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I’m tired all the time. It sucks, and it’s something I hope to change over the next few months.
Certain foods and activities make me more tired than others. For example, as much as I love Nalley-brand chili, there’s something in it that just knocks me out. (I suspect MSG, monosodium glutamate, which is one of the ingredients.) Yes, I can get almost a day’s supply of fiber from one can of this stuff, but it’s not worth it if I lose all my energy.
At Dumb Little Man, K. Stone recently shared how to avoid the ten worst energy zappers:
If you are trying to accomplish anything in life, whether it is work, raising a family, or even having fun, you need to have energy. When we run into trouble in the form of bad moods or poor productivity, its usually because we are low on energy. Oddly, many of us willingly subject ourselves daily to factors that suck us dry.
Stone’s list includes the following:
- Lack of sleep.
- Sugar.
- Caffeine.
- Lack of exercise.
- Not enough oxygen.
- Processed foods.
- Dehydration.
- Stress.
- Chronic pain.
- Toxic people.
I struggle with half of these items. It’s particularly difficult for me to get sound sleep.
I have sleep apnea, which means that when I sleep, my airway becomes obstructed, causing me to snore loudly, and to actually stop breathing. (I wasn’t aware that I snored until Mac and Pam pointed it out once on a camping trip. We were sharing a cabin. I was so mortified that I forced myself to stay awake the rest of the night.)
When I snore, I don’t sleep soundly. I don’t wake well-rested. Fortunately, I’ve been prescribed a C-PAP machine, a device that applies constant air pressure to keep my airway from becoming obstructed. Unfortunately, having the C-PAP mask strapped to my face ruins my sleep, too. It’s been years since I actually had a good night’s sleep.
I know I can correct this by getting fit. There’s little doubt that my apnea is weight-related. When I’m lighter, my snoring is less frequent and less pronounced. This is yet another incentive for me to get in shape.
Meanwhile, I’m trying to reduce the effect of other factors on Stone’s list. I’m drinking less caffeine. (And less alcohol — why didn’t he include that?) I’m eating fewer processed foods, with special attention paid to high-fructose corn syrup. I’m eating fewer sweets.
I’m making progress, but I’m still tired all the time.
I realize that many of my posts right now at Get Fit Slowly are about my physical state. They probably read like a litany of complaints. This is temporary. Once I’ve established some basic facts about my physical fitness, I’ll begin writing more about how I (and you) can improve matters, how we can get fit slowly.
Mac
19 responses so far ↓
1 Will // Jan 22, 2008 at 5:52 am
I too have Sleep Apnea and I am using a new type of mask called a nasal pillow -http://blog.cpap.co.uk/index.php?s=nares
Its a little less constricting / mask like for me. Also I take a med (not sure how you feel about that) called Provigil which is made for people with sleep apnea who are already using a cpap. The way I understand it, the cpap helps the cardiac side of things but not necessarily the sleepiness - thats where provigil comes in. Works wonderful for me - better than coffee. Best of luck! Love the blog!
2 brad // Jan 22, 2008 at 7:04 am
MSG could certainly be a culprit (my ex-wife had a similar reaction to MSG, it would just knock her out, making her listless and exhausted), but I’m skeptical of the supposed effects of most of the other foods and beverages you mention.
For me the primary key to feeling peppy is exercise. Even when I’m feeling tired, if I exercise I sleep better and wake up feeling energized. Aerobic exercise helps the most, but so does strength training. I keep a set of dumbells next to my desk and use them during the day while I work, and sometimes I do a few sets before going to bed — that invariably makes me wake up the next morning feeling wonderful.
I’ve never noticed any effect on my energy level from caffeine, alcohol, processed foods, sugar, etc. — there are temporary effects of course, but in terms of my overall energy level exercise seems to be by far the most important factor. When I don’t get enough exercise I feel tired and defeated.
3 d.a. // Jan 22, 2008 at 7:28 am
CPAP: if you haven’t already, you might want to try a mouth & nose covering CPAP mask. It can take several tries to get a mask that is both comfortable and works well. I wish you luck; not getting enough sleep can be miserable!
4 Eric Nagel // Jan 22, 2008 at 7:54 am
The lack of daylight makes me sleepy. When its dark at 5:30, I just want to go to bed. I’m glad the days are getting longer.
5 John // Jan 22, 2008 at 8:22 am
I have severe apnea, diagnosed in ‘04. The night of my sleep test they put me on the CPAP and I slept so deeply I may as well have been in a coma. Luckily I adjusted to my BiPAP fairly quickly and have a high degree of compliance. I sleep great with the machine.
6 Rolltimer // Jan 22, 2008 at 8:56 am
I like your personal approach to this getting fit blog. You are speaking from the same level as many who are reading your blog in the spirit that “we’re all in this together”. Like talking with a good friend who has made the same commitment as you. At some point one or the other will pull ahead and reach back to help his buddy. If it’s a fellow reader, I hope you’ll give us your help in the comments.
7 Lucas // Jan 22, 2008 at 9:44 am
I used to have problems with my energy levels, too. I’d have a hard time keeping my eyes open in the early afternoon, and after dinner all I wanted to do was sit on the couch and watch TV. I also would get in terrible moods when I was hungry. If I was hungry, I would literally get mad enough to punch walls over stupid stuff like not being able to solve a Sudoku puzzle or stubbing my toe.
I solved both by avoiding foods that spike my blood sugar levels and instead eating foods with a lower glycemic index. I also started eating by “paleo” rules: I’ll only eat something if, in theory, it could be eaten raw. It’s basically a super-extreme version of avoiding processed foods — if you couldn’t eat it raw, then it had to be processed somehow to make it edible!
8 James Lemoine II // Jan 22, 2008 at 10:06 am
While a lack of solid sack-time can lead to being tired, it is common for a drop in calories to cause the same thing.
Normally when people diet, they cut out so many calories by eating small quantities of healthy food, they may not have enough calorie intake to keep the body running all day. This will eventually lead to a slower metabolism (drop in energy level).
Be sure to keep your calories where they should be… eat healthy calories spread throughout the day (not jammed into a couple of meals).
9 J.D. // Jan 22, 2008 at 10:09 am
10 metroknow // Jan 22, 2008 at 11:23 am
2 things on this:
1. I am right there with Eric on the lack of daylight. Its part of the endurance test in Wintertime here in the Northwest. If you can survive the winter mentally, the spring, summer, and fall is glorious. Albeit rainy at times.
2. Oh man I hate to admit this, but my problem in the past was I was exercising, but not Enough. Meaning, I was running about 2 miles a day (roughly 1/2 hour out the door, stretched, and reseated in front of my computer). I bumped that up to running for 45 mins or more, with a 6 mile run on the weekend, and my energy actually started improving. Much to my chagrin.
11 Melanie // Jan 22, 2008 at 12:38 pm
I was diagnosed with sleep apnea when I was in college, when I turned 20. One of my roommates actually called the health center’s emergency line when I stopped breathing normally and “hiccup” breathed for almost 30 minutes. I tried the C-PAP machine, but I have trouble sleeping without my hair pulled back — I absolutely cannot abide sleeping with anything on, near, or around my face.
Now, I don’t recommend this for everyone, but last year I had surgery, and my apnea is almost completely gone (I still have some weight to lose, but it’s going…slowly ^_^). Basically, I had tissues in my nose removed (and the inside straightened), my tonsils and adenoids removed, my uvula removed, and a large portion of my epiglottis (the usual culprit for sleep apnea) removed.
Basically, I just want to say that sometimes it’s not just the weight that causes this problem — though it certainly is one of the usual causes, and should be taken care of before considering surgery. Along with my internalist, and my nutritionalist, and my allergist, and my sleep specialist, my ENT specialist recommended this. On top of weight loss. Sleep apnea is not something to be taken lightly, for those of you who think you might have it. And sometimes losing weight isn’t all you have to do to take care of it.
All this being said, I think this is a great post — and definitely something for everyone to consider, if they have similar problems!
12 Sally Parrott Ashbrook // Jan 22, 2008 at 12:52 pm
I’m not sure several of these can be called things people “willingly subject” themselves to–though certainly it can be worthwhile to seek out remedies.
I added upper-body work to my running routine this month, and it definitely helps me feel more energized during the day and more ready to sleep at night.
13 Dr. Pam // Jan 22, 2008 at 2:28 pm
Melanie is right, sometimes weight is NOT the cause of sleep apnea. There are two basic types of sleep apnea: central apnea and obstructive apnea. In central apnea, the breathing center in the brain doesn’t work quite right and “forgets” to tell your body to breathe. This is not fixed by losing weight. However, the great majority of sleep apnea is obstructive sleep apnea (90%), where fatty tissues at the back of your throat obstruct the air passages. 95% of patients with obstructive sleep apnea are obese. This can be helped by losing weight.
We focus on our external body image when it comes to weight: what size pants do I wear, how large is my gut, how big is my butt. Nobody every says,”man, my uvula sure has gotten fat!” But you have to keep in mind that you have fat throughout all of your body. When you gain weight, you gain fat in all of these tissues, which includes the throat and uvula. On the up side, losing weight will decrease the fat in these tissues as well. So that in the case of obstructive sleep apnea, weight loss can significantly improve the symptoms.
14 Carol // Jan 22, 2008 at 6:11 pm
Hey. Nice to read about your journey. Just somebody else’s experience and 2 cents: I got a lot more energy after reducing alcohol intake, quitting wheat (allergy), using a S.A.D. light in the morning. I also added a multi vitamin and Omega 3. And now I exercise daily! It all adds up to feeling much better and each was added 1 at a time. By the way, I have always had depression that sways from light to deep. Finally got on Welbutrin which, incidentally, does reduce cravings and typically promotes weight loss.
15 greenman2001 // Jan 22, 2008 at 6:27 pm
I’m glad you posted this, J.P. I’ve been wondering where your motivation is coming from, and I have a better idea now.
I believe generally in separating weight loss from exercise — in fact, I think I’d go so far as to say that exercise undertaken during a diet may be the single biggest reasons for failing to stay on the diet. But for a medical problem like apnea — and lots of others — pursuing both simultaneously may be the only effective approach.
I find it very worrisome to hear things like, “you’re always tired when you’re losing weight.” It doesn’t have to be that way.
I’m eager to hear the specifics of your program, and I hope you’ll share them soon.
16 Tim Harding // Jan 23, 2008 at 12:25 am
I ran yesterday for the first time in a while and was sound asleep before midnight for the first time in weeks and weeks.
I def. see a correlation between quality of exercise and quality of sleep.
Sleep apnea sure sounds like it sucks. Ugh…
17 Asithi // Jan 23, 2008 at 12:00 pm
Sleep apnea also effect the people who are around them as well. For a year, I had a downstairs neighbor with sleep apnea. I can hear him struggling to sleep each night (old building, floors paper thin). It got to the point where I started getting anxious each night I have to sleep. I would wake up with sweaty and my heart beating very fast in the middle of the night because I hear him struggling. I had the option to move. But I can’t help feeling bad for his poor wife. They were newly weds at the time and she told me that she did not know that he has this problem before they got married.
18 Steven Fisher // Jan 29, 2008 at 1:48 pm
I have sleep apnea, too, and looking at your mask made me flinch. If losing weight doesn’t help, get a different mask.
19 Keith // Jan 30, 2008 at 3:30 pm
I also was told that I snored very loud and was tired all the time. My doctor had me take a sleep study that came back negative (there is a 50% chance that it will be negative). So I went online and did some studing. I found a device(mouth piece) that fits in your mouth and holds the bottom of your jaw forwards. I ordered the device from http://www.nosnorezone.com. It took about two weeks for me to get used to it, but after the first couple of days my energy came back. It was and is money well spent!!
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