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
