6 Reasons Why You’re Always Tired

Feel Tired All the Time? The cause could be a medical condition, such as …

… YOU’RE ANAEMIC

When you visit your doctor and complain of feeling tired all the time, one of the first things they’ll check for is anaemia or thyroid disorder, says Dr Amy Shah. “If someone says ‘I’m tired and feeling a little more short of breath,’ or ‘I’m having trouble exercising’, that tends to be anaemia.” Anaemia is when your blood doesn’t carry enough oxygen to the rest of your body and the most common cause of anaemia is iron deficiency. People with anaemia may also experience feeling cold, dizzy or irritable, or have headaches in addition to feeling tired.

… YOU HAVE A THYROID PROBLEM

If you have a thyroid issue, such as an underactive thyroid (hypothyroidism), in addition to feeling

tired, you might also feel like your skin is really dry and you’re constipated a lot, says Shah. Hypothyroidism is a condition that occurs when your thyroid gland doesn’t produce enough of certain important hormones. Women are more likely to suffer from hypothyroidism. A thyroid function test can diagnose hypothyroidism easily and if you have an issue, your doctor may prescribe a synthetic thyroid hormone.

… YOU MAY HAVE PREDIABETES OR DIABETES

When you have high bloodglucose, your blood circulation may be impaired so cells can’t get the oxygen and nutrients they need and you feel tired, according to registered nurse David Spero. Low

blood-glucose levels also result in feeling fatigued, because there is not enough fuel for the cells to work well, he says. If your high blood-glucose is causing blood vessels to get inflamed, that chronic inflammation can also make you feel fatigued, according to research.

Diabetes can directly cause fatigue with high or low bloodglucose levels

… YOU’RE DEPRESSED

If you feel like you’re tired all the time, don’t want to get out of bed in the morning, and/or have trouble sleeping, you could be suffering from depression. Your doctor can use a screening tool to determine if you’re experiencing an ongoing depressive disorder, or whether a life stressor or alcohol affects your emotional state. “Depression, alcohol abuse and fatigue are very tightly knit,” says Shah.

… YOU HAVE A LEAKY GUT OR FOOD SENSITIVITY

“If you’re eating poorly, especially a lot of processed foods, the gut cells can become a looser, net-like structure instead of a tight structure, and proteins that aren’t supposed to be in our bloodstream leak into our bloodstream, which creates an inflammatory response,” says Shah. The inflammatory response can manifest as bloating, fatigue, moodiness, headaches or weight gain. If you have food sensitivities (to foods such as wheat and dairy) you can feel fatigued, get rashes and experience bloating or brain fog. Following an elimination diet of possible food culprits and then slowly introducing them back in may help you identify what you’re sensitive to.

… YOU HAVE SLEEP APNOEA

If you have sleep apnoea, your throat starts to close when you’re asleep, which is why people with the condition tend to snore. Not getting enough oxygen sounds scary, but your brain won’t let you suffocate. “The brain notices you’re not getting rid of your carbon dioxide, and it wakes up really briefly in an alarmed state,” says sleep expert Dr Lisa Shives. Even though you keep waking up, those wakeful moments are too short for you to notice, so you won’t understand why you’re so exhausted the next day.