Tired of feeling tired? Being low in energy is the worst, everything feels like a huge chore, and it has you feeling like you want to climb into bed and just be left alone. It’s easy to put tiredness down to lack of sleep due to being so busy, but actually, there are lots of different things that could come into play. Here are just a few reasons you feel constantly drained.
You Don’t Exercise Enough
Exercise is tiring, and after a long day at work, chances are the last thing you feel like doing is hitting the gym. However, while a workout will tire you out, it will also boost your fitness, endurance, and strength. Over time, you will actually have more energy.
You will have far more ‘get up and go’ and will be able to tackle your daily tasks far more easily. Just small things like if you previously got tired when walking home from the shop with bags you will find that you can now do this with ease. Housework can be hard work, scrubbing floors and windows, dragging the vacuum cleaner upstairs, and putting bedding on can all take it out of you when you’ve been going for a couple of hours.
Putting time in each day to do exercises like CrossFit, or another physical activity you enjoy, will keep your body strong and healthy, and mean you don’t get so exhausted day after day. Plus, there are a million other great reasons why exercise is beneficial. It boosts mood, increases your immune system meaning you ward off certain diseases, strengthens bones- it’s just something that all of us should work on doing more of.
Your Diet is Poor, and You lack in Vitamins
Food is fuel for the body, and the old adage ‘you are what you eat really is true. If your diet is bad, you will feel bad, it’s as simple as that. When we’re all so busy it’s easy to reach for convenience foods, but these are always going to be high in sugars, salts, saturated fat, and simple carbohydrates (it’s what makes them taste so good!). The problem with sugars and simple carbs is that they spike blood sugar, and when this starts to crash it sends strong signals to the brain to eat more sugary, high-energy foods. It’s why you can end up feeling constantly hungry even though you’re eating every couple of hours- which is of course going to lead to weight gain.
Avoid crash diets and fads, you don’t even need to cut out everything that you love. But balance is so important. Aim to eat clean, unprocessed foods the majority of the time. Fresh produce, whole grains, beans, seeds, and low-fat protein.
Every now and again, treat yourself to something that you really fancy. It will stop you from feeling deprived, and chances are you’ll appreciate it far more too.
Eating a variety of fresh and healthy foods will provide your body with everything it needs to thrive. If you’re low in certain vitamins and minerals, this can certainly constitute feeling tired. While you should aim to eat your vitamins in the right food, taking supplements or a vitamin tablet as an insurance policy can be a good idea too. If you feel constantly tired, it could be worth being tested for anemia. Lots of leafy green, iron-rich vegetables and an iron tablet will have you feeling right as rain.
You’re Not on The Right Contraception
As women, we really did draw the short straw when it comes to contraception. Not only can devices like contraceptive implants, injections, or IUD devices be uncomfortable to fit, but they also release powerful hormones into the body.
As we’re all different, there’s no way to know what the best kind of contraception is for you unless you try it. If you’ve noticed a correlation between tiredness and mood and starting a new form of contraception it may be worth speaking to your GP about other options.
The pill is a good place to start, since not only does it help regulate periods and even helps with acne, if you find you’re not getting along with it it’s easy to come off. Unlike other forms which may have to be removed (or in the case of the injection you will have to wait for it to wear off).
The only problem is remembering to take the pills. Here is a guide to what to do if you miss taking your pill, if this is your only form of contraception it’s something worth looking into to avoid unwanted pregnancy. It can be a good idea to set a reminder on your phone for each day, so you don’t forget to take it. Hormones play a massive role in our mood and the way we feel- any woman suffering from PMS will tell you that! So if you’re feeling drained, you could well be sensitive to the hormones you’re currently on. Thankfully there are lots of other options.
You Have Undiagnosed Health Problems
Worryingly, millions of us across the world walk around with health problems without even being aware of them. Being regularly tired with no explanation is a sure sign that something isn’t right. You could be diabetic, anemic, you could be celiac, have an underactive thyroid, immune issues, anemia, or something else completely. You could even be pregnant!
It’s important to discuss ongoing feelings of tiredness with your doctor so they can check that nothing else is going on. Getting you on the right treatment, or recommending some lifestyle tips might be all you need to be feeling well again.
Your Mental Health Isn’t At It’s Best
Your tiredness might actually have nothing to do with your physical health at all. Conditions like depression can cause feelings of fatigue, so if you’ve been feeling tired and also have very little drive or motivation, this could be something worth looking into. Mental health issues like anxiety can also be to blame, constant worry is exhausting and is probably impacting your sleep. This is definitely something to look into when you’re working out the reason behind your constant tiredness.
Do you find yourself constantly yawning, tired and drained of energy? Do you think any of the above points could explain your chronic tiredness?
Awesome post! I wish it was written years ago as I have doctored for quite some time trying to figure out why I am so fatigued. After spending a lot of money, continuously testing for various things including Thyroid issues, and ultimately eating a very clean diet, I recently uncovered the culprit. Following a monthly cycle that lasted way to long, my Dr took labs, and we learned that while my iron level has been good, my iron stores are very low. A Ferratin (sp) test may have revealed this issue sooner, but here we are and going back in time is not an option. Now, I look forward to preparing for a surgery to end the cycle, and as I prep, I must work extremely hard to get those iron stores up. This…is…tough. Iron pills, eating right while getting in more high iron foods… and having a busy household is a difficult task to say the least. Especially for a picky eater! Thank you for the post- I pray it is beneficial for others!
I am feeling very tired right now so I decided to search for tired posts. Those are great points and I know my main issue is lack of proper sleep. I do want to go back to exercising because I know I will be more energetic. Well rounded post.
This post is very informative and also true. Part of working on my mental health I discovered I had to work on my physical health as well. It has to go hand in hand.
The RA (Rheumatoid Arthritis) pretty much does for me and it’s a chore for sure to feel tired all the time. It’s rather awful.
I feel like the post was meant for me. I have tried exercises but I think there is more. Thank you very much for the knowledge shared.
I enjoy your directness. No sugarcoating; love it! You tired all the time? Get thee to a physician and stop eating junk! It’s hard to admit that we may not be as proactive about our own health. I know that I have to make myself go to the doc every year. It’s no fun being prodded but it’s a necessity. Excellent and no nonsense article. 😘🌹
Hehe no beating around the bush here ;) You take care, hun!!
My own excuse for being tired-being woken up by the cat at 3:30! Although I could improve on a lot of the other areas you mentioned…
I have a friend who also has the same issue with her “fur babies” ;)
Am I tired? Hmm – I’m three days late on this post. Excellent points to ponder here, Christy. For me, the #1 culprit is the lack of exercise… I’m allergic!
I definitely need to exercise more. Plenty of good advice in this post. Thank you, Christy.
Lovely to see you, Irina!
Mental health for sure! I’ve seen it bring the most motivated people into a slump of laziness.
This is such a good reminder of how to take care of ourself…..loved reading this…almost like a wake up call
So glad you have that uplifting response!
Great post Christy! And glad to see it featured at Sally’s. :) <3
It was a beautiful surprise! <3
<3
It’s really really useful. One of the best of yours. Going to reblog it.
Richa <3 Thanks!
Awesome post Christy…will help lots of people..
Appreciate it!
Wow! Awesome post, Christy! I certainly feel far too tired sometimes and will have a second look at this to figure out what might be behind it – I very much suspect it might be the lack of exercise in my case ;) Thanks so much for writing this! :) xx
If you lived closer I’d be like “let’s go for a walk” :) :)
Aww – that would be so lovely! But only if we have some cupcakes and coffee afterwards 😉
Ok ok twist my arm ;)
Hehe! ;)
Another great post! I just restarted the pill, the same one I was on prior to having Madeleine, but this time it did really weird things to me! It made me so moody and I was more tired!!! I have now stopped. But it’s funny how I’m a completely different person now, using the same one afterwards, didn’t work for me!
It shows how your body changed over that length of time, Carol. I’m glad you’re in tune with your body so you knew to get off of the pill. Some women might have ignored the symptoms. Thanks for your great comments on the posts lately – much appreciated :)
Oh I love all your posts! They are always so useful! Xx
I love your posts too. So happy we found one another’s blogs xx
All so sensible :) Thanks for writing it so helpfully.
I’m trying to see if the third reason applies to the cheetah and myself……
I had been in a slump recently and this morning I decided to get up and go for a run. I have more energy than I can remember having in a long while!
Thanks, Christy! :)
Hee hee and I thought it was just living with my other half…. x
Great post Christy!!
This is very nice post. It not only provide information but also give thought provoking ideas to care about our daily routine. Thanks for all this.
Exceptional blog…
Some very sound reasons listed here dear Christy which can cause tired feelings..
Lovely to spot this today.. Thankfully I have been bouncing with energy this week LOL.. Lots of LOVE.. Sue <3
A very good post, Christy, and you make some very valid points. If don’t usually feel tired but if I have a very mentally taxing day and am working on complex and difficult issues, I can feel very tired at the end of it.
I am sometimes so tired my tired is tired… this is definitely food for thought.
And then…zzzz ;) Seriously though, I hope your energy levels pick up soon xx