Why Am I So Tired

Zzzzzzz.  I wake up after eight hours of luxurious sleep, and still feel tired. Is it hormonal rebellion, age related fatigue, or what?  As a long-term subscriber to Dr. David Williams‘ Alternatives newsletter, I found the following Q & A interesting.  My salt of choice is Himalayan.  Gone are the days of the little girl with an umbrella. I’m not sure if Himalayan salt has iodine.  Anyway, let me know what you think of this article, and how your sleep is, or isn’t happening.

Q: I have constant fatigue. I exercise, eat right, and get plenty of rest, yet I am always tired. Because I’m a vegetarian, my doctor thought my problem might be an iron or vitamin B12 deficiency, but supplementing with those hasn’t seemed to help much. What are your thoughts?

Dr. Williams: One potential cause of constant fatigue might be an iodine deficiency. Without enough iodine, your body might not be making adequate amounts of thyroid hormones. A diet that consists primarily of plants is particularly problematic when it comes to iodine intake—especially if your protein source is from soy. While most nutritional charts indicate that many plant foods can be excellent sources of iodine, the soil in which they are grown is actually the determining factor.

Seafood, kelp, and seaweed products are good sources of iodine, and they’re becoming more popular in this country. Iodized salt can also help, but many people have switched to sea salt—which really isn’t a good source of iodine.

A recent study found iodine deficiencies in 25 percent of vegetarians and 80 percent of vegans—compared to nine percent of those people who are on a mixed nutrition diet.

I’ve written extensively on the many ill effects of hypothyroidism, including constant fatigue. One of the primary ways to reverse the situation is the addition of iodine to the diet.

For years I’ve recommended an effective and predictable liquid iodine called Iosol by the company TPCS. Begin with four drops of Iosol (don’t use any other form of iodine) in a glass of water daily for two weeks, then cut back to one drop a day once you’ve restored your iodine levels back to normal.

To confirm your iodine level, you can ask your doctor to check them or take an at-home iodine deficiency test. But from an economic point of view, it’s far less expensive to just try the iodine supplement to see if you notice an improvement in your condition. You should see a noticeable difference in a few days to two weeks if you’re deficient in iodine.