SHEER EXHAUSTION
IF you are constantly yawning and feeling tired all the time, you are far from alone.
Unexplained tiredness is one of the most common reasons that people see their GP.
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According to a YouGov poll, 61 per cent of women and 49 per cent of men say they feel fatigued after they wake.
But not all tiredness is equal and we can’t fix it, unless we know what’s causing it.
As we gear up for March, designated National Bed Month, what is making you rub your eyes, what can be done?
Tanith Carey, author of Feeling ‘Blah?’, investigates five types of tiredness.
Hormonal tiredness
AS your hormones see-saw throughout the month, so do your energy levels.
Women may feel more tired when get-up-and-go hormones oestrogen and testosterone drop off after ovulation, around days 12 to 14 of the menstrual cycle.
Levels of sedative hormone progesterone also rise, making you feel more lethargic.
Hormone expert Gabrielle Lichterman, author of 28 Days, tells Sun Health: “You can also experience fatigue due to a drop in iron lost through menstrual blood. Iron helps deliver energising oxygen to cells, so when you’re low, this oxygen gets low and your pep gets sapped.”
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If you are in your forties or fifties, intense tiredness coupled with irregular periods may be a sign your body is moving towards menopause.
HOW TO SPOT IT: Track your energy levels — you will notice they drop at around the same point during your menstrual cycle.
HOW TO FIGHT BACK: Gabrielle says: “Get more sleep, drink energising drinks like fruit juice or caffeinated tea, add iron-rich foods to your meals and schedule short afternoon naps.”
GP Dr Ferhat Uddin, of liberty healthclinics.com, adds that the Pill may help: “It will inhibit ovulation and prevent swings in hormones.”
Burnout tiredness
A STRESSFUL job or relationship, money worries and caring for family without support can lead to burnout, especially if you can’t see a way out.
Build-up of stress hormone cortisol can affect sleep, as can a stressed brain.
Clinical psychologist Dr Steve Ilardi, author of The Depression Cure, says: “There is a steady disappearance of the deep restful form of slumber, slow-wave sleep, which the brain needs to keep brain chemicals and hormones in balance.
After just a few nights of slow-wave sleep deprivation, people report intense, aching fatigue.”
HOW TO SPOT IT: You will feel numb, negative, cynical — and as if you are just going through the motions.
HOW TO FIGHT BACK: Look at ways to relieve pressure in your life.
Rebalance your to-do list, says time management guru Eve Rodsky.
Have a partner or co-parent?
Eve recommends listing the things you each need to do to keep your home going, including micro-tasks such as buying gifts and emptying the bin.
Compare lists, share jobs more evenly and use small pockets of time for self-care, not more tasks.
Try a 15-minute exercise video or phone a friend to let off steam.
View looking after yourself as investment in being more energetic, not a treat.
Nutritional tiredness
WE eat for energy, so it can be a shock to realise what we are scoffing could be what leaves us shattered.
A US study from Columbia University, published in the Journal of Occupational Health, found people who consume more high-sugar and carbo-hydrate items, such as noodles, fizzy drinks and sweets, get less restful, slow-wave sleep.
Lots of sugars and processed food reduce the range of helpful microbiota in our gut which help us digest food and produce the feelgood chemical serotonin that helps regulate sleep.
High-carb processed foods also trigger a fast release of glucose into your blood, followed by dips, making you tired.
HOW TO SPOT IT: Look for sharp drops in your mood and energy after eating, plus hunger pangs soon after your last meal.
HOW TO FIGHT BACK: Swap sugary, processed foods for homemade and high-fibre items such as veg and beans, to boost gut bacteria and serotonin.
A diet high in refined sugars and starches saps B-vitamins needed for your body to make energy efficiently.
Good sources are green, leafy veg.
Depression tiredness
FEELING tired all the time over a period of several weeks, and no longer having the energy to do many of the things you used to enjoy doing, is a classic sign of depression.
If you are depressed, feelgood brain chemicals fall out of balance, including neurotransmitters and the hormones that govern sleep patterns.
You will likely have shallower sleep as a result.
HOW TO SPOT IT: Despite sleeping more than normal, you have no energy and do not want to get out of bed.
You may even start to move and talk more slowly.
HOW TO FIGHT BACK: Do not give up activities that make you feel good.
Try exercise. It has been found to be as good as antidepressants at beating symptoms.
Researchers at North-Western University in the US split people who were sleeping badly into two groups.
One was told to exercise moderately four times a week, and the other to do activities they enjoyed.
After four months, the group that exercised fell asleep quicker and slept longer.
Neuroscientist Dr Alex Korb, author of The Upward Spiral, says: “Exercise improves your sleep, making it more restorative for your brain.”
Moving your body might tire you out short-term, but longer-term you will have more energy.
Physical tiredness
ACHING muscles and being breathless when climbing stairs or walking a short way are sure signs of physical tiredness.
But if you still feel exhausted, even when you have not moved your body much and have had seven to nine hours of sleep, get checked out by your doctor.
HOW TO SPOT IT: You struggle to climb stairs or to walk short distances.
HOW TO FIGHT BACK: Consult your GP and ask for a blood test.
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There are many possible reasons for unexplained physical tiredness, including serious conditions such as cancer.
Dr Uddin says: “If someone has had tiredness for four weeks or more, we would look for anaemia, heart issues and thyroid problems.”