Tiredness

Published by Bupa’s Health Information Team, December 2010.

Everyone gets tired at times – maybe you have had too many late nights or been busy at work. While for most people this usually passes after some relaxation and a good night’s sleep, it’s possible for tiredness to become a long-term problem that severely affects your quality of life. There are many potential causes of tiredness – this article will look at just some of the reasons and what you can do to combat it.

Do you need a rest?

It’s difficult to define exactly what tiredness (or fatigue) is, partly because everyone’s idea of what it is varies. However, generally it’s described as having less energy than usual and feeling mentally and physically worn out.

It’s thought that in the UK more than one in 10 people have tiredness that lasts for a month or more. It’s also one of the most common reasons for people going to visit their GP.

You may be the sort of person who refuses to admit that you’re tired, preferring to just keep going. This is fine in the short term, but after a while being tired can start to take its toll on you. This can lead to:

• a lack of energy
  
• feeling sleepy during the day
  
• a loss of motivation
  
• having trouble concentrating
  
• finding it difficult to make decisions
  
• feeling depressed

If this sounds like you, it’s important to think about what’s causing your tiredness. Once you have figured this out, you can start to do something about it.

Why do you feel tired?

There are lots of reasons why you might be feeling tired and it would be impossible to list all the potential causes. It may be that you are not getting enough sleep (sleep deprivation), there may be an underlying psychological or physical issue causing you to feel worn out – or it could be a combination of a number of factors.

Psychological causes

Emotional reasons are thought to be the cause in about three-quarters of people who see their GP because of tiredness.

Feeling particularly worried or stressed about something can exhaust you. It may also mean that you aren’t sleeping well because you’re lying awake worrying and this in turn will mean you’re more tired during the day (as a result of lack of sleep). Similarly, stressful situations such as moving house, the break-up of a relationship or the loss of a loved one can leave you feeling worn out.

Anxiety and depression can lead to insomnia – this means you may find it difficult to fall asleep, keep waking up during the night or wake up early in the morning.

Lifestyle factors

There is a whole host of things in your lifestyle that may disrupt your sleep, making you feel tired. This might be something you can change, such as cutting down on how much caffeine and alcohol you drink or not exercising last thing before you go to bed. On the other hand, it might be that you work shifts, or are a new mother and constantly have to get up during the night to feed your baby – you can’t change this, but there are steps you can take that may help you feel less tired.

How much, or how little, activity you do can also affect how tired you feel. If you’re constantly on the go, never giving yourself a rest even when you feel tired, this can make things worse. And it probably won’t come as any surprise that exercising a lot and training too hard can leave you feeling tired. However, not doing enough exercise can actually make you more tired as well. If you don’t exercise because you feel tired, you will gradually become more unfit, meaning that you find it harder and harder when you do try to exercise. Add to this the fact that not doing enough physical activity may result in you having trouble sleeping at night, increasing how tired you feel during the day, and you can quickly end up in a vicious cycle.

Physical causes

There is an underlying physical cause in about nine out of 100 people who see their doctor because of tiredness. There are a number of physical conditions that can disrupt your sleep, including:

• obstructive sleep apnoea – this is when your upper airways completely or partially collapse while you’re asleep, temporarily stopping your breathing and causing you to snore heavily and wake up
  
• menopause
  
• asthma (wheezing and coughing causing disturbed sleep)
  
• conditions that cause ongoing pain, such as arthritis or some types of cancer

Other physical conditions can also cause you to feel tired even if you do get a good night’s sleep. These can include:

• having an underactive thyroid gland – this can lead to you feeling tired because your body’s metabolism slows down as a result of a lack of thyroid hormones
  
• anaemia – this means you have too few red blood cells or not enough haemoglobin in your blood, so your blood can’t carry all the oxygen your body needs
  
• being pregnant or breastfeeding
  
• being overweight – this can mean it takes your body more effort to do everyday tasks
  
• being underweight – you have less muscle strength and you may feel tired more quickly

What can I do about tiredness?

If you’re feeling tired a lot of the time, see your GP. He or she will be able to assess whether there is a physical or psychological reason behind your tiredness – or if you have a sleep condition such as sleep apnoea. If there is an underlying problem, it may be something that can be easily treated. Your GP may also refer you to a specialist in sleep disorders for further advice.

If no specific reason is found for your tiredness, it’s likely that making some changes to your lifestyle and sleep routine, and understanding how any psychological issues may be affecting your sleep, will help. See our article on how to get a good night's sleep for more information.

For sources and links to further information, see Resources.