is exercise good when you're exhausted?

[Bethie]

I haven’t been getting enough sleep lately. It’s really exhausting me. I’m tired all the time. Should I be reducing the amount of exercise to save some of my energy or should I keep up my exercise so I’ll hopefully get more sleep at night?

[JokerzWild]

I wouldn't stop exercising entirely. It's still good for you to exercise, but maybe scale back the amount of cardio you do and the length of time that you do it to perserve some of you energy. Also, it might be a good idea to find out why you're so exhausted. Is it just that you're not getting enough sleep? If you're exhausted for too long and you don't seem to be improving, you might want to talk to your doctor about this and make sure that you exhaustion is because of lack of sleep and not because of a health condition..

[Speeddemon]

Exercise can help raise your energy levels, which may help you to get through your day when you are exhausted. But, I agree with JokerzWild, I don't think it's a good idea to overdo-it with the exercise until you're feeling more like yourself. If you find that your exhaustion become chronic, I also think you should get that checked out because you'll likely need more than just a bit of exercise to remedy it.

[Bethie]

Thanks, JokerzWild and Speeddemon I guess that makes sense. It seems so weird to use more energy when it feels like I have no energy at all, but you're right, exercising can give me a boost. Careful balance, I guess.

[Speeddemon]

It is careful balance. That said, I would also make it a priority to get the sleep you need Bethie and work on taking more breaks. I know that's always easier said than done, but your health really needs to come first sometimes. You'll only end up making yourself worse in the long run if you don't fix the problem now. If you are getting enough sleep several days in a row and you are taking breaks but still find you're exhausted, then maybe you should get your health checked to be on the safe side. After all, it's not just over-working and lack of sleep that can cause exhaustion.

[Bethie]

It is careful balance. That said, I would also make it a priority to get the sleep you need Bethie and work on taking more breaks. I know that's always easier said than done, but your health really needs to come first sometimes. You'll only end up making yourself worse in the long run if you don't fix the problem now. If you are getting enough sleep several days in a row and you are taking breaks but still find you're exhausted, then maybe you should get your health checked to be on the safe side. After all, it's not just over-working and lack of sleep that can cause exhaustion.

I've been trying to do what you've said. I've been focusing on getting sleep and even though I'm not always getting it, I'm going for at least one if not two good walks per day. But if I don't feel like doing my exercises with my weights, I've been giving myself a break. Those are the ones I just can't seem to face. I hope this all works itself out!