Tiredness

My asthma has been well controlled recently - finally! But I seem to lose it when I start getting tired. Problem is I'm in a job that is extremely time-consuming, where it is actually impossible to get enough sleep, so I get more and more tired as the term goes on.

Halfway through an 8 week term and by Friday I'm so tired I can hardly keep my eyes open, and I've started coughing in the mornings and needing my ventolin more. Know this will start to turn into a vicious circle where my asthma makes me even more tired, but don't know what to do about it! Don't need to see GP as not bad enough for pred at the mo, but can just see what's going to happen and have no idea how to stop myself being tired. I usually get to bed about 11 and am up at 7 so not ridiculously short of sleep, but I just seem to need more.

Not sure what anyone can do to help really....

[Hidden]

Not sure if I'll be of any help, as I've only just been diagnosed. But have you considered your diet, I was feeling tired till I cut out all unnecessary sugar, caffine (in moderation) and made sure I was eating a balanced diet & 3 meals a day. Maybe a review of what you eat might help till your next asthma review

[Hidden]

Hi, it took me a while to figure out, but I get really tired as my asthma deteriorates. I might not notice it deteriorating until it starts to affect me in the day, but it seems that it disturbs my sleep enough to make me very tired - but not enough to wake me fully to consciousness. This does make sense to me, as a similar thing happens with people who have undiagnosed sleep apnoea (extreme tiredness) because if breathing deteriorates the body will 'wake up' just enough to improve it. When this happens several times a night, it knackers you. Last time this happened, I started oral steroids, and within two days was feeling tons better.

Hope that makes some kind of sense

Lynda

[Hidden]

Lynda, thanks for that reply, its like a lightbulb has gone off in my head!!!

What you say totally matches what happens to me.

Thanks again!!!

[Hidden]

glad it was helpful - it has happened to me so often I dont know why it took me so long to figure it out LOL! hope you are feeling better soon...

Lynda

[Hidden]

nursefurby that really makes sense, I've been really tired all week this week and since Friday have been feeling a bit wheezy and needing ventolin. I don't feel too well today so not sure whether I'm getting a cold or it's just tiredness. Slept about 11 hours last night and 10 the night before so shouldn't still be feeling so tired. Lungs not too bad just feel sore if that makes sense.

[Hidden]

it does make sense, do you think you need to be doing something different? I wonder if either its just an asthma exacerbation or the start of infection which is playing asthma up...? Everyone is different eh

Lynda

[Hidden]

It may be the start of a cold or infection. I do seem to spend periods where I'm well controlled and then go downhill for a couple of weeks, have a course of pred and then go back to normal again. Only had pred three times in the last year though, so not too bad going.

[Hidden]

I also notice tiredness varies with asthma control. One of the reasons I know the medication I have is working at least a bit is that I no longer get ridiculously tired from the smallest things like I used to when I had no effective medication - most of the time. I can still do more than I could then but if things aren't so good I'll definitely notice afterwards even if I didn't feel too bad doing whatever it is! So to me being tird would suggest a symptom of losing control rather than a cause.

Whatever it is, I hope you manage to break the cycle and sort something out! But it may be worth a trip to the GP if it's making work difficult.

[Hidden]

Well I'm now thinking it was just a result of gradually deteriorating control. No real illness has materialised, although I often seem to get 'colds' where the symptoms are spread out over 2-3 weeks, around the time everyone else seems to be getting ill. Now started coughing and needing ventolin in the morning, and feeling tight when I wake up, so probably being tired was as a result of symptoms while I was asleep.

Is there anything I can do to prevent it getting to the pred stage? Already on 2 puffs seretide twice a day.