What to do if you (almost) always feel tired and sleepy
Discussing health problems is the prerogative of the elderly. Those who are younger practice on simpler topics, complaining to each other about drowsiness, constant fatigue, lack of energy. The ranks of such sufferers are growing day by day, due to the complexities of modern life. So you seem to be doing everything right – you sleep for the prescribed eight hours, exercise regularly, you have exceptionally healthy foods on the menu, but in the afternoon your everyday life turns into a struggle with thousand-kilogram centuries.
It is quite difficult to get rid of the sleepy state that haunts you for no apparent reason. Even the simplest solution – getting more sleep – becomes difficult until you identify the source of your lethargy. If you are tired for months, be sure to see your doctor. An unreasonable and long loss of strength can be a persistent signal from the body that something has gone wrong in it.
With the help of experts, we have compiled a list of the main culprits of overwork, including tips on how to get rid of them.
1. Hormone imbalance
Fluctuations in hormones can turn anyone into a grumpy sleepy fly, as anyone who has ever suffered from PMS knows. However, the menstrual cycle does not always justify your condition – chronic hormonal imbalance can spoil your mood even without reference to your period. Fortunately, most commercial labs now do tests for any spectrum of hormones to help your doctor recognize the type of internal malfunction, if you have one. Most diagnosed problems are treatable with medication and / or dietary changes.
One of the most common causes of hormonal imbalance is insufficient production of estrogen or progesterone, the lack of which provokes fatigue, irritability, cycle instability and night sweats. From hormones that can disrupt sleep, which also leads to increased fatigue, experts secrete melatonin and cortisol, produced by the pituitary gland. Melatonin can be purchased at any pharmacy these days, but the expert advises to be careful not to take more than 3 mg per day: “The amount of melatonin produced by the body is negligible compared to supplements that you can buy at the pharmacy or on iHerb, so many take in much more of this substance than the body needs, which exacerbates the imbalance. “
2. Lack of nutrients
The difficulty of supplying the body with a complete set of nutrients is that some of them cannot be absorbed without companions or certain conditions. That is, if you suspect a shortage of one, then perhaps you should add several others to the menu in order to start the process of the correct interaction of minerals and vitamins (which, by the way, are fat-soluble or water-soluble).
Common deficiencies that cause fatigue include iron deficiencies, magnesium (which promotes the absorption of iron and a variety of nutrients), B vitamins, and vitamin D (produced by exposure to sunlight). Your doctor can check the levels of all of the above substances and recommend the right combination of supplements. Personally, I have taken magnesium before bed for the past six months, following the advice of my therapist, and this has greatly affected my well-being in the morning. The expert explains the positive shift by the fact that magnesium “binds” to melatonin and supports its production in the body.
3. Stress fatigue
In addition to being exhausting, making you unhappy and irritable, constant stress causes an overproduction of cortisol (see point 1), a hormone that disrupts sleep. Without making an effort to get rid of the causes of stress and its consequences, you run the risk of acquiring various complications over time, including weight gain, severe insomnia, and a number of other health problems.
You probably know the effective methods for dealing with stress: breaks at work, sports, harmonious relationships, breathing exercises, meditations and, of course, good sleep. All this requires time and energy, which are always in short supply, so the specialist in insomnia recommends the so-called “mini-meditations:“ Allocating half an hour or an hour for meditation is a luxury that is inaccessible to most, but taking a break from business for a few minutes during the day is quite real. an approach. Every hour I take myself a two-minute break to breathe deeply, visualize something enjoyable, and relax before returning to work. By the end of the day, it takes 15-20 minutes of meditation, and the overall effect is comparable to a half-hour practice. “
4. Lack of sleep hygiene
We are talking about alcohol, sugar, caffeine, smartphone, laptop, TV, music about
tons of neighbors behind the wall, your newborn baby or the fries you just ate – and a thousand other reasons that somehow interfere with sleep and stay awake the next day. Sleep experts believe that lifestyle is the number one cause of fatigue, but the good news is you can do something about it.
“Sleep hygiene is an important aspect that we undeservedly ignore, but it’s never too late to master this useful skill,” says the expert. – Preparation for a quality night’s rest begins a few hours before you go to bed. If you don’t feel like nodding in the office, you need to discipline yourself: turn off the TV and computer in advance, reduce the amount of external light, noise and irritants, give up food, exercise and TV shows at night. ” On my own I will add: spend on buying a normal alarm clock and leave your smartphone in another room before going to bed. Believe me, your life will sparkle with new colors.
5. Fatigue from snoring
It doesn’t matter who snores – you or your bedmate. If it’s him, try earplugs or sleep in separate rooms from time to time. And if your personal snoring bothers you, deal with the source of the problem. You may have chronic sinusitis, allergies, a deviated nasal septum, or another problem that makes breathing difficult and prevents you from getting adequate rest. There is a wide range of solutions for all of these problems, from breathing apparatus to surgery. So if you suspect that you are in this camp, do not hesitate to consult your doctor.
