Tiredness. Needs opinions about the gym [closed]

Question

Before going to see a doctor, I would like to get a few opinions here first. I am suffering tiredness since a few months now. Well, to be totally honest here, it usually comes and go and it's been like that for atleast 2-3 years now. I feel my energy very low and I do not want to do anything. Related or not but a year and a half ago, I was not feeling so well and had a few appointment with a psychologist. I stoped seeing that specialist when the words "pills to treat depression" went out of her mouth. Either because the sides effects scared me or I thought that I could fight it myself with exercises. For a while, I have been into exercise but recently, I have been so tired that I couldn't find the energy to hit the gym.

For example, last night I slept for about 12 hours and this afternoon I couldn't resist taking a 2-3h nap and the wake up was hard. I doubt my sleep cycles are really good. I never seems to have deep sleep.

Oh yeah, and I find my digesting system extremely slow: If I eat a good breakfast in the morning, I could skip the dinner without any problem. Having that fullness feelings following me all the rest of the day.

So yeah, after reading a lot of articles over the past few days on Internet, I found out that it could be either the depression phase that came back harder this time without the unbearable sadness part.

Some says that people have a hard time digesting carbs, it could explain why my digestive system is slow. It could drains me energy.

Lacks of Iron. I am not a huge fan of red meat. Maybe, once a month? And I don't get supplements.

Should I try to fight the tiredness and hit the gym anyway? If one of the above problem is true. Is it dangerous to drain my energy even more? If in fact I'm fighting a diseases maybe I do need the sleep.

My overall info is 32 y.o in 4 days. 5'5" at 150 pounds. Muscular built but about 5% body fat over. Programmer with sometimes long workweek (60 h) and sometimes stressful.

Any experiences would be appreciated.

Thank you

Steve

Answer 1

I also suffer from similar symptoms.

For about 3 years, I have been going to the (fighting) gym every other day and training for hours. At home, I would do my own exercises as well. By the end of 2-3 years, I had lots of energy throughout the day and had no real issues with sleep. (Before the 3 years is a WHOLE other story of mostly unhealthiness).

About a year ago, I stopped going to the gym, mostly due to financial reasons. I knew once I stopped for a while, it would be incredibly hard to get back into it (especially the self-motivation part). I continued to slack off and now I do not exercise nearly as much as I used to, my cardio is completely non-existent, and my energy levels are at an extreme low.
I come home from work, and I do NOTHING for a few hours, get more tired, and fall asleep. This is not helpful at all because I end up waking up in the middle of the night, trying to find something to eat, and then am too tired to do anything and doze in and out of sleep until work in the morning. Rinse & Repeat.

My digestive system has NEVER been good my whole life, but recently has been acting up a LOT more than usual. I too have been eating VERY LITTLE each day and feeling relatively okay about it.

I too am a programmer.

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NOW

I have not gone to see a doctor yet (this time), but I am knowledgeable in many areas of human psychology, exercise physiology, anatomy, neuroscience, cog science, etc. and I am usually able to identify signs and symptoms and self-diagnose very well. I can tell you, I definitely have the signs of depression without the overwhelming sadness (like you described) but am yet reserved on outright calling it depression just yet.

First of all, just because the doctor mentions something about "pills to treat depression", doesn't mean you HAVE TO take them or go that route. You can visit the doctors and have all your discussions without things leading to pills, and it will still help you by providing you loads of insight, especially from a medical perspective. I personally am very against taking medicine for anything and only do so if absolutely required. Taking medicine to fix your problems tends to only treat your symptoms and not the REAL UNDERLYING ISSUES. This means, you will cover up your symptoms, but old and new problems can continue to arise. Sometimes, we have no other choices, but when and if I do, I make the choice to stay away from relying on external means of balancing myself. Like any drug, your mind AND body can become addicted or dependent, whether physically or not.

Exercise is extremely important for mental health and overall human health. There is just too much material on this to explain it fully, but regular exercise and regular sleeping patterns are so crucial to all the neurochemicals and cycles going on in your body that this would be the first thing I focus on.

Take vitamin supplements if you do not eat well enough to get all of your nutrients. I'm not too sure on the Iron and how it could affect you in your current situation, but I am a huge fan of red meat and I do not feel lack of iron contributes to my situation.

I suggest you hit the gym and exercise regularly. Draining your energy will only make your body realize it needs more energy. Unless you have any other health conditions that would limit your exercise habits, there should be no cause for concern. Dont go TOO HARD all at once, start slow and work your way up in a safe and controlled manner. If you get EXTREMELY tired, then stop and rest.

Maybe get checked for diabetes. (my dad has it so I need to be on the lookout too).

Hope it gives you something to compare to. My plans are to get back into the gym and fight it out until I feel better. If this does not feel like its working, I would probably take a visit to the doctors for some medical insight and continue doing what I do on my own.