I don't understand why I'm tired all the time now. I slept for 12 hours yesterday. I don't get it. As soon as I get home from school I typically go right to sleep without thinking about my school work or chores. It's getting in the way of my life and being able to hang out with my friends. If my family leaves me alone for five to ten minutes I typically fall asleep. It's like my default thing to do now. Is there a way to not be so tired all the time?
Really? I didn't think that exercise would help get rid of fatigue! I went on a trip with lots of walking a few days ago (I think I over did it a bit with all the walking) and the next day I fell asleep in school! I will look it up and check out the diet. I know I NEED to change mine, that might be part of the reason. Thank you for the suggestions!
Anna said:
Kitty, you need to learn to carefully balance your activities and rest. It can be difficult to find the right balance. Inevitably, if you overdo things you end up paying.
Other than that, one of the best fatigue busters is exercise. Really.
A while back I was trying to find if any diet would improve my PsA. While I had little success, I found one diet that improved my energy. I didn't expect that, it was a big surprise. Look up anti inflammatory diet. Also google exercise and arthritis.
The diet I am still following is on http://drfuhrman.com
Best of luck!
Eating healthy can be a big help, as well as balancing movement and rest. Some people with PsA find they have low vitamin D levels and/or low vitamin B6/B12 levels, both of which can contribute to fatigue. It might be worth getting those checked (simple bloodwork). I know I have a LOT more energy when I supplement my B and D vitamins and eat healthy.
Nym is right. I had b1, b12, vit d, and also ferritin/iron deficiencies. Getting those treated and cutting out grains and sugars (processed foods) helped immensely. Good luck.
By the way I tried exercise, and it made no difference until the deficiencies were treated.
I had that overwhelming fatigue before I started a DMARD. I started w/ plaquenil, and noticed a slow but steady improvement, so that I wasn't falling asleep or needing to lay down 4 or 5 times a day.
I wish I could say that fatigue is a thing of the past, but it isn't. But I've gotten more used to it now. I've maintained a relatively active lifestyle, and I schedule in rest time. On days where a nap isn't possible, I close my eyes for 20-30 minutes, and then get going. Other days I nap. The fatigue doesn't really go away, but the rest time allows me to make it through to the rest of the day.
I've tried dietary changes, and never found anything that really worked for me. When the disease is more active, I am more fatigued. Go easy on yourself. Rest when you need to, try to keep some level of activity up. Although rushing from class to class may be enough at the moment. And recognize that you will likely need meds in addition to lifestyle/dietary changes.
I will look into that at my next appointment. My mom wants me to cut out grains and sugars as well.
lrcjvl said:
Nym is right. I had b1, b12, vit d, and also ferritin/iron deficiencies. Getting those treated and cutting out grains and sugars (processed foods) helped immensely. Good luck.
By the way I tried exercise, and it made no difference until the deficiencies were treated.
It has been a few months since I started the medication, so like you said that could be another thing that is playing a part in it. If only it were as simple as a snap of ones fingers! I would have been feeling better weeks ago! haha.
sybil said:
I always thought that fatigue was down to the inflammation the disease causes and therefore that it improves as you get the disease under control, which can take a while. Of course it may be more complicated, PsA things often are!
I was tired, tired, tired for ages and I thought that was how it always would be. But once I started treatment there was gradual improvement that made life much easier and after about 20 months I got quite a sudden increase in energy. In fact, my energy levels are possibly better, or at least more reliable, than they have been in many a long year.
The way I look at it (which is not scientific, but helps me get my head around this stuff) is that many of us have PsA for quite a while before diagnosis. That's tough on the body so it responds by demanding as much healing sleep as poss. Then as the drugs tame the disease, hopefully, you've got a good chance of being a lot livelier.
I do agree too that moderate exercise and a great diet seem to help with fatigue and other symptoms. Again, it's just about being kind to your body. Unfortunately you can't snap your fingers and stop the tiredness but it does seem that many of us come out of it over time. We need to do our bit as well as waiting for the drugs to do theirs.
Right now I have been trying to fit my naps into my life because i really do need them in order to have the energy to finish the day. I have to be careful because what starts out as napping can turn into four hours of sleeping haha. The dietary changes are something that I feel I will need because of my inability to move well. As for the rushing from class to class, I agree it seems like enough until I gain some more energy. I am going to try to get back on my bike this summer. It's been so long since I could ride it.
Stoney said:
I had that overwhelming fatigue before I started a DMARD. I started w/ plaquenil, and noticed a slow but steady improvement, so that I wasn't falling asleep or needing to lay down 4 or 5 times a day.
I wish I could say that fatigue is a thing of the past, but it isn't. But I've gotten more used to it now. I've maintained a relatively active lifestyle, and I schedule in rest time. On days where a nap isn't possible, I close my eyes for 20-30 minutes, and then get going. Other days I nap. The fatigue doesn't really go away, but the rest time allows me to make it through to the rest of the day.
I've tried dietary changes, and never found anything that really worked for me. When the disease is more active, I am more fatigued. Go easy on yourself. Rest when you need to, try to keep some level of activity up. Although rushing from class to class may be enough at the moment. And recognize that you will likely need meds in addition to lifestyle/dietary changes.
It’s complicated, isn’t it. PsA can make you incredibly tired. I used to refer to it as my “crushing fatigue”. The other posters are right, though, finding a balance between rest and exercise and diet and vitamin supplementation (VERY important to discuss these all will your doctor) can help a lot. Then there’s the other factor: some people get fatigue as a side-effect of Mtx and the other DMARDs. That’s why you have to keep your doc very much in the loop about EVERYTHING. Keep a list of things that you need to discuss with your doc, and take it with you to your appointments. That will help you get the best care, and make the best treatment decisions, possible.
Confused yet? There is nothing simple about this disease! But you will figure it out.
Everyone has made great points so far. I'm with Sybil. If you're inflamed or untreated or under-treated the fatigue will swallow you up whole. A better diet (I went gluten free which helps a little) and moderate exercise (even if the thought of going to the gym or pool makes you want to cry) and essential.I resist naps, myself, unless I'm at that falling asleep on my feet stage because I find them disruptive to my nighttime sleep. If I nap during the day I find it much harder to get to sleep at night. Oh, and be sure to get the most restful sleep you can. Nine hours is great unless the cat has jumped on you or your dog needs to be let out or you suffer some other interruption. So do think about the quality of rest you're getting.
It is an art form to know when to say you've simply had enough and to allow yourself to go to bed. If you get on a schedule (I resist them even though they help) it is easier to figure out if there are any particular triggers (be it food, stress, environmental factors) that are playing into your fatigue. Good luck figuring things out.
My mom wants me to try gluten free. I think it will be difficult but if it could help its worth a try. Exercise and I have had a falling out since I got like this. I am trying to start bike riding again, which I really miss doing.
I did notice that when I nap that if I sleep from 4-7pm I won't be able to sleep until 11pm-1am I should really try to resist the urge to nap.. Its just difficult haha
I fall out with exercise all the time. Try to find something you can do consistently. Bike riding is fine but can you do it every day or will it become one of those 20 miles on the weekend things? Might be better to find something low-key to do every day. Even just stretching would be good.
I love bread so the GF thing was a struggle at first. You can go hard core and try to not replace gluten foods with non-gluten substitutes and get a lot less cairns that way (a good choice) or you can find GF alternatives. PM me if you have GF questions. I’m no expert but I’ve bought enough GF bread and cookies to know what’s worthwhile!!
kittychemcat said:
My mom wants me to try gluten free. I think it will be difficult but if it could help its worth a try. Exercise and I have had a falling out since I got like this. I am trying to start bike riding again, which I really miss doing.
I did notice that when I nap that if I sleep from 4-7pm I won't be able to sleep until 11pm-1am I should really try to resist the urge to nap.. Its just difficult haha
I have an indoor bike which I use when its rainy and a rowing machine that I should start using... Stretching is something I DEFINITELY need to start doing. especially when its a bad pain day.
Thank you. I do love bread and pizza and things like that. I could use a list of things that would be good to eat.I really have no idea where to start with the going GF
janeatiu said:
I fall out with exercise all the time. Try to find something you can do consistently. Bike riding is fine but can you do it every day or will it become one of those 20 miles on the weekend things? Might be better to find something low-key to do every day. Even just stretching would be good.
I love bread so the GF thing was a struggle at first. You can go hard core and try to not replace gluten foods with non-gluten substitutes and get a lot less cairns that way (a good choice) or you can find GF alternatives. PM me if you have GF questions. I'm no expert but I've bought enough GF bread and cookies to know what's worthwhile!!
kittychemcat said:My mom wants me to try gluten free. I think it will be difficult but if it could help its worth a try. Exercise and I have had a falling out since I got like this. I am trying to start bike riding again, which I really miss doing.
I did notice that when I nap that if I sleep from 4-7pm I won't be able to sleep until 11pm-1am I should really try to resist the urge to nap.. Its just difficult haha
For me, when my body insists on a nap, I find that if I can sleep for 40 minutes, I can then wake up feeling refreshed without it interfering with getting to sleep at night. It took me a long time to come to a point where I could recognize when I NEEDED a nap, and set my alarm before sleeping.
Whenever a parent I know is encouraging their child to go gluten-free, I encourage them to make it a team effort so that the parent can understand the challenges that come along with it,as well as lending moral support. It doesn't cure PsA, but many people find they feel better avoiding gluten.