Excessive tiredness can severely damage your quality of life. If you’re always tired, you should first realize that tiredness is a symptom.
The right way to deal with tiredness is to find out what is causing it, and then take the steps to eliminate the causes or change what needs to be changed…
Most chances are that you suffer from excessive tiredness because of one, or a combination of some of the following:
Health conditions
Anemia, Hyperthyroidism and heart problems are just a few examples of medical conditions that can cause tiredness.
Especially if beside tiredness you have other symptoms, such as headaches, loss of appetite or a blurry vision, I suggest that you consult your doctor as soon as possible.
(As a first step, you can use an online service to Ask a Doctor right now.)
Tiredness is also one of the most common side effects of many medications – especially sleeping pills and anti-depressants.
Mental / Emotional issues
Many people don’t realize the huge effect of ongoing negative emotions on their energy level and on their overall health and wellbeing. I’m talking about emotions like stress, depression, boredom and ‘burnout’, to name a few.
Negative emotions, as well as negative thinking, are also a common cause for unhealthy behaviors that help lower your energy level even further…
People who are constantly stressed out or depressed tend to take very little care of their body – they may smoke, drink alcohol and coffee, eat poorly and so on.
Sleep deprivation (and not just lack of sleep)
Good night’s sleep is a vital ingredient to your energy level. If you wake up tired and spend the day waiting for the first chance to take a nap, there’s a good chance that you’re simply not getting enough sleep.
If you don’t get enough sleep, there is only one way to compensate on it – getting more sleep.
If you think you sleep long enough, you may be tired because you’re getting low quality sleep. If this concept is new to you, listen carefully…
It’s not the quantity of your sleep that matters most. It’s the quality of it. If you get 8 hours of poor quality sleep every night, you’d probably be tired all the time.
Poor sleep can be caused by a variety of reasons, including health conditions (like Sleep Apnea), but in most cases it’s usually a matter of bad sleeping habits…
But what does it mean?
Having bad sleeping habits means that there are certain things that you do that damage your sleep. Things like the time you go to sleep and the time you wake up, what you eat, your activity level during the day and even the temperature in your bedroom.
(Read on how to get high quality sleep or even better - get your free Sleep Optimization Kit »)
Unhealthy lifestyle
Poor nutrition, lack of physical activity, smoking and other unhealthy habits lower your energy level directly, and also indirectly – by damaging the quality of your sleep.
These factors can affect each other. It’s an ongoing cycle of cause and effect that keeps robbing your energy…
Let’s take stress as an example:
Over time a high stress level lowers your energy level. If you choose to relieve your stress by drinking alcohol – you only cause yourself more harm. Alcohol lowers your energy level in several ways. It can also damage your sleep. What may happen next is that you’d feel tired and “have no choice” but to drink lots of coffee… and so on…
Let me show you how to break the cycle of tiredness…
Join the (free) ‘Supercharge Your Energy’ course »
Featured Resource:
End Tiredness Program - a step-by-step guide to eliminating tiredness from your life
If you're looking for an 'A to Z' guide that will take you all the way to being an 'energetic early riser' - this program is for you...
Click here to check it out (or - read my review first).
Sleep & Snoring Aids on Amazon
I have a question.
For the last 3 months, I have noticibly been feeling mentally and physically drained. I get around 8-10 hours of sleep at night, undisturbed, but then wake still feeling tired. An hour or two later I am drained again (no matter how much Coffee I drink!) and need to sleep again for a 1-3 hours! It is now getting in the way of my work and home life. I have also noticed I am losing my appetite and feel nauseated most times. I am 33 year female and need to know what is going on.
Michelle, obviously there could be many possible causes. Try to recall what has changed in your life 3 months ago – from your diet to your love life (seriously). Also, I would try, for at least a week, to:
1. Limit your sleep to 8 hours max.
2. Make sure to have a good breakfast and lots of water in the morning.
3. Cut back on coffee (and other “energy drinks) and start snacking on fruit instead.
Hope this helps.
im tired all the time but i usually go to bed before 9 or 9:30, sometimes even 8:30, and i still wake up tired. then i take a nap when i get home from school, and i still go to bed at 9. is this un-normal, it really bothers me
“a.williams”, I don’t know you age and if you have been checked by a doctor or not. Your tiredness may be caused by Sleep Apnea. With that said, from your choice of words, my guess is that you’re either bored or lonely (or both). You might want to fill some of your spare time with hobbies, interesting activities, and maybe work on making some new friends.
Im tired allll the time my entire life ive never had as much energy as others. Now I am a 33 year old stay at home mom of a two year old. The tiredness is awful Im tired all day even when I wake up. I dont excersise or have a good diet but I dont even have the energy to excersis. I am 5 4 150 lbs. Some nights I sleep great and others I toss and turn. I drink wine 4 xs a week.
I am always tired, but i get the normal 8 hours of sleep a night. i am not too busy during the day, i do excercise to get my heart pumping. i eat very healthy. lots of veggies and protein, i also take vitamins. i have had my drs check my thyroid and that came back normal, i get it checked every year, is it possible to be very tired and be b 12 deffiecient? could that be a cause in why i am just sooo tired?
Keri, the quick answer is yes, theoretically you could have b12 deficiency (though I’m not a doctor. You can ask one online for a small fee.)
As to the cause of your tiredness – I would look more into the “mental side” – in short: How’s life? Good? Got interests? Goals? Love? …
I am constantly tired. I could sleep 8-9 hours and feel tired until I can take a 2 hour nap later..and still have little energy when I wake up. I get 10-30 minutes of exercise daily. I have a social life, along with having a husband and two kids. While I dont work, I go to college.I have some stomach issues, and my appetite is very irregular. Frequently I wont be hungry until supper time. I also get frequent headaches. Any suggestions?
Tracy, could you be “guilty” of trying to do too much? Think about it. With that said, you may want to consult a doctor.
I am 54 years old and have been feeling tired and lack of energy. I sleep well at night, about 8 hours. I am on vacation, and usually go for a walk, hike in mountains or a bike ride, usually for 1 – 2 hours, then after lunch I go to golf coarse hit a bucket of balls then golf tip dark about 15 holes. Most days I just feel sluggish and encourage myself to get out and exercise, what are possible problems?
Randy, could it be that you’re just bored, or lonely?
Thanks for your insight. I try to keep busy with paper work and stock market investments, but loniness is probably a big part of it….can’t seem to find the cure for it?
hi, i’m only 16 years old, and i’ve been having several of these issues. I’m a vegitarian (i actually eat some fish though too) i frequently get terrible headaches and am on anti-deppresants. due to a heavy school work load, i’m not able to get as much exercise, sleep that i want. even if i do get to sleep, i have a very difficult time falling asleep even if i feel exhausted. because of my appitite loss, i’m losing weight and i’m not getting all the vitamins i need as a growing teenager. what are some time-efficiant ways to fix this issue?
Sierra, I’m sorry for you. Only 16 and on antidepressants. It sounds like some combination of depression and poor nutrition. (Your headaches may be a result of nutritional deficiency.)
Now look, I’m not a doctor and I assume that a doctor has prescribed you the medication, therefore I’d suggest that you consult your doctor. If you’re skeptic about your doctor’s guidance, I suggest that you get a “second opinion”.
If you want, you can ask a doctor online here (you set the fee).
Also my (free) Sleep Mastery course may help.
Hi, I’m 24 years old female i always had low energy during day time no matter if i’m home or at work. I seem to get more energy after 7/8pm when i have to be preparing for sleep, so when i get to bed at 10/11 i cant sleep i tried reading books drinking warm milk i’ve done it all, but even if i get tired and try to go back to bed as soon as i close my eyes i’m back to wide awake. Now for past 3 months i’ve been tired, liw energy and about week ago i feel worse than ever i work 3 days a week for 11 hour and one day 7 hours so i do get atleast 8 hours of sleep but it doesnt seem to matter i wake up tired my eyes are heavy i cant force myself to go to gym because im just that tired! I also eat healthy dont drink a lot of coffee no soda.. lots of water, veggies, fruits, oatmeal, soups. I dont know whats going on with me there is so much i want to do, but i always feel like i have to force myself. Any ideas?
Well, Kate, the’re are so many possibilities, but the first ones that come to mind are – lack of sunlight and lack of physical activity. You describe the known paradox of – I’m too tired to exercise. Exercise (in moderation) GIVES you energy! You say you eat healthy. I hope that includes a good breakfast. Hope this helps.
I am 18 years old and work full time 9-6 5 days a week. I live nearby my job so I don’t get up for work until half 7 I’m back at 20 to 7 I have dinner and I’m ready to sleep at work on my breaks I find it a real struggle to keep awake and on my days off I can sleep until 11am straight it’s only been happening recently but I have no idea what’s wrong and I want to know why
Well, I can’t tell for sure what has caused it, so I would have to guess that it’s a combination of an unhealthy lifestyle (poor nutrition, no exercise, no sunlight) and a chain reaction – a cycle of cause and effect. It started one weekend when you overslept, then couldn’t fall asleep at night, woke up tired and on an on from there.
In order to break this cycle I suggest that you avoid oversleeping in the weekend, go to sleep a little LATER every day (maybe 9-10pm), and wake earlier (and have a good breakfast at around 7am). Also – fill you life with more than work – friends, a hobby, books, exercise, time our doors etc.
Hope this helps :)
My boyfriend is constantly tired. It’s as if he has no life or energy in him. He sleeps in until 20 minutes before he has to be to work and is back in bed as soon as he gets home. At first I thought maybe he is just lazy but I’m beginning to think there’s a real problem. I will work 10 hour days at a physical job then come home and be busy nonstop until he gets home hours later. Additionally he sleeps in hours beyond when I do. Yet, he is still always more tired than I am. I’m also a full time student and still manage to have more life in me than him. He is usually a blink away from being in a coma. I’ve tried getting him on a normal schedule and even making him decent breakfast but he literally always needs to be relaxing or sleeping. Hw has on several occasions accidentally slept until 6pm. What is wrong with him?
Brittany, it sounds to me like your BF is depressed (even if it doesn’t look like it).
Brittany,
He may have sleep apnea.I used to be like that,even while driving car I will feel sleepy I checked with sleep apnea doctor and took sleep test and I am using CPAP now after that I am totally different and i am very active.
Brittany, he might also have a low thyroid condition (hypothyroidism). It can cause chronic extreme fatigue. I highly suggest he asks his doctor to test for low thyroid. I was diagnosed in February and getting the hormone replacement therapy has helped a ton.
you mean hyperthyroidism.
its meantioned in this very acticle snd i hsve it too.. its HIGH thyroid. not low.
Hypo causes fatigue to hyper means your thyroid is producing too much. Hypo mean not enough which helps regulate mood and energy. With that said with low levels it will severely affect your energy all the time I see an endocrinologist every 2 months to check my level. This normally only affects females but im 24 year old male with really low hormones from a past heroin addiction i just got clean from after 3 years of it. Opiates kill everything i was on synthroid and testosterone shots to get my levels back up.