Off Topic Tired teen

[gym monkeys mom]

Ok so this has nothing to do with gymnastics but rather DD's mysterious sleepiness.

DD last fall October was ill for most of the month MD ran a bunch of tests found nothing. UGH!! She got better seemed fine all winter actually she was rather well this winter a new twist for her. Now just this week she is tired all over again back to MD a whole bunch of new tests. No answers yet. DD eats well, sleeps enough and does not slug caffeine. They also screened for depression and found her to not be depressed.

Just wondering if other have had this experience with teen girls and what helped. Not sure if we need to limit gym or push through it. MD's has said push through but it seems so out of character for her to be so tired. I feel a little guilty pushing her through activies when she is tired. She can make it through most of practice but, not all. Coach is ok with her leaving he says just get her healthy.

I was wondering if some teens are just more tired at times and need more sleep. Any thoughts or sotries would help me feel at ease.

 

[gymdog]

Did she get a blood test to check nutrient levels? Any history of anemia?

Adolescents do need more sleep, as far as I know and are generally less likely to be "programmed" to get up earlier. Since high school or middle school starts at 7 am in some places, this can be troublesome if there's no time for napping. That used to be what was really hard for me. If I had to do homework until 2 or 3 am after gym, then I could sleep maybe 3 hours and then all day at school, right to gym. I don't know what the answer is, I would just try to sleep whenever possible and sometimes I missed the second half of school in high school or went late...I'm not advocating it as ideal but occasionally something had to give.

 

[TeamDad]

Kind of weird to have those symptoms without a fever. Have she been checked for lyme disease?

Lyme disease - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 

[Hattie]

definately get tested for anemia (sp?!) I went trhough a period of feeling really sleepy and faint when I was about 15/16 even though i was eating/drinking and sleeping fine, fortunately it wasn't anemia but sleepiness is a common symptom, and it's common in teenage girls.

 

[Rec Coach]

What do you consider sleeping well? Some people just need more sleep! Some studies are showing that teenages actually need 9 or 10 hours sleep every night. This would mean if you're getting up at 6:00 you need to be asleep by 8:00!!! Hard to do when many activities don't end until at least then.

If you've ruled out common medical causes I'd take a careful look at sleeping patterns! Also, sleeping in and 'catching up' on sleep during the weekends can be detrimental to weekday sleep. It's best to stay on a similar schedule all the time.

 

[gym monkeys mom]

Tested negative for anemia, lyme, low thyroid, & diabetse, No elevated white cells either. Sleeps about 9 hours a night. this hits like a ton of bricks one day she is fine the next she is tired.

Its weird. I have decided the teenage plague. LOL

 

[gymkat]

Have you tried a sleep clinic? That would probably be my next step.

 

[gymdog]

Yeah, it's possible she could have some kind of sleep disorder that's affecting her quality of sleep. Does she snore or wake up frequently? Maybe she's never getting into a deep enough sleep?

 

[Cynical-Chick]

Could it be a thyroid issue?

 

[gym mom]

Sounds like she was tested for the 3 Things I was going to mention.She could still have problems with her sugar,I know alot of Dr.'s do only a blood test,but actually it is a series of test ad fasting my grandfather had diabetes and my father was diagonised a 1yr ago.Her sugar could be dipping to low at times.Just a thought also like Gym dog mentioned it could be I belive they call it sleep apnea where they do not get enough deep sleep .She can go to a sleep clinic for a night and they monitor you.

 

[TeamDad]

I guess another thing you could look at is her diet and nutrition. Maybe many small meals during the day instead of larger meals. Eliminate all fast food, candy and processed foods. It's pretty scary once you start reading ingredient labels. I'd also eliminate drinks like Snapple, sports drinks or anything with aspertain, food dyes and high sugar content. You could also look at vitamin supplements.

Another thing could be to eliminate T.V. and computer games and limit computer use.

 

[I-Heart-Beam]

I'm 16 and I sleep from 10.30pm ish to 7.30 (OK, I lie, 7.45) every day, more on weekends. I'm perfectly healthy *touch wood*.

School and gym is just tiring, that's all.

 

[allaroundgirl]

I would have to say, as a teen, that she is probably just tired. Now I'm not a professional so of course I could be completely wrong, but my doctor told me that teens need at least 10-11 hours of sleep (I usually get a full 12 ) because there bodies are growing, hormones, etc. So maybe she just needs more sleep.

 

[CHSgymnast16]

i had the same exact problem. im 15. i started to take iron supplements because i try to stray away from red meats. during gymnastics season at my high school, it was terrible because i would always be so tired. my schedule would be wake up with only five minutes to get ready for school because i would hit the snooze so much. be so tired that i might doze off during class. go home and take a nap until practice. go to practice. come home, eat, homework, and then sleep until the next morning. it was terrible!!!! but then i thought about how not having enough iron in the body can make you sluggish and tired and i have been taking them ever since.