Tired all the time

At 26, Rowena Westhead feels like she's 96. Tired all the time, yet unable to sleep, the sales rep wants to know where she's going wrong. Luckily, help is at hand from the Holistic Gurus...

The Problem

I have a great but busy job as a telephone sales rep. Although it's manic, it is not physically active and I don't do any exercise, yet I feel tired all of the time. I really notice it at weekends when I meet up with my twin sister Charlotte, who is always full of energy, while I feel completely wiped out. Even so, I don't sleep well and would like to drop off easily and get a good night's rest.

I have toast for breakfast, smoothies mid-morning, loads of dried cranberries, biscuits and cakes as snacks, a chicken sandwich at lunch and plain pasta with a salad for dinner. When I'm hungry I have more toast because it's easy. Charlotte says I'm a total "bread monster". Unlike her, I don't eat red meat. Please help. I want to feel lively and start exercising. I have the energy of a 96-year-old, not a 26-year-old.

The Solution

Nicki says: It's a bit chicken-and-egg for Rowena. She feels too tired to exercise and yet getting active will help her feel more energetic. But first she needs to sort out her sleeping. Deep-breathing exercises before going to bed should help. She needs to place her hands with fingers gently overlocking on her abdomen and breathe in slowly through her nose. The fingers will part as the abdomen expands.

On slowly exhaling through the nose, the abdomen flattens and fingers touch once more. Doing this for a few minutes will really help calm her down. Rowena should ensure she gets out in natural light every day, as people who work in artificially lit offices can have difficulty sleeping. She should kill two birds with one stone by going for a brisk 20-minute walk every day to get both sunlight and exercise. Perhaps walk a bus stop on the way to and from work.

Amanda says: Being completely flaked out and eating Rowena's largely vegetarian-diet brings to mind one nutrient that is almost certainly missing - iron. Without enough iron we do not get enough oxygen and energy levels fall.

The first thing Rowena should do is get a good general multivitamin and mineral supplement, containing the recommended daily amount of a wide range of nutrients, ensuring that it has 14-15mg of iron, in particular. She shouldn't take a single iron supplement because upping this alone may reduce her ability to absorb zinc, needed for good blood-sugar control.

Meanwhile, I'd like her to begin eating iron-rich foods. Red meat is obviously not an option, but breakfast cereals fortified with iron, nuts and seeds as a snack and green vegetables and pulses with her pasta for dinner are good vegetarian-choices. She should avoid tea for around an hour each side of eating these iron-rich foods to maximise absorption.

Pigging out on white bread and dried cranberries may be draining her energy. They have a high glycaemic index, meaning they lead to quick highs followed by energy-draining lows in blood sugar. Rye and pitta bread and fresh fruit will provide a smoother release of energy. Camomile tea before bed will really help her sleep.