Fatigue is a common issue, even when you think you’re doing everything right. Despite getting enough sleep, exercising and managing stress, many of us still feel constantly drained. Hidden causes, from caffeine overload to hormonal imbalances and even undiagnosed health conditions, may be silently contributing to your ongoing exhaustion. Discover what’s zapping your energy.
You’ve clocked up plenty of snooze time, stuck religiously to your new exercise regime, cut your work hours to reduce stress, but you still feel tired… all the time.
Feeling fatigued is not uncommon. In fact, it’s nipping at the heels of many Australians – among them, working parents. A 2021 study by McKinsey & Company reported 62 per cent of employees were feeling overwhelmed and exhausted.
Exhaustion weighs on our minds, it zaps our energy, impacts on our relationships with those around us and can make us feel depressed.
Holly Phillips, author of The Exhaustion Breakthrough, writes that fatigue can have a ripple effect. “When it strikes, it can knock you off your equilibrium or take you down for the count with a barrage of symptoms,” she explains. Among these are “shortness of breath, sluggish digestion, random aches and pains, frequent sinus infections or migraine headaches.” And that’s just the tip of the iceberg.
Sometimes when we push ourselves beyond our physical and emotional capabilities, our minds, bodies and spirits pay the price. Looming deadlines, juggling way too many balls in the air and being constantly exposed to negative energy can propel us towards an inevitable breaking point.
While some causes of fatigue are commonly known, such as poor sleep habits or chronic illnesses, others tend to fly under the radar.
Too much caffeine
In cafes, bistros, workplaces and kitchens across the nation, there are millions of us blissfully enjoying the heady pick-me-up of a morning brew. We live in a caffeine-infused culture – coffee becomes a social lubricant, an instant pick-me-up and a simple pleasure to be enjoyed, one sip at a time.
Worldwide, coffee is the single biggest beverage consumed after water. Caffeine can increase alertness, but it’s a double-edged sword. It can also make it harder to drift off to sleep. Dr Sergi Ferre, a brain scientist, explains that our bodies produce a chemical called adenosine, which builds up during the day. The sleepiness you feel is adenosine, telling your brain when it’s time to rest. Caffeine blocks adenosine from working on brain cells and this prevents you from feeling sleepy.
If you feel fatigued, reduce your caffeine intake and source refreshing drinks with lower or no caffeine such as minty iced tea or an energising fruit smoothie.
An undiagnosed UTI
Urinary tract infections can be caused by an infection in the bladder, ureters and kidneys. Most infections involve the bladder or the lower urinary tract. According to the Advanced Urology Institute, if you have a UTI, you might notice changes in your urine. It could have a strong odour, be cloudy or even tinged with blood. You might also experience a feeling of unexplained pressure apparent in your lower abdomen or pelvic pain. It can also make you feel lethargic.
In some cases, however, a feeling of malaise and fatigue can be the only sign of a UTI. If you are feeling a sense of unexplained fatigue, it’s time to pop along to your medical practitioner to rule out an undiagnosed UTI.
Who let the air out of my balloon?
Perhaps a better question is, why did you let them? Toxic relationships can zap your energy. Sometimes walking away from someone who isn’t good for you is essential for your emotional and physical wellbeing. Kate James, life coach from Total Balance, says we should choose our friends wisely. “After interactions
with people who are negative or unkind about others, it can deplete our energy. A different kind of interaction, a positive one with someone, can uplift and energise us,” she says.
Being around someone who constantly stresses you causes your body to release hormones that produce physiological changes. This “fight or flight” stress response depletes energy supplies in your body, which can lead to feelings of fatigue.
We all have our inner truth, our intuitive knowing that guides us. Choose friendships that nurture your spirit and let go of those that leave you feeling miserable and drained of energy.
Tipping point
Hormonal imbalances are another potential cause of fatigue. Your body’s endocrine system is responsible for releasing hormones into your bloodstream where they work to regulate mood, development, growth and your metabolism.
An underactive thyroid (hypothyroidism) can make you feel sluggish and tired, an overactive one (hyperthyroidism) can cause weight loss, rapid heartbeat, mood swings and tiredness. Blood tests can determine if you have an over or underactive thyroid.
If your cortisone, testosterone and oestrogen levels are out of balance that can also impact on your sleep, mood and energy levels. Reduce stress where possible. Do what you can to support a healthy microbiome, which maintains your digestive and mental health. This means eating a range of whole, healthy foods, including vegetables and fruits, nuts and legumes. Avoid highly processed and high-fat foods, and those with refined sugars. Fresh is best.
Lowered metabolic rate
If your body isn’t converting food into energy as optimally as it should, this leads to a sluggish metabolism and feelings of tiredness and fatigue. Eating too few calories also influences your metabolism, as your body can go into starvation mode and you’ll feel low on energy.
Skimping on protein can also lead to reduced energy levels. A rise in metabolic rate that happens directly after food is consumed is called the thermic effect of food. This is markedly higher in proteins than carbohydrates or fat. According to Dietitians Australia, women need 0.75g per kilogram of body weight a day of protein, for men its 0.84g per kilogram of body weight.
Strength or resistance training is another way to increase your metabolic rate, which in turn can make you feel more energised. Strength training works to increase muscle mass, which helps to increase the number of kilojoules that you metabolise. It’s important for healthy aging to work to maintain muscle mass, which depletes as you get older.
Hey sunshine
Vitamin D is a nutrient that’s beneficial for your immune system and muscles. It regulates your body’s cellular functions and plays an important role in bui