Why am I always tired? — If that is a question you frequently ask yourself, be assured that you are not alone. Extreme tiredness and feeling sleepy all the time is a common outcome of present world lifestyles. While lack of sleep is the most common factor, always feeling sleepy could be attributed to more debilitating reasons. Read through to find answers to your question ‘why am I tired’ and simple ways to correct it.
What is Chronic Fatigue?
If you are among the ones who invariably ask “why am I always tired and have no energy?”, you are suffering from chronic fatigue. Chronic fatigue is a condition marked by unexplained fatigue or a persistent lack of energy. The condition worsens with physical and mental activity and does not improve with rest. Extreme fatigue that can not be completely explained by underlying condition and lasts for more than six months is classed as Chronic Fatigue Syndrome.
Why am I Always Tired? – Lifestyle And Dietary Habits
To understand why you are always feeling sleepy it’s important to take a peek into your lifestyle and dietary habits. Listed below are a few factors and medical conditions that are associated with chronic fatigue.
1. Lack of Sleep
Not getting enough sleep or poor sleep quality is the main cause of feeling sleepy all the time. Sleep is an important aspect of well-being. Adequate sleep helps repair muscles and body tissues and promotes the regeneration of cells. It is also important for the production of growth hormones.
What You Can Do About It:
At least eight hours of sleep is mandatory for waking up energised and refreshed. Create a comfortable sleep environment and follow a regulated sleep-wake-up pattern.
2. Poor Sleep Quality
In addition to the duration of sleep, the quality of sleep is equally important. Restful and uninterrupted sleep allows the brain to go through cycles of non-rapid eye movement (NREM) sleep and rapid eye movement (REM) sleep which is important to energise and recharge the body.
What You Can Do About It:
Sleep quality is often marred by the poor sleeping environment, wrong food choices, stress and medical conditions. Bring about a healthy lifestyle and dietary changes in your daily routine.
3. Nutritional Deficiency
A healthy and balanced diet is crucial for overall well-being. Lack of nutrients and vitamins in the daily diet is linked to fatigue. Why I am always tired? It could be because of iron, vitamin B2, vitamin B3, vitamin B5, vitamin B6, vitamin B9, vitamin B12, vitamin D, vitamin C or magnesium deficiencies. Less than optimum levels of one or more of the nutrients and vitamins in a daily diet can lead to unexplained fatigue.
What You Can Do About It:
Micronutrient deficiencies are best corrected by improving nutrient intake. A Healthy and well-balanced diet is the key. As the body’s ability to absorb nutrients reduces with age, taking nutrient supplements alongside a daily diet helps.
4. Stress
Psychological stress, up to a certain level is healthy for the body. As the body reacts to stress by producing hormones, these make the brain more alert. But chronic stress is a problem. It leads to stress-related exhaustion disorder, which is characterised by feeling sleepy all the time. Chronic stress also brings about structural and functional changes in the brain which contribute to fatigue-like symptoms.
What You Can Do About It:
It is impossible to avoid or take control of all stressful situations. Managing stress is the best way to eliminate it. Walking, hot water baths, visiting friends and meditating are some of the best ways to tame stress levels.
5. Poor Dietary Choices
We are what we eat. If the body does not feel energetic and recharged after a meal, it’s probably due to undereating or overeating. In either scenario, the body exhibits imbalance through exhaustion. Foods low in essential nutrients, excessively calorie-rich foods, or ultra-processed foods; all affect the way the body breaks down foods. This triggers fatigue and one experiences feeling sleepy all the time.
What You Can Do About It:
A nutrient-dense is the key to increasing energy and reducing untimely fatigue. Optimum nutrition which includes whole grains, fresh fruits, vegetables, legumes, and adequate water keeps the body active and healthy.
6. Caffeine Overload
Caffeine is an energy drink that promises an instant energy boost. But caffeine overload has a reverse effect. Caffeine confers a temporary boost of energy. On the flip side, excessive consumption of caffeine affects the sleep cycle. This impairs sleep duration and quality which in turn triggers fatigue and exhaustion.
What You Can Do About It:
Cutting back on caffeine intake helps the body restore its normal sleep cycle. Once sleep and nutrition needs are met comfortably, the body feels naturally active and agile.
7. Lack of Water
Water is essential for all biochemical reactions taking place in the body. It removes toxic waste from the body through urine, stools and sweat. Dehydration occurs when the body loses more water than what you drink to replenish the water loss. This affects the entire human body by fuelling muscle soreness, headaches, dizziness and persistent fatigue.
What You Can Do About It:
Drinking at least 8-10 glasses of water per day is the norm. Depending upon activity levels the water intake increases further. But make sure you avoid sweetened water.
Fatigue Could be Because of Medical Conditions
Apart from lifestyle habits, there are a few medical conditions that invariably lead to low energy levels. If you too feel wiped out the whole day long, these could be the possible culprits.
1. Anaemia
A deficiency of iron in the body is the most common cause of iron deficiency anaemia. Iron is important for the formation of red blood cells which transport oxygen to different parts of the body. Without adequate iron, the body does not produce enough haemoglobin, leading to chronic fatigue and perpetual tiredness.
What You Can Do About It:
Taking iron supplements is the best way to correct iron-deficiency anaemia.
2. Diabetes
Dry mouth, increased urination and fatigue are the most common symptoms of diabetes. The onset of diabetes is marked by the impaired production of insulin by the pancreas. It leads to frequent fluctuations in blood sugar levels. As cells are deprived of glucose, diabetes leads to persistent fatigue.
What You Can Do About It:
Regulating blood sugar levels through diet control, medication and insulin injections helps in diabetes management.
3. Obesity
Being overweight and obese is the greatest risk factor for several ailments like type 2 diabetes, heart disease, cancer, sleep apnoea and more. These conditions disturb the proper functioning of the body, causing unexplained fatigue.
What You Can Do About It:
So next time you are feeling sleepy all the time – it’s time for a weight check. Include a healthy diet and exercise in your daily routine.
4. Underactive Thyroid
The thyroid gland, the butterfly-shaped gland located in the neck, produces thyroid hormone, which helps control the use of energy. The underproduction of the thyroid slows down the metabolism and makes you feel tired throughout the day.
What You Can Do About It:
If you are questioning why I am always tired, go for a thyroid test. Underactive thyroid is managed through medicines.
5. Heart Disease
Extreme and continuous tiredness can be a symptom of impending heart disease. As the arteries get clogged, the heart gets under pressure to pump as it should. While continuous fatigue is the first visible symptom, shortness of breath and swelling in arms and legs are common.
What You Can Do About It:
Blood-based tests, ECG and ECHO can help pick up if always feeling sleepy is hinting at heart trouble.
6. Sleep Apnoea
Sleep apnoea is a condition wherein the blood supply to the brain is impaired during sleep. The brain thus wakes up in an alarming state. The inability to get adequate sleep and rest spark an ‘always feeling sleepy’ state.
What You Can Do About It:
Proper diagnoses and treatment for sleep apnea help manage the condition.
7. Menopause
During menopause, a woman’s body goes through several changes. There is a hormonal upheaval. This leads to night sweats, hot flashes, hunger cravings and mood swings that increase stress levels and impair sleep quality.
What You Can Do About It:
Adopting a healthy and active lifestyle helps one sail through menopause comfortably.
8. Depression
A depressed brain does not get the optimum levels of chemicals it needs to work well. High-stress levels and hormonal imbalance affect the body clock. Depression thus robs the body’s energy levels increasing the always feeling sleepy state.
What You Can Do About It:
Proper counselling, a healthy lifestyle and medications help fix depressive symptoms.
Conclusion
Feeling exhausted after a day’s work is natural. But the constant feeling of tiredness is not normal. Appropriate lifestyle and dietary changes with proper diagnoses and treatment for medical conditions are important. These together can help you resolve your question ‘why am I always tired’.
