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Why Am I Always Tired?

Elara Care

• 5 min read
a woman siting on her bed wondering why she feels soo tired after waking up

Do you remember the last time you needed to do something, but had to put it off because your energy levels were low?

Feeling occasionally tired is normal and you might even notice dips and highs at different times of your cycle especially the week before your period is set to begin.

This is fairly common due to the dip in estrogen levels and increase in progesterone.

NHS research on the top medical reasons for being tired found that feeling tired at times is normal and could mostly be relieved by sleep and rest. However, a prolonged feeling of tiredness or fatigue can be an indication of a bigger underlying problem.

Here are some questions you can ask yourself to assess your level of fatigue:

Question 1: Do you have a general feeling of weakness?

Question 2: Does your sleep often feel unrefreshing?

Question 3: Do you feel a reduced motivation or interest in engaging with your usual activities and routines?

Question 4: Do you face a reduced ability to concentrate at work, at home, or during leisure activities?

Question 5: Do you often (more than 3 times a week) face an overwhelming feeling of tiredness?

Question 6: Do you feel reduced energy or an increased need to rest  

If you have answered YES to at least four of these, read on.

Related article: How your hormones affect your mental and emotional wellbeing during different phases of the menstrual cycle.

Why do I feel tired all the time?

A survey conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau in 2010 and 2011 showed that 15.7% of women below the age of 45 reported being “very tired” or “very exhausted” on most days compared to 8.7% of men.

This type of persisting tiredness that is constant and limiting is known as fatigue.

So if you are wondering why you feel tired all the time, anyone (or multiple) of these could be the reason behind it:

  • Bad sleep or lack of sleep
    Bad or lack of sleep, which could be caused by various lifestyle factors, including your hormones, can cause your brain to feel exhausted and hinder it to do its daily duties.
    This is because, during sleep, various pathways form in your brain, known as neurons. These pathways help you remember the new information you had learned throughout the day.
    Altering or breaking the formation of these pathways (incomplete or no sleep) is what makes it more difficult to concentrate or learn new things.
  • Vitamin deficiency
    Good nutrition has a major impact on your energy levels, especially when it comes to proper vitamin intake. Although there's no evidence that suggests taking extra vitamins and minerals will give you extra energy, being deficient in vitamins like vitamin B12 can easily lead to fatigue.
  • High-stress levels
    Your body naturally produces healthy levels of cortisol (stress) hormone when you wake up in the morning or exercise. This level of cortisol can help regulate your blood pressure, and blood sugar levels and even strengthen your heart muscle.
    When there is an excess release of the cortisol hormone, the brain utilizes more of the stored glucose to neutralize it. This used-up glucose is otherwise required by the body to maintain energy throughout the day. Hence there is a drop in energy when highly stressed.  
  • Sedentary lifestyle
    A sedentary lifestyle has a high possibility of leading to chronic fatigue among all the other problems that it can cause. This is mainly because sedentary individuals tend to have higher heart rates and lower oxygen consumption comparatively. This lack of oxygen affects the body’s capability of transforming nutrients into energy, thereby leading to low energy levels.
  • Depression
    Depression can lead to severe fatigue conditions that make even the smallest activities like getting out of bed, too difficult. This is mainly because depression can be a root cause leading to various other issues such as lack of sleep, bad nutrition, and high-stress levels, all of which individually can cause fatigue.
  • Medical conditions such as fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue syndrome, and diabetes
    Fatigue is a common symptom of many medical conditions that range in severity from mild to serious. This is mainly because these medical conditions tend to hinder the body’s natural functioning, thereby disrupting various factors that aid in energy, such as sleep, stress, pain, and so on.
  • Medications
    Medications are prescribed to help you get through certain health or mental condition. If these medications are affecting your energy levels, this is because the chemicals in your brain also known as neurotransmitters are getting affected. These chemicals are mostly used by your nerves to carry messages to each other and control various conditions such as ‘how awake you are’ or ‘how sleepy you feel’.

Moreover, many health conditions can lead to excessive tiredness, including:

  • Anemia (a common blood disorder)
  • Electrolyte abnormalities
  • Genetic, neurological, and sleep disorders
  • Heart, lung, thyroid, or liver conditions
  • Mental health issues, including anxiety, depression, and bipolar disorder
  • Metabolic issues, such as diabetes
  • Obesity
  • Rheumatological conditions, such as rheumatoid arthritis
  • Snoring (a breathing disorder)
  • Underlying cancer or infectious disease

Even though for many, getting a good night's sleep, or taking some relaxation time could be the short-term solution, for many others, it's much more complex.

Related article: What are the 6 signs of mental exhaustion?

How do you know if fatigue is a sign of a possible health issue?

Signs that your fatigue could be a symptom of something more include:

  • Lack of physical or mental energy
  • Inability to stay awake and alert or initiate activity
  • Unintentionally falling asleep or falling asleep at inappropriate times
  • Reduced capacity to maintain or complete an activity
  • Becoming easily fatigued
  • Difficulty with concentration, memory, or emotional stability
  • Tiredness affecting your ability to work, socialize and participate in family activities is also a red flag — as is you or your family need to make accommodations to deal with your symptoms

What can I start doing at home to feel more rested?

Good sleep hygiene is important. Try to incorporate these sleep habits into your routine:

DO’S:

  • Sleep only as much as you need to feel rested, and then get out of bed
  • Keep a regular sleep schedule
  • Avoid sleeping in - even on weekends
  • Exercise regularly, preferably at least four to five hours before bedtime
  • Make the bedroom environment conducive to sleep
  • Stop looking at a screen (phone, TV, etc) at least 90 minutes before bed. Opt for a book, mobility, or meditation instead
  • Start the day with a healthy breakfast and avoid having a large dinner
  • Expose yourself to bright sunlight in the morning - ideally, this should be natural light
  • Spend more time outside during daylight - go for a walk when feeling tired instead of another coffee

DONT’S:

  • Drink caffeinated beverages after 12 pm
  • Drink alcohol near bedtime (no “nightcaps”)
  • Smoke, especially in the evening
  • Go to bed hungry
  • Use light-emitting screens before bedtime
  • Don’t read with backlit devices (i.e Ipads. Use e-readers instead)

Good sleep hygiene is important. Try to incorporate these sleep habits into your routine:

But that’s not all, bad nutrition and stressors in your life can also create fatigue.

Check out our article on “How does nutrition affect your energy levels?

Conclusion:

Feeling tired at times is normal. Especially when there is a lot to do, work that keeps piling up, or you have kids or pets that need attention every second of the day.

Sometimes all we need is a good night's sleep and a restful rejuvenation to get us back on our feet. Yet, sometimes, fatigue can become chronic and have a larger impact on overall health and wellness.

It is therefore important to follow a healthy lifestyle with good sleep hygiene while keeping track of your mental and physical health to avoid fatigue.  

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