Why do I feel so tired all the time?

One reason you can feel tired is due to feeling low or symptoms of depression.

There is no one specific cause for symptoms of depression, it can be triggered by lots of different circumstances. Symptoms of depression can include having no interest or enjoyment, no motivation, no energy, poor sleep, no appetite and sometimes suicidal thoughts. If you are feeling these symptoms more days than not for at least the last 6 weeks, then you will likely need to make some changes and seek some help to start to feel better.

Tiredness is common when you’re feeling low. It’s often the result of doing less due to lack of motivation. The less you do, the more tired you feel. Instinctively we want to rest more when we feel like this, but the result is feeling worse. Your sleep can also be affected because you may sleep more in the daytime to rest, this affects your ability to sleep at nighttime and over time your pattern becomes disrupted.

Changes in appetite also contribute to feeling tired. Not eating enough and being dehydrated restricts your body of the energy it needs to function and eating too much can make us feel sluggish and heavy.

Top tips for tackling tiredness.

• Introduce a bedtime and wake up routine and stick to it, even at weekends when it’s tempting to lie in or stay up late.

• No more naps! It’ll mess up your bedtime routine.

• Eat small meals often.

• Drink more water.

• Reduce caffeine or other stimulants (if you’ve been relying on these to stay awake).

• Gradually increase your activity levels including exercise as much as possible. The more you do, the more energy you will have.
  
  

There are lots of medical reasons for feeling tired too. Please speak to your GP if you think your tiredness is linked to a physical health problem. If you would like some help to improve low mood and tiredness, please click the link below to get in touch and book an assessment.