Top reasons why you’re tired all the time and how to get your energy back

Do you struggle to get out of bed, feel constantly drained and rely on pick-me-ups such as protein bars, coffee and sugary treats to get you through the day?

If so, you’re far from alone. Research by market analysts Mintel reveals that one in three of us admit we’re permanently worn out because of the pace of modern life. As a result, sales of supplements such as ginseng, energy drinks, and power bars have shot up more than 5% in the last year alone as part of our desperate bid to battle exhaustion.

No wonder figures from a survey by vitamin company Healthspan show a whopping 97% of us claim we feel tired most of the time, and doctors’ records reveal that 10% of people visiting their GP are there solely to investigate unexplained tiredness.

So much so that doctors have even created a handy acronym – TATT (Tired All The Time) – that they jot down in their notes when a patient complains of constant fatigue. Here, experts point to some of the causes – and how to deal with them.

1. You’re not exercising enough

It might be the last thing you feel like, but avoiding exercise because you’re tired actually makes you feel worse.

In a University of Georgia study, sedentary but otherwise healthy adults who began exercising lightly three days a
week for just 20 minutes reported feeling less fatigued and more energized after six weeks.

This is because regular exercise makes your heart and lungs work more efficiently, delivering oxygen and vital nutrients around the body.

Reboot your energy: Next time you’re tempted to flop on the sofa, force yourself up for a brisk 10-minute walk – you’ll feel more alert for it.

2. You don’t sleep as well as you think

Recent research shows many of us survive on so-called ‘junk sleep’ – the kind when we wake up frequently throughout the night. It doesn’t replenish our energy levels as well as long stretches of continuous sleep.

Junk sleep can be caused by stress, but also by over-stimulating the brain too close to bedtime. For example, by checking emails or using tablets and smartphones that emit a blue light found to disrupt sleep by tricking the brain into producing ‘wake-up’ hormones right when you need to wind down.

Reboot your energy: To avoid junk sleep, you need to develop good sleep hygiene – which means going to bed at a set time, banning screens for an hour beforehand and developing a wind-down routine that prepares your body for sleep, such as a warm bath, followed by a milky drink and half-an-hour reading something easy-going.

3. Your coffee addiction is sapping your energy

Although we think of caffeine as a pick-me-up, it actually makes us feel more tired once the initial surge wears off.

Dr Chidi Ngwaba, director of The Lifestyle Medicine Clinic, explains: “This is because our brain chemistry doesn’t like
being interfered with by stimulants, so it releases chemicals to dampen down the alert response.”

Coffee is also a serious sleep disrupter, with one study in the Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine revealing that drinking it even six hours prior to bedtime meant poorer quality kip.

Reboot your energy: Avoiding caffeine will increase energy levels in the long run – but cut down gradually, cup by cup, to avoid headaches and irritability.

4. You have an iron deficiency

Figures show that around a third of women are low in iron often due to heavy periods.

Some have low enough iron levels to be anemic. If you pull down your bottom eyelids and the inner rim looks pale rather than pink, it’s an indicator.

Reboot your energy: A blood test will pick up any iron problems and you’ll be prescribed tablets to boost levels.

If iron levels are at the lower end of normal, but not anaemic, Healthspan’s Head of Nutrition Rob Hobson says: “Include plenty of iron-rich foods in your diet, such as lean meats, dark green vegetables, pulses and dried fruits, and pair them with foods like citrus fruit high in vitamin C.”

Or try Spatone Apple (£10.75, Boots) which mixes natural liquid iron with vitamin C.

5. You’re missing out on vital B-vitamins

Nutritionist Rob Hobson explains: “We all have increasingly busy lives, so it’s essential to provide the body with enough calories and vitamins to get through the day.

“B vitamins are particularly vital as they’re required by the body to convert the food you eat into energy.”

Reboot your energy: “You can find this group of vitamins in grains such as brown rice, barley and oats, as well as lean proteins such as oily fish and turkey,” says Rob.

6. You are dehydrated

Losing as little as 2% of your body’s normal water content can take its toll on your energy levels.

And it’s surprisingly easy to become dehydrated, especially as we tend to lose our thirst reflex as we get older.

Working in an air-conditioned office, going for a long walk or simply forgetting to drink regularly can quickly lead to depleted fluid levels.

This causes blood pressure to drop and means not enough blood gets to the brain or muscles. This can cause headaches, fatigue, and loss of concentration.

Reboot your energy: Try to drink every two hours. If you’re not peeing regularly or your urine is very dark, it’s a sign you need to drink more.

“Water is best, but if you find it boring, add mint, basil, lemon or cucumber to liven up the flavor,” suggests Rob.

7. You’re overdosing on sugar

Nutritionist Linda Foster says: “What many people don’t realize is that they can actually be made more tired by the very foods supposed to give them energy.

“Sugary energy drinks and snack foods such as biscuits, chocolate, and crisps cause sharp spikes then dips in blood sugar that can leave you flagging, irritable and desperate for a mid-afternoon nap.”

Reboot your energy: Swap to low-sugar foods – and this includes avoiding white carbs such as bread and pasta which quickly convert to sugar in the body.

Linda says: “Instead choose whole grain carbs such as granary bread, wholemeal pasta and brown rice which release energy more slowly. And eat them little and often to keep your blood sugar stable.”

8. You’re skimping on protein

Surviving on fruit and salad might feel worthy, but avoiding protein in the form of meat, dairy and nuts will leave you exhausted, as it’s a vital energy giver.

“It also takes more time for the protein to be broken down in the body, so the energy is released more slowly and it fills you up for longer,” explains Linda Foster.

Reboot your energy: Snack on protein to keep energy levels stable. Eating a minimum of a palm-sized amount of protein with meals, and eating seeds and nuts or nut butter can prevent tiredness. Good protein sources are meat, fish, cheese, tofu, beans, lentils, yogurt, nuts, and seeds.

9. You’re storing up stress

Naturopath Martin Budd, author of Why Am I So Exhausted?, says: “While a little stress helps to keep us on our toes, long-term stress – for example from work or relationship problems – can exhaust the body, as well as being emotionally draining.”

Reboot your energy: “It’s our response to stress that’s much more damaging to our health than the stress itself,” says Dr. Chidi.

“So by learning how to diffuse stressful situations, we can reduce their impact.”

When stress strikes, instead of going frantic to fix things, try to slow down and take a break instead. Call a friend, walk the dog or do some yoga.

10. Your thyroid is sluggish

Having an underactive thyroid – which means it’s not making enough of the hormone thyroxine – is a surprisingly common cause of unexplained fatigue, especially in middle-aged women.

Other symptoms of a thyroid condition include excessive thirst, weight gain and feeling cold.

Reboot your energy: See your GP who can give you a blood test. If an underactive thyroid is diagnosed, a simple once-a-day tablet can correct the problem – and most people get their normal energy levels back soon after starting treatment.

11. Log off

Dr Lipman, author of Revive: End Exhaustion and Feel Great Again, believes people who over-use technology risk running out of steam. “In today’s world, many of us literally can’t switch off,” he says.

“We’re glued to our computers during the day, our phones on the way to and from work, and our laptops in the evening.

"Then there’s TV. All of these are stimulants and they can disturb your quality of sleep.”

Dr. Lipman advises all his clients to switch off their laptops, TVs and mobile phones an hour — preferably two — before bed.

“Exposure to electromagnetic fields too close to bedtime stops the sleep hormone melatonin from being secreted as you fall asleep, which means you never reach the deep, restorative type of sleep we all need,” he says.

“This type of sleep leaves you feeling fully refreshed after seven or eight hours, plus it keeps your immune system strong.”

Dr. Lipman suggests his patients wear an eye mask in bed: “Total darkness helps you fall into a deep restorative sleep.”

12. Meditate for 12 minutes daily

Cut back on multi-tasking. Focus on doing one thing at a time and give that all your attention. Meditation greatly improves your focus and memory, and in studies, subjects’ memories improved by an average of 10-20%, with some showing an improvement nearer 50%.

13. Put houseplants around your home

Keep your windows open as often as possible – indoor air is often far dirtier than air outside, swirling with dust mites, bacteria, particles from cooking, cleaning, smoking, pet dander and pollutants brought in from outdoors such as pollen and pesticides, all of which can reduce our ability to perform mental tasks.

Houseplants (particularly lady palm, dwarf date and peace lily) can be an effective way to purify the air in your home.

Three instant SOS energy boosters

• Nosh a nana: Packed with natural sugars, and higher in starch than most other fruit, bananas provide the perfect blend of instant and slow-release energy.
• Try this quick acupressure pick-me-up: Pinch the point between your thumb and forefinger, hold for two minutes then gradually release. It’s thought to stimulate energy flow.
• Sniff yourself awake: Shake drops of aromatherapy oils like rosemary, lemon or juniper on a tissue and inhale for a few seconds.

Checking Facebook was wrecking my sleep: Claire Rees' story

I’m a mum to Alice, nearly two, and I work part-time as a health visitor.

I’m constantly on the go with my daughter and work.

Every morning I wake up shattered and rely on tea and sugary foods to keep me going.

I feel tired most of the time and also suffer from bloating.

So when I got a copy of Revive I couldn’t wait to read it.

I was wary that Gwyneth Paltrow was a fan – I just don’t have her time or money and need a plan that’s going to be easy and do-able.

Thankfully, all the advice is so simple and easy to follow.

The first thing I decided to tackle was my sleep – I started going to bed at the same time every night and wearing an eye mask.

Just doing this improved the quality of sleep as it clearly got me into a routine that my body liked so I woke up feeling more refreshed.

The next thing I did was cut back on sugar and alcohol, which made a difference to my energy levels and I looked less bloated.

But the biggest difference was avoiding technology. I often browse on my laptop in the evening and I didn’t realize how much it was disrupting my sleep.

I waste time on things like Facebook when I could be relaxing or having a bath – both of which would help me wind down and sleep better.

The best thing about this book is the sheer number of tips.

You don’t have to do all of them, just the ones that suit your life, to make a huge difference and stop you feeling like you’re running on empty.