Why am i so tired all the time?

There are a few reasons you are feeling tired without any reason. One of them is anemia, which is a lack of red blood cells and conversely, oxygen from the lungs is not properly brought to the tissues and cells. Anemia may be caused by deficiency of vitamins or minerals, internal bleeding or chronic diseases. Women who are at “that time” of the month are susceptible to anemia as blood is lost during menstruation. Still, iron deficiency due to menstruation is less than in pregnant women or lactating mothers, as their body needs extra iron to maintain healthy blood levels. Things may also go wrong when your thyroid glands refuse to cooperate with you. Thyroid hormones, thyroxine (T4) and triiodothyronine (T3) are responsible for metabolic processes in the body. Too much thyroid hormone causes hyperthyroidism which speeds up metabolism while too little thyroid hormone slows down metabolism. Hyperthyroidism causes fatigue and muscle weakness and starts in the thighs. Doing energy demanding activities become difficult and other symptoms include weight loss, feeling warm, shorter menstruations, increased heart rate and thirst. Hypothyroidism also causes fatigue and muscle weakness. The symptoms are reversed to hyperthyroidism such as weight gain, feeling cold and longer menstruations. Diabetes, notorious for causing a range of problems in the body, is also related to fatigue. As glucose is the staple fuel of the body, it is not utilized properly in patients with type 2 diabetes as the absence of insulin causes the glucose to build up in the body. Without its staple fuel, the tissues of the body are not nourished properly and causes fatigue. Sadly, being sad can also be the reason you feel tired. Depression induces negative feelings and also has negative effects on the body as it causes a reduction in energy levels, changes in sleep and eating patterns, decreased concentration and overall laziness and worthlessness which keeps you in bed all day.
Reference: http://bit.ly/2f9bC1e

Laura, I can see you do a good job of monitoring yourself and that you're truly confused as to what's happening here. Between the possible combination of meds, the possible need for a change in dosage, or the possible overlapping of these conditions, I really would love for you to make an appointment with your doctor and go over all these things in detail. If it helps, print out the things we've written here and just ask your doctor to read over it all -- that may help you get the conversation rolling. You should NOT feel exhausted all the time. Even if you have to push your doctor for answers or -- if that's the case -- if you need to see another doctor, please do it. You need to feel better. Losing some weight will help, of course, and continued good diet and monitoring are crucial. But I still think you should ask your doctor to weigh in on the fatigue and see if you can help make something new happen here.

Will you do that? And then come back and update me?

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?

Hi, Laura, and welcome to EmpowHer! Thank you so much for your question.

Constant fatigue is so hard to deal with. Let's take a look at what may be happening.

My first question would be about the quality of your sleep. Do you sleep soundly? How long does it take you to fall asleep? And do you stay asleep all night, or do you wake, or toss and turn? Do you know if you are a person who snores?

Is your diabetes well-managed?

Are you at all overweight?

Can you tell me what blood pressure medicine and anxiety medicine you are taking? (Some will list fatigue as a side effect, and it's possible you're reacting to a double-whammy).

How long has this been going on? A few months? A year? Or as long as you can remember?

And do you get any regular exercise?

I'll post these questions while I do some research for you. Please write back and update when you can.