Some have to do with lifestyle, others are medical and still others may be due to stress or emotional issues. Everyone has a unique lifestyle, quality of health, body type, and stress level.
Therefore, the reason why you are always tired is probably unique to you.
The purpose of this site is to give you some insight into the possible reasons why you are always feeling tired in order to help you better understand why you are constantly tired.
Once you have determined why you are always tired you can take steps to overcome this feeling.
LIFESTYLE
Sleep related issues are always the prime suspect when you are suffering from chronic or severe fatigue. However, lack of sleep may not be the reason you’re tired.
Plenty of people get adequate sleep but are not able to slow down or manage stress during the day. Others do not relax or do not really know how to relax.
Stop Waking Up During the Night
Sleep is very important. If you are asking yourself, “Why am I so tired?” it’s quite possible that you are not getting enough sleep. When you don’t get enough sleep your body does not have a chance to feel any other way but tired.
Not getting enough quality sleep builds up a sort of “sleep debt” that leaves you feeling chronically tired. Determining how much sleep you need, your sleep cycles, and the best ways to get to sleep are unique to you but regardless of your individual situation, there are simple things you can do to help yourself stay asleep and stop waking throughout the night.
One of the biggest reasons people wake up in the night is because they have to go to the bathroom. No matter how urgently you need to go, you still are breaking your sleep cycle in order to relieve yourself. For most people, the reason for waking up is having too much to drink too late in the evening.
Hydration is very important and will help you feel less tired, but no matter how hydrated you are, if you wake up during the night to go to the bathroom, drinking all that water is contributing to making you tired rather than preventing it! The key is to make sure that you drink as much as you can earlier in the day.
Try not to drink anything after 8pm. If that does not work, slowly move that deadline earlier and earlier in the day until you find a time that allows you to drink enough water but stay asleep all night.
Another tip for sleeping through the night is to keep your bedroom cool, but not cold. When you are hot, it causes you to sweat. This will make you uncomfortable and will cause you to wake up. If you keep your bedroom cooler, but not cold, it will help you stay comfortable all night long.
Furthermore, you should use natural cotton sheets versus synthetic fabrics. Cotton sheets will breathe more, allowing you to stay cooler.
Sounds also tend to wake you up during the night. Although you grow accustomed to certain noises, they still prevent you from achieving a quality sleep.
One of the best solutions to this problem is to sleep with ear plugs in. However, if that is too uncomfortable, try a sound machine which emits “white” noise. This noise sounds like a radio that is not tuned to a station. The sound has an amazing ability to mask other sounds. Having this steady noise will help you achieve a deeper, more restful sleep.
If you have trouble falling asleep in the first place, try to establish a relaxing routine just before bedtime. Listen to relaxing music, do some simple stretching exercise or spend a few minutes meditating. You can also try an herbal sleep aid such as valerian or chamomile to help you relax before bedtime.
Manage Stress during the Day
You may be thinking “I am always tired” when the really problem is “I am always under stress.” Stress can be caused by many things.
If you have a demanding job or work long hours or if the responsibilities of managing a home overwhelm you, the stress of these situations will cause you to feel very tired.
If you deal with difficult people every day, whether they are family members or co-workers, the emotional tool of these encounters will also be stressful and draining. Or the cause of your stress may be something temporary that is going on in your life, such as moving, starting a new job or dealing or the loss of a loved one. Even something good like planning a vacation can be stressful!
There are several effective ways to manage stress. First, if you pay attention to your general health and take care of your body, it will be easier to deal with stressful situations. You can also use specific exercises like yoga and meditation or deep breathing when you are going through something stressful.
In fact, remembering to breathe is one of the most effective ways to manage stress. It may seem simple, but the first thing many people do without even realizing it when they are under stress is to slow or even stop breathing. If you don’t take deep breaths, you deprive your body of energy-giving oxygen.
No matter how busy you think you are, take time – even five minutes – for yourself each day. Find a comfortable place where you can relax with a cup of herbal tea or do a short meditation exercise, and make this a regular routine.
Taking a mid-morning and mid-afternoon break can help you recharge so you can face the rest of your stressful day without feeling drained or overwhelmed.
Exercise
If you’ve ever done any kind of exercise, you know that it can make you feel great. Of course, if you overdo it, exercise can actually contribute to your fatigue. But if you are always feeling tired, you may not be getting enough exercise. Exercise is important because it helps your blood flow and circulates oxygen through your body, and as mentioned, it is oxygen that gives you energy.
Many people who are constantly tired do not have a regular exercise routine. If this is the case for you, you may be thinking, “I’m too tired to exercise.” Or perhaps you think you are too busy to fit exercise into your day. Think again. Everyone has time to exercise. Even 20 minutes of moderate exercise per day can help to increase your energy level. If you think about it honestly, you probably waste more time than that on a daily basis dong something like flipping through TV channels, surfing the internet or gossiping on the phone.
Simple but energizing exercises include brisk walking, a few minutes of yoga sun salutations or even something as simple (and fun) as dancing in your living room to your favorite music! If you don’t believe in the power of exercise to energize you, try it just once the next time you feel drained. Take a brisk walk around the block and see if you don’t feel better, even for a short time. Now think how much better you will feel all day every day if you make exercise a part of your daily routine.
HEALTH AND YOUR ENERGY LEVEL
It makes sense that a healthy person has more energy than a person who suffers from any kind of illness. In fact, tiredness is a primary symptom of many medical conditions. If you are tired all the time and you have a generally healthy lifestyle, you may have an underlying medical condition that is causing your fatigue.
Here are five medical problems that may be the hidden cause of your fatigue. In addition to these, almost any kind of infection or illness can deplete your energy levels.
Sluggish Thyroid
Hypothyroidism, or “sluggish thyroid,” is a common problem, especially in women. Many people with low thyroid function are not even aware that they have the condition. The thyroid gland is responsible for producing hormones that control your metabolism. The more efficient your metabolism is, the higher your energy level will be. The most common sign that your thyroid is not functioning properly is fatigue.
Anyone who suffers from chronic fatigue that cannot be explained should have a blood test to determine if hypothyroidism is the culprit. Your doctor will test levels of two hormones, known as “T3” and “T4” to see if they are low. If a sluggish thyroid turns out to be the problem, the condition can easily be treated with hormone supplements.
Food Allergies
Fatigue can also be caused by allergies to certain ingredients commonly found in foods. If you have a food allergy, your body treats the ingredient as an invader and makes antibodies to fight it off, and all that “fighting” can be exhausting!
Common food allergies that cause fatigue include gluten (the protein in wheat products), dairy and soy allergies. If you suspect that you have a food allergy, try an elimination diet. First, keep a log of everything you eat. When you feel especially tired, notice what you ate 30 minutes to an hour earlier. If a pattern develops, eliminate that food from your diet completely and see if your energy improves.
Anemia
Your blood carries oxygen throughout your body via hemoglobin, a protein in red blood cells that is rich in iron. If you have an iron deficiency, your blood will not be able to do its job and you will feel exhausted because of oxygen deprivation.
Many women suffer from iron deficiency anemia during the reproductive years. This is especially true for women who bleed heavily when they menstruate. But even if you are not a menstruating woman, you can develop anemia if your iron intake is inadequate. Anemia can also develop if you do not have enough folate or vitamin B12 in your diet.
Your doctor can do a blood test to see if you are anemic. If you are, you can usually correct the problem with iron or vitamin supplements. If supplements do not help, you may need to find out if you are losing blood for some reason.
Sleep Apnea
Sleep apnea is a condition in which you actually stop breathing for a moment now and then throughout the night. When this happens, your body reacts by waking just enough to get you to breathing again. If you have sleep apnea, you are not getting adequate rest because your sleep is continually interrupted.
One sign that you may have sleep apnea is snoring. If your partner has complained that you snore, check with your doctor to see if sleep apnea is suspected, especially if you always feel tired despite thinking you are sleeping through the night. Sleep apnea is caused by an obstructed airway and is more common in people who are overweight.
Certain lifestyle changes, like losing weight or quitting smoking if you smoke can correct the problem of sleep apnea. There are also devices that can keep your airway open while you sleep. If you have sleep apnea, it is very important to treat it because left untreated, this condition may increase your risk of a heart attack or stroke.
Undiagnosed Heart Disease
Fatigue is a hallmark sign of heart disease. If you are easily tired after activities that you used to be able to do with ease, such as walking up a flight of stairs, your heart may not be working up to par and may need to be evaluated for heart disease.
If your heart is not pumping blood efficiently, your tissues and organs are not getting enough oxygen. Heart disease causes fatigue in the same way that anemia and shallow breathing do. It leads to oxygen deprivation which exhausts the body.
MENTAL AND EMOTIONAL ISSUES
The answer to the question, “Why am I always so tired?” may also be that you are constantly under some kind of stress. The stress may be obvious, such as job-related stress or the challenge of moving, but it can also be related to a mood disorder such as anxiety or depression.
If you are always tired, do an internal check of your emotions. Are you often sad or disinterested in things that used to be pleasurable? If so, your fatigue may be related to clinical depression. Do you often feel anxious or worried? Then you may have an energy-robbing anxiety disorder. Tiredness is a symptom of both conditions. The good news is that both are treatable through a variety of methods including lifestyle changes, counseling and, if necessary, medication. If you think you are depressed or anxious, talk to your doctor.
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