Sources of Fatigue: Why Am I Tired?

While fatigue can be caused by an illness or condition that requires medical support, it may also be attributed to factors we may not notice. Potential patients can conduct a self-check analysis to determine whether environmental factors, stressors, or diet are contributing to their fatigue.

Our bodies combine emotions, stimuli, and sustenance to determine a health response. If we treat ourselves poorly, we will suffer consequences. By increasing our awareness to physical and emotional triggers, we can alter and augment our body’s natural ability to recover from stress, illness or injury.

Jamison Starbuck, ND, a naturopathic physician based in Montana, recently assessed several natural alternatives to determine the need for medical attention. If you’re feeling tired or worn down, look within yourself for clues to why your body feels as it does. Ask yourself the following questions:

1.    Am I getting enough sleep?
An inadequate amount of rest makes the simplest tasks seem harder and depletes energy levels the following day.

2.    What’s my daily caffeine intake?
Contrary to popular belief, excess caffeine in your diet can make you tired. The choice to drink more to counteract this effect creates a dependency that impacts your nervous system.

3.    What else am I eating or drinking?
Some food allergies cause fatigue, and many people wouldn’t notice until the food item has been eliminated from their diet. In addition, less water in your system makes dissemination of nutrients and digestion more difficult, requiring more energy. Experts suggest dividing your weight by two to determine the ounces of water you should drink.

4.    Am I breathing properly?
Breathing is something we take for granted, but deep breathing that includes the abdominal muscles promotes energy, distributes blood through our tissues, reduces stress and increases relaxation, all of which determine how tired we feel.

5.    How am I feeling?
Taking stock of your emotional state can determine why you might be feeling tired. Accidents, illnesses, financial or family crisis, and stress factors increase adrenaline to see us through the issues, but leave us depleted in their wake. Learning relaxation techniques and lifestyle changes eliminate our tendency to want such energy thieves in our lives to feel ‘alive’.

Use these as entry points to discovering why you’re feeling tired. Information overload, anemia, lack of exercise, and medications are other potential sources of fatigue. If none of these steps foster positive results after one to two weeks, certainly consult a healthcare professional for further analysis. The degree of your symptoms should determine how quickly you need to seek advice.

One important factor toward better health and a well-balanced energy level involves regular specific chiropractic care. Taking care of our back, neck and spine in daily activities is not enough. The nervous system controls the entire body, promotes healing, and feeds the receptors that influence our pain and discomfort levels. Regular visits to an upper cervical chiropractor checks for nervous system issues that can alter our metabolism and biomechanics, which in turn leaves the entire body more prone to fatigue and disease.