The nutrition and diet thing are huge, but let me throw something else out there. I had the same problem when I was in middle school, to the point of almost falling asleep in class. Turned out my problem was anemia--my iron stores were in the "about to kick the bucket" kind of range. Taking iron supplements (in addition to exercise, a daily multivitamin, etc) and B-12 (to help iron absorption) every day turned me into a new person. To this day if I miss taking iron pills for more than a few days, the lethargy starts to come back. (I should note that, like you, I stay up way to fucking late. I'm tired in the morning, but once I'm up its usually okay; I don't stay fatigued through the day anymore.)

If you can, get some blood drawn and have them check your iron stores. Failing that, just start taking some extra iron and B-12. Its not gonna hurt you one way or the other, and it might really help.

APLETHORAOFPINATAS wrote:

iron deficiency is not as common in men as it is women, you should still probably get it checked out but I doubt its as major a cause to your problem as the years of punishment you have put your body through. you are no longer 21. Maybe 2 2 liter bottles a day and whatever bizarre eating habits you stil have (see consuming wedges of cheese, eating peoples garnishes at restaraunts etc) have caught up to you. get some sleep and see if you can get some meds to ease off the caffiene, you'll feel better.

Good points. I forgot that its less common in guys. Still worth checking out though like you said; less common doesn't mean nonexistent.

Syd, I'd look into getting a good multivitamin too. I know your V8 has lots of good stuff in it, but a good supplement can only do you good. The good ones can be a bit pricey, but I still say give it a try and see how you feel. If there's no change, you can always stop using it, but you might be surprised.

Here's another issue I thought of: sunlight. The only reason I get my quota is because I love outdoor sports, and because the Army doesn't give me a choice. When I was younger though, I lived inside my room, windows shut, lights on, whole nine yards. In addition to helping your body produce important vitamins and chemicals, getting at least a little sunlight helps you sleep (I forget exactly how it works, but its something like, if you don't see the sun directly, your circadian rhythm is thrown off because your brain doesn't know when its day or night.) Try sitting outside for half an hour every day, that might help. (I know its not as sunny out there as it is here in SoCal, but this applies even on cloudy days.) I dunno, worth a shot and easy to do. *shrug*