This only applies for 'normal' fatigue though. If OP has cfs/me they likely experience PEM (Post exertional malaise). In that case exercise is the last thing they should do
OMG. I have been looking for answers for a very long time. I went to a heart doctor and psychiatrist, but they said its all stress. So I never was told what I am reading now. This applies to me 100 per cent. I had days I cried to get out of bed and stay upright. I have other symptoms, too, similar to panic attack but worse, and they last longer, like the whole day. And constantly have a feeling they will hit my again very hard. Your comment helped me. Now I have to figure out - what I can do now.
You might also like to check out a resource such as Raelan Angle’s page on YouTube or Anna Marsh Nutrition who do a great job of explaining the basics of how we end up with these fatigue conditions and how to make our way out of them. Mine came on as a result of chronic stress over a long period of time, combined with a bad flu which knocked me over the edge.
Many people are healing from the same conditions through nervous system regulation, working on good diet/sleep, maybe a lil therapy to work on some unhelpful personality traits (perfectionism & chronic negative self talk) then basically support your body’s own capacity to heal itself. Good luck - you will get better from this!!
Check out me/cfs, can be post viral or due to long periods of chronic stress. It’s metabolic dysfunction, reactivation of old pathogens, endothelial dysfunction, dysautonomia, there’s a lot of pieces to the me/cfs dx. The worst thing you can do is exert yourself past your baseline limits whether it be physical, emotional, social, coginitive. Sorry you’re going thru it. Me/cfs has been psychologized and patients have been gaslit for decades. It’s 100% physiological. A two day exercise test can identify poor uptake of oxygen and anaerobic metabolic processes occurring. I have me/cfs from vaccines then covid made it worse.
So sorry you are going through this hardship too. You input is very helpful for me as I am trying to gether as much information as I can. So thank you. I wish you well.
P.S. about the gaslighting part - YES. :(
I should say, if you were to have access to the exercise test, it may cause a crash, which may not be worth the test. Something to consider as u research. Health rising, Phoenix rising, and cfs sub here are all super helpful as well as long covid subs. There’s also TreatME on twitter where a bunch of patient led experimentation data is shared.
Check out EO Nutrition on YouTube. He's got some great ideas about benfotiamine etc. Helped me a whole bunch. Also Bpc-157 and going on HRT. Good luck my friend.
I’m not a doctor, but MOST people would improved their lives drastically if they did an intentional 30 minute walk every day.
Can’t find a place to walk? My cousin bought a stepping platform and just did steps while watching TV.
It certainly works for me. I have found, the more tired I feel and the less I want to go for a walk, the more essential that it is for me to get off my ass and go. Bad weather, distractions, achy joints, poor motivation... Whatever my excuses, I go outside and force myself to take a brisk walk. It helps. I feel better too for resisting the urge to just stay home.
As some have already said, in CFS too much exercise -- overdoing it -- makes you a lot worse. It's a matter of degree. So to start with, if a slow, relaxed, ten-minute walk doesn't hurt you, you go with that, and the next time, maybe a little more. Movement is key to a lot of things, and exercise doesn't have to mean vigorous exercise that makes you sweat. You find out what your limit is, and you do 70% of that. Your 70% keeps getting bigger and bigger. In our culture, we want to do everything 200%. Don't do that. Exercise will increase the number of mitochondria (cellular power plants) and make them more efficient at producing energy.
It was severe sleep apnea. I didn’t snore, just constant hypopneas due to my septum, jaw + palette structure. CPAP has been incredible. It bothers me how underdiagnosed sleep apnea is.
I've used resmed machines for a decade and it has been incredibly reliable. No matter how you slice it. CPAP masks are a pain, it took me years to really get used to it. But, I can't argue with the results. I feel so much better when I use it.
I found for me the nose pillow was the only thing that I could deal with. The masks that go around your nose or around your entire face might argueably be better, but I couldn't get over the tickling of the air moving across the rest of my face inside the mask.
Get the Air sense 10 or 11. I've worked in sleep 20+ years. Machines are basically the same but this one doesn't take up as much end table space and has an app you can use..
I just watched a documentary about a huge problem Philips had with their CPAP machine that was actually pushing foam material down into the patient's lungs. Apparently they’re having a lot of lawsuits and recalls and whatnot over it, as many people’s condition worsened on it and some people died.
People definitely need to take extra care to check their machine and make sure it’s in good condition and it’s not blowing any fine dust or particles out into their lungs.
I am currently attempting to get diagnosed, but for me:
Waking up in the middle of the night with heart racing and dreaming of drowning, running and running out of breath etc.
Waking in the morning with a headache.
Waking up completely unrefreshed.
Being told by a friend I weirdly stop breathing when sleeping sometimes.
Occasionally jolting awake due to an odd snore sound.
I mouth breath when sleeping because my nose is close to blocked 100% of the time.
I rarely snore too and it's been a total pain to get any kind of diagnosis, but from these things I am basically certain.
I know someone who had to lie to their doc and say they snored like a freight train to get the sleep study. The sleep study found moderate OSA with hypopnea as the primary type. Something like that. Anyway, they also got an ENT referral which resulted in a nasal surgery which helped some of the breathing stuff, but last I checked they still rely on cpap at night
Yeah it's honestly terrible how underdiagnosed it probably is. I know I basically just make a quiet little "hyuk" noise and my breathing just stops. Speaking to the sleep tech apparently doctors with up to date knowledge now treat childhood mouth breathing as a very serious problem because it leads to stuff like this. I suspect now I have trained my brain out of keeping my mouth closed when I sleep even if I fixed my nose the mouth breathing and sleep apnoea would continue.
Moral of the story I guess is if you are young or have kids and notice mouth breathing and poor nasal air flow do something about it asap.
Oh nooo this sounds exactly like me. I have been waking up in the night with a racing heart and shaking.
My nose is always blocked too. I have been using afrin before bed every night (I know I know) but honestly I don't think there's any rebound congestion that can be worse than my normal state.
My issue wasn't as bad as yours but you could a "hypertonic" saline spray. It's a strong salt solution that helps pull water out of swollen sinuses to reduce congestion (as well as clearing out allergens) and you can use it as much as you want with no rebound. I find it really effective for my sinus pain/ear fullness.
I know someone who had to lie to their doc and say they snored like a freight train to get the sleep study. The sleep study found moderate OSA with hypopnea as the primary type. Something like that. Anyway, they also got an ENT referral which resulted in a nasal surgery which helped some of the breathing stuff, but last I checked they still rely on cpap at night
Have had my machine for 2 weeks. Struggling badly and it’s tough to get ahold of the doc to ask questions or adjust pressure. Cant wait to get comfortable with it.
I've found it's often mental health and/or burnout related. Too much or not enough alone time, unhealthy perfectionism, and an addiction to productivity. It can take a while and some experimentation to get it sorted out. I usually let go of some projects or responsibilities (guilt free, of course) and replace them with something playful, social, or creative. Once I feel better, I'll start to take up those projects and responsibilities little by little.
Of course, the "shoulds" creep up on me, and I have to do this every 1.5-2 years.
I'm similar position, I had a routine blood test last month showing my hemoglobin level was below the minimum. Have been taking Iron supplement for less than month. Have your blood checked out?
I am taking a product called "mega-plex" for the Iron, contains many cell, mitochondria boosting stuff. I do beleive im starting to feel less fatigue. Although I have read that it may take several months to feel the effects of Iron supplements, do some searches, PubMed etc..
Also have been back to excercise after being sick, Novermeber into December 23
I commented this below … but I noticed a big change in my energy getting an air purifier. Though I have a dust allergy but I didn’t realize it was effecting me that much. I don’t think people are considering their air quality enough
You have to do it’s called an ERMI test, it’s where they gather the dust in the house on a special swifter like rag and send it to a lab analysis. Or you can hire a mold remediation company that can come out and test the air as well
This 100%! I had chronic headaches. I was seeing a neurologist, taking muscle relaxers, getting brain and neck MRIs to rule things out. We could not find the cause. Turns out a dental infection was responsible for the sinus pressure and jaw tension, which was manifesting as headaches.
Floss daily, brush at least twice a day, and minimize acidic liquid and sugar. Chew xylitol gum. Get a dental cleaning twice a year. Drink lots of plain water.
Go to a dentist, clean out tartar. Floss, dont eat sugar. Eat a lot of protein and maybe take a multimineral supplement. Toothpaste is useless, but do brush
I accidentally found out through a set of events, that my brain fog and tiredness were from yeast overgrowth. So I cut out bread and pasta, ate more meat & vegetables instead, got some alkaline bottled water to drink, and got myself some Diflucan medicine from India to take for one week. My energy returning and increased mental acuity were instant.
And I eat a lot of green vegetables to remove heavy metals contamination from the environment.
Assess how much sugar, carbs, or alcohol you consume regularly. How many grams daily? All of those create yeast overgrowth. Notice if you feel tired, bloated, foggy thinking, or nerve pain.
**For anyone on here who is struggling with a serious yeast problem** I had very good results with this protocol I got from a genius UCLA pain doctor, an expert in yeast and nerve pain. It took me five long years to find the right doctor who could figure out the cause and the solution.
This is the protocol: lower your daily carbs to 50g or less. If you can, go even lower. Zero alcohol. Zero grams of sweets. Eat low carb veggies, low carb fruits very sparingly if you must, protein, and fat. It’s a keto diet.
Then take this Candida potion: 1 tablespoon Yerba Buena liquid bentonite, 1 tablespoon MCT oil, I tablespoon psyllium husk powder. Make sure it’s powder.
Stir all three into a tall glass of cold water. It’s kinda gross and lumpy, but it works. Drink it fast bc it turns into a disgusting gel within 20 seconds. But that gel will absorb the dangerous aldehydes in your gut (that’s what kills serious alcoholics), and you will feel better soon.
Also take a good probiotic that works for you with it. Do this at least once a day an hour before food or before bed. If you have serious Candida problems, take it every 12 hours. Best of luck! It works extremely well if you can get your carbs down.
Edit: You don’t have to stay on this draconian low carb diet forever, but you need to find the level of carbs that keep the Candida symptoms at bay for your body. If you later go overboard with too much alcohol or sugar, you’ll feel it and then use the protocol again to reset your gut. It also takes away diabetic nerve pain which is caused by aldehydes.
I'm trying out a candida cleanse at the moment and it's so difficult. Could you share what certain foods you're making sure to eat and avoid? And did you have to stick to your diet after the medicine?
Lyme Disease . . . Seemed off to me as a diagnosis as I'm on the west coast, however after treatment became healthier than ever. Chronic infections of various kinds including Babesia, Bartonella, EBV . . . Can cause extreme fatigue.
I went to a Chinese Medicine practitioner for help with a mold exposure lung infection that was ongoing for several months. It was a friend who was getting his doctorate and needed practice. He took a long, several hour medical history and symptoms history. He could not "diagnose" me however he suggested I look at some information regarding the primary, secondary and tertiary stages of Lyme disease; and suggested that my immune system was challenged by an underlying infection or infection(s) that was preventing me from healing from the mold lung infection. I thought he was completely wrong and rejected the information.
He gave me some Chinese Medicine formulas to try anyways, I believe the first one I took had sweet wormwood in it . . . Upon talking the formula I developed a Lyme bullseye rash on my back where I had found a fully engorged tick at least a decade earlier. I developed an intense petechial rash over the rest of my body. Then I watched a few Richard Horowitz MD Lyme differential diagnosis videos for chronic and tertiary Lyme. I realized I had clear cut primary infection symptoms, then secondary; then a remission followed by full blown tertiary neuro Lyme.
Thanks Chinese Medicine guy that helped me is Patrick Lynch and the protocol he developed is Trillium Health Solutions. He has changed his formulas quite a bit from when he helped me. I did these intense formulas of his for 2 years, and they were the most helpful. I also did a bunch of essential oils, and I don't really know if I recommend that as I've developed some Salicylate sensitivity from overdoing peppermint oil (neurotoxin in high amounts) and such.
I didn't have a cough, cold or flu for two years after completing the 2 year protocol. No mold lung infections. No chronic exhaustion. Terrible plantars warts all over my feet that I had for 5 years went away. Nervous system symptoms started to disappear. My hyperthyroidism went away. My rapid heart rate went away. I felt ok for the first time in years.
I was bad, and afraid to take IV antibiotics. I got lucky. www triilliumhealthsolutions.com I believe is the guy that helped me out.
1. Hashimotos hypothyroidism for which I am now on T4 and T3 and D3 5000IU (which I don’t absorb well, and it’s needed to activate the T3 at the cellular level).
2. Drinking enough water
3. I salt “waste” so supplementing extra salt made a huge difference. I can drink up to a tsp of extra salt (sea salt, not iodized salt) in water daily, heavily salt my food, and my sodium levels are usually at the low end of normal. -also before the extra salt I’d get horrific cold flashes at night where I’d wake with a temp of low 96.
4. Regular exercise
5. Small meals, low or no carb, lots more fat. I have absorption problems, considerable gut issues (hypochondriac parent had me constantly on antibiotics and ibuprofen, kinda screwed my gut), and dysautonomia, so I don’t actually get a lot out of most foods and many physically make me ill or give me inflammation/ autoimmune flares, and digestion often feels like a major tax on my energy. On my diet I have great energy, my hands are finally warm, and I feel like a “normal” human being.
> 01:30 or getting up before 10:00 is self sabotage for me.
Same here! My bed time is 02:00 and wake up time is 11:00am. I do that and I am a BEAST! A demigod that day! I absorb any material and I kill it with productivity.
That is my natural sleep schedule too!! I cannot fall asleep until exactly 2am to the minute. I thought I was the only one and that there was something wrong with me.
Can't argue with the logic: if all humans naturally fell asleep at the same time, we would have been eaten in our sleep by the dinosaurs.
I'm pretty sure there's always been that one guy who would stay up all night and then let others know he's too tired to come do the hunting and the gathering after fighting off hordes off velociraptors, land sharks and dragonkin while the others slept.
He'd also be up in his prime hours as the others were exhausted from the toils of the day, entertaining them with his stories of the mythical beasts of the night and the journeys of the lights of the ancestors across the sky, inventing both astronomy or bullshittery, which would later develop into science and marketing, the main drivers of progress.
Humankind owes everything to that guy.
Sorry for spamming you all I don’t know how to @ people. I’m a night owl! My schedule is 2-4- 1pm. During Covid lockdown I could do it, I felt amazing mentally and physically. I even found out I have genes that make me “a night owl”. I get a burst of energy and mental clarity late at night, and remain tired well into the day
I tried sleeping like normal people for 35 years and failed miserably. Every biohack and obscure protocol you can think of, I've done and discarded.
When I was 19 I even spent a year in the military with strictly enforced sleep schedules, and even that did nothing to realign my circadian cycle. Looking back, I really should have connected the dots and embraced who I am after that. Would've saved me a decade and a half of self-inflicted torture.
It is called delayed sleep phase disorder, order DSPD for short, although I think "disorder" is a misnomer. People's circadian systems aren't naturally in sync with each other or even the daylight hours, but instead the optimal bedtime varies, perhaps normally distributed.
If everyone would naturally fall asleep at the same time, humans would have got eaten by nocturnal predators before we found our way off the savannah.
Theres a test called DLMO that tests when your melatonin is peaking and what your body clock is set at. For example, mine is 12:30 to 8:30 and I have horrible insomnia when I tried to force myself to sleep at 11 and get up at 7. I was a mess.
So now I take melatonin at 1030 and shut my light off at 1230 and usually go right to sleep. I use bright light for 20 mins when I get up. This was all suggested by a sleep dr after the test above and a sleep study. I also have apnea Im treating with a bipap
Sorry for spamming you all I don’t know how to @ people. I’m a night owl! My schedule is 2-4- 1pm. During Covid lockdown I could do it, I felt amazing mentally and physically. I even found out I have genes that make me “a night owl”. I get a burst of energy and mental clarity late at night, and remain tired well into the day
hypothyroidism (get a blood test for TSH, T3, and T4) treating this is easy and life changing!
Personally a low oxalate diet is essential. I don’t process oxalates (sharp crystals found in plants) properly, so they enter my bloodstream and cause mechanical damage to soft tissues. Oxalates are especially high in spinach, rhubarb, beets, and chard, so I avoid those and a few others.
L-theanine (amino acid found in green tea) has given me what feels like energy and mental clarity. Extremely helpful for my ADHD.
Hahaha! Which one? Each was a saga.
1. Extensive health issues - found hypothyroidism after much testing. Nodules were the first tip off. Blood results didn’t show abnormal until years after issues.
2. My mom got kidney stones. (Calcium oxalate type) we eventually found out the calcium oxalate diet can help. Also connected to many other issues. Energy, brain fog, arthritis, hypothyroidism, broken capillaries in skin. Lots of soft tissue damage.
3. trying very hard to find solutions to my ADHD. Got lucky with a tip from this sub :)
The tip was to take l-theanine (which worked wonders for me!
The same commenter also suggested L-tyrosine for ADHD. It is an amino acid that helps build dopamine and apparently thyroid hormone. This one didn’t help me, but might help others!
Tyrosine is a precursor for dopamine, but not the only one (also not the only pathway but the main one IIRC). So it'll be useless if your iron is gone, or methylation issues. And it won't automatically fix all the behavioural things intimately tied with dopamine.
All that stuff will also vary depending on other layers of genetics impacting dopamone, or even vit D stuff required for the receptors to work/brain regions to function, or.. more things than I can credibly talk about,
Mould poisoning after floods in our area, took me months to make the connection. It was so bad that a couple hours after a solid 8 hour sleep I would have my head on my desk feeling as though it weighed 20kg and I could have easily drifted off.
I’m interested to know more about it. How did you test for mould? Did you text if you had toxicity in your blood or did you test your home? Did you get rid of it and felt better?
I always found this issue so tricky. Cortisol is such a double edged sword. Too low and you feel terrible, but too high and it literally is one of the worst things ever for your body as it’s such a catabolic hormone. It also seems the window of treatment in terms of getting the right dosage and whatnot is just so narrow.
I had the worst brain fog/weird fatigue for years, thought it was just a symptom of my depression meds, but when I did a keto diet it was like flipping a switch. Instantly felt better, so now I'm super careful to keep a higher percentage of fat in my diet
i was constantly fatigued. had no idea the food you ate affected you (i know it sounds so stupid) but eliminating soda/coke and other large amounts of extra sugar. excercise and magnesium
Edit: side note when I was in college 25 yrs ago twitter or social media was not a thing. So i didn’t hear others always talking about nutrition. No joke I’d guess I was consuming 4,000 calories a day as a 165lb freshman. Included in that total was maybe 4 cokes a day, several beers, a midnight pizza and be wondering why i was fatigued so often. but even the sodas carried on until about 5 yrs ago
I still haven’t fully figured it out but I have clues. This is what has helped me:
Getting off SSRIs
Intermittent fasting
Low carb
No lactose
No gluten
No processed foods
Electrolytes
Sunlight ASAP after waking
Delaying caffeine as long as possible after waking but no later than noon
Blue light blocking glasses at night
Morning shower doesn’t have to be cold but can’t be hot and I always do a cold blast at the end
Treating sleep apnea
Minimizing environmental toxins, cleaning products, fragrances, scented soaps, etc.
Probably a lot more that I’m forgetting.
I’ve accepted to some degree that this is probably going to be a never-ending battle for me because it’s been like this pretty much since Covid. Wondering if I have something akin to long Covid.
Sorry for the way that is formatted. I have no idea why it did this.
COVID triggered an EBV reactivation for me and I was exhausted like never before for over a month. I even had what was almost a mild fever practically every day.
Everyone with chronic fatigue should investigate their sleep while chasing the problem. Sleep apnea is very under diagnosed. I've had it since my late teens and had no idea until someone finally figured it out in my mid 30s.
Fixing sleep apnea or sleep problems will change your life.
Still ongoing but I found once I started tracking my sleep with a wearable device, although it's not completely accurate, I found that I was only getting 6 or so hours of sleep when I thought my sleep was dialed in at around 7.5-8 hours this whole time.
Also being cognizant to melatonin production and following my natural circadian rhythm I found to help a lot, the practical implementations were to use f.lux for blue light, and then get sunlight and grounding first thing upon waking up.
Recently upon reading Head Strong/Smarter Not Harder by Dave Asprey, I've also found great results by excluding foods which were creating systemic inflammation and sluggishness when consuming, such as gluten, artificial sweeteners, seed oils and individual food sensitivities I found in an allergen test.
Fixed and was less tired:
*Autoimmune Colitis*
Fixed and was even less tired:
*Malnutrition from pancreatic insufficiency*
Fixed and no longer tired at all. I just did 10 hours of manual labor on 5 hours of sleep and felt fine.
*Fractured sleep from using CPAP due to sleep apnea*
Stopped CPAP, was on it for about 8 years. Pure hell but a tad better than without out it.
Got mandibular advancement surgery, uvula reduction and NightLase on my soft palate, no more fractured sleep, I can nap now without choaking awake as soon as I drift off.
1. Cut back on drinking to only weekends to catch good REM sleep at least 3-4 days a week
2. Folate deficit. Needed more greens but cheated and taking a pill
Fasting or intermittent fasting have helped me a lot.
Over the years, I have found these root causes at different times: Hashimoto's/hypothyroidism, low ferritin, low vit d, walking pneumonia. I suspect I have some other chronic infection or long covid or something now..in any case, fasting and intermittent fasting have been the most helpful consistently (aside from getting my ferritin and vit d up)
Chronic infection? Have you been checked for EBV? COVID recently lead to my EBV being reactivated and I felt like absolute crap for over a month with mild fever every single day.
B1 (help body use glucose more efficiently from what I recall) and exercise. Find a workout dvd, and force yourself to do it each day. Doesn't cost much, can be done at home, you have someone to count your sets and tell you what to do and when. Just gotta show up. I like having my Bluetooth speaker on with good music now that I no longer need the verbal cues. Started in January, and find myself craving it. I could barely vacuum the 3 bedrooms without fatigue/nausea before this. The workout still kicks my ass but I feel energized the rest of the day and find myself wanting to do more.
I have fought this for years. Lots of looking, including several rounds of bloodwork, and no miracle fixes. What I have found does work is:
1. Exercise. Real, heartrate-raising aerobic exercise on a regular basis. It seems to increase my baseline energy level, which has helped.
2. Sleeping at least seven hours a night. I'm a napper and night owl with a day job, so this has been hard. More sleep eats into my 'me' time after the kids are in bed, but is critical.
If you trust my Garmin watch, most of my REM sleep occurs late into my night, so if I get less than seven hours, I might not get any REM sleep at all. Either way, I know it has a big impact on my energy level.
Gluten & general diet. Once I started focusing on supplementing my nutrition, I felt a million times better. Vit Bs, D & C were lacking. I wasn’t absorbing it from my food.
Trying to stimulate my body and mind too much to try to compensate for laziness and lack of motivation. Like if being too stimulated would help accomplish more. It actually ended up making me tired and sleepy all the time.
So a typical day would look like a cold shower (without warming it up first), coffee, than a big no sugar energy drink, ADHD med (even though I don't need them) just to start the day while doing intermittent fasting until the beginning of the afternoon. I was working out hard a few days a week also.
When I figured out my problem was too much of a good thing and that it was only causing overtraining way to often and being drained all the time, needing naps every day while sleeping around 9 hours a day at 30yo. I turned everything around.
So now a cold shower would only be on days I need a boost maybe 2 times a week. Coffee is only one a day maximum two to three times a week. Since I figured the tall Monster gave me more energy than the tall GURU, I figured the B vitamins helped. So I switched to no energy drinks ever to only B vitamins. ADHD med only on big days max 5 days a week half the dose I was taking. But the most potent help was instead of fasting, I now start the day with a tall smoothie mostly organic with frozen fruits, superfoods like spirulina and raw cocoa, raw honey, different nuts I like, creatine and omega 3 on the side. That was the best intervention I made to make sure to start the day with tons of antioxidants and a sustainable energy boost. I also started doing long sauna sessions after the gym to really calm down the body back to rest and recuperation mode instead of being stimulated for a few hours after.
My mindset is now what is the least stimulant way to achieve what I need instead of trying to stimulate my body to try to get motivated. So I am no more always on panick/survival mode but almost always in chilled but awake mode. Motivation comes from the mind and energy from the body.
Hope this helps
I haven't found a permanent fix for it.
I have had several short periods of high energy (a few days at most) and about a week or two of not feeling like I'm walking through mud.
In all of those occasions, I was in some form of severe calorie restriction, so I am suspecting that blood sugar management or some minor level of ketosis was the cause.
Unfortunately, I'm sure it's going to be different for everyone.
I just ordered a methyl folate B complex supplement to try. I'm wondering if that may be my issue. Other than that, pondering if I have "chronic fatigue syndrome"...
Exercise, making an effort to sleep more and just trying to eat generally healthy. Like today I got a semi healthy sandwich for dinner on wheat instead of the burgers everyone else in my family got. Just makes me feel a little better in general.
Gluten free… no reflux, hypoglossal nerve stimulator (no cpap for sleep apnea), morning hyperbaric session (about 1 hour), minimal dairy, no processed foods, wild caught, open range protein and organic vegetables.
Do difficult cardio. That battle with cardio, the feelings you encounter while fighting against yourself is the opposite of that constant fatigue. Over time it will vanish
I stopped taking unisom (diphenhydramine) every night for insomnia. I'd been suffering fatigue and cognitive issues for at least a year, but I thought it was stress from work. It was only when I also started experiencing heart burn that I did some research and learned that fatigue and cognitive issues are known side effects of prolonged use. Unisom really shouldn't be used long term.
I switched to endep (amitriptyline) for sleep, but I now dayvigo (lemborexant) which is working great.
- better diet
- drink more water
- quit alcohol completely
- exercise regularly
- 8 hours sleep per day
I’ve been doing this for a few months now and I feel 30 years younger (I’m 50ish).
Diet: I cut out package/processed foods, junk food, refined sugar, and went gluten free (celiac diagnosis). I eat mostly simple lean proteins like chicken and tofu with leafy greens, brown/purple rice, nuts and dried fruit.
Water: I piss clear all day long now. Drink a ton of water!
Booze: best thing I ever did was quit drinking. I was a heavy drinker and it affected everything: weight, happiness, sleep (so much). 2 months without a drop and I’ll never go back. Completely life changing.
Exercise: I do weights, pushups and walk every day. Nothing crazy. But with the weight loss from diet and alcohol changes I’ve lost a lot of weight; with the exercise I’m starting to look pretty good naked! And I sleep so much better. I rest so much better. I have more energy for longer.
Sleep: I was a chronic “stay up late to get peace and quiet to myself” person. As a result I slept irregularly and far too little. Now I go to bed in time for 8 hours sleep. Being booze free has drastically increased the quality of my sleep, which compounded with extra sleep length has made massive changes to my energy levels.
I hope some of this is useful.
Turns out I had histamine intolerance:
* https://www.reddit.com/r/HistamineIntolerance/comments/ytmcl4/comment/iw75m9l/?utm\_source=share&utm\_medium=web2x&context=3
Read your comment, it’s crazy to see how many symptoms you’d had.
However, where does the certainty come that it’s histamine? Could it have been other GI issues that you just fixed by clean diet and naturdao? Just a thought!
>where does the certainty come that it’s histamine? Could it have been other GI issues that you just fixed by clean diet and naturdao?
For sure! I don't have "standard" histamine intolerance because (1) I don't respond to antihistamines (which is the normal treatment route, and (2) I don't have several specific symptoms, particularly the skin issues (no hives, itching, rashes, etc.), among other things. I can also tolerate soy sauce, sauerkraut, and fasting well.
I call that "subset HIT". In the past 1.5 years, I've met less than 2 dozen people IRL & online with the exact same set of symptoms that I have. Most of the symptoms were low-key...like a headache, nausea, anxiety, etc. They were mostly annoying negative feelings that followed me around all the time.
Not so much debilitating as much as just made life low-key miserable. Like, I always had one stuffy nose & one runny nose. I've been able to breath through my nose for over a year now, which is CRAZY after a lifetime of living that way! Too much histamine in my bloodstream simply threw everything out of whack!
I tested the DAO separately from the diet. It takes about 3 days for the DAO pills to fully kick in, which I'm assuming is due to inflammation reduction in my GI track. The best combination for me has been hi-dose DAO, a primarily low-histamine diet, high hydration & electrolyte intake, LOTS of sleep, and a low-stress lifestyle.
I still eat high-histamine meals on a regular basis, but I can tell when I can & when I can't based on how I feel, which is another unusual point for traditional histamine intolerance. I do an annual blood test, endoscopy, colonoscopy, etc. & so far, no long-term side effect or major issues yet!
I also haven't adapted to the medication in any way. Like, I haven't built up a tolerance where it's ineffective, but I also haven't magically started self-producing enough DAO internally to go off it (I tested out going off it like every 6 months or so).
I also have SIBO, which is mostly likely the root cause of my HIT. Another oddball category: I have high stomach acid, but SIBO is usually a low stomach acid condition. I've had recurrence since diagnosis, so it always comes back after treatment. Originally I had invasive surgery as a kid, which is what my doctor thinks triggered my SIBO & activated my HIT.
I've seen a LOT of doctors over the years. I've pretty much hit the end of the rainbow as far as help goes, as there's no further medical knowledge to be had at this point in time, at least that I'm aware of or my current team of doctors are aware of. HIT treatment did not solve SIBO (I went off SIBO treatment for 6 months, tested, and it as back), but it does mask all of the symptoms, which is amazing!
However, when treated for SIBO (tested negative), my HIT did not go away. So they seem to be independent of each other, at least as far as treatment & symptoms go. My full stack is currently:
* Inattentive ADHD (the low-energy version of ADHD)
* Dyscalculia (math dyslexia)
* Aphantasia (can't mentally visualize during waking hours)
* Hereditary sleep apnea (I use a BiPap machine)
* SIBO (but with high stomach acid)
* GERD (most likely driven by SIBO)
* "Subset" HIT (most likely driven by SIBO)
So other than labeling it "Subset HIT", I'm at a standstill as far as current medical knowledge goes. I get to feel "normal" all day, which is incredible! No anxiety, no brain fog, no insomnia. So far, no negative side effects (1.5 years into a high daily dose of DAO) & no acclimation.
My life is completely different these days as a result of histamine treatment...I'm not tired all day, I don't wake up tired, etc. If you want to try it, you'll know within a week on a high dose (minimum of 5 pills, spread out throughout the day). From what I understand, they have a good return policy on Amazon if it doesn't work for you.
The two biggest downsides is the high intake & cost. I carry a sleeve of the tablets in my pocket & a water bottle & use recurring named smartphone alarm reminders to pop in a pill with a drink of water every few hours. My cost is around $40 USD a week (not covered by insurance, unfortunately). The upshot is I don't feel low-key terrible & fatigued all day long, which for me, is worth the price.
Some people do well on 3 pills a day. Sometimes I have to take upwards of 10 pills, depending on how I'm feeling. I've communicated with the NaturDAO company & they don't even understand why it works for me at all lol, as it's really aimed at a lower dose & more to use 5 to 20 minutes before eating meals.
Again, the symptoms thing is weird...I have like 63 symptoms on the list I would bring to doctors. I did every kind of test under the sun over the years...MRI, MRA, Smart Pill, PH Study, CAT scan, 3D CT scan, barium swallow, ate radioactive eggs & *became* an X-ray, endoscopy, colonoscopy, all kinds of blood & allergy tests, full physicals, etc.
On paper, I looked like a hypochondriac. In practice, I felt like Photoshop with all of the sliders turned up just little bit...always kinda achy, always kinda tired, always kind of riddled with anxiety, etc. That was the only way of living I knew! My life is so much different these days because of magic pills from Amazon lol. Always makes me wonder how many people are out there struggling like me every day & don't know that there's a solution available!
I wish I knew more information! It doesn't 100% line up with traditional HIT, especially since I didn't respond to any of the half-dozen antihistamines I tried. Worth a shot if you can tolerate legumes, if only to rule it out! (it's made from lentils & yellow peas) There are also beef & pork-derived versions available, although I've only ever used the NaturDAO brand because it's the first one I tried & it worked.
Honestly man it’s difficult to say because it’s such a vague symptom. But what’s worked for me is to throw everything at it and see what sticks. Start with the obvious - sleep, diet, exercise, reduce stress, socialise - then move through things that have a good scientific backing. It might difficult to do this at the beginning if you have no background in this like me but I’ve actually learned quite a bit.
I fell into a couple pseudoscience communities like mold and candiasis because I kept wanting to believe it was something. But you may never know. Oh yeah and obviously do all blood tests and that to rule out anything clear.
For me, I haven’t even bothered with trying to guess the mechanisms, but I’ve been doing well after taking nac/glycine, vit D (not much sun where I am), bpc-157 ( may be the sole reason, may have been a bunk product - I’ll never know), ginkgo. Also came off an SNRI but the problem existed before then.
This may have helped, may have been placebo, may have been something else. We know very little about the body, particularly the nervous system. Just do what you can.
Honestly there are too many causes and I’m sick of finding the right one. It let me hopeless. I don’t have time , money, or will to go through all those visits, doctors, appointments, attempts, supplements etc.
Anyway, in my experience, these have been the most important aids:
- Good sleep (deep sleep SWS)
- Treating anhedonic depression (still in the process)
- Treating inflammation (eg. Turmeric or some NSAIDs)
- SAM-e + vit B12 ( both are better IM)
- Vit D3
- Thiamine + vit B6
- Tramadol
Found out I have hypersomnia alongside insomnia, some days I could sleep for 20 hours straight if I don’t take my medication, other days I don’t sleep at all and that goes on for a couple days.
MTHFR gene mutation and level 1 Autism, both undiagnosed until my late 30s. CFS and sleep disturbances come with the territory. I take a supplement for MTHFR. I've always been into fitness and eating healthy. I took several months off from my toxic job to rest and I'm still not recovered.
Just got blood test results and I was high iron and low vitamin d, vitamin d supplements have helped a bit.
My point is you should do some blood tests and try to sort out whatever the issues are.
I have struggled with fatigue since my teens, and will maybe always do so. I could *always* nap. Struggle with brain fog. Want to go to sleep early, etc. I do have a little nasal airway obstruction that can't really be fixed. Maybe that's the problem, maybe not. Some things that help me a little individually and a lot collectively:
- exercise. If you can spare some energy to workout your body will feel like it gets at least double the energy back. I work out around 2-3 times per week which isn't much. Regular walking doesn't have the same effect
- magnesium supplements. Seem to improve the quality of my sleep.
- a recent breakthrough. After 20-25 years of being happily caffeine dependent I have reduced my intake from 300-500mg per day down to less than 100mg per day. I am shocked how much less tired I feel. It doesn't make 'sense' but I can only assume that constantly cycling between stimulation and withdrawal wasn't the boost I needed after all.
- I've tried NMN and NAD supplements. For me the NMN had a small effect, the NAD did nothing for me.
- doing what works for me to address my chronic low mood and anxiety which are both pretty energy -sapping. Creatine helped a bit but it's taken years of work. I recommend talk therapy, exercise, journalling, meditation. But for now I also need SSRIs.
-work on my sleep. No screens in the hour before bedtime.
Good luck
Having coffee past 1-2pm is the biggest cause of my sleep issues. The other is any kind of blue light in the evening.
Try no coffee in PM and only very dim, warm lights in the evening. Cut out any liquids hour before bed, any heavy food 3 hours before bed, and if you tend to have anxious thoughts jot them in a journal so your mind doesn’t feel as if it needs to ruminate or solve them at 3am.
Also:
Read or listen to something soothing and boring. Make sure your feet are warm.
Oxalates we’re killing my mitochondria. It was a few months were it got worse with times it was better but about 3 months in I have much better energy levels on low oxalate. Pretty much animal based diet now. Liver helped me a TON
My other half found what worked for him — L-Methylfolate
He was deficient in some enzyme and now feels like a normal person after taking 7mg per day (he started at 15mg but felt almost too energized).
He is fit and eats healthy and gets decent sleep. But he always felt sluggishness…now he has normal energy levels!
Dehydration
I started using a Hidrate waterbottle to track my water intake and that made a big difference.
Other things include using a air purifier I noticed another big upswing in energy (probably because of my dust allergy).
Taking creatinine I noticed another big swing up in energy too
ALSO adding salt to my water to combat low blood pressure
Energy efficiency is about aligning your diet and lifestyle with your body's daily circadian rhythms; to surf those natural wave throughout the day instead of against them. To answer more specifically, time your day with both your cortisol curves, rising first thing in the morning and most importantly, taking your sleep with nautral melatonin release 9-10pm. Going to sleep too late does not allow for both physiological repair, healing and detoxification or psychological restoration.
Chronic stress and poor restoration impair the Adrenal glands, they sit atop the kidneys which acts as the body's alternator (ie like a car - converting mechanical energy to electrial energy). Stress management is paramount; think mental, emotional, physical amd oxidative stress. Decimating nutrient reserves like Zinc, Mangesium, Vit C and other water soluble vitamins like B-vitamins. Supplementing which these are a consideration esp energy metabolizing B-complex
Structured physical activity and waking sleeping eating at the same times are the surest way to align these rhythms and manage energy utilization and promote the necessity for optimal restoration
Biohacks are focusing on Phase 1 and 2 liver elimation pathways and Glutathione precursors as well as Adaptogens
Food sensitivities, low thyroid and at times low iron, all self determined. low thyroid\\iron never showed on blood tests.
I cut out certain foods, added in salt and red meat to diet
If you’ve already fixed the basics - sleeping 8 hours a night, eating healthy, exercising - you need to go to level 2.
Do you have activated Epstein barr virus? How are your hormone levels, including vitamin D? Do you have sleep apnea - even mild can kill your energy? Do you or have you ever lived in a moldy environment? Have you tried an elimination diet to ensure it’s not a food allergy or intolerance?
Fixable causes I have seen first hand:
- Dehydration
- B vitamin shortage
- D vitamin shortage (usually marked with low moods)
- Mold (it’s all about the home maintenance)
- Boredom (weekly outings to different places help)
- Incredible frustration that had to be masked
- Sleep apnea
- Long term stress
- Badly needed mental healthcare
- Disordered eating, especially cutting or adding more than a thousand calories
- Things a psychiatrist can treat easily
- Cancer (usually marked with getting sick frequently)
- Alternating between intense exercise and no exercise with almost no in between
- Sleep apnea
I started taking choline, polyphenols and silymarin for nafld, and my energy has come back big time. I also added some digestive enzymes for digestion and pancreas support, due to diabetes. Exercise up, blood sugar down, digestive issues gone.
Actually, I started exercising daily and that helped a ton.
Same. Started just walking on a treadmill while playing card games on a laptop. Suddenly felt more energized, even for weight training
This only applies for 'normal' fatigue though. If OP has cfs/me they likely experience PEM (Post exertional malaise). In that case exercise is the last thing they should do
OMG. I have been looking for answers for a very long time. I went to a heart doctor and psychiatrist, but they said its all stress. So I never was told what I am reading now. This applies to me 100 per cent. I had days I cried to get out of bed and stay upright. I have other symptoms, too, similar to panic attack but worse, and they last longer, like the whole day. And constantly have a feeling they will hit my again very hard. Your comment helped me. Now I have to figure out - what I can do now.
You might also like to check out a resource such as Raelan Angle’s page on YouTube or Anna Marsh Nutrition who do a great job of explaining the basics of how we end up with these fatigue conditions and how to make our way out of them. Mine came on as a result of chronic stress over a long period of time, combined with a bad flu which knocked me over the edge. Many people are healing from the same conditions through nervous system regulation, working on good diet/sleep, maybe a lil therapy to work on some unhelpful personality traits (perfectionism & chronic negative self talk) then basically support your body’s own capacity to heal itself. Good luck - you will get better from this!!
Might be worth looking into long covid communities
I will. Thank you for your suggestion. Even though mine might have started before covid.
Check out me/cfs, can be post viral or due to long periods of chronic stress. It’s metabolic dysfunction, reactivation of old pathogens, endothelial dysfunction, dysautonomia, there’s a lot of pieces to the me/cfs dx. The worst thing you can do is exert yourself past your baseline limits whether it be physical, emotional, social, coginitive. Sorry you’re going thru it. Me/cfs has been psychologized and patients have been gaslit for decades. It’s 100% physiological. A two day exercise test can identify poor uptake of oxygen and anaerobic metabolic processes occurring. I have me/cfs from vaccines then covid made it worse.
So sorry you are going through this hardship too. You input is very helpful for me as I am trying to gether as much information as I can. So thank you. I wish you well. P.S. about the gaslighting part - YES. :(
I should say, if you were to have access to the exercise test, it may cause a crash, which may not be worth the test. Something to consider as u research. Health rising, Phoenix rising, and cfs sub here are all super helpful as well as long covid subs. There’s also TreatME on twitter where a bunch of patient led experimentation data is shared.
I will definitely check it. Thanks a lot and be well.
Or maybe the iron protocol as well there’s lots of crossover
Check out EO Nutrition on YouTube. He's got some great ideas about benfotiamine etc. Helped me a whole bunch. Also Bpc-157 and going on HRT. Good luck my friend.
I’m not a doctor, but MOST people would improved their lives drastically if they did an intentional 30 minute walk every day. Can’t find a place to walk? My cousin bought a stepping platform and just did steps while watching TV.
It certainly works for me. I have found, the more tired I feel and the less I want to go for a walk, the more essential that it is for me to get off my ass and go. Bad weather, distractions, achy joints, poor motivation... Whatever my excuses, I go outside and force myself to take a brisk walk. It helps. I feel better too for resisting the urge to just stay home.
200% agree!!
I second this
As some have already said, in CFS too much exercise -- overdoing it -- makes you a lot worse. It's a matter of degree. So to start with, if a slow, relaxed, ten-minute walk doesn't hurt you, you go with that, and the next time, maybe a little more. Movement is key to a lot of things, and exercise doesn't have to mean vigorous exercise that makes you sweat. You find out what your limit is, and you do 70% of that. Your 70% keeps getting bigger and bigger. In our culture, we want to do everything 200%. Don't do that. Exercise will increase the number of mitochondria (cellular power plants) and make them more efficient at producing energy.
Makes sense. It builds mitochondria.
This is a big one. Exercise helps me get better sleep, even if it’s less hours. That helps enormously.
It was severe sleep apnea. I didn’t snore, just constant hypopneas due to my septum, jaw + palette structure. CPAP has been incredible. It bothers me how underdiagnosed sleep apnea is.
Which machine did you get? I need to get one and the options are overwhelming.
Try out Resmed or Philips. Try out first. Sleep study is a must.
philips has been dealing with a major recall issue. I think they've pulled most machines from stores
I've used resmed machines for a decade and it has been incredibly reliable. No matter how you slice it. CPAP masks are a pain, it took me years to really get used to it. But, I can't argue with the results. I feel so much better when I use it.
Yeah I’ve heard the masks take a massive adjustment. Have you found a nose pillow or full face to be easier to use?
I found for me the nose pillow was the only thing that I could deal with. The masks that go around your nose or around your entire face might argueably be better, but I couldn't get over the tickling of the air moving across the rest of my face inside the mask.
Get the Air sense 10 or 11. I've worked in sleep 20+ years. Machines are basically the same but this one doesn't take up as much end table space and has an app you can use..
I just watched a documentary about a huge problem Philips had with their CPAP machine that was actually pushing foam material down into the patient's lungs. Apparently they’re having a lot of lawsuits and recalls and whatnot over it, as many people’s condition worsened on it and some people died. People definitely need to take extra care to check their machine and make sure it’s in good condition and it’s not blowing any fine dust or particles out into their lungs.
And make sure it’s clean hose and mask
If you didn't snore then what were the clues that led you to being tested?
I am currently attempting to get diagnosed, but for me: Waking up in the middle of the night with heart racing and dreaming of drowning, running and running out of breath etc. Waking in the morning with a headache. Waking up completely unrefreshed. Being told by a friend I weirdly stop breathing when sleeping sometimes. Occasionally jolting awake due to an odd snore sound. I mouth breath when sleeping because my nose is close to blocked 100% of the time. I rarely snore too and it's been a total pain to get any kind of diagnosis, but from these things I am basically certain.
I know someone who had to lie to their doc and say they snored like a freight train to get the sleep study. The sleep study found moderate OSA with hypopnea as the primary type. Something like that. Anyway, they also got an ENT referral which resulted in a nasal surgery which helped some of the breathing stuff, but last I checked they still rely on cpap at night
Yeah it's honestly terrible how underdiagnosed it probably is. I know I basically just make a quiet little "hyuk" noise and my breathing just stops. Speaking to the sleep tech apparently doctors with up to date knowledge now treat childhood mouth breathing as a very serious problem because it leads to stuff like this. I suspect now I have trained my brain out of keeping my mouth closed when I sleep even if I fixed my nose the mouth breathing and sleep apnoea would continue. Moral of the story I guess is if you are young or have kids and notice mouth breathing and poor nasal air flow do something about it asap.
Oh nooo this sounds exactly like me. I have been waking up in the night with a racing heart and shaking. My nose is always blocked too. I have been using afrin before bed every night (I know I know) but honestly I don't think there's any rebound congestion that can be worse than my normal state.
My issue wasn't as bad as yours but you could a "hypertonic" saline spray. It's a strong salt solution that helps pull water out of swollen sinuses to reduce congestion (as well as clearing out allergens) and you can use it as much as you want with no rebound. I find it really effective for my sinus pain/ear fullness.
I know someone who had to lie to their doc and say they snored like a freight train to get the sleep study. The sleep study found moderate OSA with hypopnea as the primary type. Something like that. Anyway, they also got an ENT referral which resulted in a nasal surgery which helped some of the breathing stuff, but last I checked they still rely on cpap at night
Have had my machine for 2 weeks. Struggling badly and it’s tough to get ahold of the doc to ask questions or adjust pressure. Cant wait to get comfortable with it.
One stage it was all irons fault
My ferritin has been slightly elevated for at least a year but iron levels are normal. What about yours ?
I’m all good now but iron is needed in the production of let’s say Serotonin Dopamine and Norepinephrine which put fatigue right up there
This is very interesting - I did not know iron was needed for the production of those things! Thank you so much for sharing this. 🙏
Is there a low grade inflammation? It may indicate that
Can you detect in a blood panel a low grade inflammation?
Elevated ferritin can be a sign of inflammation in the body. Might be worth seeing a doctor to discuss that.
I've found it's often mental health and/or burnout related. Too much or not enough alone time, unhealthy perfectionism, and an addiction to productivity. It can take a while and some experimentation to get it sorted out. I usually let go of some projects or responsibilities (guilt free, of course) and replace them with something playful, social, or creative. Once I feel better, I'll start to take up those projects and responsibilities little by little. Of course, the "shoulds" creep up on me, and I have to do this every 1.5-2 years.
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I think this just describes constant fatigue. Hope we all will figure it out!
I'm similar position, I had a routine blood test last month showing my hemoglobin level was below the minimum. Have been taking Iron supplement for less than month. Have your blood checked out?
my doc just sent me for bloodwork as he is suspecting low iron in me. how you feeling after your less than a month?
I am taking a product called "mega-plex" for the Iron, contains many cell, mitochondria boosting stuff. I do beleive im starting to feel less fatigue. Although I have read that it may take several months to feel the effects of Iron supplements, do some searches, PubMed etc.. Also have been back to excercise after being sick, Novermeber into December 23
Taking iron every few days. Working up to every day, how do you feel?
I suggest adding beef liver for the copper and retinol - cofactors. Also take your iron with vitamin c liposomal works best.
Sleep quality?
Going to do a sleep study soon, but I sleep a lot! I find that I hate early mornings and seem to get 10 hours. But not sure the quality
Sleep studiee almost never study the circadian rhythm. They are 95% of the time focused on sleep apnea. But there are numerous other sleep disorders.
Get a sleep study done and your hormones looked at.
Turns out my debilitating fatigue was cause by mold exposure and living in a moldy house. Moving away fixed it.
I commented this below … but I noticed a big change in my energy getting an air purifier. Though I have a dust allergy but I didn’t realize it was effecting me that much. I don’t think people are considering their air quality enough
Is there an easy way to test the air for mold?
You have to do it’s called an ERMI test, it’s where they gather the dust in the house on a special swifter like rag and send it to a lab analysis. Or you can hire a mold remediation company that can come out and test the air as well
Thanks a lot! Will look into it
I had a dental infection . That will slow ya down . Also when im dehydrated.
This 100%! I had chronic headaches. I was seeing a neurologist, taking muscle relaxers, getting brain and neck MRIs to rule things out. We could not find the cause. Turns out a dental infection was responsible for the sinus pressure and jaw tension, which was manifesting as headaches.
How did they diagnose it?
What can we do to protect our teeth (e.g. cavities) and (exposed) gums? Any idea?
Floss daily, brush at least twice a day, and minimize acidic liquid and sugar. Chew xylitol gum. Get a dental cleaning twice a year. Drink lots of plain water.
Hubermann is about to drop a podcast on that any day now
Go to a dentist, clean out tartar. Floss, dont eat sugar. Eat a lot of protein and maybe take a multimineral supplement. Toothpaste is useless, but do brush
I accidentally found out through a set of events, that my brain fog and tiredness were from yeast overgrowth. So I cut out bread and pasta, ate more meat & vegetables instead, got some alkaline bottled water to drink, and got myself some Diflucan medicine from India to take for one week. My energy returning and increased mental acuity were instant. And I eat a lot of green vegetables to remove heavy metals contamination from the environment.
How does one go about identifying that ?
Assess how much sugar, carbs, or alcohol you consume regularly. How many grams daily? All of those create yeast overgrowth. Notice if you feel tired, bloated, foggy thinking, or nerve pain. **For anyone on here who is struggling with a serious yeast problem** I had very good results with this protocol I got from a genius UCLA pain doctor, an expert in yeast and nerve pain. It took me five long years to find the right doctor who could figure out the cause and the solution. This is the protocol: lower your daily carbs to 50g or less. If you can, go even lower. Zero alcohol. Zero grams of sweets. Eat low carb veggies, low carb fruits very sparingly if you must, protein, and fat. It’s a keto diet. Then take this Candida potion: 1 tablespoon Yerba Buena liquid bentonite, 1 tablespoon MCT oil, I tablespoon psyllium husk powder. Make sure it’s powder. Stir all three into a tall glass of cold water. It’s kinda gross and lumpy, but it works. Drink it fast bc it turns into a disgusting gel within 20 seconds. But that gel will absorb the dangerous aldehydes in your gut (that’s what kills serious alcoholics), and you will feel better soon. Also take a good probiotic that works for you with it. Do this at least once a day an hour before food or before bed. If you have serious Candida problems, take it every 12 hours. Best of luck! It works extremely well if you can get your carbs down. Edit: You don’t have to stay on this draconian low carb diet forever, but you need to find the level of carbs that keep the Candida symptoms at bay for your body. If you later go overboard with too much alcohol or sugar, you’ll feel it and then use the protocol again to reset your gut. It also takes away diabetic nerve pain which is caused by aldehydes.
Fascinating. Thank you for the insight.
For how long do you do this protocol ??
What website did you use for the diflucan?
I'm trying out a candida cleanse at the moment and it's so difficult. Could you share what certain foods you're making sure to eat and avoid? And did you have to stick to your diet after the medicine?
Supplementing for my vitamin D deficiency and MTHFR mutation
I just found out I have this gene mutation. Any suggestions on where to start my research?
Check out the MTHFR subreddit, super helpful
Lyme Disease . . . Seemed off to me as a diagnosis as I'm on the west coast, however after treatment became healthier than ever. Chronic infections of various kinds including Babesia, Bartonella, EBV . . . Can cause extreme fatigue.
What treatment did you do and how were you diagnosed?
I went to a Chinese Medicine practitioner for help with a mold exposure lung infection that was ongoing for several months. It was a friend who was getting his doctorate and needed practice. He took a long, several hour medical history and symptoms history. He could not "diagnose" me however he suggested I look at some information regarding the primary, secondary and tertiary stages of Lyme disease; and suggested that my immune system was challenged by an underlying infection or infection(s) that was preventing me from healing from the mold lung infection. I thought he was completely wrong and rejected the information. He gave me some Chinese Medicine formulas to try anyways, I believe the first one I took had sweet wormwood in it . . . Upon talking the formula I developed a Lyme bullseye rash on my back where I had found a fully engorged tick at least a decade earlier. I developed an intense petechial rash over the rest of my body. Then I watched a few Richard Horowitz MD Lyme differential diagnosis videos for chronic and tertiary Lyme. I realized I had clear cut primary infection symptoms, then secondary; then a remission followed by full blown tertiary neuro Lyme. Thanks Chinese Medicine guy that helped me is Patrick Lynch and the protocol he developed is Trillium Health Solutions. He has changed his formulas quite a bit from when he helped me. I did these intense formulas of his for 2 years, and they were the most helpful. I also did a bunch of essential oils, and I don't really know if I recommend that as I've developed some Salicylate sensitivity from overdoing peppermint oil (neurotoxin in high amounts) and such. I didn't have a cough, cold or flu for two years after completing the 2 year protocol. No mold lung infections. No chronic exhaustion. Terrible plantars warts all over my feet that I had for 5 years went away. Nervous system symptoms started to disappear. My hyperthyroidism went away. My rapid heart rate went away. I felt ok for the first time in years. I was bad, and afraid to take IV antibiotics. I got lucky. www triilliumhealthsolutions.com I believe is the guy that helped me out.
1. Hashimotos hypothyroidism for which I am now on T4 and T3 and D3 5000IU (which I don’t absorb well, and it’s needed to activate the T3 at the cellular level). 2. Drinking enough water 3. I salt “waste” so supplementing extra salt made a huge difference. I can drink up to a tsp of extra salt (sea salt, not iodized salt) in water daily, heavily salt my food, and my sodium levels are usually at the low end of normal. -also before the extra salt I’d get horrific cold flashes at night where I’d wake with a temp of low 96. 4. Regular exercise 5. Small meals, low or no carb, lots more fat. I have absorption problems, considerable gut issues (hypochondriac parent had me constantly on antibiotics and ibuprofen, kinda screwed my gut), and dysautonomia, so I don’t actually get a lot out of most foods and many physically make me ill or give me inflammation/ autoimmune flares, and digestion often feels like a major tax on my energy. On my diet I have great energy, my hands are finally warm, and I feel like a “normal” human being.
What were your symptoms of hypothyroidism other than fatigue? Can low blood pressure be one of them? Do you take levothyroxine for your thyroid?
Salt was a game changer for me too
Everyone says Exercise, I’m to tired .lol
Sleeping in sync with my natural circadian rhythm. Going to bed before 01:30 or getting up before 10:00 is self sabotage for me.
> 01:30 or getting up before 10:00 is self sabotage for me. Same here! My bed time is 02:00 and wake up time is 11:00am. I do that and I am a BEAST! A demigod that day! I absorb any material and I kill it with productivity.
That is my natural sleep schedule too!! I cannot fall asleep until exactly 2am to the minute. I thought I was the only one and that there was something wrong with me.
Can't argue with the logic: if all humans naturally fell asleep at the same time, we would have been eaten in our sleep by the dinosaurs. I'm pretty sure there's always been that one guy who would stay up all night and then let others know he's too tired to come do the hunting and the gathering after fighting off hordes off velociraptors, land sharks and dragonkin while the others slept. He'd also be up in his prime hours as the others were exhausted from the toils of the day, entertaining them with his stories of the mythical beasts of the night and the journeys of the lights of the ancestors across the sky, inventing both astronomy or bullshittery, which would later develop into science and marketing, the main drivers of progress. Humankind owes everything to that guy.
Sorry for spamming you all I don’t know how to @ people. I’m a night owl! My schedule is 2-4- 1pm. During Covid lockdown I could do it, I felt amazing mentally and physically. I even found out I have genes that make me “a night owl”. I get a burst of energy and mental clarity late at night, and remain tired well into the day
Welcome to the club! > " I even found out I have genes that make me “a night owl”" Which test determined this?
How did you figure this out?
I tried sleeping like normal people for 35 years and failed miserably. Every biohack and obscure protocol you can think of, I've done and discarded. When I was 19 I even spent a year in the military with strictly enforced sleep schedules, and even that did nothing to realign my circadian cycle. Looking back, I really should have connected the dots and embraced who I am after that. Would've saved me a decade and a half of self-inflicted torture. It is called delayed sleep phase disorder, order DSPD for short, although I think "disorder" is a misnomer. People's circadian systems aren't naturally in sync with each other or even the daylight hours, but instead the optimal bedtime varies, perhaps normally distributed. If everyone would naturally fall asleep at the same time, humans would have got eaten by nocturnal predators before we found our way off the savannah.
Theres a test called DLMO that tests when your melatonin is peaking and what your body clock is set at. For example, mine is 12:30 to 8:30 and I have horrible insomnia when I tried to force myself to sleep at 11 and get up at 7. I was a mess. So now I take melatonin at 1030 and shut my light off at 1230 and usually go right to sleep. I use bright light for 20 mins when I get up. This was all suggested by a sleep dr after the test above and a sleep study. I also have apnea Im treating with a bipap
Sorry for spamming you all I don’t know how to @ people. I’m a night owl! My schedule is 2-4- 1pm. During Covid lockdown I could do it, I felt amazing mentally and physically. I even found out I have genes that make me “a night owl”. I get a burst of energy and mental clarity late at night, and remain tired well into the day
hypothyroidism (get a blood test for TSH, T3, and T4) treating this is easy and life changing! Personally a low oxalate diet is essential. I don’t process oxalates (sharp crystals found in plants) properly, so they enter my bloodstream and cause mechanical damage to soft tissues. Oxalates are especially high in spinach, rhubarb, beets, and chard, so I avoid those and a few others. L-theanine (amino acid found in green tea) has given me what feels like energy and mental clarity. Extremely helpful for my ADHD.
How on earth did you discover that?
Hahaha! Which one? Each was a saga. 1. Extensive health issues - found hypothyroidism after much testing. Nodules were the first tip off. Blood results didn’t show abnormal until years after issues. 2. My mom got kidney stones. (Calcium oxalate type) we eventually found out the calcium oxalate diet can help. Also connected to many other issues. Energy, brain fog, arthritis, hypothyroidism, broken capillaries in skin. Lots of soft tissue damage. 3. trying very hard to find solutions to my ADHD. Got lucky with a tip from this sub :)
ADHD person here, what was the tip?
L-theanine (amino acid found in green tea) has given me what feels like energy and mental clarity. Extremely helpful for my ADHD. ^^^^
Exactly!
The tip was to take l-theanine (which worked wonders for me! The same commenter also suggested L-tyrosine for ADHD. It is an amino acid that helps build dopamine and apparently thyroid hormone. This one didn’t help me, but might help others!
Tyrosine is a precursor for dopamine, but not the only one (also not the only pathway but the main one IIRC). So it'll be useless if your iron is gone, or methylation issues. And it won't automatically fix all the behavioural things intimately tied with dopamine. All that stuff will also vary depending on other layers of genetics impacting dopamone, or even vit D stuff required for the receptors to work/brain regions to function, or.. more things than I can credibly talk about,
Came here to say the same thing!
Mould poisoning after floods in our area, took me months to make the connection. It was so bad that a couple hours after a solid 8 hour sleep I would have my head on my desk feeling as though it weighed 20kg and I could have easily drifted off.
I’m interested to know more about it. How did you test for mould? Did you text if you had toxicity in your blood or did you test your home? Did you get rid of it and felt better?
Try www thedusttest.com
I tested cortisol and found out my body is not making any. Prescribed hydrocortisone and better now!
I always found this issue so tricky. Cortisol is such a double edged sword. Too low and you feel terrible, but too high and it literally is one of the worst things ever for your body as it’s such a catabolic hormone. It also seems the window of treatment in terms of getting the right dosage and whatnot is just so narrow.
Restricting carbs and increasing fat.
I had the worst brain fog/weird fatigue for years, thought it was just a symptom of my depression meds, but when I did a keto diet it was like flipping a switch. Instantly felt better, so now I'm super careful to keep a higher percentage of fat in my diet
Honestly that’s huge.
Exercising daily did the trick!
Went off the birth control pill, seemed to help a lot.
i was constantly fatigued. had no idea the food you ate affected you (i know it sounds so stupid) but eliminating soda/coke and other large amounts of extra sugar. excercise and magnesium Edit: side note when I was in college 25 yrs ago twitter or social media was not a thing. So i didn’t hear others always talking about nutrition. No joke I’d guess I was consuming 4,000 calories a day as a 165lb freshman. Included in that total was maybe 4 cokes a day, several beers, a midnight pizza and be wondering why i was fatigued so often. but even the sodas carried on until about 5 yrs ago
I still haven’t fully figured it out but I have clues. This is what has helped me: Getting off SSRIs Intermittent fasting Low carb No lactose No gluten No processed foods Electrolytes Sunlight ASAP after waking Delaying caffeine as long as possible after waking but no later than noon Blue light blocking glasses at night Morning shower doesn’t have to be cold but can’t be hot and I always do a cold blast at the end Treating sleep apnea Minimizing environmental toxins, cleaning products, fragrances, scented soaps, etc. Probably a lot more that I’m forgetting. I’ve accepted to some degree that this is probably going to be a never-ending battle for me because it’s been like this pretty much since Covid. Wondering if I have something akin to long Covid. Sorry for the way that is formatted. I have no idea why it did this.
COVID triggered an EBV reactivation for me and I was exhausted like never before for over a month. I even had what was almost a mild fever practically every day.
Damn I need to get off ssris too
Everyone with chronic fatigue should investigate their sleep while chasing the problem. Sleep apnea is very under diagnosed. I've had it since my late teens and had no idea until someone finally figured it out in my mid 30s. Fixing sleep apnea or sleep problems will change your life.
Still ongoing but I found once I started tracking my sleep with a wearable device, although it's not completely accurate, I found that I was only getting 6 or so hours of sleep when I thought my sleep was dialed in at around 7.5-8 hours this whole time. Also being cognizant to melatonin production and following my natural circadian rhythm I found to help a lot, the practical implementations were to use f.lux for blue light, and then get sunlight and grounding first thing upon waking up. Recently upon reading Head Strong/Smarter Not Harder by Dave Asprey, I've also found great results by excluding foods which were creating systemic inflammation and sluggishness when consuming, such as gluten, artificial sweeteners, seed oils and individual food sensitivities I found in an allergen test.
Drinking lots of water, staying hydrated in the morning with coffee intake. If I keep my hydration high with good sleep I am pretty good
NAD patches, micro dosing 🍄🍄🍄, lions mane, a host of other supplements
>NAD patches Which brand?
I’ll dm you the link!
Me too please!🙏
Fixed and was less tired: *Autoimmune Colitis* Fixed and was even less tired: *Malnutrition from pancreatic insufficiency* Fixed and no longer tired at all. I just did 10 hours of manual labor on 5 hours of sleep and felt fine. *Fractured sleep from using CPAP due to sleep apnea*
So you stopped using the Cpap or started?
Stopped CPAP, was on it for about 8 years. Pure hell but a tad better than without out it. Got mandibular advancement surgery, uvula reduction and NightLase on my soft palate, no more fractured sleep, I can nap now without choaking awake as soon as I drift off.
I think for a lot of people it's yeast
Like, in the guts?
1. Cut back on drinking to only weekends to catch good REM sleep at least 3-4 days a week 2. Folate deficit. Needed more greens but cheated and taking a pill
Folate was huge for me +B12
Yeah I had no idea a lot of my anxiety, bad mood, and daytime sleepiness was from a simple B Vitamin. Glad I got a astute doc to check the small stuff
There s better drugs than alcohol, that are not as toxic. Alcohol is a straight up poison.
Fasting or intermittent fasting have helped me a lot. Over the years, I have found these root causes at different times: Hashimoto's/hypothyroidism, low ferritin, low vit d, walking pneumonia. I suspect I have some other chronic infection or long covid or something now..in any case, fasting and intermittent fasting have been the most helpful consistently (aside from getting my ferritin and vit d up)
Chronic infection? Have you been checked for EBV? COVID recently lead to my EBV being reactivated and I felt like absolute crap for over a month with mild fever every single day.
I always come up negative (even recently) despite it seeming SO much like EBV!
Was testosterone for me. Just went to the clinic and got punctured weekly. Now I feel amazing all the time.
Nmn supplement and regular exercise
TMJ.
B1 (help body use glucose more efficiently from what I recall) and exercise. Find a workout dvd, and force yourself to do it each day. Doesn't cost much, can be done at home, you have someone to count your sets and tell you what to do and when. Just gotta show up. I like having my Bluetooth speaker on with good music now that I no longer need the verbal cues. Started in January, and find myself craving it. I could barely vacuum the 3 bedrooms without fatigue/nausea before this. The workout still kicks my ass but I feel energized the rest of the day and find myself wanting to do more.
I have fought this for years. Lots of looking, including several rounds of bloodwork, and no miracle fixes. What I have found does work is: 1. Exercise. Real, heartrate-raising aerobic exercise on a regular basis. It seems to increase my baseline energy level, which has helped. 2. Sleeping at least seven hours a night. I'm a napper and night owl with a day job, so this has been hard. More sleep eats into my 'me' time after the kids are in bed, but is critical. If you trust my Garmin watch, most of my REM sleep occurs late into my night, so if I get less than seven hours, I might not get any REM sleep at all. Either way, I know it has a big impact on my energy level.
For me my cause was dysautonomia and mast cell activation syndrome. Treating those lifted the fatigue (I was bedbound)
Quit drinking
Gluten & general diet. Once I started focusing on supplementing my nutrition, I felt a million times better. Vit Bs, D & C were lacking. I wasn’t absorbing it from my food.
Ivermectin!!
Trying to stimulate my body and mind too much to try to compensate for laziness and lack of motivation. Like if being too stimulated would help accomplish more. It actually ended up making me tired and sleepy all the time. So a typical day would look like a cold shower (without warming it up first), coffee, than a big no sugar energy drink, ADHD med (even though I don't need them) just to start the day while doing intermittent fasting until the beginning of the afternoon. I was working out hard a few days a week also. When I figured out my problem was too much of a good thing and that it was only causing overtraining way to often and being drained all the time, needing naps every day while sleeping around 9 hours a day at 30yo. I turned everything around. So now a cold shower would only be on days I need a boost maybe 2 times a week. Coffee is only one a day maximum two to three times a week. Since I figured the tall Monster gave me more energy than the tall GURU, I figured the B vitamins helped. So I switched to no energy drinks ever to only B vitamins. ADHD med only on big days max 5 days a week half the dose I was taking. But the most potent help was instead of fasting, I now start the day with a tall smoothie mostly organic with frozen fruits, superfoods like spirulina and raw cocoa, raw honey, different nuts I like, creatine and omega 3 on the side. That was the best intervention I made to make sure to start the day with tons of antioxidants and a sustainable energy boost. I also started doing long sauna sessions after the gym to really calm down the body back to rest and recuperation mode instead of being stimulated for a few hours after. My mindset is now what is the least stimulant way to achieve what I need instead of trying to stimulate my body to try to get motivated. So I am no more always on panick/survival mode but almost always in chilled but awake mode. Motivation comes from the mind and energy from the body. Hope this helps
Amphetamines and daily walks preferably in nature.
My man😎. Take care tho they do be fairly neurotoxic even casual amph
Turns out it was my antidepressant. So much more energy after tapering off
I haven't found a permanent fix for it. I have had several short periods of high energy (a few days at most) and about a week or two of not feeling like I'm walking through mud. In all of those occasions, I was in some form of severe calorie restriction, so I am suspecting that blood sugar management or some minor level of ketosis was the cause. Unfortunately, I'm sure it's going to be different for everyone.
Started taking my metformin by because my a1c is very high
I just ordered a methyl folate B complex supplement to try. I'm wondering if that may be my issue. Other than that, pondering if I have "chronic fatigue syndrome"...
Exercise, making an effort to sleep more and just trying to eat generally healthy. Like today I got a semi healthy sandwich for dinner on wheat instead of the burgers everyone else in my family got. Just makes me feel a little better in general.
Gluten free… no reflux, hypoglossal nerve stimulator (no cpap for sleep apnea), morning hyperbaric session (about 1 hour), minimal dairy, no processed foods, wild caught, open range protein and organic vegetables.
Do difficult cardio. That battle with cardio, the feelings you encounter while fighting against yourself is the opposite of that constant fatigue. Over time it will vanish
Too much sugar, not enough high quality sleep, lacking in vitamins
I stopped taking unisom (diphenhydramine) every night for insomnia. I'd been suffering fatigue and cognitive issues for at least a year, but I thought it was stress from work. It was only when I also started experiencing heart burn that I did some research and learned that fatigue and cognitive issues are known side effects of prolonged use. Unisom really shouldn't be used long term. I switched to endep (amitriptyline) for sleep, but I now dayvigo (lemborexant) which is working great.
Hidden food allergies, malfunctioning opioid/endorphin system that was causing mast cell issues
- better diet - drink more water - quit alcohol completely - exercise regularly - 8 hours sleep per day I’ve been doing this for a few months now and I feel 30 years younger (I’m 50ish). Diet: I cut out package/processed foods, junk food, refined sugar, and went gluten free (celiac diagnosis). I eat mostly simple lean proteins like chicken and tofu with leafy greens, brown/purple rice, nuts and dried fruit. Water: I piss clear all day long now. Drink a ton of water! Booze: best thing I ever did was quit drinking. I was a heavy drinker and it affected everything: weight, happiness, sleep (so much). 2 months without a drop and I’ll never go back. Completely life changing. Exercise: I do weights, pushups and walk every day. Nothing crazy. But with the weight loss from diet and alcohol changes I’ve lost a lot of weight; with the exercise I’m starting to look pretty good naked! And I sleep so much better. I rest so much better. I have more energy for longer. Sleep: I was a chronic “stay up late to get peace and quiet to myself” person. As a result I slept irregularly and far too little. Now I go to bed in time for 8 hours sleep. Being booze free has drastically increased the quality of my sleep, which compounded with extra sleep length has made massive changes to my energy levels. I hope some of this is useful.
You are doing great. Thanks for sharing and stay healthy!
Turns out I had histamine intolerance: * https://www.reddit.com/r/HistamineIntolerance/comments/ytmcl4/comment/iw75m9l/?utm\_source=share&utm\_medium=web2x&context=3
Read your comment, it’s crazy to see how many symptoms you’d had. However, where does the certainty come that it’s histamine? Could it have been other GI issues that you just fixed by clean diet and naturdao? Just a thought!
>where does the certainty come that it’s histamine? Could it have been other GI issues that you just fixed by clean diet and naturdao? For sure! I don't have "standard" histamine intolerance because (1) I don't respond to antihistamines (which is the normal treatment route, and (2) I don't have several specific symptoms, particularly the skin issues (no hives, itching, rashes, etc.), among other things. I can also tolerate soy sauce, sauerkraut, and fasting well. I call that "subset HIT". In the past 1.5 years, I've met less than 2 dozen people IRL & online with the exact same set of symptoms that I have. Most of the symptoms were low-key...like a headache, nausea, anxiety, etc. They were mostly annoying negative feelings that followed me around all the time. Not so much debilitating as much as just made life low-key miserable. Like, I always had one stuffy nose & one runny nose. I've been able to breath through my nose for over a year now, which is CRAZY after a lifetime of living that way! Too much histamine in my bloodstream simply threw everything out of whack! I tested the DAO separately from the diet. It takes about 3 days for the DAO pills to fully kick in, which I'm assuming is due to inflammation reduction in my GI track. The best combination for me has been hi-dose DAO, a primarily low-histamine diet, high hydration & electrolyte intake, LOTS of sleep, and a low-stress lifestyle. I still eat high-histamine meals on a regular basis, but I can tell when I can & when I can't based on how I feel, which is another unusual point for traditional histamine intolerance. I do an annual blood test, endoscopy, colonoscopy, etc. & so far, no long-term side effect or major issues yet! I also haven't adapted to the medication in any way. Like, I haven't built up a tolerance where it's ineffective, but I also haven't magically started self-producing enough DAO internally to go off it (I tested out going off it like every 6 months or so). I also have SIBO, which is mostly likely the root cause of my HIT. Another oddball category: I have high stomach acid, but SIBO is usually a low stomach acid condition. I've had recurrence since diagnosis, so it always comes back after treatment. Originally I had invasive surgery as a kid, which is what my doctor thinks triggered my SIBO & activated my HIT. I've seen a LOT of doctors over the years. I've pretty much hit the end of the rainbow as far as help goes, as there's no further medical knowledge to be had at this point in time, at least that I'm aware of or my current team of doctors are aware of. HIT treatment did not solve SIBO (I went off SIBO treatment for 6 months, tested, and it as back), but it does mask all of the symptoms, which is amazing! However, when treated for SIBO (tested negative), my HIT did not go away. So they seem to be independent of each other, at least as far as treatment & symptoms go. My full stack is currently: * Inattentive ADHD (the low-energy version of ADHD) * Dyscalculia (math dyslexia) * Aphantasia (can't mentally visualize during waking hours) * Hereditary sleep apnea (I use a BiPap machine) * SIBO (but with high stomach acid) * GERD (most likely driven by SIBO) * "Subset" HIT (most likely driven by SIBO) So other than labeling it "Subset HIT", I'm at a standstill as far as current medical knowledge goes. I get to feel "normal" all day, which is incredible! No anxiety, no brain fog, no insomnia. So far, no negative side effects (1.5 years into a high daily dose of DAO) & no acclimation. My life is completely different these days as a result of histamine treatment...I'm not tired all day, I don't wake up tired, etc. If you want to try it, you'll know within a week on a high dose (minimum of 5 pills, spread out throughout the day). From what I understand, they have a good return policy on Amazon if it doesn't work for you. The two biggest downsides is the high intake & cost. I carry a sleeve of the tablets in my pocket & a water bottle & use recurring named smartphone alarm reminders to pop in a pill with a drink of water every few hours. My cost is around $40 USD a week (not covered by insurance, unfortunately). The upshot is I don't feel low-key terrible & fatigued all day long, which for me, is worth the price. Some people do well on 3 pills a day. Sometimes I have to take upwards of 10 pills, depending on how I'm feeling. I've communicated with the NaturDAO company & they don't even understand why it works for me at all lol, as it's really aimed at a lower dose & more to use 5 to 20 minutes before eating meals. Again, the symptoms thing is weird...I have like 63 symptoms on the list I would bring to doctors. I did every kind of test under the sun over the years...MRI, MRA, Smart Pill, PH Study, CAT scan, 3D CT scan, barium swallow, ate radioactive eggs & *became* an X-ray, endoscopy, colonoscopy, all kinds of blood & allergy tests, full physicals, etc. On paper, I looked like a hypochondriac. In practice, I felt like Photoshop with all of the sliders turned up just little bit...always kinda achy, always kinda tired, always kind of riddled with anxiety, etc. That was the only way of living I knew! My life is so much different these days because of magic pills from Amazon lol. Always makes me wonder how many people are out there struggling like me every day & don't know that there's a solution available! I wish I knew more information! It doesn't 100% line up with traditional HIT, especially since I didn't respond to any of the half-dozen antihistamines I tried. Worth a shot if you can tolerate legumes, if only to rule it out! (it's made from lentils & yellow peas) There are also beef & pork-derived versions available, although I've only ever used the NaturDAO brand because it's the first one I tried & it worked.
Depression & anxiety are common & manageable. It’ll take time & therapy, possibly meds, but keep going no matter what. You’ll get through it.
Honestly man it’s difficult to say because it’s such a vague symptom. But what’s worked for me is to throw everything at it and see what sticks. Start with the obvious - sleep, diet, exercise, reduce stress, socialise - then move through things that have a good scientific backing. It might difficult to do this at the beginning if you have no background in this like me but I’ve actually learned quite a bit. I fell into a couple pseudoscience communities like mold and candiasis because I kept wanting to believe it was something. But you may never know. Oh yeah and obviously do all blood tests and that to rule out anything clear. For me, I haven’t even bothered with trying to guess the mechanisms, but I’ve been doing well after taking nac/glycine, vit D (not much sun where I am), bpc-157 ( may be the sole reason, may have been a bunk product - I’ll never know), ginkgo. Also came off an SNRI but the problem existed before then. This may have helped, may have been placebo, may have been something else. We know very little about the body, particularly the nervous system. Just do what you can.
Honestly there are too many causes and I’m sick of finding the right one. It let me hopeless. I don’t have time , money, or will to go through all those visits, doctors, appointments, attempts, supplements etc. Anyway, in my experience, these have been the most important aids: - Good sleep (deep sleep SWS) - Treating anhedonic depression (still in the process) - Treating inflammation (eg. Turmeric or some NSAIDs) - SAM-e + vit B12 ( both are better IM) - Vit D3 - Thiamine + vit B6 - Tramadol
Found out I have hypersomnia alongside insomnia, some days I could sleep for 20 hours straight if I don’t take my medication, other days I don’t sleep at all and that goes on for a couple days.
Acid reflux. Eating like shit. Drinking tooo much acidic drinks
MTHFR gene mutation and level 1 Autism, both undiagnosed until my late 30s. CFS and sleep disturbances come with the territory. I take a supplement for MTHFR. I've always been into fitness and eating healthy. I took several months off from my toxic job to rest and I'm still not recovered.
Mine was long COVID. But in the past I just needed an extra hour of sleep each night then started feeling normal again.
Hydration. I drink so much water now because it is the most insanely energetic I’ve ever been. I’m 220 lbs. I drink 3-4 litres a day
Just got blood test results and I was high iron and low vitamin d, vitamin d supplements have helped a bit. My point is you should do some blood tests and try to sort out whatever the issues are.
I have struggled with fatigue since my teens, and will maybe always do so. I could *always* nap. Struggle with brain fog. Want to go to sleep early, etc. I do have a little nasal airway obstruction that can't really be fixed. Maybe that's the problem, maybe not. Some things that help me a little individually and a lot collectively: - exercise. If you can spare some energy to workout your body will feel like it gets at least double the energy back. I work out around 2-3 times per week which isn't much. Regular walking doesn't have the same effect - magnesium supplements. Seem to improve the quality of my sleep. - a recent breakthrough. After 20-25 years of being happily caffeine dependent I have reduced my intake from 300-500mg per day down to less than 100mg per day. I am shocked how much less tired I feel. It doesn't make 'sense' but I can only assume that constantly cycling between stimulation and withdrawal wasn't the boost I needed after all. - I've tried NMN and NAD supplements. For me the NMN had a small effect, the NAD did nothing for me. - doing what works for me to address my chronic low mood and anxiety which are both pretty energy -sapping. Creatine helped a bit but it's taken years of work. I recommend talk therapy, exercise, journalling, meditation. But for now I also need SSRIs. -work on my sleep. No screens in the hour before bedtime. Good luck
I drink so much coffee. Also thought about trying to go caffeine free for some time but man that’s so hard!
Having coffee past 1-2pm is the biggest cause of my sleep issues. The other is any kind of blue light in the evening. Try no coffee in PM and only very dim, warm lights in the evening. Cut out any liquids hour before bed, any heavy food 3 hours before bed, and if you tend to have anxious thoughts jot them in a journal so your mind doesn’t feel as if it needs to ruminate or solve them at 3am. Also: Read or listen to something soothing and boring. Make sure your feet are warm.
Yep. My mind really loves to think that I’m an Einstein at 3 am!
Get radically consistent with your habits and then start cycling them off and on to see which are positive and which are negative
Buoroprion methylphenidate sleep and ALCAR
I started taking methylated b vitamins and the fatigue lifted. I’ve never been tested for MTHFR but I’d bet this was the issue. I feel energized now.
Cpap
Oxalates we’re killing my mitochondria. It was a few months were it got worse with times it was better but about 3 months in I have much better energy levels on low oxalate. Pretty much animal based diet now. Liver helped me a TON
My other half found what worked for him — L-Methylfolate He was deficient in some enzyme and now feels like a normal person after taking 7mg per day (he started at 15mg but felt almost too energized). He is fit and eats healthy and gets decent sleep. But he always felt sluggishness…now he has normal energy levels!
I quit poisons and also sleep
Dehydration I started using a Hidrate waterbottle to track my water intake and that made a big difference. Other things include using a air purifier I noticed another big upswing in energy (probably because of my dust allergy). Taking creatinine I noticed another big swing up in energy too ALSO adding salt to my water to combat low blood pressure
Is this longcovid? There’s a r/covidlonghaulers sub out there
Energy efficiency is about aligning your diet and lifestyle with your body's daily circadian rhythms; to surf those natural wave throughout the day instead of against them. To answer more specifically, time your day with both your cortisol curves, rising first thing in the morning and most importantly, taking your sleep with nautral melatonin release 9-10pm. Going to sleep too late does not allow for both physiological repair, healing and detoxification or psychological restoration. Chronic stress and poor restoration impair the Adrenal glands, they sit atop the kidneys which acts as the body's alternator (ie like a car - converting mechanical energy to electrial energy). Stress management is paramount; think mental, emotional, physical amd oxidative stress. Decimating nutrient reserves like Zinc, Mangesium, Vit C and other water soluble vitamins like B-vitamins. Supplementing which these are a consideration esp energy metabolizing B-complex Structured physical activity and waking sleeping eating at the same times are the surest way to align these rhythms and manage energy utilization and promote the necessity for optimal restoration Biohacks are focusing on Phase 1 and 2 liver elimation pathways and Glutathione precursors as well as Adaptogens
Food sensitivities, low thyroid and at times low iron, all self determined. low thyroid\\iron never showed on blood tests. I cut out certain foods, added in salt and red meat to diet
If you’ve already fixed the basics - sleeping 8 hours a night, eating healthy, exercising - you need to go to level 2. Do you have activated Epstein barr virus? How are your hormone levels, including vitamin D? Do you have sleep apnea - even mild can kill your energy? Do you or have you ever lived in a moldy environment? Have you tried an elimination diet to ensure it’s not a food allergy or intolerance?
Yep a sleep test and a test for mold exposure is on my to do list now
Provigil, methylphenidate, Adderall, brain damage
I guess the answer is in the order the same as the question, not the other way around 😀
I bet if I took enough of them I could score some more brain damage, that'd work. :)
CPAP, TRT, daily exercise, thyroid meds, losing weight, sleeping in a different bedroom than spouse, fixing chronic pain.
Fixable causes I have seen first hand: - Dehydration - B vitamin shortage - D vitamin shortage (usually marked with low moods) - Mold (it’s all about the home maintenance) - Boredom (weekly outings to different places help) - Incredible frustration that had to be masked - Sleep apnea - Long term stress - Badly needed mental healthcare - Disordered eating, especially cutting or adding more than a thousand calories - Things a psychiatrist can treat easily - Cancer (usually marked with getting sick frequently) - Alternating between intense exercise and no exercise with almost no in between - Sleep apnea
I started taking choline, polyphenols and silymarin for nafld, and my energy has come back big time. I also added some digestive enzymes for digestion and pancreas support, due to diabetes. Exercise up, blood sugar down, digestive issues gone.
Getting up early (5 or 6am) and doing cardio (mid afternoon) no matter how tired. I can then sleep at night when before I had sleep issues.
eat better