Afternoon fatigue

Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Susan French on May 11, 2009 at 7:41pm

Has anyone checked her bp when it happens?

Permalink Reply by Margaret Arthur on May 11, 2009 at 8:21pm

It sounds to me as if she is eating or DRINKING something she is sensitive to! How much CAFFEINE is she ingesting? Some people are very sensitive to it. But it has a reputation of being uplifting & so most people drink it when they need a "lift"... but it can actually have the opposite effect on some. Hope this helps! Margaret Arthur

Permalink Reply by Granger on May 12, 2009 at 6:55am

Even though blood chemistry tests came back "normal" I would check blood O2 levels at the specific time of drowsiness, not in Dr's office later, but in HER office at her desk - maybe also check her office atmosphere O2 level - it does not take much O2 change to induce drowsiness or wakefulness, and many offices and schools and other "tight" modern buildings have really crappy air -- even modern "tight" cars, have you ever noticed how stuffy they quickly become and you need to open a vent?? That's due to oxygen depletion and CO2 buildup ----- and the client's blood O2 and office O2 can *only* be accurately checked at the specific time of drowsiness. Casinos often pump in extra O2 to liven up the crowd - and the military has used extra atmospheric O2 for submarine and extended flight crews for decades.

Permalink Reply by Susan French on May 12, 2009 at 9:35am

Hi Melissa,

I was thinking about your client. At first I thought food allergies and then I thought, well, they wouldn't only happen in the afternoon. But in thinking more about it I remembered that there's an energy dip built into our ultradian (if that's the right word...regular, throughout the day body rhythms) rhythms that hits right around that time.

Has she been checked for food alleries? I know food allergies, especially to wheat if I'm not mistaken, can do exactly that...nod you out.

I agree with Granger also: I would want to look at any function that would case a drop in oxygen levels, even cardiac stuff and especially to the brain.

Susan

Permalink Reply by Melissa J. Roth on May 12, 2009 at 5:20pm

How does she check her O2 levels at work or anywhere other than an MD's office or hospital? I have been aware of "sick buildings" for a long time. That would make sense if it only happens at work. I got the impression that it doesn't matter where she is, ie her problems with driving after eating lunch. She did talk about having to nap in the afternoons on the weekends, so I don't think it is air quality in this case.

I will check on what she drinks when she comes back in tomorrow. I don't know if they have tested her for food allergies but I'll talk to her about it. If they have not then I'll suggest eliminating wheat and dairy to see if that improves anything.

Her doctors believe this to be an emotional problem because they can't find anything but, for the life of me, I can't seem to find one. She seems pretty content with herself and her life--no major life issues yet, career she enjoys, stable home life, proud of her kids and waiting on grandchildren. Yeah, it has become frustrating and a little upsetting to her now but it would be to anyone. She is puzzeled but wants to find an answer. I think this is a physical problem they have over looked but I have no idea what it could be or what to tell her to have them check. I"m stumped.

Granger said:

Even though blood chemistry tests came back "normal" I would check blood O2 levels at the specific time of drowsiness, not in Dr's office later, but in HER office at her desk - maybe also check her office atmosphere O2 level - it does not take much O2 change to induce drowsiness or wakefulness, and many offices and schools and other "tight" modern buildings have really crappy air -- even modern "tight" cars, have you ever noticed how stuffy they quickly become and you need to open a vent?? That's due to oxygen depletion and CO2 buildup ----- and the client's blood O2 and office O2 can *only* be accurately checked at the specific time of drowsiness. Casinos often pump in extra O2 to liven up the crowd - and the military has used extra atmospheric O2 for submarine and extended flight crews for decades.

Permalink Reply by Susan French on May 13, 2009 at 6:56am

Melissa,

Thank you for being willing to return to looking for physical cause. Thank you, thank you, thank you. Forgetting about the fact that there are bodies attached to the minds we like to fix is one of my favorite gripes. Also, forgetting the MD's make plenty of mistakes and miss things. Also, for all House afficianados, we are aware that doctors (and others) often use the process of elimination to discover causes and that can be harrowing to the patient...lol.

However, it was you, Melissa, who validated my feelings in this regard and from you I learned your little story about the facture in your foot. I always think of that when stuck in a physical vs emotional exploration.

This is a great case history. I'm hoping I get to find out what happens.

Susan

Permalink Reply by Kelley Woods on October 18, 2009 at 6:17am

I just read this discussion and had to post a comment because I used to be that woman! About 10 years ago, while running my own business, I would hit an afternoon energy wall that nearly incapacitated me. It was so severe that I hired an assistant to come in to work at 2 pm so that I could either take a nap or leave the office. It eventually played a role in my selling of the business and finding my current passion; talk about silver lining!
But, the good news is that I finally discovered what was wrong: I was dehydrated. I drank a cup of coffee in the morning with my toast and fruit, a small beverage at lunch and by the afternoon, my system was parched. As long as I now consume water throughout my day, I maintain a good level of alertness, but if I forget and drop below my personal water requirement, I can feel the slump.

Sometimes the big mysteries are such a simple fix! I'm wondering how your client is doing now?

Best wishes,

Kelley

Permalink Reply by angela partoon on October 19, 2009 at 8:01am

Hi Melissa, there has been some research into age related sleep disorders and circadian patterns, I know late ffities is not old but changes do occur within the body and the brain which can be reflected in behaivoural changes. How long has it been occuring, was the onset sudden or gradual? In adddition to checking CO2 I would check the lighting by type and level in the workplace, whether this has changed and when. Brighter lighting has been shown to reduce age related sleep disturbances. One last thought is it might be something she has stopped eating,drinking or taking.
Love to hear how it goes
angie

Permalink Reply by Melissa J. Roth on March 18, 2010 at 8:26pm

We asked my client's unconscious mind what the root cause was and it said she had high blood sugar....not really high enough to qualify for diabetes type 2 yet but creeping up. I suggested she get a glucose meter and start checking her blood sugar in the afternoons. Sure enough it was a little high. In addition, she was up several times at night to urinate. So, she saw an endocrinologist and got glucophage. She takes a low dose and we're working on her diet and exercise program. She now only gets up once, maybe twice at night to pee, is getting better quality sleep and is not having the issues to the degree she was before. She still feels draggy at times she says, especially when her sleep is disrupted or she eats something to cause her blood sugar to rise. We're working on her stress. I believe diabetes 2 is much more closely related to stress levels than to food selections. Even if I am wrong at least she eats a better quality diet when she is not stressed.

Permalink Reply by Michael Ellner on March 19, 2010 at 1:48am

Many people in my AIDS, cancer and chronic health problems information exchange and wellness groups have reported that simply a establishing a daily routine of drinking a glass of water and taking a 5 to 10 minute meditative walk out doors helped them eliminate the midday slumps... It makes sense to me, the exercise helps wake you up and the sunlight helps you reset your inner-clock... The water helps rebalance their ph and blood sugar levels... FYI - It worked for me...

Melissa J. Roth said:

We asked my client's unconscious mind what the root cause was and it said she had high blood sugar....not really high enough to qualify for diabetes type 2 yet but creeping up. I suggested she get a glucose meter and start checking her blood sugar in the afternoons. Sure enough it was a little high. In addition, she was up several times at night to urinate. So, she saw an endocrinologist and got glucophage. She takes a low dose and we're working on her diet and exercise program. She now only gets up once, maybe twice at night to pee, is getting better quality sleep and is not having the issues to the degree she was before. She still feels draggy at times she says, especially when her sleep is disrupted or she eats something to cause her blood sugar to rise. We're working on her stress. I believe diabetes 2 is much more closely related to stress levels than to food selections. Even if I am wrong at least she eats a better quality diet when she is not stressed.

Permalink Reply by Cheryl Westley on March 19, 2010 at 6:19am

Interesting. I've been doing this for years, for no other reason than it felt right.

Michael Ellner said:

Many people in my AIDS, cancer and chronic health problems information exchange and wellness groups have reported that simply a establishing a daily routine of drinking a glass of water and taking a 5 to 10 minute meditative walk out doors helped them eliminate the midday slumps... It makes sense to me, the exercise helps wake you up and the sunlight helps you reset your inner-clock... The water helps rebalance their ph and blood sugar levels... FYI - It worked for me...