Why Am I So Tired?

As a health coach, one of the most common complaints I hear is actually a question: Why am I so tired? A particularly exhausting day, whether caused by physical exertion or lack of sleep, can cause anyone to feel tired once in a while. But what happens when feeling tired is more of the rule than the exception? What is causing you to feel tired all the time?

Sleep Deprivation

If you are feeling consistently tired, it’s possible that you simply aren’t getting enough sleep. Adults need 7-9 hours of sleep, not once or twice a week—every night. But many adults are not getting 7-9 hours regularly and suffer from sleep deprivation.

According to the CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention), one in every three American adults are getting less than seven hours of sleep every night. This not only leads to immediate feelings of exhaustion, as well as impaired digestion, mood, and focus, but it can have long-term negative impacts on your health, including the development of heart disease, diabetes, and Alzheimer’s.

Insomnia

I know so many of you are doing your best to sleep at night, but sometimes you just can’t fall or stay asleep. Despite your best efforts, an imbalance of hormones can override anyone’s best attempts at getting enough quality sleep.

To understand your fatigue and tiredness, we have to explore not only your daily and nightly habits, but also your hormones. The health of your hormones is essential for energy and quality sleep. That’s why a hormone imbalance should always be considered when you have sleep concerns. Top hormonally related conditions that can contribute to tiredness include:

• Adrenal Fatigue

• Hypothyroidism

• Low Estrogen

Adrenal Fatigue

Adrenal fatigue (or HPA-axis dysfunction) can occur when the adrenal system becomes overtaxed due to chronic stress. It can leave a person feeling tired during the day, but unable to sleep at night (“tired but wired”).

Lifestyle changes and dietary shifts targeted at supporting the adrenals can help you combat adrenal fatigue. But I also find it’s important to look at the big picture of stress with my clients, and dive into a deeper discussion around its causes, how you react to it, and how you need to shift to have a healthier response and relationship with stress – both proactively and as it arises.

Hypothyroidism

Hypothyroidism, or underactive thyroid, is a condition in which the thyroid does not produce enough thyroid hormones. This can lead to weight gain and fatigue, among other symptoms. It’s important to talk to your doctor about thyroid testing if you have unexplained weight gain or fatigue, and particularly, to ask for a full thyroid panel. Many of my clients suffer with symptoms of hypothyroidism, and yet their bloodwork is totally fine, showing normal TSH levels – it can be so frustrating and confusing! If this is the case, you may be struggling with sub-clinical hypothyroidism, in which symptoms are present, but traditional labs do no reveal any concerns.

While this condition can be treated through medication, diet and lifestyle changes are often the best way to reduce your symptoms and help you feel your best. The thyroid depends on minerals and nutrients to function optimally. The best way to get these nutrients is through the diet. Selenium and iodine, especially, can boost your thyroid function. Though iodine is helpful for the thyroid, too much can actually be harmful. That’s why it’s important to work with someone who can guide you, so you are healing, rather than hurting your thyroid.

Low Estrogen

Low estrogen levels are common for women transitioning through menopause and can cause sleep disturbances, including insomnia. Estradiol is one of two different forms of estrogen (the other being estriol) and maintaining healthy amounts of estradiol is essential for adequate sleep.

Foods such as flax seeds, maca, and pomegranate can help women reduce their menopausal symptoms, like hot flashes, night sweats, and sleep disturbances. Managing stress is equally as important for improving sleep since high cortisol levels from stress and low estrogen levels from menopause can both cause insomnia. This combination of high stress/cortisol and low estrogen can make it that much more challenging to get a good night’s sleep. This is why I put a special emphasis on stress and diet with my clients.

Important takeaways

If you feel tired all the time, don’t worry, there is hope. Feelings of consistent tiredness may be caused by a variety of factors that go beyond occasional poor sleep. Feeling tired may be linked to sleep deprivation, which can be traced back to hormonal imbalances or conditions, including adrenal fatigue, hypothyroidism, and low estrogen.

It’s important not to assume you have a medical condition, specific imbalances, or are deficient in specific nutrients. If you’re feeling tired, reach out to me for a hormone assessment session. This will give you a great understanding of where you may be out of balance, and you’ll walk away with guidance for how to start increasing your energy.

Though everyone’s health needs may vary, anyone can feel more rested and improve their health by:

• getting 7-9 hours of sleep regularly,

• establishing a regular sleep routine and sticking with it,

• eating a nutrient-rich diet filled with whole foods,

• getting curious about your hormone levels, and

• reducing stress.

I’d love to help you implement these habits into your life in sustainable and manageable ways.