hypersomnolence

[cosmic mouse]

anyone have this? (like a formal diagnosis, I mean?)

I've been utterly exhausted at all hours of the day for like the past 2 weeks or so. The docs can find no reason... my bloodwork came back normal and I have to see a cardiologist next week, but I'm not expecting any problems there either. Up until 2 weeks ago I was active, exercising 3-4 x weekly and my diet has always been good (adequate protein, lots of vegetables, etc). I'm not even close to being overweight and I'm not depressed (although I am mad busy and have far too many life-responsibilities for one person, but that could be said for many peeps).
Last night for example, I slept for almost 12 hours (not really on purpose) and woke up exhausted. Argh!

I used to have insomnia (sleep maintenance variety), but now? I think insomnia was better than how I feel now.

 

[Marynator]

Oh dear, I am really so terribly sorry for what you're going through, that just sounds so very scary. Have you had a vacation recently? Oh I do hope I don't sound like I'm not taking it seriously, I just mean I'm curious if you haven't had a good break for a long time, do you think maybe you could have serious burn out catching up with you? Do you feel your grief might have a part in how you're feeling? I could just imagine how your emotions might've taken a real toll. I do know over sleeping could make you more tired, 12 hours really is a lot, I really hope you're okay.

Do you have more tests coming up? My first thought would be to request time off from work, either to recharge yourself or at least not add extra stress while you're figuring out what's going on. You'll be in my thoughts, please take care.

 

[cosmic mouse]

Thanks Mary. Yeah, I haven't had a real vacation in awhile... have a few days off next month and then a week in August, so maybe I can catch up then, I thought about grief since a friend of mine recently passed, but I truthfully do not feel overly-grieved about that (at least not now at this point).
I'm also thinking eye strain could be a factor since I use a computer for ~50% of my work and I use my phone a lot on my extra-long commute back and forth. Well, in any case, maybe the doc next week can help...

 

[Marynator]

Oh I do hope your doctor will have some thoughts next week, will you have more tests before you see her? I know that's always very scary, I hope she has something to tell you and not just more of a mystery.

Do you feel anything particular's weighing on you?

 

[cosmic mouse]

Do you feel anything particular's weighing on you?

Not specifically, no., but thanks for asking.

Eh, I'll be fine im.sure, just tired of being tired.. and wanted to query the board on this type of thing. Sometimes peeps have novel thoughts above and beyond the medical professionals that are helpful.

 

[Marynator]

Sometime's I've been really terribly exhausted just from burnout from work, especially if I've been stressing over projects for a long while. I'll just get feeling very wiped out all the time, and taking like two or three consecutive weeks off has really helped me, I don't even really go anywhere specific sometimes, just unplugging really helps. I'd like to walk down to a cafe every day and just sit outside for hours at a time, or even reading some new books, having no schedules or obligations to worry about has just done such wonders for me before.

 

[Sophie74656]

I hope you figure it out. Any vitamin deficiencies? Are you possibly pregnant?

 

[cosmic mouse]

I hope you figure it out. Any vitamin deficiencies? Are you possibly pregnant?

Vitamin deficiencies= possibly. I've had iron deficiency in the past and it certainly made me exhausted, but how I feel now is a bit different. And I'm not "breathless" like I was when I had anemia. Still it could def be some other deficiency I suppose.

Pregnant= no chance

 

[Butters]

Too much sleep used to make me feel more exhausted than too little.

My own constant state of exhaustion I put down to the full on job with no security and a general air of mistrust, full on kids that won’t quit, drinking too much and not having a real bed or bedroom. Guessing those don’t apply.

 

[cosmic mouse]

Too much sleep used to make me feel more exhausted than too little.

My own constant state of exhaustion I put down to the full on job with no security and a general air of mistrust, full on kids that won’t quit, drinking too much and not having a real bed or bedroom. Guessing those don’t apply.

The kids and alcohol don't apply, but the other stuff does, esp. the bit about the job. I might try altering my sleep time , which normally averages ~7-8 hrs, to make sure either too much or too little isn't the issue.

Incidentally I just drank a cup of strong coffee, which is normal for me in the morning, but not now (mid afternoon ) and I do feel moderately more alert . Not sure what that means...

 

[Butters]

The kids and alcohol don't apply, but the other stuff does, esp. the bit about the job. I might try altering my sleep time , which normally averages ~7-8 hrs, to make sure either too much or too little isn't the issue.

Incidentally I just drank a cup of strong coffee, which is normal for me in the morning, but not now (mid afternoon ) and I do feel moderately more alert . Not sure what that means...

That might be your issue. Caffeine deficiency. I have a long held belief that if a cup of coffee can keep you awake, you weren’t tired to begin with.

I’m from the bedtime coffee school of thought. You’re mileage may vary; i was acclimated to late nights and night shifts so my circadian rhythms are shredded anyway.

But yeah. Coffee is a good pick me up, that, and the Blues Brothers movie.

 

[cosmic mouse]

Man, I used to have such problems with insomnia that drinking coffee before bed terrifies me. But I'll see how this 2pm cup will affect me tonight.

You might be onto something with the Blues Brothers.

 

[DimesDan]

I feel tired a lot of the time, that is down to my glucose levels and diabetes in general though.

Talking of which, is their any family history of diabetes in your family and have you increased your thirst/drinking levels and noticeable weight loss @cosmic mouse? As of I remember, being massively tired and sleeping alot are some of the symptoms that can occur.

 

[MacLeod]

Are you drinking enough, you can sometimes feel tired if you are dehydrated.

 

[cosmic mouse]

I feel tired a lot of the time, that is down to my glucose levels and diabetes in general though.

Talking of which, is their any family history of diabetes in your family and have you increased your thirst/drinking levels and noticeable weight loss @cosmic mouse? As of I remember, being massively tired and sleeping alot are some of the symptoms that can occur.

The blood work I just had done indicated my glucose is normal, and it's never been high in the past. I'm adopted, so no family history , unfortunately. No weight loss either, been almost the exact same weight for the last 6-7 yrs. No extra thirst either that I'm aware of, but I'll pay more attention because it's possible I'm not drinking enough since the weather has gotten warmer .

Consider a sleep study and rule out sleep apnea. Sleeping long doesn't necessarily mean you're sleeping well.

This is a good idea esp since I've been single and sleeping alone fir the last decade or so. So, basically no one around to tell me if I stop breathing whilst asleep, etc. Good tip, thanks.

Are you drinking enough, you can sometimes feel tired if you are dehydrated.

Possible... thanks for the thought. The weather has recently gotten warmer so I might be a touch dehydrated.


Thanks you guys...

 

[Timewalker]

my bloodwork came back normal

Did your tests include one for your thyroid? Sleeping for that long is one of the symptoms of hypothyroidism, and is something I went through before being properly diagnosed and put on medication.

If you weren't tested for that, you should ask to be.

 

[Australis]

although I am mad busy and have far too many life-responsibilities for one person

Is possible you aren't so much hypersomnolent as hypervigilant? That concerns, even worries about work and other people in your life has made you over-alert? I have seen that before.

Also, agree about the thyroid test.

Finally, I take a supplement, an amino acid called l-glutamine (or sometimes glutamine). In capsule form. It's supposed to be a 'brain food', so I feel less tired, more focused and don't have such a sweet gum (the sweet tooth fell out ages ago). I swear by it. I now order them from Puritan's Pride in the US (200 caps x 1 gram) as they're hard to get here. You should check them out.

 

[cosmic mouse]

@Timewalker I had my thyroid tested recently and was told it's normal, but thanks for the thought. My "normal" does seem to be very close to the cutoff on the lab reference range so I'll keep track of that going forward in case my normal actually falls out of the range. (Docs today seem to diagnose on paper results more than individual symptoms, unless it's a naturopath, in my experience).

Is possible you aren't so much hypersomnolent as hypervigilant? That concerns, even worries about work and other people in your life has made you over-alert? I have seen that before.

Also, agree about the thyroid test.

Finally, I take a supplement, an amino acid called l-glutamine (or sometimes glutamine). In capsule form. It's supposed to be a 'brain food', so I feel less tired, more focused and don't have such a sweet gum (the sweet tooth fell out ages ago). I swear by it. I now order them from Puritan's Pride in the US (200 caps x 1 gram) as they're hard to get here. You should check them out.

I may be thinking too much, although I don't really have a tendency to "worry" about things per se I do tend to hyperanalyze, which can bleed over into that area. Really think of 7 of 9- I'm not Borg but my brain is very much like that (never shutting off except when asleep, etc.).
Thanks also for the tip on the l-glutamine. I'll look into that.

I had insomnia last night, which is actually more normal for me. Fell asleep for about 3 hours and then woke up and was awake most of the rest of the night. Whether it was just my normal, the afternoon coffee yesterday, or something else...

 

[Riker'sMailbox]

I am always tired, regardless of the amount of sleep I get. For me, it is due to having two small kids that interrupt my sleep and a brain that wakes me up several times a night to remind me of things that happened during the day.

I started taking magnesium supplements on the advice of a nutritionists and it has helped. Not tremendously, but noticeably.

 

[TorontoTrekker]

I have this same problem - I often sleep through my alarms, and on weekends I can easily sleep for 10-12 hours per night.

This caught my attention:

Vitamin deficiencies= possibly. I've had iron deficiency in the past and it certainly made me exhausted, but how I feel now is a bit different.

I've been being treated for the last ten years for hemachromatosis, which is an excess of iron being stored in the liver. My ferritin was measured at about 980 nanograms/millilitre when I was first diagnosed (it's now around 115 or so). The interesting thing about this condition is that it's often misdiagnosed as anemia.

In my specific case, mind you, they're not 100% sure that I actually have hemachromatosis, because when they were treating me weekly (the treatment is phlebotomies - basically, they take half a litre of blood out of you), my hemoglobin was also dropping. So right now I'm on a once-every-month-to-three-months treatment schedule, to make sure that they don't make me anemic. (I actually have a bloodwork appointment in the morning - between the requisition from my family doctor and the one from the specialist, they want to test me for 14 different things.)