Ask MetaFilter posts tagged with fatigue

What is wrong with me?

i_love_squirrels — Tue, 12 Aug 2008 14:14:53 -0800

I have been to 3 GP's and 3 specialists over the last three years and no one can tell me what is wrong with me. My main complaint is shortness of breath, fatigue, very itchy skin with no rash and congestion/ringing in the ears. I'm at the end of my rope. Can anyone help figure out what is wrong with me? In 2005, I began to have extreme fatigue and shortness of breath and occasional ringing in my ears plus very, very itchy skin all the time (no rash though). Then the ringing gradually became more frequent and in March 2008, it became constant and so has ear congestion. I don't get sick too often but when I do it always leads to bronchitis and a sinus infection.

I also get chills frequently and sometimes have a mild fever. Anyone who comes in my office tells my how hot it is and I think it's strange because I'm wearing a sweater and feel fine. My hair has always been dry and grown slowly but in the last couple of months I've begun losing more hair than usual. My formerly oily face is very dry, my throat is hoarse and it is hard to swallow and my nails grow slow and my cuticles have shriveled up and are cracking. I used to have rapidly growing nails and such beautiful hands that strangers told me so and people accused me of wearing fake nails. I also suddenly put on 10 pounds in March and cannot fit into any of my pants and only half my skirts. I'm not overweight and the weight gain doesn't look bad but it is strange to me how I just suddenly put on weight.

Anyhow, this is what I have tried/ruled out in the past three years:
- gave up smoking in November 2005.

- Summer 2006: gave up being a vegetarian because I thought the fatigue and slow nail and hair growth was due to lack of nutrients however, eating red meat didn't improve these symptoms.

- Summer 2006: two GP's in a row suggested I was stressed and anxious. I had just started a new job in a new city and my fiance moved in with me. I thought it was plausible so I tried anti-anxiety pills but they didn't do anything but make me more tired which was no good. Tried a second anti-anxiety pill and had a severe adverse reaction which led to insomnia, pounding heart, and very dialated pupils. The ER doctor and my doctor had the nerve to tell me I was having an anxiety attack until the hours of vomiting started then they realized I was not making it up. I swore off trying anti-anxiety medication. A second GP did a full bloodwork and said nothing was abnormal.

- August 2006: tested for Lyme's disease in 2006, bloodwork showed nothing. I gave up trying for awhile thinking maybe I was stressed out.

-November 2006: My fiance and I thought living near a concrete plant and having roaches was the cause of my symptoms. We moved. Our new apartment had worse roaches than before. Continued to think it was the roaches. My new GP prescribed Astelin and Flonase. She did a full blood work up and didn't find anything abnormal.

- in January and February 2007 I had a horrible chest cold that lasted more than 8 weeks. GP tried a Z-pack and Albuterol and inhaled corticosteroids. I eventually got over the cold but no improvement on the shortness of breath or fatigue. She became concerned and referred me to a pulmonologist.

- saw a pulmonologist in February and March 2007. X-rays and MRI returned no abnormal results. Was diagnosed with possible asthma.

- in April 2007 my GP told me since the pulmonologist didn't find anything and I didn't respond to Albuterol or inhaled steroids that I likely had mild asthma aggravated by a cockroach allergy. I thought this was reasonable because our apartment did have roaches.

- November 2007, we moved back to Washington D.C. and have lived in a roach-free home for ten months now.

-December 2007, had a particularly bad bout of ear congestion upon waking and very loud ringing in the ears. Took antihistamines and the ringing stopped after 36 hours. Developed an ear infection, took a Z-pack.

-February 2008, two particularly bad bouts of congestion upon waking and ear ringing. Again ended after 36 hours. Each episode was about 2 weeks apart. Mild external ear infections followed.

-late March 2008. mild but constant ear ringing and congestion always worst upon waking. Thought it was due to all of the tree pollen. Waited for pollen season to end while enduring the symptoms. Took benadryl for a couple of weeks and then Claritin for six weeks. Took Flonase this entire period too, twice a day.

-Visited an ENT who said I had no sign of ear congestion though he barely looked at me. Had a hearing test done, that was fine.

-June 2008, mild outer ear infections, constant ear congestion and mild but persistent ringing or roaring, then a terrible sinus infection that lasted nearly six weeks. I saw and allergist and tested positive for allergies to penicillin and dust mites. I told him all of the medications I tried and about the inhalers and such. He said he couldn't think of anything new to give me. He gave me some RhinoCort Aqua. I take the bottle until it is empty but it doesn't help. I get a neti pot and use it 2-4 times a day. After almost two weeks, it cleared up my sinus infection. I still use it but it hasn't helped my other symptoms. Stopped drinking coffee, sodas or alcohol. Eliminated cheese and milk and ice cream. Began getting very dry eyes that wake me up in the middle of the night. I get up rinse them with saline and go back to bed. This has become a nightly ritual. I also often wake up with a tickly cough.

-July 2008, We bought a new natural latex and organic wool bed and pillows and put high quality, fully-zipped up allergy covers on them. I began sleeping with a HEPA air purifier next to my side of the bed and a sheet over me and the air purifier so I get clean air all night. The bed and air purifier are nice but it doesn't cure the shortness of breath or fatigue. Also began taking sublingual B-vitamins and high quality multivitamins three times a day. Started getting irritating tics near my right eye. The shortness of breath has worsened a little and I frequently have this light dry cough. There's is no phlegm, my throat just feels irritated and "fluttery."

-Late July, I began to walk 45 minutes to work and home for the exercise. I figured it would lift my mood, energize me and help me get back into my pants. Instead, after I get to work, I get so unbelievably tired and feel like I have to push myself out of the chair. I'm too tired to finish a sentence and sometimes, I just don't. I get home and I’m exhausted. I just sit listlessly on the couch for an hour or so. I began oversleeping and not hearing the alarm. My husband has to try three times to get me up some days.

I recently talked to my Mom who is hypothyroid reminded me that I used to be treated for hypothyroidism and urged me to go to an endocrinologist. I researched hypothyroidism and was very surprised to see it fit all of my symptoms including the obnoxious ear ringing and disappearing cuticles.

I saw an endocrinologist today and he shrugged his shoulders and said he doubted I had hypothyroidism. He asked if I was depressed, I said no, I have a pretty happy life, I have a job I love, I'm married to a great guy, have great friends, I've started my own design business on the side and have no real money problems. I've got a pretty good life but sometimes I feel sad because I just feel awful. He said I needed to go to a psychiatrist because I felt sad about feeling tired all of the time. I told him not to insult me and he begrudgingly wrote a script for a thyroid test and a sonogram. I won't know my results for two or three days. In the meantime, I'm left wondering, if this isn't it, what the heck is it? I'm running out of ideas and I'm scared I won't figure out what it is until it's too late.

Personal Medical history: I have never had surgery or been hospitalized. I am allergic to penicillin. I don't take any medications other than the ones described above. I never take aspirin and I take an ibuprofen maybe 3 times a year. In high school, I was diagnosed with mild hypothyroidism despite being very underweight and not having an abnormal blood test. My symptoms were sleeping 15-20 hours, being cold and tired and my hair fell out. I took Synthroid for about 9 years and then my tests were always normal and perhaps being a stupid college kid and moving across the country I just stopped taking the meds. I thought I was fine. That was in 2000. I felt more or less fine until 2005.

Only other medical history: When I was in 7th grade I slipped on a plastic bag and broke a tiny chip off my elbow. I wore a cast for a few weeks. In high school, I had a back-injury due to slipping on a wet linoleum floor which led to a few months of physical therapy. In college, my knee was dislocated in a freak dancing accident. That's pretty much it.

Family Medical History: My mother has hypothyroidism and she had a goiter which went away upon treatment with Synthroid. She has also had fibromyalgia, acute appendicitis and Hodgkin's disease, which is now in remission of going on 3 years. My grandmother had an allergy to mold, her gall bladder removed and died of emphysema because she smoked for 60 years. My half sister has endometriosis.

Muscle Fatigue

alcoth — Tue, 29 Jul 2008 11:02:47 -0800

Should I proceed with my routine workout if the particular muscle group in question hasn't fully recuperated? I recently increased the amount of resistance I'm using across the board during most of my lifting exercises. My last increase yielded muscle fatigue/"failure" after my normally self-prescribed 10-12 reps per set. I've been seeing decent gains but of course, my body eventually got used to the weight and it wasn't as intense of a workout. So, I upped the weight again (~15%). This time, as opposed to last time, I am actually getting soreness from the workout that lasts for more than my typical 48 hours. After a few days pass, I am still a bit sore when the day for the same muscle group comes around. Usually I'm a fast healer, and recuperate quick enough for the next workout of said muscle group so in the past six months I haven't had to deal with soreness lasting this long. I read a lot about rest time and proper healing. I don't mind being sore, but should I delay one more day when the same muscle group still hasn't completely healed? Or is it okay to go ahead and work that group again?

Just as a side note, my diet hasn't changed (except a small increase in intake, still healthy foods though) and my day-to-day work load is still the same.

I just don't want to adversely affect any work I've put into this, and appreciate any opinions/help. Thank you!

Do commercial colon-cleanse products actually solve the myriad of problems they claim to?

Anonymous — Sun, 06 Jul 2008 11:01:37 -0800

Do commercial colon-cleanse products actually solve the myriad of problems they claim to? Some background:

I'm a 33 yr old male, programmer. I play sports a couple times a week, but am fairly sedentary in general. I don't eat as well as I should. I am chronically fatigued, high-stress and plagued by persistent adult acne.

I also don't have regular bowel movements, and because of my sedentary nature, I often don't get up to have a BM even when I should.

If you've seen advertising and marketing for commercial colon cleanse products, you'll know that they promise to cure all these things by getting rid of excess internal bacteria. I don't want to sound like a complete rube here - I realize advertising is full of empty claims. But is there some legitimacy to the cleanse approach? Has anyone in my situation had positive experiences?

Eating out is nice, until you can't breathe

stormygrey — Wed, 18 Jun 2008 13:10:27 -0800

Food makes me sick! Starting in high school, I noticed that my lung got "tight" after eating at the school cafeteria. Its only got worse since then, then I usually need a shot of my inhaler after I eat just about anything that is prepared. Sometimes, eating makes my ears achey and full filling, or I just get amazing fatigued after eating.

After some observations, its anything that's salty or whole grain. Not just salty because I can salt my food at home and its ok, but its the "chicken breast that is mostly plumped with some salty concoction" that tends to knock me on my butt.

In the last year I have started to get the same thing plus amazingly achey ears if I drink any kind of wine, beer, and some spirits. What is it that does this too me? Is it some additive or preservative that I am sensitive to? I am so sick of my ears always hurting and having to carry an inhaler whenever I plan to eat out.

I have been tested for allergies and I am deathly allergic to shellfish and somewhat allergic to wheat, somewhat sensitive to chocolate and peanuts if I am already having trouble.

Can you help me figure out what specifically to avoid?

So SAD. Illuminate me.

desuetude — Wed, 19 Dec 2007 14:42:27 -0800

I've been aware of a tendency toward winter blues for many years, but this winter is really kicking my ass already. I think I'm ready to look into a little treatment, and I'd like some advice. Yep, I've read all of the previous AskMes on this. Has anyone found getting a "real" diagnosis of SAD from their doctor to be particularly helpful? (Or particularly unhelpful?) I get that the tendency is to say that of course one should see a doctor if one thinks one has a medical condition, but I am not suffering from severe depression, I'm not looking for an SSRI prescription, or even a therapist. Really, I'm quite certain that this is just Not Enough Light = Cranky and Exhausted.

I'm pretty sure that some light therapy will do the trick. I do wonder if insurance might partially cover the cost of a light-box? Anyone have any experience with this? It was mentioned in previous threads w/out follow-up.

Getting outside for more light and fresh air would be great...except that the resultant pain from my Raynaud's makes that prospect a bit...depressing.

Sorry to say that I can't go someplace warm for a few weeks, though man oh man, I wish I could.

Anything else to consider adding to my treatment regimen?

Why am I extra-ticklish when I'm sleepy?

pieliza — Wed, 28 Nov 2007 10:59:18 -0800

Why o why am I more ticklish when I'm tired? I'm always ticklish but I notice a marked increase in twitchy tickle-inspired laughing fits when I'm yawny.

Body punishes red meat & sodium consumption

jytsai — Wed, 07 Nov 2007 14:10:55 -0800

Friend'sHealthFilter: Red meat and moderately high sodium foods make him really fatigued/tired/groggy for 1-2 days after consumption. Chicken/fish/eggs doesn't provoke this problem, so I'm not sure that it's a high-protein foods issue. Any ideas why this occurs, and how to rectify this problem?

A good kind of freaky...

wafaa — Fri, 14 Sep 2007 17:33:57 -0800

OK, I've been relatively tired and achy all the time, but all at once... I have symptoms of fibromyalgia (so says my family doctor), I have been always tired, no energy to do more than the basics, pain pretty much daily--in my joints, mostly. This has been going on for, say, a year and a half.

Last week I cracked a wisdom tooth and my dentist said we're just going to pull it--don't need it anyway. He put me on antibiotics and, this is what's weird. Since taking the round of penicillin, I feel better than I have in months. I have so much energy, I just want to go go go. I am cleaning, I am cooking, I want to take long walks, I even sleep better. Coincidence? I can't think of anything I'm doing out of the ordinary to make such a difference; I just know I feel so, well, GOOD. I mean, I feel almost manic, and I don't have a history of mania. What gives? (not that I want to look a gift horse in the mouth...) Thanks for any opinions y'all may have.

Recurring severe fatigue.. how to cope?

citron — Sun, 29 Jul 2007 09:05:18 -0800

Has anyone else experienced recurring bouts of severe fatigue? I'm having trouble keeping to some deadlines on my job because for the past week and a half I've been utterly exhausted.. I have a lot of things to get done (work projects, schoolwork) in the next week and I'm overwhelmed because for at least 8 days now I barely have the energy to leave the house by mid afternoon. Maybe I am making it worse by worrying about it, I also can't seem to sleep until past 2 am. Then I sleep in until after 10 in the morning, because I am so tired.

This is very strange because two weeks ago I had plenty of energy and was doing fine, getting exercise, moving projects along at work. It came on rather suddenly, and now I'm wiped out. I feel terrible and have no motivation and wake up tired. This has happened before and I have been to the doctors but all they've told me thus far is, cut down on stress, and gave me Claritin for allergies. (I am not bipolar.) So I have been getting rest, taking multivitamins, taking Claritin, eating healthy food but the fatigue hasn't passed yet and things I have to do are just stacking up..

I made another appointment to the doctor but wanted to ask - has this happened to others? Can prolonged stress cause it? Maybe a specific allergy or really bad PMS? What are your strategies for coping with it? What to tell supervisor/coworkers about sudden inability to finish tasks when I don't really know the cause but I have no energy for them? Should I just make the decision now to take a full week off and ask the deadlines be extended?

I know they recommend exercise for PMS... but how do you exercise?

scission — Fri, 18 May 2007 15:28:24 -0800

How do I maintain a regular exercise routine despite period fatigue? I'm trying to start jogging regularly for my general health, as well as with an eye towards a 5k in September. I had a few false starts during the school year, during which I usually managed a half hour workout, 3 or 4 times per week, despite homework and some extracurricular commitments.

I'm overweight (5'6" and 160), but as a college student, I walk everywhere and take the stairs most of the time. (Jogging a 10-11 minute mile on a treadmill gets me temporarily out of breath but isn't a problem otherwise; real life, replete with hills, is harder) I'm not on the school meal plan and try to eat moderate portions, but not always healthy ones.

From a few days before my period until the third or fourth day of it (out of five), I'm very easily out of breath and my muscles get tired a lot more easily. I'll notice my heart rate increase more than it should after one flight of stairs at a walking pace.

I guess the culprit could primarily be dietary, but I've been fatigued during my period since menarche, so it'd be something I've been consistently doing wrong from 12 to 20. I've always assumed that some level of fatigue was typical, but I feel tired enough that I'm unable to maintain my usual level of training. I wonder if some part of it is psychological, but I know that I really do get tired, and it bothers me that I can't perform anywhere near my peak.

Is there an insider secret or some standard solution that female athletes use? Or am I stuck with writing off one out of every four weeks?

Help me cure my allergy-related fatigue

dino terror — Fri, 09 Feb 2007 15:07:46 -0800

Does anyone have experience with allergies causing fatigue? I have post-exertional fatigue. I shovel snow or something for an hour and I'm wiped out for the next 3 hours. I'm in good enough shape that this shouldn't be happening. This has happened before, and I pinpointed it to a mold allergy. I had all kinds of bloodwork done and everything was normal and I realized that black stuff on the walls in our bathroom wasn't dirt like everything else, it was mold. I got rid of it, and I got better. Now living with my parents in a non-scuzzy place and I'm getting the same thing but there's no mold to be seen. There are other things I'm allergic to such as a cat and dust. I am allergic to everything such as grass trees mold dust pets etc. and a lot of different foods. I have had immunotherapy before and it worked while I was getting the shots but all of the allergies came back when I stopped. I am looking at getting the shots again but I can't really afford to pay for them unless I know that I am going to be putting the money to good use. My concern is that this fatigue symptom appears to be a new response to allergies. If I am going to make the commitment to the shots and fork over the cash I want to make sure I've got all the angles covered so I thought I would see what other people's experiences with this is. Thanks!

Ways of coping with fibromyalgia?

Atom12 — Wed, 20 Dec 2006 06:38:17 -0800

My wife's been diagnosed with Fibromyalgia. Other than prescribed medication (pain pills, sleeping aids, etc) what else is worthwhile? I've done quite a bit of searching on the web and seen everything from pot to guaifesine (sp?) to magnesium and glucosamine supplements touted as beneficial. What works?

Obviously lifestyle is a big part of it, and so is getting enough rest. Massage sounds logical, but all the other stuff sounds unproven. I'm not looking for links to scientific studies or anything but I'd be interested in hearing from those with experience. Thanks everybody!

Do I have a Mysterious Disease?

Anonymous — Thu, 20 Jul 2006 11:32:45 -0800

Do these symptoms add up to anything? Repeated sores/cracks at the corners of my mouth, night sweats, fatigue...and I am posting anonymously because there is more inside... The mouth sores are cracks right at the outside of my lip corners, not in the interiors. They come and go periodically. I also had an episode of a 'cut' of some sort on my tongue. And, I am embarrassed to say, I have occassionally something similar on my taint (girl taint). It almost seems like a tear from rough sex, but it's not that, and it hurts for 4-5 days and then slowly heals, just like the mouth things. The night sweats have been here for about 4 months, I thought it was Zoloft but I went off that to test and I am still getting them regularly. I also have been having very loose stools.

I realize that I should ask a doctor, but the last time I was there I complained about the night sweats. She said "huh, I don't know" and left it at that. So my question is, should I consider all of these things symptoms of a possibly serious illness and go through all the trouble of switching doctors, or just chalk it up to miscellaneous symptoms and try to get more or less fiber or something? In general I take good care of myself, I walk every day & eat lots of organic veggies.

glasses, moustache, handkerchief, WE HAVE AN OPERATION

saysthis — Wed, 17 May 2006 00:20:05 -0800

Teachingfilter: So, fellow mefiteachers, how do you deal with the exhaustion that comes with the job? I'm working in China as an English teacher, and I like my job, and I'm good at it. I've been doing this for two years now, and after all that, I've pretty much licked every single classroom problem a teacher can have here (and with 50 kids to a class, impossibly disorganized administration and curriculum, and classroom tech so low you'd think chalk is advanced, there's a lot of them). It's not as difficult as you'd think, it just takes some getting used to. I've purchased my own curriculum materials for different age levels and demanded to use it, I've learned more Mandarin than some of their Lit teachers know and I use it with a bellow & fierce visage to match the four horsemen (but only when necessary, most of the time I'm nice :-) ), I can write my weight in lesson plans, and I've not encountered a pronunciation problem or retention problem that I didn't know the solution to in a long time. I care about the students, I'm friends with many of them, and I think overall I'm doing a pretty good job.

I like teaching, but there's one last problem that every teacher I've ever met suffers from, and that I still can't cope with - post-class exhaustion. After class, I wander out like a zombie. Even if a lesson goes fantastically, I emerge covered in chalk dust like Bruce Willis after escaping from an exploding car, palms & mouth dry, and my brain, well, dead. And it takes a day or two to recover from the mental exhaustion. After especially long days, I come home and sleep for 12 hours, no shower, nothing. I don't have the energy. I get enough sleep, I eat pretty healthy food, and as was proved by my performance in a ping-pong tournament recently, I can sweat and jump around and not lose myself after a day of exertion. So how do you cope? What is it about teaching that makes it so draining?

Pho Phatigue

Rubber Soul — Thu, 06 Apr 2006 12:35:48 -0800

Why does eating Pho make me tired? I love me a good bowl of Pho. The only problem is that after eating my lovely bowl of noodles, I find myself feeling something like a powerful fatigue. I get a little sweaty and when I get back to work I find my afternoon's productivity is shot.

I'm diabetic and at first though that maybe is was a blood sugar thing, but when I test it at the time, there's no spikes or dips. Ramen and so forth don't do this to me, just Pho.

What is going on here? Would anyone hazard a guess?

Glucose/thyroid/fatigue connection?

miss tea — Thu, 06 Apr 2006 11:53:24 -0800

I am wondering if there are any resources that can draw a connection of any kind between low blood sugar and poor thyroid function, and thus fatigue? Basically, I am pretty low-energy. It doesn't affect my work but I frequently feel like going to bed at 9 even though I usually sleep until 7-- and after my workday is through I generally collapse like a lump on the couch.

Recently, I got life insurance, and in my blood test results it showed that I had 60 mg/dL less than 2 hours after breakfast (probably a slice of Ezekiel whole grain toast, natural p.b., and cottage cheese). I have also been slowly gaining weight, and am waiting on the results of my thyroid test (although my doctor thinks it's not thyroid based on the absence of any lumps in my neck). While perusing a previous AskMF I noticed a few people had anecdotal evidence of a connection between low glucose and thyroid, and I am hoping to someone can point me toward resources? A lot of the overall info on glucose levels I've found is also absurdly basic and not helpful, so resources in that direction would be great too.

For the record, I am female, 32, normal weight, and take zoloft, but this fatigue is different than depressive fatigue.

So...tired...

who else — Mon, 27 Mar 2006 20:38:19 -0800

When I even moderately physically exert myself I get wiped out for the rest of the day. Im a prisoner in my house basically because I cant walk anywhere without getting fatigued afterwards... Does anyone know what this could be? If this doesnt immediately sound like something you know of, read on...

Im 24, male, with no known conditions. Ive seen a doctor and had some blood tests but who knows if they will be conclusive. The doctor didnt seem to have an idea of what it could be and simply sent me off for a battery of blood tests. This has been going on for a few weeks now. At first I thought it could be a combination of poor sleep, diet, allergies, out of shapeness, or what have you, but I think its just too severe to be any of those things and must be an illness. Nothing has changed in the past few weeks to bring this on. I'll be curious to see if the test comes back that Im Anemic, but Ive checked the nutritional stats on what I eat and I should be getting enough iron so I have no idea what else it could be... Its just a very unnatural predictible chronic fatigue that I dont get if i just stay in the house and dont exert myself even slightly...

Does anyone experience weak hands after laughing hard?

jessicool — Thu, 17 Mar 2005 23:38:03 -0800

Every once in a while, after I laugh long and hard, I lose strength in my hands and even a little in my arms. Does that sound familiar to anyone? I do have narcolepsy, and I am aware of cataplexy, but weak hands after laughing hard is the only experience I have related to cataplexy and I never fall asleep when that happens. I am just wondering if it is a common (maybe normal) experince and not just another symptom.

Afternoon Exhaustion

leapingsheep — Thu, 17 Mar 2005 09:08:40 -0800

Every day I leave for work feeling energetic, spend the morning the same, but by afternoon I am exhausted. (more inside) By about Wednesday all I want to do after work is collapse on the couch. My work isn't physically demanding, and isn't at all stressful. I get about six hours of sleep on weeknights, and I eat a healthy lunch every day. Is this fatigue normal? How do you keep your energy up during/after a boring day in the cube?

Question number 13030

SpecialK — Wed, 15 Dec 2004 20:14:01 -0800

I've been having muscle fatigue problems for several years. It's mostly specific to my legs, which rules out Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (according to my doctor).
Recently, I tried eliminating various categories of food from my diet again, because I've had problems with certain things before. When I mostly eliminated cow's milk from my diet (I think I slipped once and accidentally had some ice cream), the problem mostly disappeared. Last night, I had a big mug of my friend's real hot chocolate, which she makes with milk for that extra unhealthfulness. Today, I could barely operate the clutch in my car. My doctor says that he's never heard of a connection like that before. Could a protien in milk be causing muscle fatigue in a particular part of my body?

Question number 8783

grumblebee — Sat, 17 Jul 2004 14:54:20 -0800

When I'm doing something really mentally taxing, like working on a difficult programming task or doing a really really tough crossword puzzle, I sometimes reach mental overload. I'm sure most of you have this. It makes me sleepy and sometimes a bit dizzy, and if I try to work more, I comprehend less and less. At this point, I generally need to do something else for a while. If I come back to the taxing work the next day, everything is fine. Probably, I can come back to it on the same day, an hour or so later. I CAN'T come back to it five minutes later. I'm interested in tactics that let me return to the mental workout as-soon-as possible. When I quit working, what sort of activity should I do to recharge? How long should I do it? Is there anything I should ingest? Is it better to quit before absolute mental burnout occurs? Are there any studies about this?