New to fasting here, though I’ve done a 24 hour water fast once per week for about 6 months. I’m so tired all the time, it’s become worse lately and can’t identify why as nothing obvious about my life has changed, no obvious infections / illnesses, my diet is healthy, I exercise every day, I’m supplementing with various vitamins, not over board. I’m needing to take naps each day, which I hate doing even though it’s what I need, but it’s a worry because it’s not functional for me in the long-term.
I’m wondering if an extended fast could be something to try?
I’m thinking of a 6 day fast because there’s an ideal window when I could do it before Christmas. I’ve read up on the electrolytes in this sub l, and downloaded Zero (thanks to those who put all this info together).
I suppose I’m interested to know whether a 6 day fast could be long enough to kick this chronic fatigue, or to at least improve it, whether anyone has found it’s helped them, fasting for this kind of length, shorter or longer?
I’m not concerned about the commitment, I’ve had a little taste doing 72 hour water fasts a couple of times before, I know it will be hard but I’ve reached a point in my mind where I’m determined to see through a longer fast, whilst listening to my body in case it becomes untenable to safely continue.
Thanks for reading, will be grateful to hear your thoughts.
I would go to a doctor first. Your body might be chronically deficient in a nutrient (vit D is common this year) fasting will not improve that.
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I would explore the issue with doctor before embarking on something without knowing root cause and maybe exacerbating it.
Need more data about your life. If you exercise every day, that is also a reason for fatigue. Stress? Work? Past trauma? Have you tried cold showers? Do you get enough salt? Spend time in nature and in the sun? Have you done anything new and exciting lately? Are you losing weight? Do you need more food? Have you tried changing something about your habits? The answer could be staring right at your face. Sometimes the solution is in the illness. Try looking at the problem from a different perspective.
You want to remove food for 6 days while at the same time being chronically tired? There’s a chance these 6 days will make you feel worse or increase your fatigue after finishing the fast. I’m just throwing ideas, i don’t want to offend you.