Extreme fatigue
Moderator: Moderator Team
Extreme fatigue
Hi all, I am mum to a 14 year old with dyspraxia. She was diagnosed age 9 but since hitting teen years all the challenges seem to have just exploded to another level. In particular she is constantly tired to the point that other than school she pretty much spends most her time in bed. I’m not sure to what extent depression or anxiety may be involved but I wondered if anyone has experienced similar, particularly as a teenager- I know all teens tend to lay around a lot but this is extreme. We have a pretty good relationship but I just cannot persuade her to do anything at the moment 
-
FrankieSoup
- Regular Poster
- Posts: 72
- Joined: Tue Feb 15, 2022 8:46 pm
Re: Extreme fatigue
*Waves*
Hello! I was a teen very like yours! In fairness, given half a chance, I would still spend all my time in bed!
My brother is the same and described it as us being energy efficient - everyone else's default setting is on, but ours is off!
There is another thread on here somewhere - I forget where but it's totally worth looking - where people discuss narcolepsy and possible links with dyspraxia. There's some advice on there about sleep hygiene (i.e. sleep at the same time every day, getting up at the same time - even on weekends, no screens an hour before bed, no food an hour before bed... that sort of thing) and some of it has definitely helped me.
One of the best things I did was invest in a solar alarm - so, a clock that mimics the sunrise. There's a great book called Chasing The Sun by Linda Geddes that talks about sleep, circadian rhythms etc. that I found really useful.
Finally, it's probably worth checking in with your daughter and/or GP re depression. I've been diagnosed with depression at various points of my life when in hindsight, it was something else, but it's always worth checking in re mental health, especially during the teen years. Also, if school is supportive, maybe negotiating a later start/earlier finish? I'm That Parent, so I have no shame in asking for seemingly impossible things, but obviously that's not a path for everyone.
Hello! I was a teen very like yours! In fairness, given half a chance, I would still spend all my time in bed!
My brother is the same and described it as us being energy efficient - everyone else's default setting is on, but ours is off!
There is another thread on here somewhere - I forget where but it's totally worth looking - where people discuss narcolepsy and possible links with dyspraxia. There's some advice on there about sleep hygiene (i.e. sleep at the same time every day, getting up at the same time - even on weekends, no screens an hour before bed, no food an hour before bed... that sort of thing) and some of it has definitely helped me.
One of the best things I did was invest in a solar alarm - so, a clock that mimics the sunrise. There's a great book called Chasing The Sun by Linda Geddes that talks about sleep, circadian rhythms etc. that I found really useful.
Finally, it's probably worth checking in with your daughter and/or GP re depression. I've been diagnosed with depression at various points of my life when in hindsight, it was something else, but it's always worth checking in re mental health, especially during the teen years. Also, if school is supportive, maybe negotiating a later start/earlier finish? I'm That Parent, so I have no shame in asking for seemingly impossible things, but obviously that's not a path for everyone.
Re: Extreme fatigue
Thank you very much for your reply. Depression &/or anxiety are definitely a concern, earlier in the year she was self harming. It’s just really hard to know what’s normal (for her) fatigue & where a downward turn might be happening. I will definitely look at some of the things you have mentioned