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On being tired

jukkaniiranen.com

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Re: On being tired

#81

Post by xyzzy_plugh »

powersnail wrote: post #11

As I age, I've learned to distinguish "not being excited" (languor) and "being tired" (exhaustion), which to my younger self felt like the same thing. The former is not always caused by a lack of energy, but also excessive idleness, especially if I'm doing things that requires attention but also isn't intellectually stimulating. When the author refers to "normal tired" and "dead tired", I think that echoes with my tw…

I could not relate less. I'm guessing you don't have ADHD?

I wish lack of excitement and being tired felt the way you describe, but if anything it's the opposite.

I get more dopamine from being exhausted physically but overextending myself than I do from being bored, much to my misery.

Re: On being tired

#82

Post by 300bps »

xyzzy_plugh wrote: post #81
powersnail wrote: post #11

As I age, I've learned to distinguish "not being excited" (languor) and "being tired" (exhaustion), which to my younger self felt like the same thing. The former is not always caused by a lack of energy, but also excessive idleness, especially if I'm doing things that requires attention but also isn't intellectually stimulating. When the author refers to "normal tired" and "dead tired", I think that echoes with my tw…

I could not relate less. I'm guessing you don't have ADHD? I wish lack of excitement and being tired felt the way you describe, but if anything it's the opposite . I get more dopamine from being exhausted physically but overextending myself than I do from being bored, much to my misery.

Extending your point, I think all of these subjective thought experiments on being tired are maybe useful for the person engaging in them.

People are so different for a myriad of ways that I don’t see how many of these ideas are generalizable.

Even being the same person but having different sugar and caffeine habits can dramatically change your energy level throughout the day. Without caffeine and sugar I have steady level of energy throughout the day. With sugar and caffeine I have peaks and valleys. It’s why I haven’t had soda since 2013.

Re: On being tired

#83

Post by rubicon33 »

jmfldn wrote: post #58
rubicon33 wrote: post #45

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This hits the nail on the head for me. Interestingly, I only came to this realization later in life as well. I've always thought of myself as "tired" but the real problem is I require an exceptionally high stimulating environment to excite me out of langour. Exercise. Video games. Occasionally (rarely?) an academic subject that I am good at and interests me can also elicit this excitement and energy. But in general I…

Sorry to hear. I think you're doing the right thing in trying to see if you can cope with lower stimulation gradually. Try lower stimulation hobbies, reading novels, going for long walks etc. Maybe you'll find that you can somewhat recondition yourself gradually. There really is a great joy in enjoying simple pleasures without distraction. Don't fret if you can't get there quickly or have a different baseline too, th…

Thank you for the encouraging words.

> Maybe you'll find that you can somewhat recondition yourself gradually.

That's the goal. I intend to be patient with myself on this task and work on it over the course of the next few years. I have no doubt that it will take years to effect any kind of substantive change.

Re: On being tired

#84

Post by mikeklaas »

angarg12 wrote: post #5

I've spent the last couple of years at the two bottom levels of that scale. It took me an embarrassingly long time to realize one of the root causes: my wife and I have fundamentally different personalities that are at odds with each other. My wife is an extrovert. She is energized by going out, visiting places, doing things, meeting people. I'm an introvert. I get energized by staying in, reading a book, watching a…

> Most weekends rather than recharging for the rest of the week, I end up more tired than I started.

As a parent, it's hard to remember that ending a weekend "recharged" is a common experience.

Re: On being tired

#85

Post by MrVandemar »

jjtheblunt wrote: post #59
samsquire wrote: post #42

In the UK it is really hot and we are in drought. I am tired. I hope to get my energy levels back up as all I want to do is sleep. I take iron liquid supplement but I don't know what's causing it. Some days I have energy and can be on the computer until late. Other days I don't want to know.

taking iron supplements for a male is dangerous, my doctor told me years ago, for whatever that is worth

This is very true. Some men have to have regular iron level checks and if their iron is too high, they have to have some blood taken out to lower the levels ( venesection). Definitely get medical advice if you're a male before taking iron supplements.

Re: On being tired

#86

Post by [deleted] »

plonk wrote: post #77
kiririn wrote: post #13

Concussion is a trial by fire of discovering what is truly not taking up mental energy. In the acute phase you go from having 16+ hours of it per day to 10 minutes. The answer is pretty much just staring at a blank wall. Anything else is costly to a degree

I had a mild one that put me out of work for a week. I wonder if it's really a lack of energy, or just the body deterring you from any activity by pretending to be tired, so the brain can heal faster.

[deleted]

Re: On being tired

#87

Post by rramadass »

garganzol wrote: post #47

Fatigue is not only a mental thing as many assume. What really happens is our cells are gradually accumulating Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS) while we are awake, and when a certain threshold of ROS is reached, we feel tiredness. This is a defensive mechanism of a living organism to keep ROS levels at bay. But what happens if one ignores the fatigue? ROS cellular levels will continue to climb up to the point of a patho…

Can you suggest a good overview book on this subject?

Re: On being tired

#88

Post by [deleted] »

rubicon33 wrote: post #45
powersnail wrote: post #11

As I age, I've learned to distinguish "not being excited" (languor) and "being tired" (exhaustion), which to my younger self felt like the same thing. The former is not always caused by a lack of energy, but also excessive idleness, especially if I'm doing things that requires attention but also isn't intellectually stimulating. When the author refers to "normal tired" and "dead tired", I think that echoes with my tw…

This hits the nail on the head for me. Interestingly, I only came to this realization later in life as well. I've always thought of myself as "tired" but the real problem is I require an exceptionally high stimulating environment to excite me out of langour. Exercise. Video games. Occasionally (rarely?) an academic subject that I am good at and interests me can also elicit this excitement and energy. But in general I…

[deleted]

Re: On being tired

#89

Post by [deleted] »

rubicon33 wrote: post #45
powersnail wrote: post #11

As I age, I've learned to distinguish "not being excited" (languor) and "being tired" (exhaustion), which to my younger self felt like the same thing. The former is not always caused by a lack of energy, but also excessive idleness, especially if I'm doing things that requires attention but also isn't intellectually stimulating. When the author refers to "normal tired" and "dead tired", I think that echoes with my tw…

This hits the nail on the head for me. Interestingly, I only came to this realization later in life as well. I've always thought of myself as "tired" but the real problem is I require an exceptionally high stimulating environment to excite me out of langour. Exercise. Video games. Occasionally (rarely?) an academic subject that I am good at and interests me can also elicit this excitement and energy. But in general I…

[deleted]
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