9 Reasons You Are Always Feeling Tired

Have you been waking up feeling like you haven’t slept enough? Are you struggling to power through the day? Do you find yourself reaching for coffee an unhealthy number of times? Do you feel exhausted for no apparent reason? Then it might be more than just tiredness keeping you from living life to the fullest.

Here are nine reasons why you always feel tired:

1. Not getting enough good quality sleep

Getting at least seven hours of good quality sleep every night is essential for improving your body’s overall health, stimulating brain performance, and enhancing mood. During sleep, your body performs several critical processes, including releasing important growth hormones and repairing & regenerating cells. This is why most people wake up feeling energised after a good night's sleep and feel all tired & groggy after a night of disturbed sleep.?

2. Chronic stress

We are all part of the hustle culture, and therefore, some amount of stress that comes with work is normal. However, an unreasonable amount of stress or chronic stress is not, as it can lead to a constant state of fatigue. Chronic stress may result in stress-related exhaustion disorder (ED), a medical condition characterized by psychological and physical symptoms of exhaustion. Furthermore, chronic stress may cause structural and functional changes in your brain, leading to chronic inflammation, and contributing to symptoms like fatigue.

3. Underlying medical conditions

If you wake up tired and struggle to cope with your day, experiencing unexplained, chronic fatigue, you should visit your doctor and discuss your symptoms. Your healthcare provider may recommend tests to check for underlying conditions such as Sleep Apnea, Hypothyroidism, Cancer, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, Multiple Sclerosis, Anxiety Disorders, Kidney disease, Depression, Diabetes, Fibromyalgia, etc. It’s important to note that you should not be feeling exhausted constantly. Getting appropriate treatment for an underlying medical condition can help you feel better and improve your overall health and well-being.

4. Consuming too much caffeine

Caffeinated beverages like coffee, tea, soft drinks, etc., often make you feel refreshed and help boost energy. However, once you become dependent on these drinks to start your day or overcome a lethargic moment, you may start consuming more and more. This can eventually affect your sleep cycle. Excessive caffeine in your body can keep you up at night, leading to increased tiredness the following day. If you’re experiencing sleep issues and frequently consuming caffeinated beverages, try cutting back and observe if your sleep and energy levels improve.

5. Lack of nutrition

Not getting enough vitamin B12 or vitamin D can make you feel tired all through the day. Vitamin B12 deficiency affects the production of red blood cells which affect the transportation of oxygen throughout the body. This leads to tiredness and fatigue. Adopting a diet rich in nutrient-dense foods such as fruits, vegetables, legumes, and healthy proteins can not only alleviate fatigue but also promote healthy sleep, ensuring your body receives the essential nutrition it needs.

6. Inadequate hydration

Hydration is important to restore and retain the water content in your body. It also helps in maintaining energy levels and carrying out several biochemical processes. It is often recommended to drink eight 8-ounce (240-mL) glasses of water daily. However, hydration requirements depend on several factors, including body weight, age, sex, and day-to-day activities. Common symptoms of dehydration include thirst, fatigue, dizziness, and headaches.

7. Overweight or obesity

Maintaining a healthy body weight is essential for your overall health and well-being. Not only is obesity linked to a greater risk of many chronic illnesses like type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and certain cancers, but it may also increase your risk of chronic fatigue. Obesity also raises your risk of obstructive sleep apnea, a common cause of daytime fatigue. It is also linked to increased daytime sleepiness regardless of sleep apnea, suggesting that obesity directly affects the sleep cycle.

8. Bacterial/Viral infection

When you have a cold or the flu, it could be due to a viral/bacterial infection in most cases. At this point, you feel tired because your body is fighting the infection, putting a strain on your immune system. More serious bacterial and viral infections can interact with different organ systems, potentially resulting in fatigue.

9. Lack of exercise

It's important to exercise regularly and stay active, as it helps condition the body's musculoskeletal and cardiovascular systems. It's also a great way to enhance mood and boost energy levels. Leading a sedentary lifestyle may cause tiredness, indirectly affecting both your physical and social life.

Conclusion

It is important to be aware of the factors that may lead to tiredness and fatigue in your life and identify ways in which you can cope with it. If left unaddressed, the tiredness that you’re feeling may start impacting other areas of your life and influencing others’ perspectives about you. Reach out to a friend or seek professional help at CARE Hospitals if you notice a recurrent pattern of fatigue in your life.