Why Am I Exhausted All The Time
“Why Am I Exhausted All the Time?” Does this sound familiar? Our generation was raised thinking that we would be able to juggle relationships, career, child care, parent care, pet care, and lawn care, all while finding time to exercise, meditate, vacuum, file, invent nutritionally sound yet delicious meals (in 30 minutes or less), involve our kids in stimulating and character-building activities, and stay up to date on the latest news, novels, and hair fashions. I get tired just reading that list.
Obviously most of us need to be at 100% just to get through a normal day. If you throw stress, restless sleep, or junk food on top it’s easy to see how one might get overloaded and start to experience fatigue. Probably the number one culprit of daily fatigue is people underestimating how much sleep they need. The majority of people do best with 7-9 hours of sleep a night. Consistently. Sleeping in on Sunday does not make up for a week of late nights and early mornings. Getting five hours of sleep a night but feeling okay “after 2 cups of coffee” is not the same. Sleep, especially deep sleep between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m., is when you burn fat, build muscle, strengthen bone, and build up your energy stores.
Beyond lack of sleep, another primary reason people may feel fatigue is dehydration. Unfortunately, this cannot always be fixed by drinking more water. To be really hydrated, the water has to make its way into your cells. Too often, people force themselves to drink huge amounts of water resulting in a lot of trips to the bathroom but not true hydration. Hydration is partly about your cells having access to enough pure water, and partly about creating the right cellular environment to absorb that water. This is largely achieved by giving your cells the right nutrients from your food. Make sure you’re getting enough potassium, magnesium, sodium, protein, and fiber to create efficient cellular absorption. My secret weapon to fight fatigue with nutrition? Sprouts! Any kind will do, but my favorites are broccoli, alfalfa, and radish sprouts. These are packed with instant absorbable nutrition.
Another cause of fatigue is the blood sugar rollercoaster that results from eating too many refined carbohydrates. When you have low energy you may crave sugar for the temporary “rush” it will provide. But when your blood sugar dips again you’ll feel another energy crash and more cravings for carbs and sugar. Banish sugar, high glycemic carbs, and most grains to even out your blood sugar.
So, you’re sleeping 8 hours a night, not eating sugar, getting tons of nutrients from leafy green vegetables, hydrating properly and you’re still exhausted? Then we have to look deeper…at this point I would suspect adrenal burn-out, thyroid dysfunction, or estrogen/progesterone and testosterone imbalance. If your exhaustion is accompanied by weight gain or weight loss it is even more likely that there is an underlying hormone component to your fatigue.
Symptoms like excessive hair-loss, foggy thinking or memory problems, insomnia, hot flashes/cold flashes, and PMS are also clues as to what hormones might be contributing to your fatigue. In addition to the standard tests your family doctor will order, I find it extremely useful to add a salivary or urine hormone panel, a heart rate variability test, possibly a food/chemical sensitivity test or tests for heavy metal toxicity, and a complete thyroid panel including the thyroid antibody test.
But isn’t there a supplement I can take for quick energy? Unfortunately, any supplement that gives you a real boost of instant energy is probably going to do so by stimulating your stress nervous system. Instead of the instant rush, support your body by making sure you’re getting enough B-vitamins, CoQ-10, and trace minerals. I have found N-acetyl-cysteine and alpha-lipoic acid to be useful as these important anti-oxidants also have a role in energy production. Herbs such as Ginseng, Ashwagandha, Rhodiola, and Cordyceps mushroom can offer great benefit as well.
The next time you feel overwhelmed by fatigue, use that opportunity to examine your lifestyle. Are there better ways for you to support your energy? And if you suspect a deeper problem, don’t stop at one or two diagnostic tests. You know your body better than anyone! If you feel something is not right, find a practitioner that will help you identify the real problem and the correct handling.
