Normal Labs, No Energy: What Nurses Miss About Fatigue

Running on empty isn’t a medical mystery—it’s what happens when you’ve been giving more energy than you’ve allowed yourself to restore.

 Ironically, many nurses don’t feel that this applies to them. 

Have you ever gone through a period when you come home from work and it’s all you can do to not go to sleep right then and there? And yet, you don’t go to bed at 7 pm- I mean, that would be crazy, right? As this becomes a pattern, we start to wonder if we need blood work. It has to be anemia, or a vitamin deficiency, or, of course, the thyroid. 

And then, for those who are actually motivated enough to get the bloodwork, the results come back normal. According to LabCorp, you are fine.

But you don’t FEEL fine. The truth is, you need some rest.

I know you don’t have time. I know that “this can’t be all it is”. I know you have things to do and people to take care of. I know it seems easier to just need levothyroxine.

Rest is often the answer.

It’s really just math.

Little stressor + little stressor + little stressor = exhaustion.

It isn’t a moral equation, and it’s not a measure of strength.  Energy does not come in infinite stores. When it is used, it requires replacement, and replacement doesn’t occur magically. It occurs, in part, through rest.

There are obligations that you may not be able to easily delegate, defer, or dismiss, but these are few and far between. Nurses don’t even consider rest as an option. It isn’t even on our radar to brainstorm a way to build some rest into our lives. We subconsciously believe we should go go go until bedtime, which is a time arbitrarily decided on by how much we can achieve before then. 

We are not machines (although even machines need to charge). 

Our tendency to ignore how much energy things take is a protective mechanism that keeps us from becoming overwhelmed and depressed. The downside of this defense mechanism is that we can underestimate our need for restoration. 

Just getting up and making it to work costs energy. So does witnessing other people’s suffering, worrying about your kids or your finances, learning something new, solving problems, coordinating everyone else’s schedules, and even dealing with allergies or a minor illness. 

Traveling- even for fun- takes energy.

Before you get overwhelmed, you are already doing all of this, and energy can be recovered.

While there are many ways to restore your energy, exercise, connecting with friends and loved ones, eating supportive foods, and drinking water, rest is non-negotiable. You can drink all the water in the world and eat only organic, whole foods, but if you don’t rest, these other ways are not sufficient to support you. 

Now, before you get stressed out about this, ask yourself this question. “Do I feel that I need some rest right now?” The answer may be “no”. Just as energy expenditures can go up, they can also go down. Last week I needed a LOT more rest. I came home every day from work and did the bare minimum. Some days this included an after-work meeting and finishing a conference submission before the deadline. The other days it included lying on the couch and going to bed before 9 pm. I deferred, delegated, or dismissed anything that I could. I got nothing extra done.

And I didn’t tell myself some story about how I “shouldn’t” be feeling this way. 

And this week was better. My cognitive burden through the week was less so my energy expenditure was less. If you asked me today, “Do you need rest?” my answer, surprisingly, would be no. I have a busy day ahead of me, and I feel ready for it. 

The moral of the story is that we all need rest, and sometimes it is going to take conscious effort to get it. It doesn’t make you weak; it means you have worked to your full potential. Maybe we can just be proud that we worked so hard.

Build rest into your weekend like it matters—because it does. Your energy isn’t unlimited, and acting like it is will cost you. 

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If you’re a person who feels like you should be able to handle more than this—but you’re exhausted anyway—I work with nurses exactly in that spot. 1:1 coaching is where we work through what’s draining your energy and solve for that. When you’re ready, I’m here. Megan@NursingBeyondtheJob.Com