I have always been a fit individual, both mentally and physically. However in the last 12 months and in particular the last 3, I just feel absolutely knackered during the day. If there was no pressure to work, I could easily sleep all day without waking at the moment. During the day I go through phases of feeling really exhausted and sleepy and having a nap is easy.

I don't take any form of medication, I am 50 and have never felt like this in my life. I know we all get old but this is taking the mick! Has anyone else experienced this feeling of total exhaustion? Any ideas how to get back to being my normal alert get up and go self? Just off for a snooze now!

Get a good check-up (neuro-phsych and endocrinology) it could be a million things. It aint narcolepsy

Are you thirstier than normal? Weeing a lot? Best to go and see a Doc.

JDinasia is correct, it is not narcolepsy or anything of that sort but could be any number of other things, place to start would be a comprehensive physical check-up. Be sure to include thyroid panel.

If it all comes up normal my next advice would be to be checked in a sleep lab for possible sleep apnea, especially if you are male. It is fairly common in men your age and would account for the fatigue aqnd sleepiness as you may in fact not be getting effective sleep at night.

I've suffered from daytime drowsiness since I was a kid...always gettin' into trouble at school with the teachers gettin' pissed off with my 'disrespect' by always nodding off in class in the afternoons...I was only around 12 y.o. so no apnea or alcohol problems back then, I just couldn't stay awake...things got worse as I got older, nodding off and snoring in the university lecture hall and now the same thing in meetings at work...I dropped out recently while listening to a response to a query that I raised during the discussion, very embarrassing...

try to get a handle on the times of the day that the problem occurs and plan activities around the inevitable, in my case it's 11 am and 4 pm...I wolf down my lunch then find a quiet place (unused meeting rooms are nice at work) to snooze for 30-45 mins, gives me a pick me up for the afternoon...at the end of the day about 4 I move around a bit until I can crash out in the transport on the way home...if I'm driving usually snooze for 30 mins or so before I get on the road...

ye gots to be creative...