It’s OK to feel tired sometimes and to just watch your favorite series on TV without lifting a finger, or to sleep in every now and then and get those extra hours sleep that you missed out the last couple of days. If your tiredness however goes on for a longer stretch of time or if you start feeling more and more tired every day, then there might be an underlying issue that you might not have noticed.
In this article, I am looking at some of the causes of chronic fatigue or a lack of energy and drive to achieve your goals. Can you relate to some of the causes? If so maybe its time to do something about it and get your life back on track.
1. Mental Health
Chronic Fatigue or a lack of energy for life can be related to psychiatric problems. For people who suffer from depression, mental exhaustion, stress, anxiety and other psychiatric issues Fatigue and Tiredness can be one of the underlying symptoms. If you feel symptoms of depression or if you recognize them in someone you know, please seek immediate professional help. Some symptoms are:
- Difficulty Concentrating or Remembering
- Constant Tiredness, Fatigue, lack of energy or drive
- Feelings of Guilt and Worthlessness
- Excessive or lack of sleep
- Over Eating or lack of hunger
- Constant feeling of sadness
2. Sleep Deprivation
This seems like an obvious culprit but we often under estimate the real amount of sleep we need. It happens to me all the time, here I am watching my favorite TV series on Netflix and the shows cliffhanger is just tempting me to watch one more episode. Every day that you don’t sleep enough you collect sleep debt which just builds up and eventually causes you to feel constant tiredness. The National Center of Biotechnology Information has released a study that shows how sleep deprivation is directly related to cognitive functions. Being sleep deprived has the same effect as drinking alcohol. Read the study here
3. Bad Nutrition
What we eat has a direct impact with how we feel, not just tiredness but other emotions are greatly influenced too. One of the biggest culprits of fatigue is sugar. Eating carbs or sugary foods will cause the pancreas to release insulin which in turn will take the sugar out of the bloodstream directing it into muscles where it is used to create energy. Not all carbs (sugars) however are made the same. Sugars that are quickly released into the bloodstream become an energy spike which is then followed by a low. Slowly digested carbs such as sweet potatoes and oats slowly release a stream of carbs into the bloodstream this gives you a constant energy source instead of a spike followed by a low.
Foods that cause Fatigue or tiredness:
- Starchy Carbs foods such as:
- Pasta
- White Bread
- White Rice
- Potatoes
- Fruits
- Sugar saturated foods:
- Desserts such as, Cookies, Cakes, IceCream,
- High Sugar Chocolate
- Breakfast Cereals
- Things that seems healthy but are high in sugar:
- Fruit Juices
- Sports Drinks
- Flavored Coffees
- Cereal Bars
- Protein Bars (look for low carb bars)
Many ready foods contain a lot of added sugar, make sure you always check the nutritional breakdown as well as the ingredients before buying products at the supermarket. It is also important to check the sugar relatively to the suggested portion. If a product says it only has a few grams of sugar but a portion is measured in a few grams then the relative sugar content is rather high.
End Note:
Chronic Fatigue can have many more causes than listed in this article. If you have been feeling tired for a long time or if you feel as if you are always tired and don’t get quality energy time it’s always best to see a doctor.
