Why Do You Always Feel So Tired?

Do you drag yourself through the day feeling drained and exhausted? Yes, we're talking about lethargy, that heavy-lidded feeling that threatens to overpower you in the afternoon; that I-don't-feel-like-working mood when you have a pile of reports to file. So what is it that's making you want to curl up in bed? Lack of energy could stem from emotional stress, boredom, lack of sleep, and sometimes an upset hormonal cycle. It could also be due to a disruption in melatonin production.

What is melatonin, you ask? Melatonin is a hormone that helps travelers to sleep when they fly across different time zones. It is secreted by the pineal gland and is responsible for inducing sleep at night and governing the lowering of your core body temperature. The pineal gland slows its production of melatonin during daylight hours to keep your alert and increases its production when darkness falls. Melatonin starts to increase at about 9pm and peaks at around 2am. Any disruption to this cycle can affect sleep causing tiredness.

It is normal to feel a lack of energy, or be tired or drowsy sometimes. But if you're tired even though you are sleeping more, exercising, eating better, and managing stress, you should consult a doctor. If you wake up in the morning rested but rapidly develop fatigue with activity, you may have a ongoing physical condition like an under-active thyroid. On the other hand, if you wake up with a low level of energy and have fatigue that lasts through the day, you may be depressed.

There are a few different types of energy and tiredness. There's tense tiredness, tense energy, calm tiredness and calm energy. Tense energy is when you are revved up and doing lots of work but you're not necessarily at your best. Calm tiredness is fatigue without stress, which can actually be pleasant at times such as before bedtime. The optimum is calm energy, or what people call "flow" or "being in the zone". It is energy without tension, and is a sought-after state because you're productive and completely focused.

The one to watch out for is tense tiredness. Your mood is low, you're stressed, and you want something that will comfort you. Your mood is low, you're stressed, and you want something that will comfort you. For many of us, that translates into chocolate, potato chi[s, and biscuits. It's a vicious cycle. Your body has no oomph when you top it up with cheap fuel. In fact, you feel more tired and frustrated, and snack even more to feel better.

Let go of the calorie-rich, energy-poor binging for these guilt-free-pick-me-ups:

Exercise:
People who rely on candy bars rather than exercise feel more tense 60 minutes later while 10 minutes of brisk walking raised energy levels for one to two hours. Exercising regularly can increase your energy capacity. Do it three times a week for at least 15 minutes per session. You should be reasonably breathless during the workout for an indication that you're exercising enough.

Naps:
If you stay up past midnight and wake yo as early as 7am, you're not getting the minimum requisite of eight hours of sleep. Entire nations are suffering an energy slump as some people cram more and more things into their schedule. Our whole society has been speeding up - we're working more and sleeping less, and that ends up making us eat more and exercising less. The panacea is, without a doubt, more sleep. The trick is knowing how much to nap and a half-hour nap may help. Your brain needs 10-15 minutes to drift into the sleep phase. Anything shorter won't help and may leave you feeling worse. Why do we need sleep? The easiest way to understand why we sleep is to look at what happens when we don't.

Sleep deprivation experiments have shown that after 14 days without sleep, rats will keel over and die. Three days of no shut-eye sees humans confused forgetful and hallucinatory. Sleep is vital because it helps our body to recover.

Music:
Listening to something you enjoy can raise energy level and reduce stress. But it is important to keep the volume down so it won't be distracting. A low, background level is conducive.

Environment:
Your office could be sapping you of energy. Sick office syndrome can cause lethargy. Factors such as poor ventilation, lighting, and temperature (the ideal range is 20 to 23degrees Celsius) all play a part. Glare from the computer monitor can cause you feel drowsy. To energize your workstation, adjust the position of your monitor to reduce glare. Another option is a desk lamp to get rid of shadows being cast by lights not positioned directly above you.

Vitamins:
The right vitamins may help. Depression and fatigue can result from the body's depletion of B vitamins, which can occur from stress or drinking too many caffeinated beverages. Other vitamins like C and E, help prevent fatigue by bolstering your immune system. Zinc is another energy booster which works by improving muscle strength and endurance.

Diet: 
Why the perpetual drowsiness? This has got to do with what you eat. Our food are deficient in nutrient content. Due to modern farming practices, it is almost impossible to receive all the nutrients we need from our food and water supply because of pollution and contamination. While vitamins can reverse some of the damage, eating the right foods is very important. Here are some recommended energy boosters:

Concord grape juice (152 calories, 0g fat per cup): Enhances memory and problem solving skills by increasing dopamine in the brain. High in protective antioxidants.
Soy milk (127 calories, 5g fat per cup): Speeds learning ability and boosts memory (but mostly for women... ladies, take note!) most likely due to the phyto-oestrogen it contains.
Raisins (78 calories, 0g fat is 50 raisins): Contain boron, which may sharpen memory, and inrease mental alertness and reaction time.
Spinach (41 calories, 0.5g fat per up cooked): Loaded with lutein and other antioxidants that protect brain cells.
Blueberries (83 calories, 0g fat per cup): May increase brain-cell production in the hippocampus, the area of the brain that regulates memory.

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