Most of the time tiredness isn’t something serious, but if you’re feeling constantly wiped out and exhausted, you should see a doctor.
You should consider tiredness a big deal. Many factors can contribute to your prolonged tiredness. If you ruled out the obvious reasons – insomnia, or late binge-watching Netflix – there might be underlying medical reasons for your over-tiredness. Don’t let the tiredness get in the way of your life!
Magnesium deficiency
Magnesium is involved in more than 300 enzymatic reactions, so it’s an important element in your body. It’s crucial for our energy production, nervous system, and musculoskeletal health. If you have less than sufficient magnesium, common symptoms are low energy levels and low mood.
Many people lack magnesium since they don’t eat enough seeds, legumes, nuts, and green leafy vegetables. Also, diets based on preservative foods, stress, and medication reduce magnesium absorption.
The first thing you should do is to improve magnesium levels through diet. If you want to add supplements, you should consult a doctor.
Being overweight
The more you weigh, the harder it’s for the body to work and complete everyday tasks like cleaning and climbing stairs. You need to make a plan for improving energy levels and losing weight.
Begin with easy activities like swimming and walking, and slowly increase intensity as the stamina allows. Eat more whole grains, fresh veggies, and fruits. Limit your intake of junk foods, fatty foods, and sugar.
And, don’t skip meals! You won’t get the needed calories to keep your energy levels up. The long gaps between your meals will cause the blood sugar to drop, leading to an energy drop. You should choose healthy energy-boosting snack options like peanut butter, banana, protein bars, nuts, and dried fruit.
Underactive thyroid
An underactive thyroid means you aren’t producing enough thyroid hormone (thyroxine). The thyroid hormone controls how you use your energy. Too little of this hormone will slow the metabolism and the result will be tiredness. Your cells won’t work well, your reflexes will slow, and you’ll become sluggish. You can also experience dry skin and aching muscles, and put on weight.
Your doctor can diagnose this problem by taking a blood test. The doctor will examine the levels of Thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH), active, and inactive thyroid hormone (T3 and T4). If your levels are underactive, your doctor will suggest eating more seeds and nuts (they are high in selenium), meat, eggs, and veggies. Medications can also replace thyroxine, but it’s best to try first with changing your diet. Just don’t eat cabbage, broccoli, and cauliflower in huge amounts.
Inadequate iron
Low iron is one of the most widespread nutritional disorders, and it can be a reason for tiredness. Iron is vital for your energy. If you lack iron, your body can’t produce the hemoglobin in the blood and the hemoglobin is what binds to oxygen. If you lack iron, less than adequate oxygen will be transported around your body.
Pregnant women and women with heavy periods are particularly prone to iron deficiency anemia. However, it can also affect postmenopausal women and men when the cause can be problems with the stomach and intestines. Again, a blood test is required to determine your iron levels. You can also have too much iron, and that causes tiredness as well. If you’re anemic, you’ll need supplementation.