You are not alone if you feel like you are tired all the time. Having a tough time getting out of bed in the morning, wanting to nap all afternoon, or having extremely low energy, all are indicators of fatigue.  The reason? Constant tiredness can be a sign of an improper lifestyle or sometimes other serious, yet treatable, medical conditions. Following are 7 reasons why you might be feeling excessively exhausted all the time.

1. Improper Sleep (Sleep Apnea)

Our body replenishes itself while we are sleeping. If we do not get enough sleep, we are bound to get tired. In addition to the quantity, the quality of our sleep is important too. Sleep apnea is a sleep-disrupting problem that causes brief interruptions in our breathing while we are asleep, preventing our brain to go into deeper stages of sleep (R. E. M.) where energy replenishment happens. Sleep Apnea is most common in overweight middle-aged men and drinking alcohol, smoking or taking sleeping pills only makes it worse.

2. Anemia

Anaemia is a condition in which our body lacks healthy red blood cells (RBCs) that bring oxygen from our lungs to our body tissues, hence making us feel weak, tired and short of breath. The most common cause of anaemia is iron deficiency. Your bone marrow needs iron to make haemoglobin. Blood loss during heavy menstruation can lead to iron deficiency. The body’s need for extra iron during and after pregnancy can also cause anaemia.

3. Sedentary lifestyle

An indolent lifestyle can make you even more tired than having a physically active one. Exercising improves our stamina and keeps our mind sharp, hence making it less likely to be susceptible to easy exhaustion.

4. Thyroid disease

Our body’s ability to burn energy for basic functions like breathing, heartbeat, and brain functioning describes metabolism in simple terms. The thyroid gland produces hormones that control our metabolism.  Excessive release of such hormones (hyperthyroidism) causes the metabolism to speed up. Insufficient release (hypothyroidism) causes the metabolism to slow down, making us feel sluggish.

5. Type 2 diabetes

Sugar (glucose) is the fuel that keeps our body going. People with type 2 diabetes cannot use glucose properly, causing it to build up in the blood. Without enough energy to keep the body running smoothly, people with diabetes often notice fatigue as one of the first warning signs. Losing that extra weight, increasing physical activity and maintaining your sugar levels will help keep diabetes under check and in turn control the fatigue intensity.

6. Depression

Depression is a major clinical illness that also affects our sleeping and eating habits, and one of its main symptoms is tiredness. Depression can make us go through a range of sleeping problems, from difficulty falling asleep or having interrupted sleep to sleeping too much. It is always advised to seek help if you are going through any symptoms of depression.

7. Improper Diet

It is important to maintain a balanced diet and to sustain a proper intake of nutrients, to keep ourselves energized.

For example, Vitamin B12 is essential for brain health, immunity and metabolism. Vitamin C helps our body absorb iron, which is key for carrying oxygen. Consuming copious amounts of caffeinated drinks puts our body in hyper-drive and then causes a mid-day energy slump.  Food allergies are also now a growing cause of causing fatigue. Thus, care must be taken in deciding our dietary intake and an ideal intake combination of vitamins, minerals, proteins, healthy fats and carbs must be maintained at all times.