I have a nine to six office job. I often experience fatigue at around eleven am. It gets worse after lunch breaks. Sometimes, I'm literally falling asleep on my desk. I used to sleep at eleven pm and wake up at six am. Apparently, seven hours of sleep isn't enough, and I need at least eight. Okay, so I now sleep at ten pm and wake up at six. The trouble is, going to bed at ten is a bit early, and I end up waking up several times during the night. I'm not sure if this makes things worse. I wake up and do physical workouts from six to seven. Because I'm an avid basketball fan, I can't give up my training sessions. I'm not sure if this is contributing to my fatigue during work. On the train to work, I like to read. Since I hope to become a novelist, I figured I should read as much as possible. Unfortunately, reading on the train often makes me doze off. The thing is, when I do nap on the train, I find myself feeling fresh during work. However, as I've mentioned, I want to read as much as possible. On my lunch breaks, I usually got for a jog. If I choose not to, I'd eat lunch while reading a novel. After work, I write for about two hours before going to bed. During weekends, I only sleep for around six to seven hours. Everyone loves the weekend, and I want to make the most of it. I'm not sure if the lack of sleep during these times is what's haunting me throughout the working week. I've only been in the workforce for about two years. If anyone out there has more experience and has some advice, I would love to hear it. Thanks very much.
Sometimes fatigue is caused by boredom not physical tiredness. Do you enjoy your job or is it just a means of earning a living. How are you when you're on holiday? If you seem to have more energy then it's probably because you're doing the things you want to do rather than the things you have to do. Perhaps you're bored with your work and frustrated that you can't devote more of your time to what you want to do which, presumably, is writing.
I used to find a similar thing. I'd be training, writing and working and just never recover. Sadly the only way I found to deal with it is to sleep in one day a week. Now I sleep late on a saturday - whatever my body thinks it needs (usually around 10 am ish), then til 9am on sundays. Then back to the early start for monday. I normally only sleep 6 hours most nights though and it doesn't affect me too bad 90% of the time, by friday I'll be wilting but normally a lie in will sort me out. It's not ideal and this probably won't help a lot but that's what I do. The other thing worth noting is that to perform mentally and physically you need to recoup - you need to sleep, its as important as the training, so maybe thinking of that lie in in a different way will help.
If you honestly think that the fatigue isn't a result of all the excersize, then I'd suggest that you go and have a blood test taken and check yourself for underactive thyroid. I experience all those symptoms, aswell as headaches and exhaustion despite having gotten a full nights sleep. If you have an underactive thyroid, then you'll need to be medicated for it, because it gets progressively worse. Good luck
...or anemia, or a blood glucose problem, or ... I think Ashleigh is on the right track. There are treatable conditions that can cause chronic fatique, so it is worthwhile to check with a doctor. But let the physician do the diagnosing.
I feel like this thread could have been started by me... I would recommend going to the doctor as well. I'm waiting for my health insurance to kick in so I can do the same, but in between now and when I can get an appointment, when I feel myself starting to doze off like that, I'll stand and stretch a little bit, or try to move around a little to see if that helps me wake up. It's easier for me to stay awake now that I work retail moving around all the time, but back at the beginning of the year, I also had an office job, and it was horrrible. I barely managed to stay awake sometimes. Also, a few hours after breakfast (around 11 AM), I eat an apple. That helps give me a little energy to avoid the early afternoon slump that usually hits me.
When I feel myself zoning out at work I stand up. I get out of my chair, raise my desk and work from a standing position. I have one of these kinds of desks: And sometimes I even do what I call My-Chi. It's like Tai-Chi, but the moves are whatever feels good to my body at the moment, hence My-Chi.
Do you have this same problem on weekends? If not, they WHY not? As attested by all the suggestions above, there could be any number of physiological/metabolic causes. Also, athletes often run low on pulse and blood pressure which can contribute to such a problem. The solution would simply...take a five minute break to walk briskly around your office or building. Of course, if the real problem is medical (diabetes, thyroid, blood sugar, depression, pituitary, diet, underlying sleep disturbance, etc) then the medical assistance might be in order. Also, people metabolize food at different rates. You didn't mention your eating habits. Do you eat a good breakfast? You might try a small snack at your desk about the time you feel drowsy. I like raisons because they provide carbs and vitamins that keep me alert. Good luck.
It always helps to go to the doctor about these things. A simple dose of some sort of mediation can completely change your life. If you give him your symptoms then he'll most likely get you a full blood count. Lots of things can give you fatigue so it's best to rule all the possibilities out. I did, and it turned out that I had an underactive thyroid, which needs monitoring and the dosage adjusting frequently. It's worth checking these things out, and if it's all clear, then you know that you should be taking it easier.
Keep in mind that humans are programmed to be sleepy after eating a big meal, so feeling drowsy after lunch, while not pleasant, is typical. There's not really much you can do about it while in the workforce except possibly grazing throughout the day instead of a big lunch, and walking around frequently if you are in a stationary job. It sounds like you're doing everything right. You exercise, which should not contribute to your fatigue; in fact, it should be just the opposite. Studies show that people who exercise more often are, on average, more energetic. You may be physically exhausted after a workout of course, but you shouldnt really be tired. And you keep a similar schedule on the weekends, which will help. Do you eat nutritiously? If you eat nothing but chocolate bars all day, it's no wonder you're tired. If you eat well, though... I'd be confused and would agree that it could be a physiological problem. NaCl has left you with an extremely important question to ask yourself though. If you dont have this problem on weekends, find out why and adjust. If there's no difference, doctors are great help. Good luck.
If the problem is only occuring at work..then safe up anythng physical you may have to do for those times. When I find myself almost dozing at the desk, I get up and go do filing or deliver mail or clean and straighten the office...anyhthng to keep my butt outta my chair. It does help. Also a snack can help..but I am talking an apple (which is a better source of energy than coffee).
Many thanks for all of your replies. Speaking of coffee, Carmina, everyone else in the office has a cup during the morning. They often have one during the afternoons as well. I never drink coffee, so I wonder if that's the difference between our energy levels. Well, not that I'd know even if my workmates are feeling tired. Anyway, I'd rather avoid coffee for the fear of becoming addicted. Yes, Little Miss Edi, I will try to sleep more on weekends and see if it yields good results. Evelon, I would definitely like to spend all the time I have on writing. Having said that, I don't dislike my job at all. Today, I was given a challenging task to do at work. Because I had to think hard to solve the issue, I managed to stay energetic throughout the day. On the other hand, last week I did some tedious work, and I kept feeling drowsy. Indeed, maybe boredom is all it is. Cool, I guess I'll visit a doctor if it reaches a point where I feel it's necessary. The fatigue isn't so severe that it destroys my ability to work. I just demand to be at my best when I'm in the office. Today, I took a ten minute nap after my training session. I also napped for ten minutes on the train. These short breaks seemed to have helped me stay strong throughout the day. My workmate claimed splitting your sleep hours into small portions is effective. According to some research, it's possible to only sleep two hours a day, or something wild like that. Does anyone know more information about this? Actually, I've been trying to follow a healthy diet. Let me post about it here. Please feel free to offer suggestions on how to improve this menu. Breakfast: Egg sandwich and a glass of milk. Arrive at work: A banana. Morning tea: Raisin toast with peanut butter. Lunch: Rice with meat and vegetables. Afternoon snack: Chicken sandwich. Dinner: Rice with meat and vegetables. After dinner: An apple. Yogurt. I eat low-fat yogurts, but I've noticed that they still contain a lot of sugar. Are yogurts actually healthy? Cheers for your help.
It could be your eating habits (forgive me if I am repeating something someone has already said. I never read all the replies) Try eating more bananas and apples. Drink lots of water. I find that those items are key to the way I feel during the day. Good luck, I hope it is a simple fix.
I have a nine to six office job. I often experience fatigue at around eleven am. It gets worse after lunch breaks. Sometimes, I'm literally falling asleep on my desk. I'm in the same boat. I work 9-6 and used to feel tired only a few hours into work. I started seeing a nutritionist and he blamed my fatigue on my diet (specifically how often I was eating)...especially my crash immediately after lunch. I switched to eating six small meals a day, specifically one at 10:45 am and it fights the fatigue. He said that your body will start to get tired because it feels like it's being deprived of food and doesn't want to waste the energy of being awake. And by meal I mean a protein shake or high protein granola bar...my boss would flip if I sat at my desk chowing down. Try it...I'd be willing to bet it helps!
