What Are the First Signs of Your Body Shutting Down?

General Fatigue That Doesn’t Go Away

We all feel tired now and then — sure. But when your body starts shutting down, this tiredness goes beyond “just need a nap.” We’re talking about deep, bone-level fatigue that sleep doesn’t fix.

You might notice that:

• Everyday tasks feel like climbing a mountain

• You wake up tired, even after 8+ hours

• You start skipping meals, social events, even showers

Your body is basically waving a white flag. It’s exhausted — physically and mentally — and trying to conserve what little energy it has left.

Brain fog is real

Ever walk into a room and forget why? Or read the same sentence 4 times and still not get it? That’s not just stress. Cognitive slowdown is a red flag. Your brain’s literally getting less oxygen or glucose (or both), depending on what’s failing internally.

Breathing Changes or Shortness of Breath

Yeah, weird one — but super important.

If your body is shutting down, your lungs may not work efficiently anymore. You might feel:

• Out of breath doing almost nothing

• A need to breathe faster (even when resting)

• Gasping at night or waking up suddenly

And no, it’s not always anxiety — though it can look like it. If you catch yourself avoiding stairs or walking slower because of breathing... get it checked.

Skin and Temperature Shifts

When the body begins to redirect blood to vital organs, the skin is one of the first things to show signs.

You may notice:

• Cold hands and feet (like ice cold, even under blankets)

• Pale or bluish skin, especially on lips and fingertips

• Patchy or mottled skin (that sort of marble effect)

I saw this once with a relative who had heart failure — the color changes were real and unmistakable. Subtle at first, but they escalated quickly.

Digestive Changes: Your Gut Knows

The digestive system is not a priority when your body’s trying to survive. So it starts to shut down early in the process.

Look out for:

• Nausea or loss of appetite

• Trouble swallowing

• Constipation or, sometimes, weird diarrhea

• Belly bloating that doesn’t make sense

Your body just isn’t processing food properly anymore — and it's not a diet thing. It’s a survival thing.

Altered Heart Rate and Blood Pressure

As systems begin to fail, the heart starts working overtime — or slowing down, depending on what’s going wrong.

You may experience:

• Racing pulse at rest

• Skipping beats or irregular rhythm

• Very low blood pressure (lightheadedness when standing, feeling like you’ll faint)

• Or sometimes dangerously high blood pressure as a panic response

If your body is confused, your heart often shows it first.

Mental and Emotional Shifts

This one’s tricky. People don’t talk about it enough, but your mental state changes when your body is on the edge.

• Withdrawal from conversations

• Sudden disinterest in things you used to enjoy

• Unexplained irritability or sadness

• Saying stuff like “I just feel done” — and meaning it

I once had a patient (when I was shadowing in palliative care) who said, “It’s like I’m here, but not really.” That haunted me. Turns out, her organs had already begun to decline.

Final Thoughts: Listen Early, Don’t Wait for Crisis

Your body whispers before it screams. Fatigue, weird breathing, cold skin, messed-up digestion — these aren’t just random quirks. They're early signs your system is struggling, maybe failing.

If you’re noticing several of these signs at once? Don’t brush them off. See a doctor. Seriously.

Because while “shutting down” sounds final, sometimes — if caught early — you can turn it around. Rest, treatment, changes in lifestyle... it’s not always too late. But silence? That’s what lets the shutdown win.

Is 165 cm normal for a 15 year old?

The predicted height for a female, based on your parents heights, is 155 to 165cm. Most 15 year old girls are nearly done growing. I was too. It's a very normal height for a girl.

Is 160 cm too tall for a 12 year old?

How Tall Should a 12 Year Old Be? We can only speak to national average heights here in North America, whereby, a 12 year old girl would be between 137 cm to 162 cm tall (4-1/2 to 5-1/3 feet). A 12 year old boy should be between 137 cm to 160 cm tall (4-1/2 to 5-1/4 feet).

How tall is a average 15 year old?

Average Height to Weight for Teenage Boys - 13 to 20 Years

How to get taller at 18?

Staying physically active is even more essential from childhood to grow and improve overall health. But taking it up even in adulthood can help you add a few inches to your height. Strength-building exercises, yoga, jumping rope, and biking all can help to increase your flexibility and grow a few inches taller.

Is 5.7 a good height for a 15 year old boy?

Generally speaking, the average height for 15 year olds girls is 62.9 inches (or 159.7 cm). On the other hand, teen boys at the age of 15 have a much higher average height, which is 67.0 inches (or 170.1 cm).

Can you grow between 16 and 18?

Most girls stop growing taller by age 14 or 15. However, after their early teenage growth spurt, boys continue gaining height at a gradual pace until around 18. Note that some kids will stop growing earlier and others may keep growing a year or two more.

Can you grow 1 cm after 17?

Even with a healthy diet, most people's height won't increase after age 18 to 20. The graph below shows the rate of growth from birth to age 20. As you can see, the growth lines fall to zero between ages 18 and 20 ( 7 , 8 ). The reason why your height stops increasing is your bones, specifically your growth plates.