With work commitments, household chores, taking care of the children, it’s no wonder that tiredness is a common complaint.
Before you begin to blame it on your busy lifestyle, you should know that little things you do (and don’t do) can exhaust you both mentally and physically, which can make getting through your day very tiring.
Lack of sleep isn’t the only thing sapping your energy. Below are some surprising causes of tiredness.
Lack of sleep isn’t the only thing sapping your energy. Below are some surprising causes of tiredness.
1. Lack of sleep: One of the most common causes of tiredness is getting too little sleep. If you’re fond of burning the midnight oil, lack of sleep may be causing fatigue. Babies need about 16 hours of sleep a day and teenagers about nine. For most adults, what they need is seven to eight hours a night, but some may need as little as five hours or as much as 10 hours a day. Your age has a lot to do with sleep requirements.
2. Eating too little: What you eat affects you. The food you eat fuels your body. Not eating enough or having the wrong foods can be a problem. If you start your day with doughnuts, your blood sugar will peak and crash, leaving you sluggish. So always eat a healthy breakfast. Try to include protein and complex carbohydrates, like eggs and wholemeal toast, to keep your energy levels stable.
3. Anaemia: This is one of the top causes of feeling constantly run-down. It happens when the body doesn’t have enough red blood cells to carry sufficient oxygen to your tissues and organs. It’s easily diagnosed with a blood test. One of the major causes of anaemia is iron deficiency. An iron deficiency can leave you feeling sluggish, irritable, weak, and unable to focus. It makes you tired because less oxygen travels to the muscles and cells. This is can be corrected by eating foods rich in iron like lean beef, kidney beans, tofu, eggs (including the yolk), dark green leafy vegetables, nuts, and peanut butter. You could also take iron supplements.
4. Food intolerance: If your tiredness gets worse after eating certain things you may have food intolerance. Try cutting out certain trigger foods yourself to see if you feel any better.
5. Heart disease: When everyday tasks like cleaning the house or climbing the stairs leave you feeling exhausted, it can be a sign that your heart is not up to the job. It could be an early sign of heart disease. Seek medical advice.
6. You don’t drink enough water: Being dehydrated can take a toll on your energy. Dehydration causes a reduction in blood volume, which makes the blood thicker. This requires your heart to pump less efficiently, reducing the speed at which oxygen and nutrients reach your muscles and organs.
7. You live on junk food: Foods loaded with sugar and simple carbs rank high on the glycemic index (GI), an indicator of how rapidly carbohydrates increase blood sugar. Constant blood sugar spikes followed by sharp drops cause fatigue over the course of the day.
8. You work through vacation: Taking time off work to really relax allows your mind and body to rejuvenate and return to the office stronger.
9. Depression: Depression doesn’t only cause emotional symptoms, it can cause physical symptoms as well. Fatigue, headaches and loss of appetite are among the most common physical symptoms. If you feel tired and down for more than a couple of weeks seek medical advice. If you treat the depression the fatigue should lift as well.
10. Your Thyroid Is Acting Up: Hypothyroidism is when your thyroid, a gland that produces hormones to control sleepiness and hunger, is under-active. It’s a common cause of over-sleeping, but hard to pinpoint without a doctor. If you’re feeling sluggish, but getting plenty of sleep, make an appointment with your doc.
11. You Could Have Sleep Apnea: The disorder affects between 3 and 7 percent of people, waking you up because you stop breathing anywhere from five times to hundreds of times an hour. As a result, you wind up sleeping longer because the quality of your sleep is so compromised.
Sometimes it’s obvious why you’re feeling tired. You may have small children to look after. You may be overweight or underweight, which can also affect your energy levels. If you are worried about your tiredness you should contact your GP to get it checked out.
Sometimes it’s obvious why you’re feeling tired. You may have small children to look after. You may be overweight or underweight, which can also affect your energy levels. If you are worried about your tiredness you should contact your GP to get it checked out.
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