There’s tiredness, and then there’s the kind where you wake up already feeling like death warmed up. When you get too much of the latter, it can start to feel normal, and that’s a problem.

We all have days when we're exhausted. Life gets busy, we stay up a bit later a few nights, or simply don’t have much time to switch off. If you've been asking a lot of yourself lately, it makes sense that you might feel tired and out of sorts. What doesn’t make sense is when that tired feeling starts becoming your everyday normal.

You start to wonder what’s going on when you’re still waking up tired after a good night’s sleep and need coffee on tap just to get through the morning. You might even start telling yourself that this is just what getting older feels like.

It’s not always that simple.

Start With The Obvious: Sleep

There’s this thing a lot of us do where we jump to the most complicated explanation before looking at what’s right in front of us. So before we start looking for complicated explanations, it's worth taking an honest look at how much sleep you're actually getting.

Most adults need at least seven hours of sleep a night. Individual needs can obviously vary, but seven hours is a good general benchmark. What’s alarming is that U.S. data from 2024 found around 30% of adults were getting less than this.

So what’s going on? The problem is that there are so many ways to chip away at sleep without really noticing. There are those nights when you stay up late to finish something, or when you’re on your phone scrolling and hours pass by without you realizing it’s 1AM. Then there’s the times when your brain just won’t switch off and sleep is an impossible feat. 

If you're regularly tired during the day, your sleep is one of the first places to look. Remember, the time you spend in bed doesn’t always equate to the hours of sleep you’re actually getting. Going to bed at 10pm but scrolling on TikTok until 1AM isn't exactly helping your cause. A regular wind-down routine can be a big help when it comes to nodding off earlier. Small changes like dimming the lights, putting your phone away a little earlier, reading for a while, or using something like FastAleep can all become part of that cue to your body that the day is winding down.

Tiredness Isn't Always About Sleep

If you’ve looked at your sleep pattern and ruled that out as the culprit, it’s worth looking at the bigger picture. Sleep isn't the only thing that affects how you feel during the day.

Your routine matters too. An inconsistent schedule, too much going on for too long, or simply not giving yourself enough time to properly switch off can all leave you feeling worn out, even when you're technically getting enough hours in bed.

What you put on your plate matters too. Your body needs a steady supply of nutrients to support all the processes involved in producing energy and keeping your cells working normally.

Iron, vitamin B12 and vitamin D are just a few of the nutrients that can contribute to fatigue when levels are too low. Looking at your diet is a good place to start, and if you're not getting enough of certain nutrients, an energy boosting supplement can sometimes help fill the gaps.

There’s also the question of stress, which deserves a closer look of its own.

Stress Can Be Exhausting

We tend to think of stress as something that happens in our heads, but your body is involved too. When you're stressed, your nervous system shifts into a more alert state. Your heart rate can increase, your muscles tense, and your body prepares to deal with whatever is demanding your attention.

That's useful when you actually need it. Staying in that heightened state for long periods is another matter entirely. Ongoing stress can interfere with sleep and leave you feeling mentally and physically worn out. You might spend enough time in bed and still wake up feeling as though you've barely had any rest. Sometimes what looks like a lack of energy is a body that simply hasn't had much opportunity to switch off.

That brings us to another part of the picture: movement.

Could You Actually Need More Movement?

We get that exercise probably isn't the first thing that comes to mind when you’re already exhausted. The sofa can look particularly appealing after a long day. Yet research suggests that regular physical activity can actually help with feelings of fatigue. A 2022 systematic review and meta-analysis of 81 randomized studies involving more than 7,000 people found that exercise was associated with lower fatigue and greater feelings of energy and vitality.

This doesn't mean you need to start training for a triathlon! Walking, cycling, swimming, strength training, or simply getting up and moving throughout the day all count. There's also a difference between being tired because you've done too much and feeling sluggish because you've barely moved.

If you've spent most of the day at a desk, followed by an hour in the car, and an evening on the couch, your body may simply benefit from a little more movement.

Still, there are times when tiredness deserves a little more attention.

Sometimes Your Body Is Asking You To Look Closer

Feeling tired after a busy week is one thing. Feeling exhausted for weeks without really knowing why is another.

Persistent tiredness, particularly when it's new or getting worse, can have many possible causes. These can include anemia, thyroid problems, sleep disorders, infections, certain medications and other health conditions. Sleep disorders such as sleep apnea can also leave people feeling exhausted even when they appear to be spending plenty of time in bed.

The tricky part is that you can't work out the cause simply from how tired you feel. That doesn't mean you should panic every time you have an afternoon slump. Tiredness is a normal part of life sometimes. If you've been exhausted for weeks and can't work out why, though, it's worth speaking to a healthcare professional rather than accepting it as something you simply have to put up with.

So, What Could Your Tiredness Be Telling You?

There isn't one answer.

You might genuinely need more sleep. Your stress levels might have crept up without you realizing it. Your diet might have become a little less balanced than you'd like, or you might not be moving enough during the day. There could also be something else going on that deserves a closer look. The most useful thing is to step back and look at the bigger picture instead of immediately reaching for another coffee (cue to step away from the coffee machine!).

How have you been sleeping lately? Are you eating properly, or just grabbing whatever's easiest? Are you getting outside and moving during the day? Have you actually had any time to switch off, or has your brain been running at full speed from morning until bedtime? 

You don't need to fix every one of those things at once. You can just start with whatever feels most obvious and manageable, then give your body a bit of time to respond and see what happens.

Tiredness isn't always a warning sign. Sometimes you're simply tired. Sometimes, though, it can be your body's way of telling you that something needs a little more attention.

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