The Student Room Group

Exhausted Boyfriend

hi there, i'll get right to it.

my boyfriend (36) has always been tired, but recently he's started to be tired ALL day. i was thinking that it might be because he started a new job that has im work from 7am-6pm. meaning he usually gets up at 5.30 and doesnt get home till 6.30pm. then he sleeps around 9pm. that's monday to friday and saturday he has to work 8-5pm. he exercises (gym and football) whenever he can. oh and he goes out drinking with his friends (usually once a week).

he quit his job a week ago and is starting another one in a few weeks.

he already went to see a doctor who said that she's seen many teachers from that school with illnesses and that it's all probably just stress related. she took blood and got it tested (regular blood test), and everything came back fine.

i was wondering if it is normal for people to get more tired with age or if he could have something that might not show in a blood test. i guess i'll have to wait and see if his fatigue improves in the next months, then i guess it was just stress. but what else could it be?

any information or advice would be greatly apreciated. thanks ;-)

just thought i'd add that even on sunday-his day off he usually stays in bed all day cuz he's too exhausted o do anything (but play football every week). i find that he spends most of his time in bed-napping if he's not sleeping. oh AND he doesnt sleep right. he never sleeps for longer than a few minutes, then he wakes up, turns around and goes back to sleep for another few minutes. he's had this since he was little. he wakes up a few hundred times per night. any idea what that could be?
Reply 1
Its normal for people who work that much to have fatigue, its not like hes lying in bed all day and getting fatigue, a 13 hour day is a hell of a lot! Theres nothing wrong with him that a holiday wouldn't fix.
thanks i hope you're right. and that it'll go away soon. i'm really worried about him cuz the doctor said there was nothing wrong but it seems like there is. hopefully it's just stress. he jsut went to america for ten days. hopefully that'll help a lil (i dont mean the jet-leggedness). but as a holiday. thanks for your reply btw ;-)
wesetters
sleep apnea ?


i dont think it'a sleep apnea. i considered the option before, but its not that he wakes up cuz he ant breathe. he just wakes up. thanks for the suggestion though!!
Reply 4
woeful_infatuation
thanks i hope you're right. and that it'll go away soon. i'm really worried about him cuz the doctor said there was nothing wrong but it seems like there is. hopefully it's just stress. he jsut went to america for ten days. hopefully that'll help a lil (i dont mean the jet-leggedness). but as a holiday. thanks for your reply btw ;-)


Honestly, i have a fairly similar schedule (work, gym, mates, night out etc) but with work about two hours less than his is and its pretty exhausting. So i really don't blame him for being knackered. :smile:
3232
Honestly, i have a fairly similar schedule (work, gym, mates, night out etc) but with work about two hours less than his is and its pretty exhausting. So i really don't blame him for being knackered. :smile:


thanks, that makes me feel a lot better. i googled 'fatigue' and it came up with all kinds of horrible illnesses which really scared me. but it's only been this bad for a few months (he started that 13hr job in january).

thanks again for your reply!
Reply 6
Some people who work long hours in a stressful job often are light sleepers, and wake up frequently throughout the night. this also means that his body doesnt get to rest as fully as it would (which would explain his fatigue), so I would suggest that he could see a doctor about that as well. he wont necessarily need medication but the doc can suggest things to help him unwind at the end of the day, or suggest things that will help him sleep better
back massage in a bubble bath :wink:
Shmish
Some people who work long hours in a stressful job often are light sleepers, and wake up frequently throughout the night. this also means that his body doesnt get to rest as fully as it would (which would explain his fatigue), so I would suggest that he could see a doctor about that as well. he wont necessarily need medication but the doc can suggest things to help him unwind at the end of the day, or suggest things that will help him sleep better


thanks for the reply. i'm not sure if i said it before, but he's ALWAYS been a light sleeper like he is now. as in even when he was a child. the doctor just said that it was stress related and that he should change his job if not his profession. i'll definitely suggest to him your point about unwinding, maybe massages? thanks for the suggestion!
Reply 9
woeful_infatuation
i'll definitely suggest to him your point about unwinding, maybe massages?


Ah glad I was able to help! :smile:

yeah, see if he can train himself to leave his work worries at the door. Massages, going for walks together/on his own (or any exercise for that matter!), watching a comedy film....anything that helps him focus on something BUT his work. Stress creates the 'fight or flight' adrenaline rush in your body and if this keeps building up and nothing is done to relieve it, it leads to fatigue to, so light exercise is good to get rid of the energy that stress creates!
thanks, yes. he seems to really enjoy massages and walks/exercise. he actually tries to go to the gym as often as he can. he's usually tired though he still goes about 4 times a week. now that i think about it, he's actually usually much more energetic after the gym - as you said. i used to think it' make him even more tired. when he gets back, we'll do the walks and massages. thanks again for your reply!! it's greatly appreciated! :-)
lessthanthree
They definitely tested his thyroid function, right?


they did a regular blood test they siad-to check for diabetes and any abnormality with his blood. would that include tyroid function? btw what is that?

PS: thanks for the reply!
thanks i'll definitely tell him to ask the doctor about it. thanks! cuz it sounds very much like him. he did gain some weight last year but he thought it was because he hurt his shoulder, thus had to stop going to the gym. he'salways tired and he did comment on his metabolism a few weeks ago. definitely something to consider. just hope it's nthing serious. thanks!
Reply 13
lessthanthree
They definitely tested his thyroid function, right?


When I first read OP's post I though of this!

However I know about thyroid though animals (dogs) LOL and I don;t have any experinance of it in humans but it could be a case :smile: