5 Reasons You’re Chronically Tired
If you’re feeling more tired than you did the night before or struggling to get through the day without taking naps, there are some simple lifestyle adjustments that may help to relieve symptoms of chronic tiredness.
Alternatively, if brain fog and pain are regular occurrences along with exhaustion, you may be suffering from chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS), which is a long-term illness that includes a wide range of symptoms.
Let’s take a look at some common causes of extreme tiredness and some lifestyle adjustments that may help.
1. Inconsistent sleep
Inconsistent or irregular sleep will disrupt your normal daily sleep-wake cycle. Symptoms of sleep-wake syndrome include irregular periods of sleep and wakefulness. Having a good sleep schedule can combat these symptoms.
Research has shown that irregular sleep patterns negatively affect a person’s metabolism. The metabolism regulates how the body functions and uses energy.
You can reset your circadian rhythm, this is done by maintaining a regular sleep schedule such as going to sleep and waking up at the same times every day, allowing your body to be able to adjust to the new rhythm.
2. Poor caffeine choices
Caffeine can increase cortisol, to be most productive during periods of natural cortisol increase, it is best to drink coffee between 9 and 11:30 AM and 1 and 5 PM. These times correspond with moments when cortisol levels are at their highest.
Drinking coffee late at night won’t help, as it will delay the production of the circadian rhythm hormone, melatonin. Experts generally suggest staying within a 2 to 3 PM caffeine cut-off window.
3. Calorie-restrictive diet
Eating fewer than the number of calories your body requires can lead to fatigue and difficulty meeting your daily nutrient needs. For instance, a calorie-restricted diet may not provide enough amounts of iron, folate, or vitamin B12. This can cause anaemia and extreme fatigue.
Can Undereating Cause Chronic Fatigue?
When someone is undereating, they are eating fewer calories than their body needs to function correctly. This can have a severe impact on energy levels, causing feelings of physical tiredness and mental fatigue, which may impair a person’s daily functioning.
What happens if you cut out food groups?
Subsequently, when you eliminate food groups, you put your body at risk for a number of nutritional deficiencies. In the case of cutting carbs, you’re also cutting out essential vitamins.
4. Blue light
Blue light increases alertness and disrupts your body’s ability to fall asleep by blocking a hormone called melatonin, which makes you sleepy.
Studies have shown that blue light is a particularly strong melatonin depressant.
13 qualified studies on melatonin and 2 studies on REM sleep. Further analysis of these 15 reports indicated that a two-hour exposure to blue light (460 nm) in the evening suppresses melatonin.
At night, the lack of blue light signals the brain to release melatonin, a hormone that helps you sleep. When it is released into the bloodstream, your body temperature begins to drop, and you fall asleep.
If you keep using digital devices at night or are exposed to bright LED light, the blue light from them confuses the brain. The brain is still thinking about its time, so melatonin production is inhibited, and you stay awake. This changes the normal circadian rhythm, which is usually 2 and a quarter hours.
Red light therapy can improve your mental health by helping you sleep better and improve your mood. This type of treatment can stimulate the hypothalamus, which is the part of the brain that is responsible for circadian rhythms and tells you when it’s time to sleep and when to wake up.
5. Little to no movement daily
If you lack any physical activity and your body stays in the same position for a long time, its ability to absorb oxygen decreases and you will notice that your energy and motivation levels decrease significantly. So, although relaxing may feel like the best option to fight tiredness it can be counterproductive.
One of the main causes of low energy is little to no exercise. Regular exercise is important because it increases and improves circulation, giving you energy and less fatigue.
Several factors can cause extreme fatigue, and changes in daily habits may not help if vitamin deficiencies or other problems exist, in which case blood tests may be needed.
