Extremely fatigued 13yo boy

[Joyofsixreboot]

My 13 yo has been very, very tired.  He even falls asleep if he sits in a chair or the car too long.  I took him to the MD who did a CBC and thyroid panel and physical exam and found nothing wrong.  He gets about 8-8.5 hrs of sleep.  We send him early but he says he lays for awhile before he falls asleep.  Any ideas? DH thinks he's just growing really fast which could be it but I'd love to help him feel better.  He went camping with the scouts this weekend and went to bed at 8 last night.  Am I missing something obvious? This kid is usually full of energy.  The sort of kid you send out on a bike ride or run just to burn something off.  He has gone back to PS (his choice) but has been back for 7 weeks so I would think he has had time to adjust.  Anyone have some brilliant idea I haven't thought of?  Part of me wants to take him back to the doctor. *Note he is boy #3. Neither of his brothers did this FWIW

[TrulySusan]

Did they check for mono? Otherwise, it might have originally been fatigue from adjusting to the school schedule followed by fatigue from a camping trip where it is doubtful they slept much. I hope he feels better but I would go back to the doctor if he doesn't.

[MiMi 4under3]

He may need 10-11 hrs of sleep. Teenagers' sleep needs increase at this age.

[linders]

DS14 needs 9-9.5 hours a night to be fully functional. Starting private school this year has made that hard. Scout campouts always wiped him out for 2-3 days, and I used to let him sleep in the Mondays after those. Can't do that anymore, he's just tired.

[Isabella]

It's often said that teens need as much sleep as littler kids, with all that's going in with their bodies, minds and life in general. So I'd be aiming for ten to eleven hours.

You've done the tests and all, so I'd just increase sleep and perhaps clean up his diet a bit and see how it goes for a few weeks. Re diet, reduce sugars to little or none if possible, have moderate protein the times a day, increase fresh veggies, increase good fats, limit breads and carbs. You might be doing all this anyway, but it's just what comes to my mind.

[Laura Corin]

Hobbes is sleeping around ten hours at the moment (9pm to 7am) - I'd be looking into making sure he exercises daily so that he sleeps a lot at night.

 

L

[Joyofsixreboot]

Thanks all. Unfortunately he needs to get up at 6 am and going to bed at 8 pm isn'practical. I guess I'll keep urging him to turn in early. He is a great eater and screens are limited to Fri and Sat eve. I guess we'll just perservere.

[trulycrabby]

I would start by taking his morning temperature, then an afternoon temperature. Track it for a week or so to see if he has any low grade fevers that can go unnoticed.

 

I agree that he might need more sleep. Check to make sure there is absolutely no light in the room that can disrupt his sleep.

 

Has he been sick in the last six months? DS20 had a case of mono that was mild enough that he didn't feel bad until several months later when post viral fatigue set in. A blood test confirmed the mono.

[Harriet Vane]

When I was that tired, it was because I was anemic. My first doctor only tested hemoglobin, which was just inside the range of normal. The second doctor, a few years later, also tested ferritin. My ferritin reserves were terribly low. Iron supplements turned that around.

 

I wouldn't worry about post-Scouts exhaustion. That's normal.

 

Outside of anemia, I would trust your mommy gut and get it figured out.

[mathnerd]

When I was that tired, it was because I was anemic. My first doctor only tested hemoglobin, which was just inside the range of normal. The second doctor, a few years later, also tested ferritin. My ferritin reserves were terribly low. Iron supplements turned that around.

 

I wouldn't worry about post-Scouts exhaustion. That's normal.

 

Outside of anemia, I would trust your mommy gut and get it figured out.

Yes. Get a Ferritin test done to see if the iron reserves are low - even borderline low reserves could bring on exhaustion.

[KungFuPanda]

Going to bed super early isn't really practical for this age. However, if he's sleepy a lot, there may be nothing wrong with him that more sleep can't fix. Try adding an after-school nap and see if that helps.