Six reasons you can’t stop feeling tired
Struggling to get through the week without feeling exhausted? TV doctor Xand Van Tulleken reveals the common causes of fatigue – and how to tackle them
Many of us feel tired and overwhelmed by our lives as we fight to keep on top of work and family duties.
But the real reason could be that we fail to tune in to what our bodies are telling us, according to Dr Xand Van Tulleken, host of BBC’s Operation Ouch! and How To Lose Weight Well.
“If you’re saying you’re tired, there will be a reason and it’s very likely you can fix that reason,” he said. “It’s one of the few things in medicine where there’s a symptom that’s pretty crippling but easily solvable.
“When you say to your GP you’re tired all the time, you sound to yourself like a malingerer. But your doctor won’t laugh at you – I’ve never laughed at a patient. And if you exclude medical causes, you can deal with the social causes.”
The good news is that many of the conditions that cause fatigue can be fixed with diet, exercise and lifestyle changes.
POOR SLEEP
QUALITY is as important as quantity with sleep, yet many of us put no effort into creating the right environment.
Xand said: “Having a quiet, dark room to sleep in sounds blindingly obvious but most people don’t do it.
“It’s simple stuff like good curtains or an eye shade to combat light pollution, and earplugs if needed. Get a good pillow – we’re a nation of people who still have pillows that our grans owned.
“A bedtime routine works for kids, so create your own – get to bed at the same time each night instead of bingeing on box sets.
“If you’re really struggling with poor sleep, try a sleep diet for 10 days. Don’t drink anything after 10pm, don’t have caffeine or booze (a culprit for disturbed sleep) after 6pm, get a nice warm light, read a book and turn off devices.”
Obstructive sleep apnoea is a common condition where the tongue falls back as you drift off, obstructing the airway and interrupting sleep. It also causes loud snoring.
Xand said: “You tend to get this if you’re overweight and while you might think you’re getting eight hours’ sleep, it actually adds up to a couple of hours because you wake up constantly.
“If you have a partner, get them to describe your snoring. If you’re snoring a lot and appear to stop breathing, that’s a red flag.
“It can be treated with a continuous pressure airway device – a mask that delivers air while you sleep to stop your airway closing – but ultimately, it comes down to losing weight through diet and exercise.”
IRON DEFICIENCY ANAEMIA
THIS is a common cause of tiredness and lack of energy, and often affects menstruating women with heavy periods. Xand said: “It’s something that’s hard to fix with diet, especially if you’re not a meat eater, so really only a supplement will do the trick. “Teenage girls are often at risk – they have gone through puberty so are menstruating
and are also hanging out with friends more, paying less attention to their diet, eating more takeaways.
“Along with supplements, include iron-rich food in the diet – dark green leafy veg, fortified cereals, dried apricots and meat.
“If you drink a glass of orange juice after a supplement, it’ll help your body to absorb the iron.”
UNDERACTIVE THYROID
THIS is where the thyroid gland doesn’t produce enough hormones – and as well as tiredness can cause weight gain and skin and hair changes.
Xand said: “This typically affects women in their 40s, although anyone can be affected.
“If you’re exhausted, sluggish and struggling to move, the thyroid is a reasonable place to start looking and the condition is diagnosed via a blood test. It’s very treatable with a daily hormone tablet to raise thyroxine levels.”
DEHYDRATION
MANY of us aren’t drinking enough, especially if we’re stuck at a desk all day.
Xand said: “As we get older, we tend to feel less thirsty and we can get used to running pretty dehydrated – if we’re busy we can go for hours without drinking.
“There are loads of myths about how much water you should drink, such as the ‘eight glasses of water a day’ stuff.
“That figure came from a study on how much water a kidney needs to function. You also get fluid from foods such as lettuce and cucumber, as well as from cups of coffee, soup and so on.
“Salt consumption is an important factor – if you’re eating ready meals and fast food twice a day, you’ll need to drink more.
“To stay hydrated and boost energy, reduce sodium intake by eating better, treat yourself like a five-year-old and never leave home without a water bottle.
“Stay active to keep fluid moving around your body and make sure you’re peeing clear and regularly.”
STRESS
HAVING high levels of the stress hormone cortisol is an energy zapper and can make you ill.
Xand said: “If you feel in control over your destiny, your stress levels are lower. At work, that can be hard to achieve, but it’s important to find one source of meaningful joy in your life.
“We don’t think of fulfilling relationships and hobbies as medical interventions, but they’re vital to wellbeing. Mindfulness techniques like meditation work for some people and volunteering can be immensely rewarding. If you feel useful and have a source of meaning in your life, it’ll reduce your stress levels.”
TYPE 2 DIABETES
FEELING extremely tired is a symptom of Type 2 diabetes, where the body doesn’t produce enough insulin or cells don’t react to insulin, so glucose stays in the blood and isn’t used as fuel.
“Central abdominal fat drives diabetes, so your waist measurement is key,” said Xand. “If you’re a woman, lose weight if it’s 30.5 inches or more and for men the figure is 37 inches.
“If you have Type 2, you’re likely to have disordered cholesterol and high blood pressure along with raised blood sugar. It’s a package of problems that raise risks of heart attack, stroke, dementia and kidney failure.
“Losing weight and exercising will not only help you to control Type 2 diabetes but also help prevent it if you’re at risk.”