Many people often feel tired and beaten off. Tiredness can be caused by iron or vitamin deficiency. But also mental illnesses like a depression can be possible triggers. What are the most common causes that can lead to a constant feeling of tiredness?
Autumn and winter beat many people’s minds. Not only the wet and cold weather, especially the lack of light leads to fatigue, listlessness and melancholy. The lack of natural daylight and the diminished light intensity in the autumn and winter months causes a disturbance of the sleep-wake rhythm in those affected, which in turn leads to insomnia. Some also develop something like Seasonal Dependent Depression (SAD). The main reasons for this are the hormones melatonin and serotonin, whose structure (biosynthesis) is regulated by daylight. Production of the neurotransmitter serotonin is restricted in the winter during the day, while melatonin is increasingly produced. This dysbalance, as the lack of serotonin and the excess of melatonin, makes sensitive people feel increasingly drowsy and have more appetite, especially for sweets and especially for chocolate. In many cases light therapy helps here – the lamp should in any case have 10.000 lux.
What is tiredness?
Acute fatigue provides a protective mechanism to protect us from overexertion. During sleep, our body regenerates and can regain new strength. If too little sleep is the cause of fatigue, a quantitative or a qualitative lack of sleep can be behind the fatigue: either one sleeps too little or the quality of sleep is low and sleep therefore no longer sufficiently restful.
If the body is permanently deprived of sleep, it leads to chronic fatigue. This can be manifested among other things in concentration problems, increasing sensitivity to pain and burning eyes. However, chronic fatigue can also be a sign of a disease.
Always tired – diseases as a cause
Fatigue can be a concomitant symptom of various diseases. Therefore, it must always be seen in conjunction with other symptoms. Disease-related causes of fatigue include, for example, the following:
– Iron deficiency (anemia)
– Sleep apnea
– Infectious diseases
– Metabolic Diseases
– Mental causes
– Vitamin deficiency
But there are many more reasons why you can always be tired. An important indication of whether it is a natural, healthy fatigue or a tiredness caused by a disease, represents your own well-being: Do you perceive your tiredness as pleasant or is your fatigue unpleasant?
Always tired – mental causes
Fatigue can have not only physical, but also psychological causes. This is especially the case when fatigue is accompanied by exhaustion and a depressed mood. The cause of tiredness may be depression or prolonged long-term stress.
People who suffer from depression often find it difficult to fall asleep in the evening. In addition, they usually do not sleep through the night, but wake up more often. In addition, it is typical that one does not feel fresh and rested despite sufficient sleep, but continues to feel tired and exhausted. If you are always tired, feeling impotent and ’empty’, think about seeking psychotherapeutic help.
Always tired – that helps!
If you are always tired, think about what your tiredness might be. Then you should check if you can combat your fatigue with a few simple tricks:
• Try to find out if lack of sleep or stress at work can be the cause of your fatigue. Test whether your fatigue disappears after a short nap, for example.
• Ensure adequate hydration (at least 1.5 liters per day). Nourish yourself balanced and rich in vitamins.
• Try out your tiredness with a cold shower in the morning.
• Be physically active! Exercise gets the circulation going and can drive away your fatigue.
• Get your mobile phones, i-Pads or Laptop out of your bedroom
• Set the room temperature to about 18 degrees.
• If you wake up more often at night because thoughts are going through your mind, then put a pad and pencil on your bedside table so you can write down the thoughts as needed. Then you can fall asleep again with breathing exercises.
However, if your symptoms do not improve, you should consult a doctor or psychotherapist to check the cause of your fatigue.