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Daniel89
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13 Jun 2018, 1:04 am

Is Fatigue a system of autism? My entire life I seem to be exhausted, feeling weak and drained.



ASPartOfMe
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13 Jun 2018, 1:14 am

Daniel89 wrote:
Is Fatigue a system of autism? My entire life I seem to be exhausted, feeling weak and drained.

Not directly. The constant stress of living with impairments and living in an NT world would do that.

That said I would still go to doctor and get tested for possible physical conditions, improve your diet,sleep and exercise habits if they are poor.


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Daniel89
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13 Jun 2018, 1:21 am

Honestly the quality of Doctors here is not very good they just cause more stress than they are worth.



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13 Jun 2018, 1:25 am

As noted, fatigue isn't necessarily specific to autism spectrum conditions, but it does often seem to be associated. One test to try for is a cortisol test — people with fatigue sometimes have cortisol abnormalities. If you can't get your doctor to do it, you can buy a simple saliva cortisol test online (in the US at least) and have it done yourself, although it's moderately expensive (about $150). If it shows abnormalities, that can be used to argue for further treatment.


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fifasy
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13 Jun 2018, 3:23 am

I fight fatigue myself. I don't know how common it is among autistics.

Out of curiosity do you eat or drink any of the following regularly?

Coca Cola or similar
Coke Zero or similar non-sugar carbonated drinks
Microwave meals
Pre-packaged frozen and fridge meals like ready cut fries and pasta bakes that are heated in the oven
Sweets
Chocolate
Takeaways
Crisps
Breakfast cereals other than wholegrain oats

If yes to any of the above, they're likely to be part of the problem.



Daniel89
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13 Jun 2018, 3:53 am

Yeah my diet is awful I am trying to cut down on sugar but have literally just ate a 100g Smartie bar. Its something I have had all my life but my diet may be making it worse. I am 6ft have a 36 inch waist and weigh 80kg I badly need to loose at least 10 kg.



fifasy
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13 Jun 2018, 10:02 am

Can you share a food diary of what you have on one typical-ish day?

I might be able to suggest substitutes for things.



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13 Jun 2018, 5:55 pm

Yes, very much so. Like people said, it is not directly an Autistic trait but having to constantly deal with a society that is not made for us is completely exhausting.


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13 Jun 2018, 6:10 pm

I find that being autistic and dealing with the barrage of sensory stimulus from the ' normal ' world to be absolutely exhausting . Add to that the fact that almost nobody really understands what it's like to experience the environment this way , the frustration and anger are equally draining . I strongly encourage you to improve your diet as best you can . The rewards are tremendous . :)



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13 Jun 2018, 7:01 pm

Improving your diet really helps but make sure that you don't add stress trying to improve your diet. Do it in baby steps so that you can start to see benefits but not get overwhelmed. And don't be too much of a perfectionist. Make it a lifelong project. Don't try to change everything at once. Even small slow improvements at a pace that you can handle will make a very big difference.


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13 Jun 2018, 9:56 pm

I don't remember a time when I wasn't fatigued all the time. Passing is stressful enough, but I've also never found anything effective for my late-onset insomnia - when I was at school, or whenever I've been working office hours, I've always had to cope with less than four hours sleep a night. Those kind of sleep problems are common for autistic people, so that's another indirect factor which might make autistic people more prone to exhaustion.


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Daniel89
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13 Jun 2018, 10:45 pm

fifasy wrote:
Can you share a food diary of what you have on one typical-ish day?

I might be able to suggest substitutes for things.


It varies but its usually 1000 calories worth of chocolate and one or two relatively unhealthy meals.

I am trying to cut down on chocolate by eating protein bars instead.



fifasy
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14 Jun 2018, 2:35 am

Daniel89 wrote:
fifasy wrote:
Can you share a food diary of what you have on one typical-ish day?

I might be able to suggest substitutes for things.


It varies but its usually 1000 calories worth of chocolate and one or two relatively unhealthy meals.

I am trying to cut down on chocolate by eating protein bars instead.


Possibly you could try boiling a bowl of oats every day to make a porridge. Easy to make and tasty. Can top it with seeds and bits of chopped up fruits like apples of blueberries if you want.



Daniel89
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14 Jun 2018, 4:48 am

fifasy wrote:
Daniel89 wrote:
fifasy wrote:
Can you share a food diary of what you have on one typical-ish day?

I might be able to suggest substitutes for things.


It varies but its usually 1000 calories worth of chocolate and one or two relatively unhealthy meals.

I am trying to cut down on chocolate by eating protein bars instead.


Possibly you could try boiling a bowl of oats every day to make a porridge. Easy to make and tasty. Can top it with seeds and bits of chopped up fruits like apples of blueberries if you want.


I'm a fussy eater (not sure if that is an autistic thing). I do however eat those honey pot porridge I may start eating more of them.



fifasy
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15 Jun 2018, 2:34 am

That's a step in the right direction. Oats have longer lasting energy than chocolate. See how it goes.