Reclaim Your Energy: Discover the 13 Potential Culprits Behind Your Persistent Fatigue

13 Reasons You Are Always Tired

Are you at your wits’ end trying to determine the reasons you are always feeling tired? It can indeed be frustrating having a wellness issue and not being able to pinpoint the cause.

Fatigue is a feeling characterized by protracted or persistent, and often unexplained, exhaustion. This is what you have when you have a constant feeling of tiredness. It is often a symptom of an underlying medical condition, for which you may need to seek help from your doctor.

Without a doubt, it can be worrisome to find that no matter what you do you just can’t overcome the fatigue. You will find here some possible reasons you are always tired. This may provide a starting point in finding a lasting solution to the problem.

Poor Sleep Quality

Many people now realize the importance of a good night’s sleep. But most fall short of getting adequate hours between the sheets all the same. An estimate has it that around 30 percent, or more, of adults in America, are not getting adequate sleep on a consistent basis.

Even if you tried, other factors may interfere with your ability to achieve this. And when you fail to get quality sleep, you deprive yourself of the necessary energy you need to go through the following day.

You should target getting at least 7 hours of sleep every night, as an adult. Sleeping in a dark room and trying to go to bed at about the same time each night are among the steps that can make this easy to achieve.

Emotional Stress

Stress is good. You might be surprised to hear that. It is actually beneficial to your health and well-being.

It only assumes a negative dimension when it becomes too much. Excessive emotional stress can drain you both physically and psychologically. It also contributes to a variety of medical issues.

No doubt, there are many situations in today’s society that can worsen a person’s level of stress, from work to relationship issues. It is therefore important to make conscious efforts to put it in check.

Identify those things that make you worry so much that you can come up with a strategy or technique to deal with them. Learn to express your concerns rather than bottling them up inside. Focus more on things that are going well in your life than on those that are not so good.

Anxiety and Depression

What do symptoms such as helplessness, sadness, fears, self-doubt, and lack of hope bring to mind? If you said anxiety or depression, you are right. Other issues they can bring along are poor sleep and, of course, constant feelings of tiredness.

Anxiety disorders are the most common mental diagnosis in the U.S. It affects around 40 million American adults, according to the Anxiety and Depression Association of America.

Depression is also common. It affects an estimated 16 million adults each year in America. The often hereditary disorder mostly affects individuals aged 15 to 30 and is more common among women.

If more than one of the symptoms we mentioned earlier is present, you should suspect anxiety or depression. Other possible signs include nervousness, a sense of impending danger, and the feeling of being worthless.

Poor Diet

Your choice of food can be a reason you are always tired.

Many people are on the fast lane in modern society, with time-saving at the top of their lists. This has had a negative impact on healthy eating. Compared to several decades ago, more people now go on fast or junk foods. They have no time to prepare a healthy meal at home.

When you load your body with foods of low nutritional value, fatigue may result. But that may be among the least of your worries. A poor diet can play a role in many medical conditions.

You should, therefore, work towards maintaining a balanced, healthy diet. According to experts, an ideal one will be featuring a nice mix of fruits, vegetables, proteins, dairy products, and grains.

Dehydration

Another possible reason you are always tired is that your water intake is low or you lose too much body fluids. Dehydration is a reason you may feel exhausted after being under the sun for a long period.

If you are constantly dehydrated (you may not be aware), the rate of nutrient and oxygen transfer from your heart to your tissues, organs, and other parts slows. You experience tiredness as a result.

It is important to drink water regularly, even if you don’t feel like it. Also, take fruits and vegetables, such as watermelon, cucumber, coconut water, and citrus fruits, to replenish lost electrolytes.

Food Intolerance

Some of us have foods we can’t stand. We may fall sick when forced to eat such. And there are some foods that you might not necessarily hate, but that are capable of making you feel unwell.

If you notice that the feeling of fatigue worsens after eating certain foods, you should suspect food intolerance or allergy. Try to limit such foods to see whether there will be an improvement.

If you are finding it difficult to identify the particular culprit, you may get in touch with your doctor for help with an elimination diet.

Myalgic Encephalomyelitis

More popularly known as chronic adrenal syndrome, this disorder is characterized by incapacitating and extreme exhaustion or tiredness that persists. The complicated condition affects people of all ages, but it is more common among the middle-aged. Apart from extreme weakness, its symptoms also include headaches and depression.

Myalgic encephalomyelitis is surprisingly more common than it may seem. It has been estimated to affect as much as 80 percent of adults across the globe. In America, up to a million people are believed to have it in a single year.

You may suspect this condition if you also find it hard to get quality sleep, in addition to the other symptoms. A drop in mental acuity, weight gain, and frequent infections are among the other signs.

Hay Fever

This is an inflammation in the nose that occurs when your immune system “overreacts” to what it suspects to be harmful. More specifically, it is a reaction to allergens, such as pollen, dust, or molds.

Also known as allergic rhinitis, hay fever can drain you and make you feel tired. Its other symptoms include sneezing, runny nose, headache, nasal congestion, and itchiness.

Luckily, you can easily deal with hay fever at home. Antihistamine medications (both oral and topical) are among those that can help. In severe cases, allergy shots or immunotherapy may be needed.

You can also protect yourself by putting in place measures to guard against the triggers that you can control.

Hypothyroidism

Fatigue is a symptom of a thyroid gland that is not functioning at its best. An underactive thyroid also produces other unpleasant symptoms such as sluggishness, weight gain, and depression. It can also lead to cold intolerance.

The thyroid is a tiny gland at the base of the neck. In spite of appearing so small, it serves several important functions in your body. It controls your metabolic rate – the rate of energy used by your body. The gland also regulates your heartbeat, protein production, and body temperature.

Millions of Americans have an underactive thyroid – many of these are not even aware of it. The estimate has it that roughly 17 percent of women will have thyroid disease by the age of 60.

Anemia

If we had arranged these “reasons” in order of gravity, this should be somewhere near the top. Anemia is easily a reason many people feel tired all of the time.

This is another common condition that affects millions in America. It is characterized by a lower amount of red blood cells than is normal. This means fewer nutrients and oxygen get to tissues and cells, prompting a feeling of tiredness.

Other symptoms you may notice include: headaches, shortness of breath, and dizziness.

You can fight anemia by improving the level of iron in your blood. It is also beneficial to improve your intake of folate and vitamin B12.

Blood Sugar Issues

Your blood sugar levels can be a reason you always feel tired. This explains why fatigue is a common complaint among people with type 2 diabetes.

Consumption of processed foods, soda, gluten-rich grains, and sweeteners can cause the amount of sugar in your blood to surge. These kinds of items in the diet are what lead to conditions such as diabetes over time.

More than 1 in 10 American adults are said to be diabetic. It is rather alarming to note that the incidence of type 2 diabetes is also rising among children in the U.S.

The good news is that many people can address their blood sugar imbalances by adopting a healthy, low glycemic index diet. The sad part, however, is that most people don’t know that blood sugar issues could be responsible for their persistent tiredness.

Sedentary Lifestyle

You are probably like “Not again!” right now seeing this reason. A sedentary lifestyle is being discouraged on different fronts, so much it may be becoming annoying to hear about it. Persistent fatigue is actually the least of your worries with a sedentary lifestyle.

Most of what many people do today – whether work or play – involves sitting for long periods. Your body is not designed for such.

You can actually boost your energy levels through activity, movement, or exercise rather than by sitting or lying down. Your sleep quality can also improve by being more active and avoiding a sedentary lifestyle.

This is no mere conjecture. Research confirms these effects. The feeling of constant tiredness has been found to improve following an exercise program.

Fibromyalgia

This condition is almost the same as chronic adrenal syndrome in terms of the severity of exhaustion they cause. Fibromyalgia causes musculoskeletal pain and chronic fatigue that may not improve even after long hours of sleep.

The condition is possibly the reason you are always tired if you also experience mental fogginess and concentration problems. It can cause mood issues and reduce your ability to exercise.

Getting Help

There you have some of the likely reasons you are always tired. But do note that the possible causes are not limited to these ones. For instance, leaky gut syndrome, rheumatoid arthritis, or heart disease may also be responsible.

You may be able to improve how you feel by making certain lifestyle changes. Maintain a healthy diet, quit smoking, and exercise regularly. It is also helpful to ensure that you get between 7 and 9 hours of sleep every night if you are an adult.

Home treatments cannot address all causes of constant tiredness. You should waste no time in seeking the assistance of your healthcare provider if home remedies are not helping with your fatigue. It could possibly mean that a medical condition is responsible for it.

Although you can get drugs that may help over the counter, your doctor can recommend stronger variants if those failed to work. He can also offer advice on diet and other things that can enhance the overall feeling of wellness. If mental issues are suspected, he may refer you to a psychologist or psychiatrist for evaluation to improve treatment outcomes.