# run down feeling



## al78 (17 Oct 2011)

Been feeling tired and run down for several weeks now. I don't go out with the club on Sunday mornings now as I don't have the motivation and feel I need the rest on the weekends. Problem is it doesn't help as it takes me a while to get off to sleep at night and I feel awfully groggy when I have to get up in the mornings. The closest feeling I can describe is it is like constantly living with five hours of jet lag. Has anyone else felt like this recently? I was wondering if there is some bug doing the rounds as a friend of mine is having a similar experience.

I cycle 19 miles a day commuting and have been doing this for several years, but my average speed on the return leg is about 2-3 mph slower than it was two years ago. It is frustrating to say the least.What is odd is that I seemed to start deteriorating just after I came back from my walking holiday in Scotland at the end of July. Up to and including then I had felt strong.


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## I like Skol (18 Oct 2011)

In my opinion given your otherwise healthy history and the sudden change which has continued for a significant period I would get down to the GP to discuss the problem. It could be the sign of an underlying problem such as diabeties or similar (this is only a guess and not based on any medical knowledge!!!) 

PS: I work nights and feel the way you describe almost permanently!


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## snorri (18 Oct 2011)

al78 said:


> What is odd is that I seemed to start deteriorating just after I came back from my walking holiday in Scotland at the end of July.


I trust you took precautions to protect yourself from the risks of ticks?


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## machew (18 Oct 2011)

Could also be SAD. Try getting a daylight light


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## cyberknight (18 Oct 2011)

I like Skol said:


> PS: I work nights and feel the way you describe almost permanently!



Sucks does it? The worst for me is when i change shift pattern as i feel like death for a few days , yesterday i was cursing at life in general all day


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## andyh (19 Oct 2011)

i work lates and feel like this too..

i keep getting infections too and the doctor has put me on antibiotics for the next 6 months :-( .

ive had blood tests and they've all come back ok..


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## yello (19 Oct 2011)

It could be seasonal, could be. Change of climate, light, etc etc etc. Autumn can feel like a bit of a come down after summer.

But I'm with the 'see the doc' opinion. It sounds like you're a fit and active person as a rule and this feeling run down has taken you by surprise. Wouldn't surprise me if you've picked up some virus, lurgy or bug.

Don't feel obliged to ride. If there's no motivation then take that as a sign of the body wanting rest (particularly as I'm guessing you don't normally struggle with motivation).


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## Fuzzball (19 Oct 2011)

Till you know what is wrong i would drop the commute by bicycle on the wednesday as well, 5 days in a row is too much if you are under the weather


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## al78 (19 Oct 2011)

I like Skol said:


> In my opinion given your otherwise healthy history and the sudden change which has continued for a significant period I would get down to the GP to discuss the problem. It could be the sign of an underlying problem such as diabeties or similar (this is only a guess and not based on any medical knowledge!!!)
> 
> PS: I work nights and feel the way you describe almost permanently!



I have felt like this off and on for years but I did recover at the end of February and felt strong (well, would could be classed as normally fit for a regular cyclist in their early 30's) through to early August, then it went downhill. I have been to the doctors in the past with no success as all tests come back negative i.e. the doctor can't find anything wrong with me.

I felt somewhat better today and managed a half decent commute home earlier this evening, probably because I was trying to outrun a nasty rain shower. I am away tomorrow with family for a few days so will take advantage of the opportunity to rest.


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## Andrew_P (20 Oct 2011)

Since you felt like this have you ever been on an extended course or had regular use of Antibiotics?


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## vickster (20 Oct 2011)

I would take a look at your sleep hygiene - I always feel dreadful when tired. Also, plenty of fruit, veg and water in diet?


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## yello (20 Oct 2011)

al78, given what you've said about the doc finding nothing and feeling like it 'off and on', do you think it is seasonally related? It could be something like winter blues/SAD. There are many folk here who go through similar difficulties; either gradual as they adjust to the changes in light etc or throughout the winter. 

Another possibility is depression; as a result of winter blues or otherwise. 

At such times, I feel you have to go back to basics. That is, sleep well, eat healthy and drink plenty of water. Avoid alcohol etc etc etc. You know, all the usual boring advice!


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## smokeysmoo (20 Oct 2011)

yello said:


> Autumn can feel like a bit of a come down after summer.



Summer? We've not had one to come down from  Seriously though, I hope your feeling better soon. FWIW I'm certainly far from feeling A1 myself, I think it's a combination of the usual, work, life and finances for my current blues


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## rs2k (20 Oct 2011)

Sleep more and eat more I'd say.

Either that or try a few Ephedrine tabs an hour before you set off for a ride.


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## ColinJ (20 Oct 2011)

machew said:


> Could also be SAD. Try getting a daylight light


Works for me!


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## Christopher (20 Oct 2011)

al, is there any way you can have time off the bike during the week? 19 miles a day is quite a commute and it sounds like you just need a rest. A real rest, doing nothig much at all physical. Perhaps you were tired from your Scottish holiday and your body simply hasn't had a chance for a real rest since then.


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## broomwagon (20 Oct 2011)

I was feeling the same a while ago and took a turn for the worse one evening when I nearly fainted and was shaking like a shi**ing dog. Tests in hospital proved that all was well, heart, vital organs etc and blood. I followed it up with a visit to the doctor, and after a chat, the reason became apparent...Some days when office bound I drank up to 8-9 cups of coffee a day, I skipped lunch, just having a banana and an apple, though I thought the good breakfast I was having was making up for it. But, the biggest shock was that I NEVER drank water through the day, in fact I never drank water on it's own at all thinking I was getting enough from other sources! Now, the good breakfast is still being eaten, porridge, raisins, some fruit and a drizzle of honey, that sets me up nicely. As I have an active outdoor job in the countryside and prefer to walk rather than drive when I can, I always take a bottle of water with me now and go through at least 1.5-2 lts of water. Dinner is a healthy snack, a sandwich, soup or a couple of boiled eggs with a round of bread and a bit of fruit after. No more tiredness for me now. I've slowly cut out the caffiene and introduced decaf over time. It seems to have worked for me and even the after work naps have stopped too.


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## Fiona N (23 Oct 2011)

snorri said:


> I trust you took precautions to protect yourself from the risks of ticks?



+++ I think one way or another you need a blood test - get ye to the doc's


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## al78 (28 Oct 2011)

Fiona N said:


> +++ I think one way or another you need a blood test - get ye to the doc's



All blood tests in the past have come back normal.

I have felt better this week after my long weekend up north, hopefully it will last.


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## User16625 (29 Oct 2011)

As others suggested it could be seasonal. For me the down feeling is more mental than physical. The lousy weather does make me feel like crap tbo, I like being out doors and cant without gettin a soakin. Its like being a Lamborghini in Beijing.


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## ColinJ (29 Oct 2011)

The Sperminator said:


> As others suggested it could be seasonal. For me the down feeling is more mental than physical. The lousy weather does make me feel like crap tbo, I like being out doors and cant without gettin a soakin. *Its like being a Lamborghini in Beijing.*


In my case, it's like being a tractor with flat tyres in a traffic jam in Bangkok!


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## cyberknight (29 Oct 2011)

ColinJ said:


> Works for me!



Nice, would not work in a big factory though as we have permanent artificial light so you do not know whether its night or day apart from the "hour of the dead " around 3 am .......


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## Crankarm (30 Oct 2011)

If you do shoot work and alternating shifts this is a recognised killer and people who do this for much of their lives have a reduced life expectancy as it buggers up the body clock and generally causes poorer health for workers than those that work a traditional day. I did an alternating shift in a factory 25 years ago for about 18months and despite having the fullness and strength of youth back then I felt shoot most of the time. Frequently when waking up I didn't know what day or time it was or what shift I was on. Often I'd wake in a huge sweat and panic that I had slept over and would get a day's pay docked and a warning. Eventually I used to get off to sleep if that is what it could be called in a heightened anxiety about over sleeping so hardly slept at all least I did. It was a shoot job and I am glad I got the money I needed from it and moved on. Colleagues raidly aged prematurely and looked like shoot, staff absence was high although I did never in the end miss a shift, probably because I got little sleep worrying about not waking up on time. I wouldn't do that type of shift pattern or night work again.

Beetroot is great. I try and eat at least one each day. But then I don't do your work pattern. Try and eat as healthily as possible, not late in the evening, cut out the coffee, fags and junk food, stay hydrated. Perhaps take a break from commuting by bike for a couple of weeks and try running instead? A change is as good as a rest.


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## cyberknight (30 Oct 2011)

If i could get out i would , unfortunately well paid jobs around here are very thin on the ground, they are paying management jobs with degrees etc etc about £5k + less than what i am earning ,add in good pension,good healthcare with on site doctor and private healthcare and i cannot take the chance of changing jobs in the current economic climate as i am the breadwinner so here i remain.


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## benborp (3 Nov 2011)

As you have access to private healthcare take advantage of it.
I work long hours in a frequently physically demanding job. Three years ago I ground to a halt - I could hardly walk. It took months to work out what was going on and the cause has never been found but the root of the problem was nutritional. The trouble was that the NHS isn't geared towards effective diagnosis of nutritional problems. While I was waiting for various procedures and investigations I deteriorated. I would still be going through a long process of trial and error to discover which deficiency diseases I was suffering from and which substances I was building up a dangerous surplus of if I hadn't have payed for my own blood assays. The moment I was able to pay for the precise blood tests it was possible to work out why various bits had stopped working and what needed to be done to get them working again.


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