[tokiwartooth]

How do I stop being so tired all the time? I know it's because I'm depressed and I have chronic fatigue syndrome, but is there something that can give me the energy and motivation I want to get out of bed on the weekends? I just feel like **** it, it's not worth getting out of bed, what is there even to do? I've still lost interest in most of the things I love, even reading. I'll sleep until 3 or 4 and then get up and get on my phone and play games. I really want to get up and not be tired. I had gotten up at 11 Saturday morning and eaten breakfast with my family, then went back upstairs and went back to sleep until 3. The only thing I did that day was go to the grocery store. I don't have money to do unnecessary shopping or pay for gas to go to Asheville. I'd love to go to the Barnes and Noble there, but I can't spend the money on gas. I want to do things to get out of the house but I don't know what to do.

[Skeezyks]

Hello tokiwartooth: I hear you on this. I also struggle with fatigue. I'm an older person now & that's part of it. But I'd have to say that fatigue has always been something I've struggled with. I've always run on my nerves & it takes a toll on the body. It's possible you're not getting enough "quality" sleep. There was an interesting article in our local newspaper a few days ago. It talked about how it's not enough to just sleep. One needs to get down into those deeper levels of sleep where the body has an opportunity to regenerate itself. Of course, it's one thing to say that, it's something else to make it happen. But, perhaps you might consider looking into ways in which you could enhance your sleep experience.

Beyond that, I don't know. It's tough when you don't have money to do anything. Almost everything costs money. For reasons I won't get into, I've made a commitment to myself not to spend any money on myself that I don't need to spend. So I also find that I don't have allot going on most of the time. This is part of the reason I send so much time here on PC. I'm also a home bread baker. So I do quite a bit of that. Plus I have a dog who has to be walked every day. So, from my perspective, I think possibly the best you can do, under your present circumstances, is to look around & see if there are some very low cost, or no cost, things you could do around home & then see if you can motivate yourself to do them long enough that they begin to become a habit. Along with that, are you familiar with the "Snap Club" concept? PsychCentral member "Vital" posted a detailed & informative thread with regard to this a while back. You could, no doubt, find it by searching through his listing of posted Threads.

[Fizzyo]

Hi tokiwartooth,

Sorry you're struggling so much with fatigue. I too live with CFS and major depression.

Did you know that sleeping too much makes the CFS fatigue worse? Research has shown that the longer you sleep beyond the age appropriate amount you should have, the fewer hours of quality sleep you get, so with longer sleep, you're even less refreshed than with less sleep and even less quality sleep.

In Uk clinics that have got positive results from getting people to gradually reduce their time in bed to around 8 hours for an adult with the same time going to bed and getting up every day, even if you have poor sleep while in bed, still getting up at the usual time and retiring at the same time however you feel.

Good sleep hygiene is essential in managing CFS.

http://www.cpft.nhs.uk/Downloads/mis...fficulties.PDF

I know it's much easier said than done, but .... The longer you lie in bed, the more tired you become.

I really notice a difference in my fatigue levels if I disrupt my established retire/rise pattern, so I am careful to keep my activity and rest as even as possible.

It's a *** to have to manage both conditions together.

[iwanttohavehope]

Hello there. I feel pretty run down too most of the time. I recently found out that I'm low on iron, so I started taking that, but it's not quite enough to make me feel peppy. So I'm feeling pretty stuck too. It messes with your motivation to do things. My interests have suffered as well. It's even hard to do things like study at the computer some days.

Maybe you can find a workaround. For example, instead of physically picking up a book and reading it, you can get an audiobook version. That way even if you're laying there or staring at the wall, you get the story, and that might pick you up a little. Which may lead to feeling energetic enough to do something else.

That's what I do, because I mostly read nonfiction paper books nowadays and I like being told a story. It would at least make you feel like you did something. Plus if you have a chore that really needs doing, you can multitask because it's hands free. Just be careful of your headphone cord if you wear them.

I hope you find a way through it.

[elevatedsoul]

my sister-inlaws mom takes adderal for CFS...