Do you feel tired easily?

IO – I hear a lot of people saying, “I am so tired.” or asking “Why do I feel tired almost all the time?” It is interesting to dig deeper why this happens and how to overcome it. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, approximately 15.3 % of women and 10.1 % of men often feel very tired or exhausted in the United States. Tiredness can cause many problems. Everyone feels tired—whether it is due to a late-night sleep from hanging out at night, staying up to watch movies, or putting some extra hours at the office for work. Usually, you know the reasons why you are feeling tired, but what about those times when you do not know the cause of your tiredness? Here are the reasons that will help you define the cause of your tiredness:

Lack of sleep. This is the obvious reason. Sometimes you sleep for 4 to 5 hours and still feel OK. But what if your routines during the day or your diet has changed? Research shows that the best hours to sleep is 7 or 9 hours to really get enough of sleep. Getting under the recommended hours of sleep each night is not only associated with fatigue, weakened performance, and a greater risk of accidents from your lack of focus, but it also has adverse health outcomes like obesity, high blood pressure, depression, heart disease, stroke, and an increased risk of death. If you are struggling to fit the 8 hours of sleep, here are some tips to help you get rid of your tiredness:

1. Avoid taking naps. Napping can reduce the amount of sleep that we require the following night, which might lead to difficulty getting sleep on the night we napped.
2. Limit your time awake in bed to 5 – 10 minutes. When you have decided it is time for bed and you are still wide awake, try to go to the darker side of the house, sit down, until you feel sleepy. Then, go back to bed immediately.
3. Limit caffeinated drinks, tobacco, and alcohol before going to bed. Drinking too much coffee in the afternoon will cause issues with initiating sleep and smoking cigarettes and drinking alcohol before going to sleep may cause fragmented sleep.
4. Make your room dark, quiet, and cold temperature. Bright atmosphere could disturb your sleep. Make sure that your room is dark enough or dim the light. Cooler room temperatures are considered better to promote sleep than the warmer ones.

Excessive stress. Stress comes from many situations. Financial problems, personal problems, work overload, relationship issues, major life crisis, unemployment, etc. Prolonged—excessive stress can cause physical and emotional exhaustion and can lead to illness. If the pressures that you face are making you feel overtired or up to the point where it gives you headaches, migraines, tense muscles on your neck and back, do not ignore these signals. Instead, try out some of these tips:

1. Avoid those who stress you out. If there is someone in your life causing you significant stress, try to take some time less in their company.
2. Identify the source of your stress. You will be able to control your stress levels when you can recognize what is causing you to create and maintain your stress.
3. Communicate your concerns. Yes, you have to let it out to someone or something. Learn how to express your concerns instead of keeping it all to yourself for what is bothering you.
4. Look at the bigger picture. Accept the things you are unable to change, think about whether the stress is worth getting upset about? Try to let go of your anger, resentments, and negative energy towards someone or something that is causing you stress.

Poor diet. I think, this is the easiest way to banish tiredness. Make adjustments to your diet. Eating a proper and balanced diet can make a difference towards how you feel. To improve your health, you need to get all the nutrients that you need, it is vital to choose food from five of these; fruits, vegetables, protein, grains, and dairy. You can fight your exhaustion and even  better—prevent that to happen by implementing these small changes:

1. Fill half of your plate with fruits and vegetables. Be sure to focus on eating whole fruits and a selection of vegetables.
2. Cut down sugar intake. Sugar can give you a quick rush of energy but it wears off fast and might make you feel more tired after. Avoiding food and drinks that have lots of added sugar that helps you feel less tired.
3. Never skip breakfast. If you regularly skip breakfast, it can lead you to miss out on key nutrients and the energy that you need to get a nice start to your day.
4. Vary your protein intake. Limit processes meats, try to choose lean poultry and meat, unsalted nuts and seeds, and consume some omega 3 seafoods.
5. Drink enough water. It prevents you from having dehydration, which results in fatigue, unclear thinking, lack of focus, mood changes, overeating, and constipation.

Medical conditions. There could be an underlying medical condition if you have made lifestyle changes to do with your physical activity, diet, stress levels, and sleeping routine. Some of the most common conditions that report fatigue as a key symptom are; pregnancy, anemia, diabetes, anxiety, depression, heart disease, food intolerance, and chronic fatigue syndrome. If you are concerned that you might have any of these medical conditions, arrange an appointment with your doctor or healthcare provider to discuss your worries as soon as possible.

(Annissa Munaf)