Fatigue is incredibly common in the Western world, despite our access to medical care, food, water, and shelter. So what the heck is going on here? Narrowing down someone’s causation can be tricky, but here are some of the most common reasons of fatigue:

1. Sleep Quality/Duration:

Why Am I So Tired? Naturally, the first factor to consider is sleep quality. If you’re not carving out time for quality sleep daily, you will not experience optimal health. 

2. Under Eating/Imbalanced Macros:

You cannot outrun a lack of food in general. There are feedback systems that kick in when we chronically under eat, to prevent this from happening. Alternatively, you could be consuming enough calories, but lacking in one or two macros. If you under eat protein or fats long-term, it’ll leave you feeling sluggish. Carbohydrates are individual based, as it is not an essential macronutrient. Some people thrive on low carb diets, whereas others feel exhausted. This is where individual variability comes in. 

3. Micronutrient Deficiencies:

Similar to under eating macros, under consuming micronutrients can really take its toll on the body. We are meant to eat a variety of foods, to ensure we get all of our micronutrient needs. If you’re lacking in even 1 micronutrient, it can have devastating consequences. Eat the rainbow, get lots of variety in your diet, and take a multi vitamin/mineral as an insurance policy. While a multi doesn’t have a large enough dose in it to reverse a deficiency, it has enough to prevent a major deficiency. 

4. Overtraining:

People differ in the amount of training volume they can handle. Not everyone is made for the intensity of spin class or CrossFit. If you immediately feel like you need a nap post workout everyday, I would take a break from that style of training for 1 week. How do you feel? There are many different styles of training to keep you healthy, the higher intensity workouts might not be the best choice for you.

5.  Mental/Emotional Stressors:

Why Am I So Tired? You could eat the healthiest food, exercise, sleep well and still experience chronic fatigue if you’re routinely exposed to mental/emotional abuse. Reach out to a psychologist to help you sift through what’s going on in your heart. Sometimes that can be enough to completely resolve someone’s issues with chronic fatigue. 

6. Immune System Overdrive:

Sometimes we’re exposed to a virus or bacteria without any obvious symptoms other than fatigue. This is due to your immune system kicking into overdrive, attempting to resolve the attack on the body. This is thought to play a major role in fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue syndrome, and cancer. If you think this could be the causation of your fatigue, consult with your doctor. 

7. Lack of Passion/ Sense of Fulfilment:

Depression can be a symptom of ignoring your intuition for far too long. Are you living your life for you, or have you been fulfilling other people’s expectations? Do you have some unresolved trauma to work through? It can be difficult to live a vibrant life when your heart is feeling heavy. Sometimes this health stuff has a lot less to do with food and exercise, and a lot more to do with our mental/emotional state, although they are interconnected. 

8. Dehydration:

I’ve had more than a few clients who will only have 1-2 cups of coffee during the day, followed by no other methods of hydration. Does this sound familiar? We need water to thrive! Start with 33ml/kg of bodyweight, and work your way up from there, until your urine appears light yellow. 

These are the top reasons someone might be experiencing chronic fatigue, but there are more causes.. Consult with your local health care practitioner to get to the root cause of yours.