One of the most common complaints in the modern age is fatigue. Whether it’s because you just can’t seem to motivate you or life is moving so fast that you can’t get any rest, you’ve probably struggled with exhaustion at some point or another. Understanding the answer to “why am i so tired all the time?” is essential to treating it appropriately.
“Why Am I So Tired All The Time?” Points To Consider:
Too Much Sugar
In a recent study, researchers discovered that orexin, one of the brain chemicals that keeps you awake, is actually inhibited when you consume sugar.
Lean protein, on the other hand, feeds orexin. Your body can’t distinguish between the different types of sugar. It doesn’t matter whether you’re eating bananas or chocolate or Twinkees.
It turns into sugar in your blood stream, and it, in turns, makes you feel tired. This is in spite of the initial rush that you will feel when your blood sugar levels heighten. It occurs at that point when you suddenly feel the sugar rush falling.
The only solution is really to eliminate as much sugar from your diet as you can. It’s particularly important that you don’t consume it first thing in the morning. That’s right. You’d better put that orange juice away.
It’s actually one of the worst things you could be consuming first thing in the morning. (Don’t believe me? Check out the research behind this and find out other foods you think are healthy but that are actually ruining your health.)
Too Little Movement
It would seem to make sense that if you were to refrain from moving that you would have lots more energy when you need it. Energy, however, is not something that keeps. You have to use it if you want to get more.
The more energy that you use, the more energetic you will be. You’ll feel tired eventually, of course, and you’ll need to make sure that you’re getting proper nutrition. However, the best way to make your day active is to be active right from the beginning.
Start your morning off with some stretches. Take your time and enjoy these motions. You should feel the stretch all through your body. Take deep breaths. Then go for a walk if you can.
Twenty minutes can do you a world of good. If you can’t manage that, then try 20 pushups or 20 jumping jacks. It will help get your blood flowing. Web MD recommends at least 40 minutes of exercise four times a week if you can manage it.
Too Little Water
Dehydration is another common reason for fatigue. Your cells are largely composed of water. Even mild dehydration can lead to feelings of lethargy and sluggishness. To combat this, you need to make sure that you’re drinking water regularly throughout the day.
After your stretches and walk, make sure that you get a full 16 ounces if you can. Lukewarm may be easier on your stomach first thing in the morning.
Ideally, water should be your primary beverage of choice. It’s necessary for a healthy immune system, and it also spurs the metabolism forward.
However, some people get rather bored with the taste of regular water. You can spice it up in a number of ways.
While adding lemons is the classic, you can actually make an even more refreshing beverage by adding chopped cucumbers to your water. The flavor is best when the water is allowed to chill overnight.
If you want something to increase your metabolism and fight off colds, you can add fresh garlic to the water. In Brazil, this is traditionally served lukewarm. This makes it very potent.
It is also hard to remove from the breath unless you cleanse well with parsley or something similar. To minimize the odor, chill well. You can also flavor your water with cilantro and parsley. Just make sure that the herbs you use are fresh.
Until next time, wishing you all the best-
Dr. Mike
References
John Lehrer, “Why Sugar Makes Us Sleepy and Protein Wakes Us Up,” Wired, http://www.wired.com/wiredscience/2011/12/why-sugar-makes-us-sleepy-and-protein-wakes-us-up/ (2012).
