At my annual exam last week, I complained to my doctor that I feel exhausted all the time. At least once or twice a week, while Levi is napping, I end up falling asleep on the couch when I should be writing, doing laundry or washing dishes. And just a couple of days prior to my appointment, I literally thought I was going to pass out from exhaustion while pushing Levi’s stroller through the mall in the middle of the afternoon.

(To fight my chronic fatigue, I’ve developed somewhat of a caffeine addiction and drink 24 oz of coffee on average every day. God bless my Keurig machine.)

Since I’m not necessarily lacking in sleep (I get about 7 hours of sleep each night), my doctor ordered blood work to check my vitamin D levels. Apparently, a growing number of women are suffering from low levels of vitamin D, and some research links a deficiency of vitamin D to chronic fatigue syndrome.

Well, I’m not suffering from chronic fatigue syndrome, but my test results did indicate that I have a mild vitamin D deficiency. My doctor advised me to start taking over-the-counter Vitamin D-3 supplements that would hopefully alleviate some of my fatigue. I’ve been on them for a week, and while I don’t feel any additional pep in my step, I know a couple of people who’ve benefited from taking vitamin D supplements. I’m keeping my fingers crossed that they work for me, too.

I’m not a doctor, nor do I play one on this blog, so I’m not recommending that you should all buy bottles of vitamin D supplements if you’re sleepy. Any healthy adult would find it tiring to take care of a toddler all day long! But if you really struggle to stay awake during the day and feel like you’re constantly dragging, I would suggest you talk to your doctor about checking your vitamin D levels. You never know — you could have a problem that’s super easy to fix.

PS: Speaking of vitamins, did you hear that men may lower their risk of cancer by taking a daily multivitamin?

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