What being tired is telling you.
And what you can do about it.
4 pm came, and I’ve hit a wall.
Still having a bunch to do, I’m wondering if I have more coffee?
If I call it quits early and have an early night?
If I go for a walk?
Or get another round of exercise in.
Or do something else.
Sugar, my mind goes, looking for the easy way out.
It’s hard to know what to do.
But I think some part of our bodies know what we need.
Mine was craving sugar hard, and I realise I skipped lunch, so I ate.
Actually, if I’m honest, I ate way too much.
Then felt even more tired.
Does this ever happen to you?
This got me to thinking about energy and fatigue.
How does fatigue manifest itself in our bodies?
Chronic tiredness or sleepiness
Headaches
Dizziness
Sore or aching muscles
Slowed reflexes and responses
Impaired decision-making and judgement
Moodiness, such as irritability
Impaired hand-to-eye coordination
Appetite loss, or increase
Blurry vision
Short-term memory issues
Poor concentration
Hallucinations
Reduced ability to pay attention
Low motivation
For me? It’s feeling blah, meh, all of the above, and like I want to wrap myself up in a big blanket with the cat. Or eat. Usually and eat.
Not the dream.
To have one day like this — well, we all have them.
But if it’s ongoing, we need to look at what we are doing or what the underlying causes are to break the cycle.
What causes feeling meh, blah & urgh low energy?
The wide range of causes that can trigger fatigue include:
Medical causes — unrelenting exhaustion may be a sign of an underlying illness, such as a thyroid disorder, heart disease or diabetes.
Lifestyle-related causes — alcohol or drugs or lack of regular exercise can lead to feelings of fatigue.
Workplace-related causes — workplace stress can lead to feelings of fatigue.
Emotional concerns and stress — fatigue is a common symptom of mental health problems, such as depression and grief, and may be accompanied by other signs and symptoms, including irritability and lack of motivation.
Let’s look at lifestyle, as it’s an area we can control in terms of behaviour.
Lack of sleep or too much sleep
Typically adults need about eight hours of sleep each night. Some people try to get by on fewer hours of sleep. Adults sleeping more than 11 hours per night can lead to excessive daytime sleepiness.
Action: Set a bedtime alarm to go off 30 minutes before bed, and try some melatonin.
Also, use the sleep schedule on your phone allowing 8.5–9 hours sleep, to take into account waking up through the night, time to fall asleep, etc.
Pro Tip: Use an Oura ring.
Alcohol and drugs
Alcohol is a depressant drug that slows the nervous system and disturbs normal sleep patterns. Other drugs, such as cigarettes and caffeine, stimulate the nervous system and can cause insomnia.
Action: Try cutting the booze on weeknights, or keeping it to one maximum.
I’ve tracked the effect alcohol has used my Oura ring, and anything more than one glass will significantly raise my heart rate, drop the amount of deep sleep I have and decrease my HRV. In English, that means the next day, I’ll be less alert, less productive and less able to focus, and my output in terms of production goes down. I’ll also usually want to snack more. If I have one glass of wine early in the night, say with dinner, a few hours before sleep, there is very little impact, provided I’m not doing this all the time.
Sleep disturbances
Disturbed sleep may occur for many reasons, for example, noisy neighbours, young children who wake in the night, a snoring partner, or an uncomfortable sleeping environment such as a stuffy bedroom.
Action: Wear earplugs if possible and try an eyemask. Available on Amazon for less than $12 for two pairs.
Lack of regular exercise and sedentary behaviour
Physical activity is known to improve fitness, health and wellbeing, reduce stress, and boost energy levels. It also helps you sleep.
Action: Commit to 15 minutes of exercise three times a week if you’re starting out. Use an App or PT to help you create a plan. Or an accountability coach to keep you in action!
Poor diet
Low kilojoule diets, low carbohydrate diets or high energy foods that are nutritionally poor don’t provide the body with enough fuel or nutrients to function at its best. Quick-fix foods, such as chocolate bars or caffeinated drinks only offer a temporary energy boost that quickly wears off and worsens fatigue.
Action: Try curating a beautiful fridge like this!
Pro Tip: Use a lifestyle coach or nutritionist to help you create lists & get set up.
Pain + Inury + Overcommittments
Personal illness or injury, illnesses or injuries in the family, too many commitments (for example, working two jobs) or financial problems can cause fatigue.
Pain/Injury/Mindset Action: Hire a coach to help manage your mindset through this. See a physiotherapist. Get a massage. Get home massage tools—these mini massage balls are from KMart for $2. I have this Trigger Point Performance Grid Foam Roller with Free Online Instructional Videos from Amazon, which is small enough to travel with! When I was recovering from spinal injuries, I didn’t go anywhere without it. Travel regularly? No problem. You can even use the middle of it to stuff in, inside your suitcase.
Financial Ninja Pro Tip: Use a tool like Pocketsmith — Smart budgeting & personal finance software — to get a handle on your finances. I’m obsessed.
Visibility is power, and what we measure, we can manage.
Use this link for 1-month free on Pocketsmith.
