- I'm exercising a lot (usually 5 days a week)
- I'm drinking coffee (2-3 cups in the morning)
- I'm getting about 7 hours of sleep per night
Is there anything specific that I should try or get checked?
Exercising 5X a week is good, are you pushing hard, packing on more weight, or simply going through the motions?
Focus on sleep hygiene. Try sleeping alone and in a pitch black silent room, or getting way closer to that. No phone, no TV, no alarm clock.
Although they're only too happy to sell you an almost lethal dose of melatonin over the counter in the US, some melatonin, time release and really low dose might help you make up for advanced age (we don't know how old you are).
Do you eat wheat, bread, noodles, potatoes? Do you juice or drink juice? Try cutting out all sugars and starches and replacing them with fresh fruit (NOT juice).
And try a caffeine fast. No caffeine, not even one, for a week.
Consider some HGH secretagogue peptides if you can find a reputable source (I tried some and they looked too professional to be shipping something other than what I ordered, and after testing, it was not peptides).
This is mostly a matter of testing a bunch of theories and finding one that works.
Getting a good handle on your number of ng/dL is essential for both men and women.
Try drinking an extra large glass of water in the afternoon and you might start perking up again.
It seems to work for me at least, when I remember to do it. I'm better about it now more than I used to.
See: https://www.eatingwell.com/article/8045761/dehydration-and-f...
As MDs, they know what tests to run to screen you for low-hanging physiological fruit like anemia or hypothyroidism. There's probably over a 50% chance you have at least one of them and this is the most straightforward way to rule them out. And if they rule out those, then they're equipped to check if you have depression or something.
"Exercising a lot" could also be a potential source, depending on what you mean. You might be exercising so much that your fatigue is accumulating faster than you can dissipate it with your available recovery sources. Experimenting with a deload week every 4-8 weeks where you do half the volume and half the intensity might be worth trying.
A sleep study might also be worth investigating. You might have sleep apnea and not know it.
Try to stay consistent. Your body's sleep cycles like to be on schedule. You'll always go through the stages, in order, throughout the night, but the duration of each stage shifts throughout the night--with the bulk of your REM sleep happening in the early morning hours/right before you wake up. For example, if you wake up 2 hours early one morning, you may have only cut your overall sleep by 30% but you may have cut your REM sleep by 50-60% --that's important for concentration, recall, and emotional processing. Similarly, if you stay up really late, you cut into the deep and light sleep that's physically restorative--especially if you are working out.
If you go to bed at varying times each night or wake up at wildly different times in the morning, you kind of make it tough on your body to get into a rhythm.
Limit coffee to 2 cups (nothing after 10am), and make sure you are staying hydrated.
It's normal to feel a little sluggish in the early afternoon after lunch, but you shouldn't feel exhausted or super tired.
If you are feeling super tired to the point where you are falling asleep at your desk, you may want to get checked for sleep apnea.
My body prefers about 9.
- low energy after consuming high-GI / high-sugar stuff: like soda
- low energy after too much caffeine
- low energy when feel overwhelmed / stressed / over-worked
Stuff I do to get back on track is basically:
- sitting in yoga position and doing breathing exercises and meditating
- lying down and doing part-by-part body relaxation (similar technique is progressive muscle relaxation)
Stuff that makes me feel energized:
- breathing exercise, something like Ujjayi Pranayama with box breathing. So breathe in for N, hold full for N, breath out for M (M >= N), hold empty for M. Repeat. Use as much of the Ujjayi technique as you like.
- squeeze your lower jaw gum using your thumb and forefinger below the canine tooth. This is some sort of meridian point that I find wake me up.
- do some burpees or other HIT for 20 seconds.
Good luck!
I find even one beer at night can sometimes torpedo my sleep patterns as well unfortunately. I typically have a drink with dinner but have cut that back as I’ve aged as well. Seltzers and juices can be a decent substitute.
You have to target 8 hours of sleep too. There’s no shame in sleeping a proper amount, especially if it makes you happier/more productive.
Spread your caffeine out a bit.
Take a nap.
Combine all three! Walk to a coffee shop, slam a coffee, and then take a nap when you get back or on the side of the bike path or something (aka the Power Nap). You'll wake up about an hour later.
Anecdotally a friend has mentioned it helps them feel young again; can workout like they used to, etc.
Keto diet was great too, my energy levels felt like flat line but it was pain to maintain
When I increased calories by 20%, suddenly my memory wasn't so foggy, I was more motivated...it was awesome
* Meetings are enthusiasm drainers, switch jobs.
* Find something really motivating to do.
Because it is not immoral, unethical, or otherwise harmful.
Because not taking a nap is not an optimization I find worth pursuing.
YMMV. Good luck.