Sudden extreme tiredness

[dorcas61]

Does anyone else "nod off" in front of the computer?

My job is mainly computer-based and most days I have a phase (about an hour) when my head falls forward and I "nod off" for a second or so... colleagues say it's as tho I'm about to faint... this happens repeatedly for an hour or so, usually around 11am to 2pm, then by 4pm I'm fine and wide awake...

It's one of the symptoms which led to my recent (April) diagnosis of Type 2 and since I changed my diet (lo carb) and lost weight (22lbs!) there are some days when it hardly bothers me, others (like today!) when I really struggle... getting up from my desk for a quick walk (it's a big office) helps, and doing non-computer work, but it starts again when I return to the PC...

I've started to keep a diary of what I eat and when, plus how I fel during the day, hoping to pinpoint the trigger (apart from the computer!) but I wonder if anyone else has/has had this, and what do you do about it?

Thanks

 

[HLW]

What is your blood sugar level when this happens? You might just be feeling sleepy because you're not doing anything active?

 

[lovinglife]

Before diagnosis I could fall asleep standing up in a queue (and have done!!!) - I haven't felt like that since getting good control - in fact I struggle to have 40 winks now - the only time I feel tireness like you describe is when my sugars are over 10 - which only happened in the early days - HLW has a good point - you need to test your BS when you are feeling like this - it may be you are high or even too low - only testing will tell you that

 

[RichardFromHampshire]

I used to suffer from something rather similar-sounding and, ultimately, I think it was due to the sheer quantities of caffeine I was drinking. Every day between 1pm and 3pm I would have incredible trouble staying awake (my eyes would close and my head would fall forward and then i would 'jerk' myself back awake). Since I cut out most of the caffeine though, I haven't had this problem (I do allow myself one cup of caffeinated coffee in the early afternoon, but have no other sources of caffeine in my diet).

EDIT: I was drinking a LOT of caffeine made up with 10 or so cups of coffee and 6 to 8 litres of Pepsi Max a day.

 

[dingbat]

I too was type 2 and suffered with extreme tiredness, Long story short it turned out to be a thyroid problem which sorted the extreme tiredness.
Please dont jump to any conclusions but it may worth checking out the symptons because it caused me all sorts of grief. Apparently the Pancreas and the Thyroid are part of the same system and can effect each other.

10 coffees and 8 litres of coke !! youd be tired because of all the walking to the loo !!

 

[dorcas61]

I used to suffer from something rather similar-sounding and, ultimately, I think it was due to the sheer quantities of caffeine I was drinking. Every day between 1pm and 3pm I would have incredible trouble staying awake (my eyes would close and my head would fall forward and then i would 'jerk' myself back awake). Since I cut out most of the caffeine though, I haven't had this problem (I do allow myself one cup of caffeinated coffee in the early afternoon, but have no other sources of caffeine in my diet).quote]

That's it, exactly!

I have cut out coffee, apart from the odd "treat" at the weekend, and colleagues say it's not as bad since I started lo-carbing... I am reluctant to test beacause I don't like needles, but I think I'll have to start... I agree it's probably due to my bood sugar levels, and I need to find out so I can adjust my diet accordingly... I keep a detailed food/feelings diary but a meter is obviously the next stage...

Many thanks for the replies!

 

[dorcas61]

I too was type 2 and suffered with extreme tiredness, Long story short it turned out to be a thyroid problem which sorted the extreme tiredness.
Please dont jump to any conclusions but it may worth checking out the symptons because it caused me all sorts of grief. Apparently the Pancreas and the Thyroid are part of the same system and can effect each other.

My Dad has thyroid probs, so I was tested for that early on but it's not that...

 

[Blert]

Have you thought of Sleep Apnoea? I have this and before I started treatment had been able to nod off when someone was actually talking to me - my wife was not impressed
If your carrying a lot of weight, snore, wake up tired, feel like you need a coffee to 'get going', wake up with headaches, go to the loo a lot during the night, then sleep apnoea may be the cause - get this looked at with your GP as it can place a serious strain on your heart.