Tired all my life

Have you tried an iron supplement? It has helped me at times. It might be worth a chat with the GP.

Why not see a sleep specialist as it's obviously bothering u now
I'm assuming yiuve had your thyroid tested although just because your results are normal nay still be a problem as what reads as normal may not be
Also get your liver function tests done - may be underlying liver (not serious) problem
As this cab cause severe fatigue

The OP said she'd had all the 'usual blood tests'.

I have the same issues. If sleeping were an Olympic sport then I'd win the gold with no problem.

I think I sleep continuously but DH says that I toss and turn, sit up, shout out etc. Although I don't remember doing it I'm sure that I must be disturbed in some way and that would explain why I'm still tired.

Do you sleep like me? Have you been checked for sleep apnoea?

I sleep a lot more than anyone else in my family and have odd sleep patterns too. My DD seems to have the same 'problem' if that's what it is. We can't survive without an afternoon nap - which was horrendous when I had a family and was teaching too since I couldn't have a minute off. Now I am retired I can have an upright nod-off for ten minutes though my poor working DD cannot.

I think everyone is different.

Yes I was going to mention Sleep Apnoea, has your husband said you seem to stop breathing which is a sympton of that. Being referred to a sleep specialist shoulds a very good recommendation. Sleep also becomes a habit but you will feel better if you see a sleep specialist and have their expert opinion.

With all the tossing and turning it sounds as if you might be very tense and I remember seeing TV programmes where people where extremely restless for no reason. How about Yoga or other relaxation exercise.

I think vampirequeen could be right. Maybe the quality of your sleep isn't great hence the need for quantity??
A sleep clinic could be the way to go if blood tests have ruled out thyroid and diabetes etc.
It could just be you need more sleep!
There is a sleep condition called narcolepsy, has this ever been discussed with you?
I hope you get some answers ?

I'd start by investing in a wristband (Fitbit/Jawbone etc.) which will not only continuously monitor your sleep pattern, but will even categorise the type of sleep you are experiencing, i.e. light/deep/REM. I'm assuming you have access to a Smartphone, on which you can access the appropriate APP. You can then accurately define both the quality and quantity of sleep you're actually getting. If the results show that your patterns are outside the accepted norms - and there is a wide variety - at least you can then refer them to your G.P. as specifics, rather than just presenting with a vague "I'm always tired" complaint.

Maybe you have mild narcolepsy? There are medications especially for that. I don't think it shows up on blood tests as it is a neurological condition. (NOT psychological btw) You wouldn't have to take the meds every day, you could just have them for days you particularly want to stay alert and lively.

A friend of mine's just had help from a homeopath for this sort of thing. Good luck.

My DH had similar. Children used to say he resembled sloth and he once fell asleep at work during presentation. He asked to be referred to sleep specialist and they gave him mask and wires to wear overnight for a couple of days so they could monitor his sleep patterns. It turned out he had sleep apnoea and stopped breathing over 40 times each night but only for a few seconds at a time and mild narcolepsy. He now sleeps with mask which gently forces air into his nose so even if he stops breathing for a few seconds his body still gets air forced in. He is so much better and more like man I married again. Ask for referral you have nothing to lose and everything to gain.

My other half could sleep for England and even though he was diagnosed with sleep apnoea some years ago and wears the C-Pap mask he still falls asleep if he's sitting long enough. His quality of sleep is not great - the mask is a great irritant and he's constantly fighting with it and the pipe attached to the machine during the night although he is definitely getting more proper sleep with it than he did without. Some people do need more sleep than others but if it's becoming an issue and you're falling asleep all the time I'd try the sleep monitor bands as suggested and if your rhythm pattern is constantly disturbed have a consultation with a sleep clinic.

I'm the opposite and need little sleep, although it does sometimes catch up with me and I have a sleepy day. We all need different amounts of sleep, but not getting enough can leave you feeling drained and sluggish. No wonder you just want to stay in bed!

Please get more checks done to find what's right for you. When you're getting the right kind of rest you will be ready for any challenges lively grandchildren may present you with!

I had B12 tests which came back normal. I got a copy of my results and they were very low but within 'normal' My mother had low B12 levels and my brother (in new Zealand where the normal range is lower) has to have injections every 3 months. I choose to use a B12 spray and feel much better

My niece had a similar problem and got herself a fitbit which can, apparently, measure sleeping patterns. After a couple of weeks she took a print out to her GP who saw that , although she was sleeping for many hours she wasn't getting good quality sleep. She is making changes to hopefully change the situation.

I think it is common fenmatthews, to find our 'normal' is not the same as other countries. Is the B12 spray prescribed?

I slept a lot - I still get tired but I am sure you will know what I mean vivvq when I say 'normal' tired. The first thing they found was low thyroid (I assume you have been tested for that) and the second was the IBS I have suffered from for, I would guess, 20 years if not more. It has always been a case of treating the symptoms but now they are treating the actual problem I am so much better - I feel about 10 to 15 years younger, am more confident and want the same for everyone! Please do go back to your doctors and ask for more help.

I do think that if you have something like a sleep/tiredness problem it is depressing too. Hopefully not leading to clinical depression but any depression is tiring in itself.

I've got a friend like that and she's only 45 she can go to bed anytime of day or night be asleep in seconds and sleep for hours.When she's bored she says I think I'll go to bed for a few hours and if she goes. Think maybe there isn't any medical answer it's maybe just the way some folks are. Sorry not very helpful. But may I ask do you suffer from depression .

Have you tried reading a couple of chapters of a good book once you are settled in bed for the night. I find that on nights that I get absorbed in a chapter or two of a really good book I always sleep much better and soundly (not remembering dreams etc) and feel far more alert and refreshed in a morning. Also have found doing this I am not woken up by the need to go to the loo in the night. Maybe if you alter your daily routine somewhat and possible examine the types of food you are eating (some being more energising than others) you will see some changes. Sometimes a little walk in the fresh air is what's needed. It can alter your mood or sleepiness and revitalise you.

I have to point out that you are very dependent on your doctor with regard to blood tests. For example, if you were to enter a maths exam where the pass mark was 25% and you got 26% you would have passed but you would hardly be ecstatic at your performance!! It is the same for blood tests - there has to be parameters for readings otherwise everyone would have to have further tests but you need to know your reading in order to judge if there could be a problem. In my case I had a 'normal' reading for B12 but it was something like 160 in parameters of 150 - 860 which meant, according to the lab, that I was normal but my doctor was horrified and immediately ordered me B12 injections every fortnight for 2 months and I now have a B12 jab every 3 months. It is the same for Thyroid readings - you really do want to know what the readings (and parameters) are. Some surgeries will charge you for a print out so I suggest you go along with paper and pen and simply ask then write them down.

I suppose sleep is like everything else and we are all on some wonderful 'spectrum', I agree with everybody else who says you must go back to the Drs and say you want to be referred to somebody who deals with sleep problems as you are worrying about it and it has become difficult to cope with. Just a thought GPs don't usually do much with Vitamin testing in ordinary circumstances, might be interesting to know if you are short of anything, I was amazed the difference Vitamin D and Calcium made to me and I see B12 has been mentioned and iron, as I understand it we don't make as much use of our food as we age.

My sister had this type of problem and was eventually diagnosed with depression.

I have been suffering from several complaints including sleepiness for many years now and was resigned to living with them. Then I decided to make an appointment with the kinesiologist who holds a clinic weekly at the osteopaths we use on occasion.

I had seen a lady over twenty years ago who had helped me enormously but me and my body especially are a lot older now!

My current kinesiologist has steadily been putting me back on the road to health happiness. I won't try and describe what it is exactly but I can assure you it works. All the staff at the practice cannot praise him enough and my body is gradually becoming balanced once again.

I don't know where you live but mine recommended looking on
www.systematic-kinesiology.co.uk as I'm going to find one for my daughter's partner who suffers from rheumatoid arthritis.

I do hope you find a solution.
Sleepiness is as debilitating as insomnia I've found.

I love sleeping. Zzzz

Hi it took them more than 15 years and all the blood tests, MRI etc going to refer me to a Respiratory Consultant who listened and sent me home with a simple (and cheap) little kit comprising a finger clip secured in place by a wrist band connected to a small box with a memory card... After wearing it for 24 hours I sent it back and lo and behold the printout showed that my blood oxygen levels were dropping below 85% for x% of the time when I was asleep.
They think (though of course being the brain they cannot tell for sure) that the part of my brain that stimulates breathing was damaged when I had a TBI impacting the back of my skull (traumatic brain injury previously known as 'Closed Severe Head Injury'). So cheap and simple I am surprised that only Respiratory Consultants seem to use these little gadgets.
Official diagnosis is Central Alveolar Hypoventilation which translates as Brain Lungs not breathing enough!
So I am on oxygen - via a nasal cannula with a machine at home and cylinders for travel. When I am with people and talking or eating I have to breath but when alone or sleeping it sort of doesn't happen. I do not yawn or feel breathless just an overwhelming need to sleep. I had to give up my job, stop driving and now am coping with neurological deficits esp memory loss that could have been prevented.
Anyway for those of you experiencing this brain 'shut-down' imperative (especially if you have sustained a TBI) do give it a try as it is so easy and does not cost the NHS much at all. BW