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Guide to fighting fatigue
23 Jan 2023 • 13 min read
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- Guide to fighting fatigue
Do you always struggle to stay awake while your friend is raring to go? Part of the answer could lie in your DNA, but a whole range of other factors play an important part in how fatigued we feel.
Luckily you can put a stop to extreme tiredness starting today.
Research has revealed those who experience energy slumps may have a gene mutation that controls the amount of energy in our cells. It becomes active when our fuel stores start to deplete, such as during exercise.
If it’s faulty, this process is active even when you’re at rest, making you feel tired even though you’re not doing much. Conditions such as depression, anaemia, fibromyalgia, and an underactive thyroid can also affect your energy levels.1
A lack of iron causes anaemia, so up your intake of iron-rich foods like lean red meat and broccoli, while an iron supplement may also help.
An underactive thyroid causes everything to slow down, so tiredness is a common symptom. Ask your GP for a test if you suffer from weight gain, sensitivity to cold and irregular periods too.
If you live with fibromyalgia, you may experience a range of different symptoms, and fatigue can be one of them.2
Fatigue can vary from person to person, with some feeling mild tiredness to feeling completely exhausted with no energy to do anything.
Your body clock could also trigger fatigue. We now spend most of our time indoors, under office lighting, so we’re not exposed to the natural daylight our body clock needs.
This has a knock-on effect on our sleep quality, which could trigger insomnia.3
If you’re suffering from persistent tiredness, which doesn’t improve with sleep or gets worse with exercise, it could be chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS).
You might also experience problems concentrating, a sore throat, tender lymph nodes, dizziness, and joint pain.4
If you’ve felt this way for at least four months, ask your GP to carry out some tests to rule out CFS.
Handpicked content: Natural sleep remedies - How to get a better night's sleep
If you find yourself waking up tired in the morning, even after a good night’s sleep, you can feel groggy and irritable all day.
There could be several reasons for waking up tired, from your alarm clock to insomnia and sleep inertia.
How to not fall asleep: the best ways to boost your energy
How to not fall asleep: the best ways to boost your energy
Getting less sleep at night can make you always tired and sleepy, and not everyone can take a nap during the day to combat excessive sleepiness.
There are simple tricks you can try if you do start to feel sleepy during the day. These include:7
Foods that can help fight fatigue
Foods that can help fight fatigue
We know there are plenty of foods we can eat to help us sleep , but what about foods we can eat to help us feel more awake?
Eating small meals and snacks throughout the day is important to avoid blood sugar slumps, fight fatigue and keep your energy up from dawn till dusk.
But what you eat is just as important as when you eat it. So, include these energy boosters in your daily diet, and you’ll be raring to go all day.
Best vitamins for fatigue
There are a handful of fatigue-fighting vitamins and supplements which may increase your energy levels. These include:
The final say
Sleep is essential but feeling sleepy all the time can make us feel groggy, irritable and can even sometimes be dangerous!
If you find yourself always tired and sleepy even after a good night’s sleep, try these fatigue-fighting tips and tricks and combat any excessive daytime sleepiness.
How can I get more energy?
Need a boost? We all know the feeling when we’re lacking in energy and get-up-and-go, which can be particularly acute in the winter. In this episode, we’ll look at simple ways to get more energy from:
- The foods we eat.
- Exercises and fitness.
- How we can supplement.
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