Energy... will it ever come back?!

It can't be just me who's tired all the time. Actually I know it isn't; I had supper with two great friends the other night, and all we could talk about was how frazzled we were. Sometimes it's actual lack of sleep that's the problem -because of waking children/babies, or because my stress levels are so high I'm  waking up at 5am with a whole list of worries, and unable to get back to sleep. Other times, it's not lack of sleep that's the problem but more a general lethargy, an inability to jump out of bed in the morning, a general feeling that life feels harder than usual.
Right now it's the latter; the truth is, I'm sleeping like a baby. Partly because I finished my latest book a few weeks ago and so a major stress-creator has disappeared from my life for a while, but also because of a book I read when my youngest was a few months old. Diggy had reflux, rarely napped properly, and was prone to screaming several times in the night and I was so tired I was barely human. And then I stumbled across this book by Dr Weissbluth. It was all about children's sleeping patterns and how sleep begets sleep, but as I read it I started to recognise myself in the case studies (about very young children. Go figure...). I get stressed out, I get hyper, I sleep less, I get more hyper, I sleep even less... and it's the same with babies apparently. They miss a nap, they make up for it with adrenaline, and then they can't soothe themselves back to sleep.
The good doc suggested putting my 'difficult baby' to bed super early, like 5pm, for a few weeks. And I was dubious; VERY dubious. But I tried it. And what do you know? Suddenly he was sleeping through. A few weeks later, though, I was still waking up on high alert listening for the cries which never came. So, in desperation, I tried the same method on myself. Bed at 9pm. I never thought it would work, but blow me, it only took two nights and I was cured. No more 5am wakings worrying about plots, laundry, bills and homework (my children's, not mine). I wouldn't recommend it every night. Otherwise you will have NO FRIENDS. But every so often, it's not a bad idea.
No, my lack of energy is not about sleep. Not right now, anyway. So what else? Well, one culprit might be low levels of Vitamin D. My friend Emma has been eulogising the benefits of Vitamin D and I think she's right. Lack of sunlight means we're all pretty low and doctors are now finding links between low levels of Vitamin D and loads of nasty illnesses from heart disease to cancer.
And Iron, too... Many a time I have felt at death's door, barely able to drag myself upstairs, only to feel entirely better after downing a couple of sachets of Spatone iron supplement.
So that's my plan to revive myself. Good food, supplements and maybe an early night or two. And if all of that fails, there's always chocolate, right?