Why Am I So Tired?
We’ve all been there. We’ve had our morning cup of coffee (or caffeinated tea), but by 10 AM, you’re already exhausted. That might be a sign from our bodies telling us that something is off, either physically, mentally, or emotionally. Let’s explore what our bodies may be trying to tell us when we experience chronic exhaustion or fatigue.
Sleep
First, one obvious thing to explore is our sleep. Are you sleeping enough? Everybody’s sleep needs are different, but if you are chronically feeling sleepy or groggy throughout the day, it might be that you are not getting enough sleep and are experiencing chronic sleep deprivation. In our society, our time of sleep is the first to be sacrificed for other things - like work, school, or even social media scrolling - but it is something that really cannot be compromised if we want to maintain our physical health and our mental wellbeing. There are certain things that our body does renew and rejuvenate that cannot be done during waking hours. And when we limit our body’s allotted time to go through those reparations (aka not sleeping enough), it has a tangible and physical effect on our bodies. So even if you believe you are one of the very rare few people who can function with less than 6 hours of sleep (those people are very few and far between!), if you are chronically tired, try expanding your sleep time and see how that affects you. And combat those societal norms and any personal beliefs that you can ‘sleep when I’m dead’, and start to value sleep for what it is really is in your life.
Diet
Another possible explanation for this fatigue is your diet. If you are not eating foods that sufficiently nourishes your body, it might lead to your body feeling exhausted. With cars, for example, if we give the car something other than the recommended grade gasoline, the car will not function as designed. Similarly with our bodies, if it does not receive the nutrients that it needs to function (every single cell of our bodies needs energy and fuel to work!), it will suffer. That can come from lack of eating, or from a lack of eating nutritious foods. Even if we are constantly eating throughout the day, if we are not eating nutritious foods, our bodies can still suffer. For example, if you only giving your body foods that are high in sugar, your body will experience a burst of energy for a moment, before the dreaded ‘sugar crash’.
Depression
One mental health reason for fatigue is Depression. As discussed in previous FWT Tips, Depression has a myriad of physical health symptoms, including fatigue and tiredness. It’s a disorder that can take away energy, as much as motivation, joy, and drive. If you are experiencing other symptoms of Depression, talk to a professional about appropriate treatment.
Anxiety
Perhaps most surprisingly, Anxiety can be a cause for chronic fatigue. In order to understand why this is, it helps to understand how Anxiety works. Essentially, Anxiety is a snippet of our flight/fight/freeze response. Our body detects a threat in our environment, and goes into hyperdrive to make sure we can react as quickly as possible to any possible threats to maintain our safety. While this is an extremely useful autonomous function of our body when there’s a moose charging toward us, it’s not as useful when it activates with every email alert or social situation. When our bodies turn on these hormones to fight/flight/freeze, it’s a physiologically draining and very energy-intensive process. So while the spike in the hormones will pass, the resulting physical exhaustion will linger. And if you are someone who experiences chronic Anxiety, or experience many things throughout your day that provoke that Anxiety, your body is constantly going through tons of energy to activate your sympathetic nervous system. A consequent result of this pattern is chronic fatigue.
If you are experiencing chronic fatigue that you think may be related to your mental health, please contact us to schedule a phone consultation.
Of course, this doesn’t rule out any underlying health concerns that might be causing the fatigue. Feeling tired can be indicative of anemia, diabetes, hyperthyroidism, a heart condition, and sleep apnea, amongst many others. No matter how we look at it, ultimately, chronic fatigue is not a healthy or desired state of being for our bodies. If it is something you experience, it is important that you explore it and try to understand it to the best of your abilities so that you can take appropriate steps to remedy it. So if you are experiencing chronic fatigue, talk to your primary care physician or a medical doctor about your symptoms. And don’t be hesitant to reach out to a mental health professional if you believe your fatigue might be caused by a mental health stressor.