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Some mornings, you wake up thinking about what time you can go to bed that evening. You sleepwalk through your day, pounding coffee or energy drinks to get the bare minimum done. You don’t have the energy to make plans after work or participate in social activities or hobbies you used to love, let alone get a workout in. What’s going on?
When exhaustion levels turn chronic, it’s time to explore causes beyond poor sleep. While sleep hygiene and maintaining a consistent sleep schedule are important to restorative slumber, there might be other factors at play. Here are a few unexpected reasons you might be feeling fatigued and what steps you can take to restore your energy levels.
Most of the time, food gives you energy and helps your body recover from workouts or the stress of everyday life. However, if you have an undiagnosed food allergy or food intolerance, your diet might be doing the exact opposite. For example, studies show that fatigue is a common symptom of celiac disease, in which you’re unable to digest gluten.
What to do: Work with your doctor to try an elimination diet, in which you cut out foods linked to a variety of symptoms and gradually introduce them back in over a long period of time. A precision care expert can be especially helpful, since they can use a wide variety of data to help you narrow down what foods might be fatiguing you. A study from the University of York found that out of 436 study participants reporting fatigue, 87% reported a boost to their energy levels after removing their trigger foods. Seventy-six percent of participants who rigorously followed the recommended diet reported a benefit.
Has your period of fatigue coincided with a particularly stressful period in your life? If so, that might be the cause of your exhaustion. In findings from the American Psychological Association, 37% of respondents report fatigue or feeling tired because of stress, and adults who sleep fewer than eight hours a night are more likely to report symptoms of stress in the past month, such as feeling irritable or angry. Studies have also linked low levels of cortisol (the stress hormone) with chronic fatigue syndrome, especially in women.
What to do: Start a mindfulness routine, even if it’s as simple as five minutes of meditation a day. Studies have shown that mindfulness decreases stress sensitivity, increases stress management, and reduces symptoms of anxiety and depression
Many medical conditions, like autoimmune disorders or anemia, can be linked to chronic fatigue – and these medical conditions are more common than you might expect. For example, anemia affects 5.6% of adult Americans, and autoimmune disease affects 23.5 million Americans (nearly 80% of whom are women). Chronic fatigue is the most common symptom reported among individuals with an autoimmune disease.
