9 replies to this topic

[Ghostrider]

I thought about posting this under the nootropics forum, but I think the issue is more general. Lately I have been feeling mentally sluggish and seem to lack motivation. At work I feel mentally lazy and when I come home to work on a programming project, I have difficulty concentrating. It's not that my mind is jumping all over the place from one thought to another (symptom of ADHD), it's just that I feel like I am thinking slowly, like it is taking me too much time to accomplish what I am trying to do because I am not putting my whole mind to work. I have not really felt this feeling so much in the past, maybe a little, but I notice it more in the past 1-2 years. At 26, seems kinda early for cognitive decline? In summary, I feel like I am getting duller with less "mental energy" or motivation. I have experimented with many nootropics and the most effective is caffeine, but that only works well for the first few days. Not a permanent solution, so I don't drink caffeine regularly. I drink very little alcohol, and only socially. I don't think I have depression as I generally feel pretty good. No stress from work, I get my work done efficiently as it's not really that challenging for me, but what I am doing outside of work -- programming project and studying machine learning / statistics, I feel that my mind just does not have the power that it used to. I feel like I had more mental energy in the past. I exercise by running short distances (20 minute runs, but working on running longer) and riding my bike (20-30 minutes, but uphill). I try to eat well, but probably have low calorie intake. I eat sandwiches, salads, bananas, blueberries (daily), yogurt, stir fry, and carrots. I supplement daily with multi, omega 3, resveratrol (before bed), and biosil (great for skin). I get usually at least 8 hours of sleep per night. During the day I sometimes feel tired (like taking a nap), but never physically tired. I am not really sure where I should look next. I had blood tests done last November and I posted the results on this forum under another thread. A few people reviewed the results and nothing unusual was found. I think I am pretty healthy overall, less body weight than normal, but not considered seriously underweight. Not sure where I should look next, any suggestions?

[FunkOdyssey]

Why don't you provide a link to the past thread (with the blood tests) in this topic so we can review both before posting.

[ajnast4r]

sounds like nothavinganyfun-itis

[Ghostrider]

Why don't you provide a link to the past thread (with the blood tests) in this topic so we can review both before posting.

Here's the previous link:

http://www.imminst.o...p;hl=Blood Test

sounds like nothavinganyfun-itis

Could be...but my life is better now than it was a few years ago when I had more energy. Motivation feels like part, but not all of it.

[Ghostrider]

Why don't you provide a link to the past thread (with the blood tests) in this topic so we can review both before posting.

Here's the previous link:

http://www.imminst.o...p;hl=Blood Test

sounds like nothavinganyfun-itis

Could be...but my life is better now than it was a few years ago when I had more energy. Motivation feels like part, but not all of it.

Drinking white tea yesterday seemed to at least temporary fix the issue...wondering how long the solution will hold up. I don't plan to have any caffeine today as I awoke about 1.5 hours earlier than normal and fell asleep 1 hour later than intended last night so I am still feeling the effects of caffeine.

[Ghostrider]

Why don't you provide a link to the past thread (with the blood tests) in this topic so we can review both before posting.

Here's the previous link:

http://www.imminst.o...p;hl=Blood Test

sounds like nothavinganyfun-itis

Could be...but my life is better now than it was a few years ago when I had more energy. Motivation feels like part, but not all of it.

Drinking white tea yesterday seemed to at least temporary fix the issue...wondering how long the solution will hold up. I don't plan to have any caffeine today as I awoke about 1.5 hours earlier than normal and fell asleep 1 hour later than intended last night so I am still feeling the effects of caffeine.

Caffeine is not a good solution. It seems to interfere with my sleep. So short-term benefit yes, long-term benefit no. If I wanted to see a medical professional about the issue described above, who should I see? I took some online tests for ADHD and, although the tests are highly subjective, in all cases it was indicated that I probably do not have ADHD. If I did, it would be the inattentive type and possibly the tests were biased towards hyperactive / impulsive type. I would be open to using a drug to improve thinking clarity and motivation, but I am biased against using stimulants. I want something that promotes cognitive performance, but not at the expense of long-term health (although even that is a risk-reward tradeoff). Any recommendations as to which type of specialist I should contact? Probably though they will tell me that what I experience is too normal and I'll just have to accept it.

[seanb]

I'm 25 and have felt the same on and off for the past couple of years. Recently, I've found that getting seemingly excessive amounts of sleep for a few nights in a row, i.e. paying off my "sleep debt", has helped immensely. (My sleep has been sub-par for the past couple weeks, and the mental fogginess and lack of motivation has come right back.)

This talk by Dr. William Dement is well worth your time:

He discusses sleep debt and various other sleep topics.

"Speaker: Dr. William Dement
William C. Dement, M.D., Ph.D., is the world's leading authority on sleep, sleep disorders, and the dangers of sleep deprivation. He is Chief of the newly created Division of Sleep at Stanford University School of Medicine, which is also the home of the world's first sleep disorders center founded by Dr. Dement."


Or, sharing a bed perhaps? http://news.bbc.co.u...lth/5197440.stm

[Ghostrider]

I'm 25 and have felt the same on and off for the past couple of years. Recently, I've found that getting seemingly excessive amounts of sleep for a few nights in a row, i.e. paying off my "sleep debt", has helped immensely. (My sleep has been sub-par for the past couple weeks, and the mental fogginess and lack of motivation has come right back.)

This talk by Dr. William Dement is well worth your time:

He discusses sleep debt and various other sleep topics.

"Speaker: Dr. William Dement
William C. Dement, M.D., Ph.D., is the world's leading authority on sleep, sleep disorders, and the dangers of sleep deprivation. He is Chief of the newly created Division of Sleep at Stanford University School of Medicine, which is also the home of the world's first sleep disorders center founded by Dr. Dement."


Or, sharing a bed perhaps? http://news.bbc.co.u...lth/5197440.stm

In my case, I think it comes from depression / self esteem issues which I have not had to deal with much before this past year. My outlook on life used to be better...with time I think I will recover to where I was before. Point is your enthusiasm for life directly affects your energy levels. Enthusiastic people are full of energy. Depressed people lack energy. I guess it's all in your head.

[tunt01]

i'd be curious to see your stress level (cortisol, fibrinogen, C-reactive protein), lipid (ldl/hdl/triglycerides) and thyroid levels.

my guess is that you have:

- maybe a higher than average thyroid/metabolism.
- maybe a higher than average endogenous stress levels.
- lower than average muscle mass, VO2 max, and cardio capacity
- maybe lower than average HDL levels?

i personally would not completely discount your blood results having minor #s being off slightly, but you probably need to look at these #s over time and with more data. i don't know enough about resveratrol but i'm kind of wondering why you take it at night and not during the day multiple times. maybe that would help your energy level, unless mitochondria biogenesis only occurs at night (i have no idea off hand).

[psy333che]

I know this is an older post but I wanted to add something for you to look at around this time next year
I suffer from SAD Seasonal Affective Disorder
I have noticed over the years that February is usually the worst month for me each year because of this condition
When it changed is when I was spending more time in greenhouses during these months and also when I went south in a warmer climate along with getting more sun for a few weeks
I could be outside and in the sun more
I was curious if you seem to have this type of feeling every year around this time of year...
And it seems to lift in the spring and summer...
Here is one article on it and it is easy to deal with by getting more light
http://journals.inde...php?icid=575616

I thought about posting this under the nootropics forum, but I think the issue is more general. Lately I have been feeling mentally sluggish and seem to lack motivation. At work I feel mentally lazy and when I come home to work on a programming project, I have difficulty concentrating. It's not that my mind is jumping all over the place from one thought to another (symptom of ADHD), it's just that I feel like I am thinking slowly, like it is taking me too much time to accomplish what I am trying to do because I am not putting my whole mind to work. I have not really felt this feeling so much in the past, maybe a little, but I notice it more in the past 1-2 years. At 26, seems kinda early for cognitive decline? In summary, I feel like I am getting duller with less "mental energy" or motivation. I have experimented with many nootropics and the most effective is caffeine, but that only works well for the first few days. Not a permanent solution, so I don't drink caffeine regularly. I drink very little alcohol, and only socially. I don't think I have depression as I generally feel pretty good. No stress from work, I get my work done efficiently as it's not really that challenging for me, but what I am doing outside of work -- programming project and studying machine learning / statistics, I feel that my mind just does not have the power that it used to. I feel like I had more mental energy in the past. I exercise by running short distances (20 minute runs, but working on running longer) and riding my bike (20-30 minutes, but uphill). I try to eat well, but probably have low calorie intake. I eat sandwiches, salads, bananas, blueberries (daily), yogurt, stir fry, and carrots. I supplement daily with multi, omega 3, resveratrol (before bed), and biosil (great for skin). I get usually at least 8 hours of sleep per night. During the day I sometimes feel tired (like taking a nap), but never physically tired. I am not really sure where I should look next. I had blood tests done last November and I posted the results on this forum under another thread. A few people reviewed the results and nothing unusual was found. I think I am pretty healthy overall, less body weight than normal, but not considered seriously underweight. Not sure where I should look next, any suggestions?