I first realized how unusual my fatigue was when my coworkers would ask how I was and I almost always answered with some variant of, “I’m ok. Just tired.” They would politely inquire as to what I was doing the previous day to make me so tired and I never had a good answer.
I stay home and sleep. Sometimes I go shopping or see a movie and then I sleep more. I can only plan one “activity” a day or I feel the effects for more than a week. This is what a common week for me looks like:
Monday: Stay home. Try to get something done. Rest.
Tuesday: Get ready for work. Sleep. Work.
Wednesday: Work. Sleep.
Thursday: Work. Sleep.
Friday: Work. Sleep.
Saturday: Work. Sleep.
Sunday: Maybe shop or do housework. If so rest the rest of the day.
I fall asleep hard and fast as soon as my head hits the pillow. I also have such a hard time waking up with an alarm clock or even a person trying to wake me. It feels like a layer of lead is pressing me back into bed and pulling my eyes back closed. I set multiple alarms at varying intervals and with different sounds and I still sleep too late to get to work on time every few weeks.
You can see why I got fed up and started asking my doctor for answers. I have no energy for a real life! I’m in my 20s! This is not normal. My coworkers think I’m lazy and so does my mom. My doctor suggested that I might be depressed. Another wants to give me adderall. I’m not depressed. I don’t want a stimulant I want someone to find out what is wrong with me and fix it. How could I get everyone to understand? Sleeping 10-24 hours a day is NOT NORMAL. I want to sleep less so that I can get things done. I want to live my life and not sleep it away.
I’ve tried all those “healthy sleep habits” and even had a sleep study done. I finally resorted to self diagnosis with the help of Dr. Google and it is the best decision that I have ever made. I am not lazy. I have hypothyroidism and adrenal fatigue.
Since I have started treating my hypothyroidism I haven’t slept more than 14 hours a day and that alone has been amazing, but I’m greedy. I want to sleep only 7-9 hours a night with no naps and no fatigue. Is that too much to ask?
My low cortisol or adrenal fatigue has been harder to treat, but I think I’ve found a doctor that will help me with it so at least I’m not completely on my own for this chronic battle. I’ve been taking adrenal glandulars and vitamin C and B12 in high doses, but without much effect on my fatigue. He’s added some adaptogens to my regimen (yay. MORE pills.) and is considering starting me on hydrocortizone depending on the results of my second saliva cortisol test.
I’ve been trying to take said test for the past couple of weeks and keep oversleeping past when I should start it or not drinking enough water the day before to help me produce enough spit.
Any advice from personal experiences with adrenal fatigue? What works for you?
Until next time,
Mary