40 year-old dad of two kids. Technology executive for a large company. Lately I’ve been feeling absolutely wiped out and exhausted. Nothing seems to work, but my recent physical and blood work say everything is fine. Is this just normal fatigue? Do I need more sunlight or exercise or something? Anyone else go through this?

38 year old dad of 3 under 4. Have always been pretty healthy mentally and physically with limited effort but the last few years have been much harder on both fronts with the stress of work at this phase in a career combined with trying to be a present and involved dad and husband. Metabolism went off a cliff, put on 25 pounds, always felt mentally drained, struggled to focus, generally felt like shit.

For the past couple months I’ve made a concerted effort to prioritize an actual daily exercise routine (not something I ever focused on in my 20s and early 30s), eat moderately more cleanly, cut back on alcohol and started taking creatine (primarily for the cognitive benefits). Feel like a new person - some it likely real physical and mental state changes, some of it definitely just from having a sense of defined control over this piece of my life when there are so many external demands I have less control over.

You were tested for vitamin D deficiency?

If not, I would suggest getting tested. There is a prescription level vitamin D that is provided if you are very deficient. The over-the-counter vitamin D dosage is like a maintenance level.

38 yo here, TRT was the answer for me

I felt the same and started taking B Complex and K2+D3 vitamins. I was on a long stretch of insomnia and finally slept great the last few days. It's made a huge difference in my energy and attitude. B Complex is a must for me now. I take it when I eat breakfast and my day goes better. Could be my mind convincing me, but I'm sticking to it. I'm even excited about cleaning my house today for Thanksgiving. That's a miracle in itself, lol! 😊

Sleep apnea?

You may need to adjust your schedule. Are you getting enough sleep at nights?? Are you eating healthy?? Are you taking care of yourself and your family??

Try having your testosterone checked. My husband is on a med that's not TRT, but does give subtle increase to his testosterone and has made a world of difference in energy. Has improved his memory, mood, and focus too.

You might just be experiencing burnout .
We often tend to push push push and take on more than we should and everything seems great because we’re thriving. We also sometimes do this as an avoidance of other factors in our lives, life factors that generally have a large impact on us. So now you’re pushing hard, getting through everything, but it can only last so long before we crash and that thriving doesn’t seem to be as exciting nor motivating. Take a minute and assess everything, and find something new that creates a spark or that’s meaningful, perhaps challenging with work and outside of work. Sometimes we have to be our own peps in our steps

Here is my two cents. One get checked for low testosterone if you haven’t. They say that catches up with us at this age. Two if you haven’t teams or slack on your phone 24/7 you are likely doing the same thing I was until recently when I switched jobs. You are always on. You are not turning it off. You may never respond to the messages but they are taking up mental capacity rent free all the time. It wears you the eff out more than anything else. Try finding a time you can turn off the notifications. It’s like night and day. We get to feeling that we have to be involved all the time and you don’t realize you are carrying that stress and anxiety bc you have normalized it.

Part of it is getting older. I started to notice a shift after I was 40, but take a look at the time you spend on yourself that fulfills you mentally and physically. Is that happening enough or are you getting too far drained by your job and family obligations?

Did bloodwork include hormone levels and a full iron panel? Low iron or testosterone can cause lethargy. Also, check estrogen, can cause the same if high.

Take a vitamin D3 supplement. Stop eating animals. Get evaluated for SAD and clinical depression.

High dose vit D.

Could be an iron deficiency… try taking liquid iron for a few weeks…