Maybe you feel it when you just wake up, maybe it’s at 3:00 p.m. while you’re at work, or perhaps it’s something you feel nearly all day, every day—fatigue.
That slow-moving, foggy-brained feeling can be draining after a while. You might not even realize you’re operating at a slower pace than usual. You try to go to bed earlier, you drink more coffee, but nothing seems to work. Sometimes figuring out the root cause of why you’re feeling so tired can help you take action to feel better.
Causes for fatigue
Let’s break down some of the causes of why you could be feeling especially fatigued lately.
Lack of quality sleep
The important word here is “quality.” You may be trying your best to prioritize your sleep and get to bed early—but even if you’re sleeping eight or more hours, the quality of your sleep may not be sufficient enough.
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Are you feeling restless, having lots of dreams? Do you wake up sweating or feeling like you didn’t get proper rest? It may be worth getting a sleep test done to see if there are any other underlying causes, such as sleep apnea.
Insufficient nutrition
A healthy diet goes a long way in many areas of our day-to-day health, and having the proper energy is one of them. If you haven’t been getting enough essential vitamins, minerals and proteins lately, consider adding them to your daily routine.
Eating healthy can be expensive and time-consuming, so do what you can. Maybe that’s adding a multivitamin or replacing your chips with an apple.
Sometimes particular conditions can affect our energy as well, such as anemia. Talk to your doctor about getting a blood test to see if there’s anything off that could be improved with the right diet.
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Stress
Stress has a ripple effect on the body—it can affect how we think, move, operate and heal. High cortisol levels can make it harder for us to recover from illness or be able to take in all the healthy things we do throughout the day.
Addressing your stress with self-care practices (in addition to medical or clinical approaches like therapy and medication) can help you restore your energy back to its normal place.
Medications
Have you started taking a new medicine recently? Maybe it’s just your over-the-counter antihistamine to combat allergy season, or maybe it’s a new antidepressant.
Adding medications to our body can sometimes create fatigue as a side effect. If your body doesn’t adjust over time, or if the side effects are severe, speak with your healthcare provider about some alternatives.
Mental health
Whether you’ve been properly diagnosed by a clinician or not, mental health conditions can manifest in all kinds of ways. It can certainly impact our energy.
Conditions such as depression, anxiety, and stress-related disorders can lead to ongoing fatigue. They may impact sleep patterns as well, throwing off your natural ability to rest and restore. Be sure to seek the help of a healthcare professional (or even a trusted friend who can help you find the right care) so you can get treatment.
Chronic illnesses
Some chronic illnesses, such as diabetes, heart disease, kidney disease, and autoimmune disorders, can leave you feeling particularly tired.
If you have a pre-existing medical condition (or have just been diagnosed with one), it's important to speak with your healthcare professional to find a plan to help combat the fatigue that comes with it. Don’t beat yourself up—it’s not your fault, and some days you may need to simply rest and recover.
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Pre-menstrual syndrome or PMDD
Sometimes, right before getting your period, you can feel a wave of symptoms—including fatigue. While this is normal, sometimes it can get to an extreme, where you may also be feeling depressed, anxious, and other draining effects.
If you feel like your PMS is a little more intense than you’d like, talk to your mental health professional or doctor. You could be dealing with Premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD), which is a more intense version of typical PMS. You might address it by working with your doctor to get treatment with medication or finding a plan to help prepare your body for this each cycle.
Fatigue can have various, multiple underlying causes. It can be daunting trying to identify the specific reason for your fatigue, and sometimes you need the help of a healthcare professional to help pinpoint it. Working with your healthcare team and monitoring your fatigue, sleep patterns, and overall well-being can be helpful when it comes to finding a solution.
