently rested for several weeks or months? No major stress or anxiety in the last 6 months? If not my first thought would be a vitamin deficiency. Didn't you recently start exercising again? And aren't you dieting? Depending on how inactive you were / how much you're restricting calories it could just be that. When I amped up my workout regimen a few years ago I would fall asleep like a baby in the afternoons too.

I guess it may be the exercise/diet, but I don't remember being this exhausted when I had a personal trainer in med school/was dieting.

I don't think it's mono or anything - my CBC is all normal (as of yesterday's draw). Although, that ISD...

I guess it just could be a lot of little things adding up to a tired me...I just wish I wasn't so tired!

[Curegirl]

I'm not a mom but wanted to send you hugs because I can't think of a harder job than raising little ones!

[ladymoreta]

Are both your kids sleeping through the night? I can do fine on 5 solid hours of sleep, but if I get 7 total hours and it's broken up by a wakeup in the middle, I'm useless the next day without a nap or lots of caffeine in the afternoon.

[GreyhoundsRUs]

(Don't stone me) Both kids sleep from 7pm-7:30am...

According to my FitBit, I'm at about 95-97% sleep efficiency

DH and I wake up at 4:30am to exercise (I do some housework while he works out and then I work out).

[Sheherezade]

If it's just lack of energy and not sickness or lack of actual sleep, I'd try adding a B-complex vitamin in the morning, make sure your' multi has iron in it and maybe take Mg at night. Most multis don't have nearly the level of B vitamins that you see in energy related supplements. You can take a LOT more. Vitamin D uses Mg as a cofactor (just recently learned this) so some D deficiencies are related to Mg defiencies. D deficiency will make you very fatigued. Usually they supplement D by giving you a mega dose once a week (50,000 IU). My DH has been D deficient twice in the last decade and both times it looked like fatigue. Massive fatigue. The D level on his blood work was crazy low - like 12 when it should be over 50. It takes a long time to bring it back up though.

You could also just decide you need to spend a few days at the beach "for your health". That would be ideal, I think.

[Sheherezade]

let me be the first to say it:

4:30 AM????


Well, there's your answer. You are tired in the afternoon because for you....it's NIGHT. Crazy woman!

[Vanquisher]

Yes. I think maybe 4:30 am is too early.

[scrub-jay]

So tired...

Don't compare yourself with other SAHMs, it's all for show. I don't know many who don't drink caffeine. Most drink it like it's going out of style. I know they exist, in theory.

ETA: Sorry, it didn't make sense as written, obviously I needed more caffeine.