Having a REALLY Hard Time Waking up Lately...

Wow - I was going to pose this same question today. I've gotten to the point I've started thinking I have some serious issue - like lupus or something. Reading the responses I am going to try vitamin D for awhile.

A couple of years ago I thought something was going on - went to my dr. and they even did blood work, etc. everything came back looking fantastic (they were looking into thyroid issues - which runs in the family) - only thing that came back is that the GOOD cholesteral in my body is high - so I thought, Wow, only thing blood work is showing is that I should be feeling great, but I'm not - that's depressing!!!!!!

This past year has been stressful for me and I ended up seeing someone for depression.......was feeling great however still feel exhausted ALL of the time........best of luck to you - hope we can kick this issue!

When there is a change in the amount of sleep you need, it is usually an indicator that there is a problem going on. Perhaps it is inflammatory, such as allergies (food, environmental, pollen, dust, etc), or an auto-immune problem, or sick with something - you body is fighting off something. Or, it can be sleep apnea. Or, it can be a hormone problem you have developed, such as low thyroid, OR even low vitamin D, which is needed for the thyroid hormone to work at a cellular level. Or maybe low iron or low vitamin B...

So many things, but the point here is that when we start needing more sleep, we should get checked out by doctors.... and from experience, don't let them just say, "Oh, it must be depression, take this antidepressant." If the usual doctors can't figure it out, go to an MD who took the extra education in "Integrative Medicine."

1) how is your mattress. Do you not feel rested, or are you waking up during the night or the wee hours of the morning before your alarm goes off, only to struggle to fall back asleep while still exhausted? If so, it may be time for a new mattress.
2) How is your job? Do you hate it? Could you have the blues (or mild depression)?

Make sure you have good sleep hygiene. No caffeine after ~2pm, dark room, no TV in bed, set aside 8 hours. Set the alarm so that you do not allow yourself any snoozes. Otherwise you just keep hitting the button and you get poor sleep for that last 30 minutes/ 1 hour. I have a nice warm shower with nice new shampoo/soap to look forward to to coax me out of bed then breakfast and a cup of coffee in the am. I agree with checking your thyroid if you are continuing to have problems and/or if you are having other symptoms. Also are you bummed out about work? Time for a change? Good luck

Two things, one of which is going to sound completely nuts...

First, take vitamin D3. You want the kind that is derived from cholecalciferol (because your body absorbs it better). It really helps.

Second (here's the nutty part)...don't change your bedtime, change your wake up time. Set your clock for 30 minutes earlier, get up, have a glass of tea or coffee, and THEN start your day.

For me, taking that 30 minutes for myself (actually, I share that time with my sweetie) before I get in the shower, makes ALL the difference.

In addition to vitamin D3 I would also add a Bcomplex, at least a B12 ... they are often in a dissolvable form (faster working) that goes under your tounge with a cherry flavor! I like to have it dissolve while my coffee is brewing in the am - then my MIL took my stash to get thru the 10am lag (her day starts at 4am) and found it really worked! So, off to the viatmin store b/c I am out of both, oh and coffee takes about 30 min before it starts doing anything in your system for real, the instant "jump start" from the smell is all mental!

check your thyroid and are you getting good nutrition? Supplementation can help.

Are you getting sick? Maybe you need some sunshine, winter is bumming me out (oh wait, you're in TX)... what is the QUALITY of sleep you're getting? Are you dreaming a lot, is your brain still going, are you tossing and turning?

Try drinking a warm glass of milk and reading for a bits (reading always helps me for some reason). Make sure you're not watching t.v. or on the computer just before bed. Do you exercise? That could help too. Being overweight can cause a multitude of sleep issues.

Either way, I hope you figure out something that helps!