how much energy did you have at 20?

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rubbish_fairy@reddit

I need less sleep now (29) than I did at 20. I used to need at least 9 hours of sleep to feel rested, the more the better. Now I can be okay on 6-8 hours

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Gloomy_Stage@reddit

Same for me, mid 30s vs 20, less sleep but energy levels the same. I do find however I now prefer to go to sleep in good time and not at 3am!

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rubbish_fairy@reddit

Same, but it depends on my current habit. After a few nights of going to bed late I'll fall into that rhythm and get tired later

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murderouslady@reddit

Mention it to your doctor, it might be a fatigue issue if your lifestyle is as "good" as it can be

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thatscotbird@reddit

My energy was just coke and alcoholism really

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simmyawardwinner@reddit

Mine was caffeine and booze and fucking lol

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I have the same energy, as it’s determined by the calories I eat vs spending and how much I sleep. Lifestyle is a difference, when I was 20 I was partying four times a week, dieting extremely and drinking heavily and also full time studying. Now I am sober and party like once a month. I’d say I’m less stressed less exhausted and less tired now in my thirties

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Outrageous_Abroad110@reddit

I had the same energy at 20 as I do now at nearly 40 but my diet and lifestyle is pristine and probably not realistic for most people.

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turtledude100@reddit

I’m 19 but I can skip sleep every other day and still be… functional so I guess a lot

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JavaRuby2000@reddit

I have more energy now in my 40s than in my 20s. In my 20s all I worried about was working and then going out at the weekend and didn't really bother with any fitness activities as I was skin and bone and thought I'd be like that for ever. Now in my 40s I do a 5k a day, swim 50 lengths 3 times a week and do strong lifts 3 times a week and do martial arts. I find the more energy I use the more I have.

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TacoTheTin@reddit

I used to freerun and rock climb, now it hurts to climb out of bed 🤣

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TalosAnthena@reddit

It’s a strange one. I had a lot but during Covid lockdown at age 26 was when I had the most energy I’ve ever had. My mental health was great and I was thankful for the rest. Now at 31 it’s so low. I wake up feeling like I’ve ran a marathon.

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Ok_Veterinarian_3521@reddit

I could easily put in a 90 minute, box to box midfield performance without training for it and with a hangover.

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Balamoray@reddit

Pub Friday night, game Saturday afternoon, club Saturday night, grab a Power Nap in the club then another game Sunday morning

Gives me the fear thinking about it now

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Ok_Veterinarian_3521@reddit

Yep, that was me too. I tried to climb over a seat at old Trafford last week and pulled a hamstring. Aging is cruelty.

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TalosAnthena@reddit

Was you trying to escape the match?

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McLeod3577@reddit

Luke Shaw, that you?

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TalosAnthena@reddit

I will second this. I’d say up to around 28 I could have done this. I never exercised or anything, I would lay on my bed playing videogames. But if I had to I could have turned it on and played 90 minutes. Now just at 31 I’d barely be able to come on as a sub lol

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RatArsedGarbageDog@reddit

This but on a rugby pitch. I could do a lock in on a Friday wake up Saturday have 10 fags and a wank for breakfast and skin old boys for fun on the wing. Straight into Saturday night out, Sunday league, few pints afterwards and be fresh for Monday morning at work.

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Whisky-Toad@reddit

Used to play Sunday night 7s league so hungover I couldn’t walk straight

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gooly_man@reddit

Used to go out until 4am, get up and play 90 mins, then literally straight to work at Morrisons for a 14hr shift.

I get tired walking up the stairs now.

I'm 36 on Sunday.

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TazzTamoko77@reddit

Plenty I used lift engine block and motorcycle engines not I struggle to open a bottle of soft drink, my grips gone 😔😔

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ForeverVirtual735@reddit

It wasn't unlimited. If anything my body didn't ache the way it does now.

At 20 I could wake up, get rest and be out the door

Now I wake up. Spend 20 minutes waiting for my bones to stop aching and my mind to catch up, then slowly make my way to getting ready.

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SongSpecialist568@reddit

Vitamin D plays vital role about energy and tiredness. Had my levels at 50 (from 100-150) at age 30. Which was very low. Live in uk and dont get much sun at all, plus worked night shift nearly all my life. Restored in couple months that. But regular vitamin D wont help you need strong ones like liposom type q4000

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TaqlidKamilAlHayderi@reddit

I’d check your bloods

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SpaceTimeCapsule89@reddit

I had less because I worried about stupid stuff and needed more sleep. At almost 40, I couldn't give a shit about stupid stuff and am quite happy with 7 hours sleep

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UrMomDotCom666@reddit

i'm not 20 yet, i'm 18. but i couldn't be more tired lol. i have deficiencies in pretty much everything, a severely underweight BMI, the poorest mental health one can have, and a levels in 2 weeks. i have been shattered for years and it probably won't get better!

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niallw1997@reddit

I also never felt particularly energised at 20 and probably feel more energised as I’m getting older. Think it is to do with mental state/wellbeing also.

Also, getting some blood tests to check your levels of everything won’t hurt in case there is something wrong there

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Opinelrock@reddit

Nope, you shouldn't be that tired. Are you really? Or are you just subscribing to the Reddit mentality that you immediately start degrading at like 18. Go for a run, you'll be fine.

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DoubleAbroad5874@reddit

how much energy did you have at 20?

About 7

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GarethGazzGravey@reddit

Quite a lot. I was able to do quite a few different activities throughout a day and not get too tired or overwhelmed. Now at (nearly) 44, I’m tired after doing a couple of small chores in my house and need to have a nap in the middle of the day

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WarmTransportation35@reddit

I was able to go weeks without coffee and recover from a night of bad sleep in less than 2 days as well as spend all day doing stuff without feeling tired halfway. You are either stressed, have an unknown health issues or not managing your energy accordingly.

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lunayarena@reddit

Never was the case for me either. My mates could go to classes, then straight to work then straight to the club and in the morning they repeat the cycle over again with a hangover and no sleep. I was crashing after a regular day after a regular 8 hour workday despite sleeping well, living a healthy lifestyle and having no other responsibilities. I guess different people just have different energy levels. That being said, this has definitely improved for me over the years (even if just slightly) as I learnt to cope with my anxiety better so now it consumes less energy.

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ThisIsWhatLifeIs@reddit

I used to workout 6/7x a week. Sometimes even twice a day. Easily working out on 5 hours sleep, easily eating 7 meals a day, managing work.

Now in my mid to late 30s? I've got 3 young boys under the age of 5 and I am EXHAUSTED all the time. Once they go to sleep I know I should sleep but I'll rather... Not? I'll rather game, watch TV, chill before the tough times begin the next day. I can't even imagine working it. I've got no energy because all my energy and stress is on the kids. This is probably the "toughest period" I've ever had in my life

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InsaneInTheRAMdrain@reddit

I spent most of it high, so very little.

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jasminenice@reddit

I definitely didn't have as much energy as most other people did in the comments but looking back I think I had untreated depression at the time.

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Napalm3n3ma@reddit

It’s your diet and lack of exercise. No matter your age if you’re poisoning yourself on the daily you will feel lethargic. Cut bread and sugar waaaay down / completely and start lifting weights 3x a week 30 minutes a day - will change your life.

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unbelievablydull82@reddit

Too much. I could do an 8 hour shift, have sex a couple of times with my now wife, and get up at 6 after four hours sleep completely refreshed. Now I'm 43, I'm falling asleep by 8pm, and I've usually had a half hour nap during the day. P Age, putting on weight and almost 20 years of parenting kids with additional needs has knackered me out.

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lukusmaca@reddit

Probably diet related - get some blood tests and check for b12 and iron

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taskkill-IM@reddit

Going town on a firday night, getting in a 4am, and getting up to go to work on a Saturday at 8am.

Fuck knows how I managed to do it.... but I did it, and it barely phased me. Just go for a 20-minute shit and feel like a new man.

I have a glass of wine on a school night now, and I'm practically chancing being pulled over the next day.

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mEmotep@reddit

I've been exhausted since birth I think. If I wasn't woken up as a kid I'd sleep until the afternoon.

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Outrageous_Jury4152@reddit

It's not so much you have less energy when you're older than 20 but you get smarter and learn not to waste it or do things the easy way

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mysteriousmistress66@reddit

I think I've been permanently exhausted since the day I was born.

I'm 27 and I just get more and more tired each day.

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AnyBug1039@reddit

A lot more than I have now, at 46.

I'd say it was almost unlimited.

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InterstellarSpaniel@reddit

Your wife tells me 3 mins max

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AnyBug1039@reddit

On a good day, yeah

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beatnikstrictr@reddit

This little interaction was mint.

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gemmajenkins2890@reddit

When I was 20 I was out every Friday, Saturday and Sunday night, while working silly hours in a hotel both during the week and in between my nights out.

I'm 35 in 3 months, working very part time in retail and I'm asleep after 3 or 4 drinks and I now never underestimate the power of an afternoon nap.

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EatingCoooolo@reddit

I was at my peak from 27 to around 32

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beatnikstrictr@reddit

Go to work. Finish at midnight, go out to town, on to a house party, go straight into work next day (with the help of a magic box), do the shift, get on it again.

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Odd-Loan-5704@reddit

At 20, I would often go on wild binges of depravity and debauchery from Thursday right through to Sunday, getting minimal sleep on random friends' couches/floors. At 37, I deliberate over going to bed after 10pm because I'll be tired the next day.

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MikeMongMore@reddit

This much

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tommycahil1995@reddit

At 20 loads of energy. Run 10km like four times a week, play football on the wing and run all game. Did all my uni reading and essays in a reasonable time frame and I didn't even drink coffee at this point. I also wouldn't sleep as much as I do now. I'm 29 now and active still, but not like I use to be and I rely on caffeine far more.

You could have some vitamin deficiencies or some sort of neurological issue including chronic fatigue. If you are neurotypical masking can also make you feel really tired

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iwantmorewhippets@reddit

I have had chronic fatigue since I was 4, so my energy levels at 20 were very low compared to others. I slept a lot and couldn't get through the day without a nap. I'm 41 now and would love to nap every day, but I have kids now so don't get the chance.

If you're unusually tired for you, please see your GP and get some tests done. Look at your diet as well and make sure you're getting enough exercise.

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royalblue1982@reddit

Honestly, I didn't really do much. But I can't ever remember not doing things because I was tired. It was more that laying on my bed playing age of empires was more enjoyable than going running.

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ElliottFlynn@reddit

Well, the thing is it was 1992 when I was 20 and I was raver so let’s just say I had a fucking shit load of energy 💊

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ben_jamin_h@reddit

When I was 20, I used to go to the pub on a Tuesday, go home and sniff some drugs and smoke weed with my housemates til 1am, get up and go to work from 9-5 on the Wednesday, then put in a shift at an off licence from 6-10pm, then go to a party afterwards (off licence was in the student halls area and you'd always get invited from the students to hang out) til 2am then get up on the Thursday to go to work again, then sleep straight after work Thursday, go to work Friday then stay up all weekend partying, go to work Monday, sleep after work Monday and do the same again then next week and I felt fucking fantastic.

Now I'm 40, if I have 4 beers on a Friday night I struggle to do anything productive til the following Wednesday.

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SnooBooks1701@reddit

I was like that, got diagnosed with ADHD, got medicated, now I'm finea

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AttersH@reddit

I’m not sure I ever really registered having more energy, as in, I’d often feel tired after a days work or a late night but looking back now aged 37, I absoloutly had far more energy! I’d work, gym & actively socialise in one day (that’s like a weeks worth of activities now 😂) & bounce out of bed the next morning. A late night out didn’t leave me exhausted for literally days. I could be really active both days of the weekend & not feel overly tired on Monday. I could do hours of overtime at with & it didn’t really tire me out..

If you genuinely feel very tired & you eat well, exercise etc, I’d speak to your doc. You could be anemic!

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GT_Pork@reddit

At 45 I don’t feel any different than in my 20s. I was lazy then as well

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notimefornothing55@reddit

I could sleep all day when I was 20, no wonder I could stay up all night.

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DeepSpaceNineInches@reddit

I'd go out drinking for a few days straight, but the secret ingredient wasn't energy, it was drugs

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F1nut92@reddit

I'm 33 and probably feel the healthiest I've been, not the lightest I've ever been (about 1/2 a stone off of that), but health wise I feel great, mental health takes a bit of a wobble every so often causing the rare lack of sleep some nights, but even then getting a couple more hours the next night sorts me out.

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Dizzygirlneedshelp@reddit

Not a lot. Honestly I’ve been “tired all the time” since I was like 13 and it’s got worse since I’ve got older.

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coffinflopenjoyer@reddit

Not a lot, I put all my energy into anxiety.

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mentaldriver1581@reddit

This sounds familiar.

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salahiswashed@reddit

I have very little energy and just got told I have high functioning depression. Starting group therapy next week!

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OverSky5671@reddit

I had no energy in my teens or 20’s, I was tired all the time, never woke up feeling refreshed, would sleep until the afternoons on weekends because I was so exhausted. It wasn’t until I was diagnosed with a chronic condition in my 30’s, when my extreme fatigue started making sense.

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FriendlyComment2353@reddit (OP)

once you figured out the problem , did you get a solution ? or do you now just know why you are tired

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OverSky5671@reddit

I did find a solution but not through treating that issue. I take medication for a separate issue that conveniently helps me feel less fatigued during the day, so that’s helped greatly.

Also as you get older your body naturally needs less sleep so now I have no problem getting up in the mornings whereas it used to be one of my biggest struggles.

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wooden_werewolf_7367@reddit

I was depressed AF at 20, so barely any.

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FriendlyComment2353@reddit (OP)

do you get over that depression feeling fully? or do you just manage it better? i might have a bit of that

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wooden_werewolf_7367@reddit

I have good and bad days.

Getting on the right medication helped. Also maturity. Something switched in my head when I turned 30. Hard to explain but you just care less.

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VOOLUL@reddit

8 hours of sleep can still make me tired all day if I get up at the wrong time in a sleep cycle.

Some days I can be full of energy, others tired. I find doing physical tasks keeps me energised. Lazing around, especially in bed for an hour in a morning, will make me tired.

I had less energy at 20 because I'd stay up until 3am and wake up at 12pm. I was also vitamin deficient.

See a doctor if you can't get energy regardless of what you try.

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Dazzling-Farm393@reddit

Fatigue like this is existential, not physical. Are you building your lifestyle around values and routines that are really someone else's? You'll get your energy back when you redirect your life toward autonomy and mastery. Reclaim your time, focus, and purpose, or remain a prisoner to exhaustion

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Tancred1099@reddit

do you work out too much?

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FriendlyComment2353@reddit (OP)

wouldnt say so. football game on saturday 1hr 30, football training on wednesday for an hour. boxing on tuesday for 2 hours. gym on sunday which normally consists of hanging about in the pool and sauna😂

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Sm0keytrip0d@reddit

I have far less energy at 33 then I did at 20, and that's not saying an awful lot lol.

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KeyLog256@reddit

It was OKish, but declined rapidly through my 20s. Along with increasing panic attacks and anxiety. Then I found out I had low testosterone. Fixed that, and I have even more energy than in my teens.

I was always a "lightweight" when it came to drinking too - three, four pints at most, I'd be done for. The full two-day hangover too. With my testosterone levels high I can drink several pints, feel great, then jump out of bed the next morning with no hangover. I did this once, didn't seem like that would be healthy long-term, so I barely drink now.

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Legitimate_War_397@reddit

Fuck all, then had a blood test and discovered my iron and B12 were ridiculously lol. Discovered I had coeliac disease the same year.

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d0288@reddit

How are you doing now?

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Legitimate_War_397@reddit

Definitely more awake now thanks, I had to have B12 injections doctor basically said you won’t be able to get it to normal range without a boost. It was after they got my blood levels back in line I discovered how much like shit I felt without realising it. Didn’t even realise I was worn out all the time. Thank god for my GP that randomly saw me out in the wild come up to me and delicately told me to come to the surgery to book a blood test because I also looked like shit.

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UnrivalledPG@reddit

Crazy energy. I would get your testosterone levels checked and blood work in general.

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aperturephotography@reddit

I was up at 7, college 9-4.30, then worked 5.30-10, then out driving with my mates till about 1am. That was most days weekends I worked 9 hour shifts.

Im still just as busy with work, kids etc...but have a crippling caffeine problem

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NeilDeWheel@reddit

Speak to your GP and get yourself a blood test. You may be low in vitamins and minerals or have some other condition.

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Justha-Tip@reddit

At 20, I didn’t know the meaning of tired. Even after my first kid at 25, I was fine. Now I’m 30, with 3 kids and I’m ready for the knackers yard. Genuinely can’t manage a night out. Fall asleep on sofa if I’m not in bed by 10pm. I might get 1 day in a month when I have energy. Then I waste it catching up on jobs.

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Pineappleberry495@reddit

That's fine. You'll just feel even more tired when you're older than you do now.

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Scarred_fish@reddit

Nah. Energy builds up.

Not that there is a lack of it in your 20s, obviously bursting with youthful energy, but from then it just builds and builds. I'm 52 and fucking love it!

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FriendlyComment2353@reddit (OP)

lol i think i lack the "bursting with youthful energy part". hopefully i feel how you do at 50 !!

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JohnLennonsNotDead@reddit

Not as much as I do now as the price per kilowatt hour is the highest in Europe for England at the moment

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TotallyTapping@reddit

I have always lacked energy, as a child I was constantly anaemic and on iron tablets, this continued until after I had children. Around 15 years ago I was diagnosed with Pernicious Anaemia (a severe B12 deficiency, which exhaustion is one of many symptoms) and then around 8 years ago vitamin d deficiency, my level was below 18 in July ( should be at least 50+), so am also on permanent vit d tablets as well as B12 injections. I don't think I have ever not been knackered!

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Responsible-Mail-661@reddit

It's just a mixture of nostalgia and memory loss. We all had wild nights, we just forget we called in sick.

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RZer0@reddit

I definitely had more energy in my 20s and 30s. 40s wasn't too bad but late 40s I had nothing, turns out I have an under active thyroid, now on my early 50s and now thanks to the medication, slowly getting a good amount of energy again. Guys don't dismiss feeling tired all the time as age related, go speak to your docs and get tests done.

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Rubberfootman@reddit

Unlimited energy, but I was motivated to go out and do stuff.

That said, if I sat down when I got home from work I was done.

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SWLondonLady@reddit

Just you wait. It’s relative. And why do you think old people are grumpy. Life has shit on you more and stolen more energy the older you are.

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Throwing_Daze@reddit

If you sleep well, eat well and get a decent amount of exercise and feel tired all the time you probably should talk to a doctor.

I think the 'unlimited' energy of youth is exaggerated slightly. Like saying 'school is the best time of your life', or 'that holiday was so much fun', actually you've just forgotten everything but the best moments.

I do, however, think that as you get older you get a bit less resilient. A few beers, a late night, a mild cold, a couple of days of poor diet, everything can take a little more to get over.

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Necessary_Doubt_9762@reddit

I’ve got more energy now at 31 than I did when I was twenty and I’m pregnant and have a 4YO. I was obese back then and thought I was just perpetually tired. Turns out losing the weight gave me a lot of energy back.

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DrH1983@reddit

I honestly can't remember, it was 22 years ago

I suspect I had more energy then. I do enjoy just lying down and taking naps more these days.

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Elster-@reddit

At 20 I had so much energy. I’d happily do a days work, go for a run and then go for a night out until the early hours and do the same again next day.

Now a days work can take it out of me

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Greengrass7772@reddit

Not a lot, when I was 20 I was 22 stone and living on about 12 pints a day, plus 30 Bensons, plus McDonald’s for breakfast, KFC for dinner and a Chinese for tea, and sometimes a kebab supper.

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RedPlasticDog@reddit

Definitely had a lot more energy at 20 than now (late 40s)

But also have more energy now than at 40 after losing weight, bothering with exercise and eating much better.

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MissingScore777@reddit

I had seemingly unlimited energy until first kid at 34. Had another one at 36.

I've just been tired ever since, mentally and physically, to a degree I wouldn't have thought was possible before they arrived.

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ParisLondon56@reddit

18-25 I had a ton of energy. Lots of 2 or 4hr sleeps after a night out and then up at 5.30 to work for 9 hours. It felt like nothing, after that I was shattered and remain shattered to this day.

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bzzklltn@reddit

At the time I felt the same. Now I’m 32 and I’m even more tired, by comparison it felt like unlimited energy. I worked 30 hours a week, went out in town 3 nights a week. Spent any other days in the pub or at a house party. Although the drugs might have helped with that.

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Numerous_Ticket_7628@reddit

Loads, I could go out 3 nights in a row! Now, I'd be lucky to manage 1 night. Big slow down through my 40s

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Proper_North_5382@reddit

I have less energy at 29 than I did at 20.

Back then I could go out for work, come back home again to go out for the evening for drinks with friends and be back at home at 4am and go to sleep just to have to get up at 8am again for cricket practice. Didn't bother me if I only had 4 hours of sleep and a slight hangover.

Now at 29, I don't think I'd be able to do that. I've since also worked nights for 3 years so that's definitely not helped things at all and my energy levels during that time were horrendous (I needed two days to recover from sleeping during the day and was on 5 to 6 hours of sleep a night for weeks). I like my 10pm to 6am sleep now, can't sleep longer than 7am on days off even if I wanted to. My energy levels are just about recovering more with each week at the moment.

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SubstantialFly3316@reddit

Loads. Four days in college, two or three nights out a week and then the weekend beasting around the countryside in the Army reserve. Could go indefinitely. 19 years later and I'm napping most afternoons. Mental and physical fitness was on point then though.

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YouserName007@reddit

It really depends on your health and mental health.

I have less energy at 33 than I had at 20, that's for sure.

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tmstms@reddit

I have essentially the same amount of energy (or lack of energy) at 64 as I did at 20 if that helps.

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