Hi again! I'm still very interested in the answers to your questions. In the meantime, here are some things I found that may help you:
You probably know this, but I didn't: Fatigue is a common symptom of diabetes. An imbalance in your blood sugar may be the main cause, according to diabetessymptomsonline.com:
"Your cells use glucose - sugar - for fuel. The hormone insulin controls the distribution and use of glucose in the body. In diabetics, due to poor production of insulin, the glucose is not properly utilized by the cells; instead, it's floating around in the bloodstream, where it can't be used as energy. As a result, you may feel constantly drained.
"Fatigue as a result of diabetes (any type) can only be alleviated by returning the blood sugar to its normal, healthy levels with proper treatment. If you've caught your diabetes in its earlier stages, and it's still considered mild, treatment usually consists of dropping excess body fat, and lowering blood pressure and cholesterol through improvement of your diet and exercise habits - just being more careful with your health in general. If your diabetes is a more complicated type or at a more advanced stage, it will be treated through oral medication or injections of insulin."
Is your blood sugar well-controlled, Laura? When was the last time you and your doctor made any checks or adjustments in this area?
And this is from ivillage:
"People with type 2 diabetes may experience fatigue because they are prone to a condition called insulin resistance, which affects about 90 percent of individuals with type 2 diabetes. Insulin resistance occurs when the body is unable to detect or properly use insulin. Because the body is unable to convert glucose into energy, fatigue often results. Other forms of diabetes involving insulin resistance include gestational diabetes."
They list other diabetic complications and conditions that cause fatigue also:
Hypoglycemia
Hyperglycemia
Obesity
Diabetic ketoacidosis (severe hyperglycemia and buildup of ketones in the blood)
Dehydration
Autonomic neuropathy (damage to the autonomic nervous system, which controls involuntary functions such as digestion)
High blood pressure
Coronary artery disease
Heart failure
Peripheral arterial disease
Kidney disease
For more details on each of those:
http://yourtotalhealth.ivillage.com/fatigue-diabetes.html?pageNum=3
The Mayo Clinic makes a distinction between fatigue and sleepiness. Be sure to also click on the blue links on the left-hand side of their page that say "Causes" and "When to See A Doctor:"
http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/fatigue/MY00120
Laura, have you ever had your thyroid levels checked? There can be a significant connection between the thyroid and fatigue:
The reason I asked about the quality of your sleep is because I am wondering whether sleep apnea could be a cause of your fatigue. A hallmark of sleep apnea is uneven snoring -- the person snores, then stops, then seems to gasp or "startle" back into snoring. All this happens while the person is asleep, so they may never know. (I am astounded at how loudly my husband can snore and not wake himself up!) The key is the unevenness of the snoring, and the quiet "gaps" in the sound:
And I'm also interested in your anxiety and anxiety medicine. Anxiety can be linked to depression, and one of the primary symptoms of depression is wanting to sleep much more than usual. Other depression symptoms include losing interest in things you used to want to do, withdrawing from activities or people that you used to enjoy, frequent crying, a lack of libido, weight loss or gain, feeling worthless or hopeless, and having trouble concentrating. Do you think this is a possibility?
One thing that I became aware of quickly in your case is this: These conditions and their symptoms completely overlap in places. For instance, chronic illnesses can be a cause of depression, or can be a source of weight gain, which can be a symptom of depression. Or there may be no depression at all, and the weight gain can be a symptom of thyroid imbalance; or the thyroid may be fine, and the overweight led to the diabetes, which has led to .... you see how it works.
Do any of these possibilities seem more relevant to you than others?
I would really recommend a thorough checkup of where your diabetes, high blood pressure and thyroid levels are, and a discussion of your fatigue with your doctor. Do you have a good doctor? Do you feel she or he gives you enough information and is proactive enough with your care?
Comment Reply
Laura,
Hi again! I'm still very interested in the answers to your questions. In the meantime, here are some things I found that may help you:
You probably know this, but I didn't: Fatigue is a common symptom of diabetes. An imbalance in your blood sugar may be the main cause, according to diabetessymptomsonline.com:
"Your cells use glucose - sugar - for fuel. The hormone insulin controls the distribution and use of glucose in the body. In diabetics, due to poor production of insulin, the glucose is not properly utilized by the cells; instead, it's floating around in the bloodstream, where it can't be used as energy. As a result, you may feel constantly drained.
"Fatigue as a result of diabetes (any type) can only be alleviated by returning the blood sugar to its normal, healthy levels with proper treatment. If you've caught your diabetes in its earlier stages, and it's still considered mild, treatment usually consists of dropping excess body fat, and lowering blood pressure and cholesterol through improvement of your diet and exercise habits - just being more careful with your health in general. If your diabetes is a more complicated type or at a more advanced stage, it will be treated through oral medication or injections of insulin."
Is your blood sugar well-controlled, Laura? When was the last time you and your doctor made any checks or adjustments in this area?
And this is from ivillage:
"People with type 2 diabetes may experience fatigue because they are prone to a condition called insulin resistance, which affects about 90 percent of individuals with type 2 diabetes. Insulin resistance occurs when the body is unable to detect or properly use insulin. Because the body is unable to convert glucose into energy, fatigue often results. Other forms of diabetes involving insulin resistance include gestational diabetes."
They list other diabetic complications and conditions that cause fatigue also:
Hypoglycemia
Hyperglycemia
Obesity
Diabetic ketoacidosis (severe hyperglycemia and buildup of ketones in the blood)
Dehydration
Autonomic neuropathy (damage to the autonomic nervous system, which controls involuntary functions such as digestion)
High blood pressure
Coronary artery disease
Heart failure
Peripheral arterial disease
Kidney disease
For more details on each of those:
http://yourtotalhealth.ivillage.com/fatigue-diabetes.html?pageNum=3
The Mayo Clinic makes a distinction between fatigue and sleepiness. Be sure to also click on the blue links on the left-hand side of their page that say "Causes" and "When to See A Doctor:"
http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/fatigue/MY00120
Laura, have you ever had your thyroid levels checked? There can be a significant connection between the thyroid and fatigue:
http://thyroid.about.com/cs/fatigueenergy/a/exhausted.htm
The reason I asked about the quality of your sleep is because I am wondering whether sleep apnea could be a cause of your fatigue. A hallmark of sleep apnea is uneven snoring -- the person snores, then stops, then seems to gasp or "startle" back into snoring. All this happens while the person is asleep, so they may never know. (I am astounded at how loudly my husband can snore and not wake himself up!) The key is the unevenness of the snoring, and the quiet "gaps" in the sound:
https://www.empowher.com/media/reference/sleep-apnea#definition
https://www.empowher.com/community/share/apnea-not-so-silent-killer
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/06/12/AR2009061203267.html
And I'm also interested in your anxiety and anxiety medicine. Anxiety can be linked to depression, and one of the primary symptoms of depression is wanting to sleep much more than usual. Other depression symptoms include losing interest in things you used to want to do, withdrawing from activities or people that you used to enjoy, frequent crying, a lack of libido, weight loss or gain, feeling worthless or hopeless, and having trouble concentrating. Do you think this is a possibility?
https://www.empowher.com/media/reference/depression#definition
One thing that I became aware of quickly in your case is this: These conditions and their symptoms completely overlap in places. For instance, chronic illnesses can be a cause of depression, or can be a source of weight gain, which can be a symptom of depression. Or there may be no depression at all, and the weight gain can be a symptom of thyroid imbalance; or the thyroid may be fine, and the overweight led to the diabetes, which has led to .... you see how it works.
Do any of these possibilities seem more relevant to you than others?
I would really recommend a thorough checkup of where your diabetes, high blood pressure and thyroid levels are, and a discussion of your fatigue with your doctor. Do you have a good doctor? Do you feel she or he gives you enough information and is proactive enough with your care?
October 21, 2009 - 8:55amThis Comment
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