And we’re not just going to talk about lack of sleep either.
There are a ton of small things that make or break your energy levels during the day, and if enough of them add up, sure enough, you’re going to feel tired all the time.
Here are the 14 most common habits that leave you feeling exhausted throughout the day, plus how to fix them:
1. You Skipped Your Workout
I know, it sounds like a paradox, but it’s actually true.
If you’re feeling super tired, and you decide to skip your workout because of it, you’re actually going to feel more tired, not less.
Scientists at the University of Georgia found that research subjects who exercised lightly 3 times a week felt much less fatigued and more energized than they did before.
That’s because regular exercise is good for you – it increases your strength and helps your cardiovascular system run at peak efficiency which keeps your body running strong and tiredness at bay.
Here are 8 easy tricks to get started and stick with exercising.
2. You’re Dehydrated
Any dehydration – no matter how slight – can wreak havoc on your energy levels. As little as a 2% loss of fluids in your body can contribute to exhaustion.
When you’re dehydrated, you have less blood flow around your body, making your blood thicker and forcing your heart to pump less efficiently than normal.
That means oxygen and nutrients don’t reach your muscles and organs as quickly as they should, which contributes to exhaustion.
Instead: just drink more water!
3. There’s Not Enough Iron In Your Diet
Of iron deficiency’s many symptoms, tiredness is chief. Plus, sluggishness, irritability, weakness, and lack of focus are up there.
That’s because when you have an iron deficiency, your blood can’t carry the right amount of oxygen throughout your body.
To prevent it, try eating more lean beef, tofu, eggs with the yolks, peanut butter, and leafy vegetables. Don’t forget vitamin c to boost the absorption of iron!
4. Your Perfectionism Is Stressing You Out
Perfect is – by definition – impossible to achieve. You’re never going to get something absolutely, 100% perfect.
Which is why perfectionism is something that can contribute to exhaustion.
If you’re working towards goals that are by nature impossible to achieve, you’re naturally going to wear yourself out and run into a brick wall.
To prevent that, take regular breaks, and remember that no one is perfect!
5. Small Problems Are Turned Into Big Problems
Stress is a huge contributor to exhaustion, and there’s nothing more stressful than worrying your car is about to explode because you heard a noise when you turned it on.
When you always expect the worst case scenario, you’re creating a huge amount of mental anxiety for yourself, which is going to lead to exhaustion.
So the next time your boss asks to see you, don’t immediately assume you’re getting fired. And make some time to do relaxing things, like enjoy the outdoors or meditate.
6. You Don’t Eat Breakfast
Breakfast is so important, you guys! Your moms weren’t kidding!
As you sleep, your body consumes all the food it ate the night before for energy and to keep itself going. When you wake up in the morning, your body needs new fuel or it’s totally out of luck!
If you don’t eat breakfast, you’re going to feel sluggish. Make sure to eat one every day and don’t forget protein, healthy fat, and whole grains.
Try this delicious breakfast on the go recipe that’s under 300 calories!
7. You Reach For The Junk Food Too Often
If you had a super hard day at work and you absolutely need a treat, reaching for the Hershey’s isn’t the worst thing.
But if you find yourself eating out of the vending machine for lunch more often than not, and you’re also feeling tired all the time, you probably found the culprit.
That’s because highly processed foods are high in sugar and simple carbs, which, when ingested, spike your blood sugar, causing it to crash later.
When your blood sugar keeps spiking and crashing, it causes exhaustion throughout your body. So skip the candy bars and eat some protein!
Make sure to avoid these 10 “Healthy” Foods That Are Junk Food In Disguise!
8. You Don’t Really Say No Often Enough
Do you find yourself saying yes to all the requests of your friends and coworkers? That might be what’s driving your exhaustion.
When you say yes to everyone around you, often you’re saying no to yourself – and filling yourself with resentment for the people you keep saying yes to.
Point is – it’s important to make some time for yourself to relax and recuperate, and if that means saying no to your boss, or your kid’s school’s bake sale, so be it.
9. Your Work Environment Is Messy
This one isn’t obvious, but it has a profound impact on your energy levels.
When your work area is messy, it screws up your brain’s ability to focus on a single task and take in information, which contributes to tiredness and exhaustion.
Next time you have the chance, clean up your work environment. You’ll be surprised at what an effect it has on your energy levels!
10. You Skip Vacations
It might earn you brownie points with your boss, but it’s going to hurt you in the long run.
That’s because your vacations are critical to your mental health, without them, you’re going to wind up stressed, irritable, and unable to continue working well.
So when you’re on vacation – be on vacation! No emails, no work calls, no nothing. Enjoy yourself!
11. You’re Drinking Wine Before Bed
A lot of the time, people think that having a quick drink before bed helps them to relax and fall asleep faster.
The problem is, alcohol actually destroys your body’s ability to sleep healthily. Plus, the depressive effect of alcohol wears off during the night, creating an abrupt surge in energy. That’s why you often wake up in the middle of the night after drinking.
To avoid alcohol’s negative effects on sleep, don’t drink for at least 3-4 hours before going to bed.
12. You Bring Your Electronics Into Bed With You
The truth is, the light from our electronics screens can actually wreak havoc on our sleep quality.
That’s because it screws up your body’s natural circadian rhythm and throws off your internal clock. When you do that right before you go to bed, it destroys the quality of the sleep that you get.
To stop this from happening, avoid the glare of the screen for an hour or two before you go to bed for the night.
13. You’re Addicted To Caffeine
It’s OK to wake up and have some coffee in order to get yourself going. In fact, scientists have long touted coffee as a healthy addition to a diet.
But if you’re using caffeine to keep yourself awake, fuel all-nighters, and get work done, you’re doing lots of damage to your body’s rest.
That’s because caffeine blocks adenosine, which is the chemical in your body that causes you to drift off to sleep. If you overdo it with the caffeine, you’ll hurt your natural body chemistry, and find it harder to get good sleep.
14. You’re A Night Owl On The Weekends
If you’re locked into a normal schedule during the week, but then go hog wild on the weekends, it could be to blame for exhaustion.
That’s because when you stay up super late Saturday night only to sleep in super late Sunday morning, you’re going to throw off your sleep schedule, making it harder for you to get good sleep during the week, and exacerbating the problem the next weekend.
The best way to stop this is to wake up at the normal time on weekends – even if you’re really tired. Then, take a power nap halfway through the day to help with your sleep debt.
In summary…
These Are The Biggest Reasons You Always Feel Tired
- You Skipped Your Workout
- You’re Dehydrated
- There’s Not Enough Iron In Your Diet
- Your Perfectionism Is Stressing You Out
- Small Problems Are Turned Into Big Problems
- You Don’t Eat Breakfast
- You Reach For The Junk Food Too Often
- You Don’t Really Say No Often Enough
- Your Work Environment Is Messy
- You Skip Vacations
- You’re Drinking Wine Before Bed
- You Bring Your Electronics Into Bed With You
- You’re Addicted To Caffeine
- You’re A Night Owl On The Weekends
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The fact that junk food can make you feel tired is a good point. I try not to even bring it home from the store. It also helps with your diet.
There are so many things that can lead to feeling tired. It really comes down to what you put into your body, IF you are getting good sleep.
Usually it is tied to your diet or just not getting enough sleep. If you feel you are sleeping well, then you should see a doctor about the nutritional side of things.
Anytime I ask someone about this, I am always asked if I eat breakfast. No, I do not eat breakfast, but could that really be the reason?
My g/f’s and I are always up real late on the weekends and Mondays are just not good. I can understand, but what I do not get is why it takes through Wednesday to recover from a couple of late nights?
I know a lot of co-workers that do not take vacation and that is not a good thing, as you have mentioned. Your body just needs to have an un-wind time.
I have been trying not to bring the phone or table to bed and it has been working pretty good for me.
Being a health professional myself, I can certainly vouch for these reasons be accurate. Most of the time you just need a good nights sleep. Sometimes it is blood related, but most of the time you just need to get to bed at a normal hour.
Great list. I am going to share this with my friends. We just had a conversation about this the other week.
The reason I am tired is because I have three kids and a home based business that eats up about 18 hours of my day, every day.
That’ll do it, I would have to agree here!
I hate to feel tired. When I finally got rid of coffee and soda from my diet, I generally felt better. I think my body was constantly trying to catch up.
I usually put it to the fact that I am not getting enough vitamin D. I get outside as much as I can and it feels pretty good and usually gives me a second wind.
That is a good point. There are supplements that you can take that will help you with that!
I thought it might be do to a lack of iron. I have heard that about other people. I am going to see about supplements!
This is a great way to get the minerals that you need in your body each day. Good luck!
Some people are tired because they are missing a specific part of their diet. If you experience tiredness a lot, then you must visit the doctor to have some blood work done to see if there is something there that reveals what it might be.
I know it is bad, but I rarely eat breakfast. I know that it is the most important meal of the day, but that is a hard habit to get into since I have been without breakfast for so long!
I didn’t think that missing a workout or two would be that big of deal, but then it happened the week I was sick. I could not have felt any more tired I think. What a mistake.
I have noticed lately that I have been more tired than normal. I think it might have to do with the fact that I have been working on the night shift hours and not able to really get any vitamin D into my system. What do you think?
I never really thought about being dehydrated. I guess that makes sense. Your body needs so much water to survive and when you do not have it, things will get weird.
I have thought about not getting enough of something in my diet. I see that you have iron on the list. Maybe I will take a supplement and see if that helps.