It’s morning. You can hear the world already buzzing outside and yet there you lie, struggling to throw off the covers and seize the day. Coffee is the first thing you aim for – you need it like you need air! So why are you so tired?

Like millions of other people in the world, you may be wondering: why am I tired when I wake up? This issue has plagued many people for so long, and the answer is far simpler than most people realize.

The answer to most people’s constant exhaustion is their diets. However, not many of us realize that not getting enough protein, vitamins, etc., can lead to decreased energy levels. Excessive amounts of coffee throughout the day could cause sleep issues as well – so by caffeinating to wake up, you’re really just creating a vicious cycle. The answer could even be an underlying medical issue.

In this overview, we’ll cover the multiple reasons you may be feeling tired and what you can do to fix it. We’ll also discuss the effects sleep deprivation can have on your mind and body, as well as natural remedies and supplements you could use to boost your energy levels.

Why Is Sleep So Important?

Most people don’t realize why sleep is so important for their health. You may have difficulty focusing, driving, and working after not getting a good night’s rest. Studies have shown that long-term sleep deprivation could even cause issues such as memory loss, depression, heart attacks, or even strokes. We need sleep not only to survive, but also to live our lives to the fullest.

What Are The Effects Of Sleep Deprivation?

If the main question you ask yourself each day is “Why do I feel tired?”, you may recognize the physical and mental effects of near-constant fatigue. Here are just a few effects sleep deprivation could have on you:

• Mental fatigue
• Increased risk of having a heart attack
• Depression
• Anxiety
• Weakened immune system
• Memory loss

Some Of The Common Reasons You’re Not Resting Properly

There are so many reasons you might be feeling tired despite getting a healthy amount of sleep each night. Figuring out what’s wrong may be as easy as changing what you eat, or could require you to see a doctor for a diagnosis.

Here are five things that could be causing your exhaustion.

1. Poor Diet

By not consuming enough protein, vitamins, minerals, etc., your body won’t have enough resources to produce the energy you need to function properly throughout the day. Simply consuming more green vegetables and lean proteins could boost your energy levels tenfold.

2. Excessive Stress

Most of us have something in our lives that gets us stressed out to the max, but all that stress is bad for our health. Talk therapy has been found to help overly stressed individuals sleep better.

3. Inactive Lifestyle

Not exercising because you’re tired could cause you to be even more tired. To sleep better at night, try adding a small amount of exercise at a time to your daily routine.

4. Excessive Caffeine Consumption

Too much caffeine could lead to interrupted sleep in the evenings. By reducing the amount of caffeine you consume each day, you could see a change in your energy levels. 

5. Health Problems

Certain medical conditions can cause fatigue and will require a medical diagnosis before you can start receiving treatment. These conditions include iron deficiency (anemia), depression, anxiety, and heart disease, to name a few.

Are There Supplements For Energy?

So now that you know the reasons behind your constant fatigue, the next thing you may be asking yourself is how to stop feeling tired all the time. For many people, the answer is energy drinks or coffee, but as we mentioned above, excessive caffeine has been proven to worsen your sleeping problems. However, there are many supplements for energy and peptides for energy you could try to naturally increase your energy levels, such as the sleep box by Vital RX.

Are There Natural Ways To Feel Less Tired?

Now that you have an idea of why you’re constantly exhausted, you may be wondering: is there a natural way to stop waking up tired with no energy? The answer is yes! Here’s a few things you could try to boost your energy levelsnaturally.

1. Cut Out The Caffeine

Most of us start our days with a freshly brewed cup of coffee. If this were the only caffeine you consumed each day, it wouldn’t cause any issues, but most of us continue to drink coffee throughout the day. Whether we have it with lunch or just for the heck of it, an excessive amount of caffeine could lead to poor sleeping habits. Try limiting yourself to just one or two cups of coffee per day.

2. No More Naps

Napping in the middle of the day could result in less sleep in the evenings, leaving you exhausted all day long.

3. Be More Active

If you’re working a sedentary job where you sit most of the day, try taking short walks around the office a few times a day. Even this small bit of added exercise could lead to better sleep.

By altering your diet, setting sleep times, and getting more active, you could enhance your restfulness and put tired days behind you.

Featured image by Lograstudio on Pixabay

If you find yourself feeling tired all the time, you’re not alone. Life can be insanely busy in this day and age. Many people tend to skip out on sleep to get more done, so it’s no surprise tiredness is so prevalent. However, there is a difference between feeling tired and feeling fatigued. One happens after a long and stressful week, while the other is often chronic and results in exhaustion no matter what you do.

Getting to the bottom of your excessive tiredness can be difficult because so many different things could be at play. To help, here are 11 possible reasons you may be feeling tired.

What causes fatigue?

Various things can cause fatigue, such as the following…

1. Sleep Quality

Most people assume that a lack of sleep is the culprit behind their tiredness, but that’s not always the case. Getting the recommended seven to nine hours a night is important – but you might as well be pulling an all-nighter if your sleep quality isn’t where it needs to be. Sleep quality is more important than quantity. As you cycle through the sleep stages, your body uses that time to repair and rejuvenate itself. Without good quality sleep that allows you to go through all of these stages, you’re going to feel tired. End of story.

2. Diet

What you eat plays a huge role in your energy levels. If you find yourself consuming a diet that lacks essential nutrients, your body is going to feel it. This leads to excessive tiredness. Some nutrient deficiencies are more closely connected to energy, such as:

• Iron
• B vitamins
• Vitamin D
• Vitamin C
• Magnesium

Imbalances in your diet can also contribute to chronic fatigue. For example, if you undereat, your body doesn’t get all the calories it needs to function. When it lacks calories, it lacks energy.

3. Stress

Being chronically stressed will severely deplete your energy levels. Research shows that people with chronic stress can develop stress-related exhaustion disorder. This disorder is marked by – you guessed it! – high levels of stress that cause severe tiredness. Learning stress reduction techniques can help combat this.

4. Medical Conditions

Not all medical conditions will lead to fatigue. However, some can zap your energy levels and keep you running on empty a lot of the time. If you feel tired all the time, you could simply have an undiagnosed disorder. Conditions such as sleep apnea, anxiety, and diabetes can all deplete your energy levels.

5. Caffeine

Many people drink caffeinated beverages to wake themselves up. But depending on the amount you drink, you could be doing yourself a disservice. Drinking too much caffeine throughout the day affects how well you sleep at night. This makes you more tired the next day. Then, you drink more caffeine to help wake up again – and the cycle continues. Reducing your caffeine intake can help break the cycle.

6. Dehydration

Staying hydrated is important for a variety of reasons. When it comes to fatigue, hydration (or a lack thereof) could play a large role. As the day goes on, the body uses its stores of water to help keep things running properly. If you fail to replenish yourself, your body has to work harder to perform those same functions. Because of that, you’re going to feel tired.

7. Weight

If you are carrying some extra weight, you may feel fatigued a lot of the time. This is because obesity can actually increase the risk of developing chronic fatigue. It also plays a role in other health disorders that could hinder your ability to get good quality sleep. Mood disorders, type 2 diabetes, and sleep apnea are all connected to obesity and sleep quality.

8. Drugs and Alcohol

Using drugs and alcohol or suffering from dependence can cause you to feel tired all the time. People who are dependent on substances are far more likely to suffer from fatigue than those who are not.

9. Work Schedule

The body runs on an internal clock that is set to daylight and nighttime hours. When the sun goes down, the body readies for sleep. When it comes back up again, your body gears up for another day. That’s all well and good for people who keep a typical 9–5 schedule – but for people who have varied hours, the body’s internal clock gets disrupted.

This internal disruption can lead to sleep disorders that drive excessive fatigue. When the circadian rhythm in the body isn’t cycling as it should, your body and mind will suffer from excessive tiredness.

10. Lifestyle

People who live sedentary lifestyles are often subject to chronic tiredness. Research has found that daily movement can make a big difference in your energy levels. In some cases, exercise can even improve symptoms of fatigue.

Basically, people who move more experience better energy levels, while people who fail to exercise regularly are often lacking in the energy department.

11. Medications

Medications are often behind chronic tiredness. Of course, this depends on the type of medication you take. Blood pressure and mood disorder meds are notorious culprits behind excessive tiredness. When looking at antidepressants, studies show that they can hinder sleep and lead to fatigue.

Feeling tired all the time is not fun and it can make even the simplest of tasks that much more difficult. If you’re suffering from chronic fatigue or tiredness, the best thing you can do is make an appointment with your doctor, who will be able to investigate further. When they come to a conclusion, you can work on restoring your energy levels.

Featured image by Mel Elias on Unsplash