A lot of people have been asking me the same question lately, why am I always tired? Do you jump out of bed in the morning invigorated, ready to start the new day, or:
- Do you wake up even more tired than when you went to bed?
- Do you feel like you want to crawl back into bed by lunchtime?
- Are you tired throughout the day even when you sleep 6-8 hours regularly?
- While at work do you struggle to keep the overwhelming feeling of tiredness at bay?
- Are you getting worried about how tired you always feel?
Feeling run down and tired all the time is becoming a regular occurrence for so many people. Some of you just can’t seem to get going in the morning, while others run out of energy half way through the day.
It can be so frustrating to get a full night’s sleep and still wake up tired. For those of you who wake up tired after sleeping, I know there can be nothing more exasperating.
You are probably constantly asking yourself ‘why am I always tired?’ You are fed up suffering with constant tiredness, always seeming to feel unwell. Even after wakening up after a long sleep you still feel tired, and never refreshed. It gets you down, doesn’t it?
I do come across in my work as both a gym instructor and as a life coach so many people who suffer from excessive tiredness. The most common effects this seems to have are the following:
- Trouble getting up in the morning.
- Too tired for normal daily tasks.
- Needing caffeine and energy drinks to just keep.
- General feeling of being “run-down”.
- Feeling overly sensitive and irritable a lot of the time.
- Constant headaches.
- Muscular and joint weakness and pain.
- Poor short-term memory and concentration.
- Trouble arranging your thoughts and finding the right words.
- Stomach pain and other problems, such as bloating, constipation, diarrhoea and nausea.
And that’s not to mention the psychological difficulties that will result in long term tiredness effecting you.
But you can do something about this! Just by following a few guidelines you will be well on your way to being morning full of energy, no longer feeling always tired. There are many ways to try and improve your quality of life when it’s suffering due to tiredness.
First let us look at a few reasons why perhaps you’re always tired.
I have found some of the most common factors are:
- Lack of sleep
- Mind never at rest
- Sleeping trouble
- Too much Stress
- Excessive workload
- Depression and Anxiety
- Being unwell or recovering from illness
- Unhealthy Lifestyle
Well I can’t write on this subject without first looking at sleep. And the first thing you should be asking yourself is are you getting enough sleep? If you are consistently under-sleeping, on going tiredness will be the end result.
Most adults need seven to eight hours a night, but some may need as little as five hours or as much as 10 hours of sleep a day. The older you get, the less sleep you need.
When your tiredness gets to the point that it interferes with your ability to enjoy life and feel productive, then it has become a real problem. If you don’t do something about it, countless emotional and physical problems can spring up.
The most simple advice I can give you, and the easiest to implement are the following:
Create a sleep routine
Developing a sleep routine can eradicate tiredness. For a start understand that going to bed at 2am in the morning and waking at 7am will do you no favours when it comes to energy. If you want to get rid of the tiredness you keep experiencing it is essential that you go to bed before midnight. Good times to retire at night have found to be between 10.30 pm to 11 pm. You need to choose a time to go to bed, and one to get up and keep to these on a regular basis. Keep these times as your regular wake up and go to bed hours so you set a regular sleep pattern. So from now on go to bed at the same time every night and wake up at the same time every morning.
- Choose a desired “bedtime”
- Choose a desired wake-up time
- Power Nap
Take a 10-20 minute power nap when needed. I love recharging my body and mind half way through my day. So about 2pm, I turn my phone off, close down my lap top and just take 20 minutes to rejuvenate.
Clean up your Sleeping Routine
Keep your window slightly open during the night this ensures that fresh air circulates in your room and the carbon dioxide you breath out has somewhere to go.
Keep the temperature right not too hot, not too cold. It is important to get a good balance as this keep your energies calm and stops them from spiking. You want to keep your temperature pretty consistent.
Don’t eat dinner right before bed because your digestion takes a while and you do not want to be laying down right after you ate a big meal. Try and leave a few hours after you eat before you go to bed.
Avoid coffee, red wine and chocolate before bed as each has been scientifically shown to disturb your sleep more than any other food.
Adopt a daily Stretching Routine
Every fitness-junkie guru preaches flexibility. Our daily activity builds up micro trauma in our muscles and tendons. Flexibility increases your range of motion, promotes relaxation, improves performance and posture, reduces stress and keeps your body feeling loose and agile.
Stretching also enhances one’s well being. Stretching focuses you completely. No matter how busy your mind is before you start, by the end you’ve calmed down. It is a stress relieving form of exercise that takes into account the mind body connection, and helps to restore the body’s equilibrium.
Exercise daily
This is a simple fact, Exercise increases energy levels. Even 30 minutes of walking briskly can help boost your energy. Exercise is also credited with helping the body settle into a deeper, more restful sleep at night.
Eat green leafy vegetables
Green leafy vegetables are among the most nutrient rich foods. They contain multiple vitamins, minerals and antioxidants. They will give you an energy boost.
Boost up on Vitamins
Vitamin B12: B12 is a vitamin that can be found in several different foods including shellfish. This vitamin is known for giving energy. In fact, B12 deficiency is another common cause of tiredness.
Folic Acid
Folic-acid increase energy on the cellular level. Foods such as leafy green vegetables, dry beans, liver and eggs can supply you with folic acid.
Drink lots of water
Drinking water ensures you don’t get dehydrated, as dehydration can cause different parts of your body not to work properly, and when that happens you’re going to feel worse for wear, including tired. Water will keep your body running smoothly.
Take time for relaxation
Relaxation is a wonderful way of quieting the mind and the mind. Quieting the mind can help with your feelings of tiredness. Relaxation will help you tend to your emotions. Worry, anxiety, stress and other negative emotions drain your energy so by taking time every day to calm your mind and relax is one of the best things you can do for yourself. .
Get excited by your day
One of the reasons why you wake up tired in the morning is because you are not really looking forward to the day. Set up some activities you enjoy once you wake up, like working out, listening to motivating tapes, performing yoga, or just going for a walk.
So if you feel like you’re always tired and you have trouble staying awake during the day suffering from a constant lack of energy follow these guidelines and soon you’ll start to feel the benefit. No more asking the question why am I always tired.
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Perfect timing for reading this post. Not only am I changing my sleep schedule, but I’m also changing my diet.