Do you suffer from constant fatigue? Discover the 7 main causes and get your energy back!

Do you have problems with permanent fatigue and exhaustion? You are not alone. According to the data, up to 16% of women and 10% of men regularly have problems with fatigue and exhaustion. Yet fatigue can cause many serious problems, sometimes with fatal consequences, such as car accidents ending in death due to microsleep. Some 72,000 accidents and 44,000 injuries each year are the result of 'drowsy driving', not to mention the estimated 6,000 fatalities caused by drivers who fall into a micro-sleep while driving.

We all feel tired from time to time, whether it's because of a weekend binge, binge watching a TV show, or maybe a night shift. But sometimes we're tired even when we're getting enough sleep and no significant reason for our fatigue can be detected. Today, let's take a look at the most common reasons why you're always tired.

Article content:

• 1. Diet
• 2. Too many stimulants
• 3. Sleep
• 4. Sedentary lifestyle
• 5. Excessive exercise/overtraining
• 6. Psyche and stress
• 7. Diseases

1. Diet

If we are talking about permanent fatigue, we can't start anywhere else but with diet. In fact, diet affects energy very significantly. If we are in too great a deficit, for example, the body lacks energy and we are logically tired, moodless and uncomfortable. In addition, this makes us tend to seek out more calorific foods or make evening raids on the fridge. Moreover, if we are in an unreasonable deficit, we run the risk of our body not getting enough of important micronutrients.

To improve your health and get all the nutrients you need - as well as to eliminate unbearable fatigue - a properly balanced caloric intake containing all the nutrients you need, includingminerals and vitamins, is essential. Your diet should be as varied as possible, include as few processed foods as possible and therefore foods should be in their most natural form.

Sometimes people tend to skip meals in an attempt to lose weight, which can lead to them falling into an unreasonable calorie deficit. Also, long gaps between meals can cause blood sugar levels to drop and energy levels to decrease. It's the same with over-restriction of certain macronutrients. While various keto diets and other dietary guidelines based on limiting or eliminating carbohydrates are now heavily in vogue, limiting or eliminating nutrients may not be to everyone's liking.

The effect of incorrectly adjusting your intake is that you get tired again, you are unable to sustain such a diet long term and sooner or later you give your body what it wants and often end up gaining weight beyond your starting weight. Why do any extremes when you can reduce fat without them?

It is also impossible not to mention the essence of the quality of the food we consume. If the bulk of your diet consists of some fast food, vending machine or corporate cafeteria food, and sweets, then it's no wonder you're always tired. Also, beware of excessive sugar consumption. Simple sugars and refined carbohydrates break down quickly into glucose, which can cause sudden and severe fatigue. The bulk of your diet should consist of food that is real food. Concentration should therefore be on foods that are not overly processed, and attention should also be paid to their sufficient quantity and proper variety. Do not underestimate the drinking regime, which is also very often the cause of excessive fatigue. Put a bottle of water on your desk and drink it during the day.

2. Too many stimulants

If you lack energy, whether due to an inadequate calorie deficit, poor diet composition or lack of sleep, you may be inclined to reach for coffee or other caffeinated drinks. But too much of anything is bad for you, and this is especially true with caffeine. Caffeine is a good servant but a bad master. If you consume too much of the stimulant, you may harm your body rather than help it.

Caffeine is a substance with amazing effects, not only does it stimulate brain activity and provide energy, but also when used properly it can improve gym performance, endurance, can help burn fat faster, and can even help with recovery, but everything has its limits and overuse of caffeine leads to many negative symptoms such as headaches, irritability, nausea,difficulty sleeping and more.

Caffeine tends to block adenosine. Adenosine is a chemical (neurotransmitter) in the central nervous system that regulates the sleep-wake cycle. Adenosine builds up in the brain during the day and subsequently causes feelings of drowsiness and fatigue. Caffeine has a similar molecular structure to adenosine, and when both of these molecules are present in the brain, caffeine binds to adenosine receptors instead of adenosine. Thus, caffeine blocks the brain's adenosine receptors from binding adenosine but does not stop its actual production. This means that when the effects of caffeine wear off, there is a build-up of adenosine that wants to bind to its receptors, and this can lead to an even stronger feeling of fatigue.

In addition, the body adapts very quickly to a dose of caffeine, so if you are using it as a primary energy boost, you have to keep increasing the dose. You know, one coffee used to be enough, now you're on three and you don't feel any effects.While the maximum dose of caffeine depends on many things and is a purely subjective matter, excessive caffeine intake can have a very negative effect on the heart. If you combine caffeinated drinks with sugar, you are doubly damaging to your health, even in relation to fatigue. In addition, consuming caffeinated drinks in the afternoon can lead to sleep problems and you start to spin in a vicious cycle of fatigue.

Anyway, we understand that many athletes use variouspre-workout mixtures containing caffeine just to get pumped up for training. Therefore, we would recommend focusing on a pre-workout that is free of stimulants (caffeine,guarana..) or focus on combinations of herbs and neurotransmitter precursors.

3. Sleep

When it comes to sleep, we can run into several problems. One of them is the insufficient time needed for the body to rest. The second reason why you still feel tired even if you get 8 hours of sleep a day is the quality of sleep. Most adults need seven to nine hours of sleep each night.

If you are forced to stay up late because of work, poor time-management or watching TV late into the night, you are putting yourself at risk of suffering from sleep deprivation and subsequent high levels of daytime fatigue. Many health problems result from lack of sleep, cravings increase due to increased levels of cortisol, leptin and ghrelin, and you tend to eat more and seek out higher calorie foods, which is not good when you are trying to lose weight.

Sleep deprivation is not good for performance, both athletic and cerebral. In addition, you are more prone to injury and the risk of microsleep, which we mentioned in the introduction, also increases. Of course, we could go on and on about the negatives of sleep deprivation for a very long time. But how to combat it? Establishing good sleep hygiene habits is important. Learn to go to bed and get up at around the same time every day, including weekends.

Sleep in a dark, quiet, cool room that should be used exclusively for sleeping. Avoid stimulating activities before bedtime, such as strenuous exercise, watching TV or looking at the computer. On the other hand, yoga or light stretching may be appropriate activities. For more tips on how to promote sleep, see one of our articles, such as this one on the effects of melatonin, or this one on the nature of sleep. Sleep is the essence of life and a very effective player when it comes to fatigue - but forget that it's not just the time that matters, but also the quality of sleep.

4. Sedentary lifestyle

A passive lifestyle is not good for your health in any way. It leads to an increased risk of obesity, cardiovascular disease and musculoskeletal problems. In addition, studies show that people who spend at least 20 minutes a day in some activity have much more energy than those who do not engage in exercise. We also find research that says that if an individual with a passive lifestyle starts to move, he or she will experience an increase in energy, even after a short period of time. In addition, movement is beneficial for heart health, muscle health, healthy weight and is a prerequisite for a long life.

According to general recommendations, we should take at least 2.5 to 3 hours of exercise per week. This may seem a lot to some, especially people who are not very active, but it is only about 20 minutes a day, which is a regular walk from work or to the shops.

If you've never exercised, start slowly with lower intensity activities, such as just the most natural movement, walking, and gradually build up. Regular strength training, swimming or even running or cycling doesn't hurt either. Every movement counts and we should all spend at least a minimum amount of time moving. Getting out in the fresh air is also very important, so if you go for at least a short walk every day, you'll kill two birds with one stone!

5. Excessive exercise/overtraining

An active lifestyle is definitely good for your health, but you shouldn't overdo it with exercise either! If you exercise too much, your body doesn't get enough space to recover and you can easily feel tired even when you've just got out of bed. Excessive fatigue is one of the main indicators of overtraining. If you don't pay enough attention to rest, sleep and diet, and yet you train frequently and intensely, you should really beware.

If you experience other symptoms besides excessive fatigue, such as decreased libido, joint pain, changes in heart rate, anxiety, mood swings and depression, weight fluctuations in both directions, or digestive problems, you could be overtraining.

Of course, if you've just started exercising or if you've made a radical change in your training, it's not necessarily overtraining right away. Movement is a very important component for health, but it is still some stress on the body and nothing should be overdone. Don't forget to get enough rest and proper nutrition, because when the body is under constant stress, indicators of overtraining, such as excessive fatigue, come into play.

6. Psyche and stress

If you're going through a challenging time, whether it's a tough month at work, a difficult personal situation, or anything that's keeping your psyche busy and stressed, it's not unusual to feel weak and tired. Chronic stress can cause headaches, muscle tension, stomach problems and fatigue. When your body is stressed, it goes into a sort of combative state. This causes an increase in cortisol and adrenaline, which prepares your body to deal with such situations. In small doses, this reaction is harmless. However, in the case of chronic or prolonged stress, this reaction takes too much energy from the body, leaving you feeling exhausted.

We often put undue pressure on ourselves by setting unrealistic goals, taking on too much, not knowing how to say no, and trying to please everyone. A solution that can improve your energy levels is to learn how to manage stress. Start by setting limits, for example, around work, creating realistic goals, learning to say no, and practice practicing changing your thought patterns. Deep breathing, yoga and meditation can also help you stay calm in stressful situations and cope better.

7. Illness

If you are eating a healthy diet, exercising at a reasonable rate, getting enough sleep and not under significant stress, and yet you are still tired, it may be time to see a doctor and have a full blood test as there could be a more serious illness. The most common health complications that have fatigue as a key symptom include:

• Anemia
• thyroid problems
• diabetes
• anxiety
• depression
• chronic fatigue syndrome
• Urinary tract infections
• food intolerance
• heart disease
• infectious mononucleosis
• pregnancy
• severe deficiency of certain vitamins and minerals

If you are concerned that you have a health complication that is causing you to feel excessively permanently tired, don't delay too long in seeing a doctor to discuss your concerns as soon as possible.

What to take away from the article

We all feel tired from time to time, but it's not okay to feel that way permanently, or simply more than is healthy. The causes of fatigue can be many - from poor calorie intake, inappropriate diet composition, lack of or, conversely, too much exercise, sleep problems, to more serious health complications. The good news is that it usually only takes a few small lifestyle adjustments to get your energy back on track in no time!Make sure your intake is adequate and your diet as varied as possible to include a variety of nutrients so that you are not only giving your body enough energy, but also the micro and macro nutrients it needs. Don't forget to exercise regularly, including being in the fresh air, get enough sleep, learn to manage stress and believe that you can easily fight fatigue!

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