Why am I always tired?
Lethargy is a state of lethargy that can be accompanied by feelings of fatigue, lethargy, weakness, drowsiness, desire to sleep, or reluctance. We can also express it as a depletion of energy and a decrease in alertness . Recent heavy physical activity or not really getting enough sleep can cause drowsiness and feeling tired. This is a normal physical condition.
Drowsiness may not always manifest itself in the form of fatigue. It is necessary to distinguish between drowsiness and fatigue. However, prolonged lethargy can also indicate chronic fatigue. Drowsiness is more of a state of exhaustion. Lack of energy, loss of motivation , lack of interest and enthusiasm ( apathy ) are similar symptoms seen in both lethargy and chronic fatigue. But you can be lethargic without being tired.
The majority of patients attribute fatigue to not getting enough sleep. But it’s not always insomnia that drains our energy. Sometimes even the little things we do or the little things we don’t do can drain our energy and tire us mentally/physically. It can even make our day unbearable.
There can be a number of reasons that cause fatigue and prevent us from completing our energy. Long evaluations can be made about each of these reasons separately. Although psychological reasons seem to be the most frequently cited title, many comments cannot be made on psychological causes without excluding physical causes from a medical point of view.
To summarize them under their main headings:
- Diseases that can slow down energy metabolism
- Diseases that inhibit hormones that lead to morale and happiness
- Vitamin and mineral disorders and nutritional disorders that cause them
- Not drinking enough water
- Skip breakfast
- Eating fast food
- Drinking alcohol or using drugs
- Drinking too much coffee to stay awake
- Mental causes (perfectionism, impatience, irritability, irritability, pessimism)
- Messy work
- Failure
- Excessive workload
- Mobbing
- Having trouble saying no
- Not taking a vacation
- Not exercising
- Sleep hygiene and insomnia
- Not getting enough rest on weekends
- Medicines
- Psychological reasons ( anxiety , depression, panic attacks, etc.)
Basal Metabolic Rate constitutes 70% of the energy you spend daily. Basal metabolic rate is the energy the body spends at rest. Another event that consumes energy in the body is thermogenic activity. The thermic effect of food is the increase in metabolic rate due to the increase in temperature after digestion of the food. It constitutes 10% of daily energy consumption. Another event that creates energy in the body is physical activity. Normal physical activity constitutes 20% of daily energy consumption. If you move above normal, energy consumption will increase. In summary, when the body slows down its energy expenditure, the food we take is stored as unspent energy and causes weight gain. On the other hand, the basal metabolism required for daily activities slows down, so our body’s system cannot find enough energy for itself. He also becomes incapable of using the energy he has. It naturally shows signs of fatigue or lethargy.
The body’s energy metabolism slows down every ten years depending on age, even without any disease. This situation should not be attributed to a disease. In fact, forcing the already slowed metabolism with the wrong diets can slow down the energy metabolism even more.
Diseases in which energy metabolism is disturbed metabolic defined as the syndrome . These are pathological diseases that occur as a result of the synthesis or destruction of proteins, carbohydrates and fatty acids. The most common metabolic diseases today; obesity , hypertension, insulin resistance, eating disorders ( Anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa ), diabetes, thyroid gland diseases (goiter, thyroid nodules , thyroid cancers, thyroid inflammation), pituitary gland diseases, excessive hair growth ( hirsutism ), adrenal gland diseases, blood fat metabolism diseases, testicular and ovarian (ovarian) diseases, osteoporosis diseases such as bone diseases and infertility .
While each of the hormones in the body is important both for the functioning of the organs and for a healthy life, the hormone of happiness significantly affects your mood, outlook on life and emotions as well as all these functions. There are 4 different hormones that affect your happiness. These hormones; serotonin , endorphin , dopamine and oxytocin are hormones. Each of these hormones has a different and important function. For example , serotonin carries electrical signals between nerve cells. Serotonin positively affects mood and helps regulate sleep performance. It contributes positively to the success of memory and learning functions. Dopamine is a type of hormone that provides nerve transmissions by taking part in important functions of the brain. These functions are; movement, memory, attention and learning function, behavior, sleep and emotional state. Dopamine deficiency can cause movement disorders such as Parkinson’s disease, as well as problems such as attention deficit, cognitive difficulties, memory difficulties. Oxytocin is a type of hormone that increases with being loved, touched and hugged in the body. The hormone oxytocin physiologically facilitates the contraction of the muscles and facilitates childbirth. Endorphin hormone has a pain-relieving feature. It begins to be secreted in the body in case of pain or pain. Endorphins are the body’s self-healing system. It occurs due to pain in injuries, accidents, labor pains. In addition to physical activities, having positive thoughts, staying away from stress and negative thoughts, and living a healthy life keep the level of endorphins in balance.
An unbalanced diet, eating the same foods all the time, or consuming some foods excessively can also cause symptoms of weakness and fatigue. If you do not drink enough water , the consistency of the blood increases, the pump power of the heart weakens, the blood cycle in the tissues slows down, the oxygen and minerals carried by the blood are carried less, and it shows signs of fatigue. In addition, foods with low iron content also increase the feeling of fatigue by reducing the level of iron, which plays a role in oxygen transport in the blood.
Morning breakfast supports your body to meet your daily energy needs. Skipping breakfast forces the energy production system from the stores. In this long process, the body, which cannot recover enough energy, will feel tired.
Constantly eating junk food causes sudden blood sugar spikes due to its high carbohydrate content. However, this situation does not last long. Rapidly rising blood sugar falls rapidly. This puts a strain on the metabolic system.
Tranquilizers, antidepressants , antihistamines , blood pressure medications, sleeping pills, and diuretics can make you feel tired.