e all like to feel good but sometimes life gets in the way, our good habits fade off and we end up feeling tired and lethargic. Sometimes we need a bit of a kick in the pants to remind us of what we need to do to feel in top shape everyday. Here are 9 reasons why you might feel tired all the time.
You’re simply not getting enough sleep
I once had my GP berate me about how much sleep I was getting. I sheepishly told him I was functioning on about 6 hours a night and he said before I left ‘8 hours every night. It’s not a suggestion.’ You actually need 8 hours every night and unless you have young children, 8 hours of sleep every night should be your top priority.
You do too much when you’re awake
Even if you do get your full 8 hours sleep, if you don’t have any down time during the day, you’re not going to feel rested. If you get up, go to the gym, work all day, do the grocery shopping, play a game of netball, meet a friend for dinner, vacuum the house and do 6 loads of washing, by the time you get to bed you’re going to be exhausted and stressed. Sleep is incredibly important but so is rest so make sure you’re getting enough of both.
You don’t take any time off
Every now and then you need to have a mental health day. They’re mandatory. It’s obviously very important to take time off when you’re sick but it’s just as important to take time off when you’re well, to give yourself the chance to properly re-charge your batteries. The same goes for holidays – they’re for rest and relaxation – not renovating your house, or totally cleaning out your garage.
You’re not moving enough
It sounds counter intuitive but sitting still all day will only make you more tired. I’ve been using a step tracker for about 3 years now (I started with a FitBit and now I have the Apple Watch) and it’s totally changed my life. I always do my 10,000 steps every day and if I’m feeling lethargic it’s usually because I’ve been a bit lazy with my stepping. Try working a 20 minute walk into your day every day and see if your energy levels improve.
You check emails at bedtime
I’m totally guilty of this: I check my email too many times during the day and often right before bed. What’s the point in that? I’m not going to reply to an email at 11pm on a Sunday so why bother even opening my inbox? Decrease your stress levels and up your energy by only reading emails once or twice a day.
You don’t drink enough water
About 60% of your body is made up of water so if you’re dehydrated, it’s no wonder your body starts to chuck a massive tanty. Make sure you have your full 8 glasses every day and if you’re feeling a bit slumpy in the afternoon, chug back a few of glasses water and you’ll feel right as rain.
You have unrealistic expectations for what a normal person can achieve in a day
You know that meme that says something stupid about you having the exact same amount of hours in the day as Beyonce? I hate that meme. Beyonce has more money and help than any person should have so of course she’s a giant over achiever. There would be something wrong with her if she wasn’t. You need to calm down and only do what you’re actually capable of doing. If you continuously get to the end of the day and you’ve barely touched your to-do list despite the fact that you’ve been running around like a maniac all day, you’re putting too many things on your to-do list. Stop doing this immediately.
It’s so easy to reach for sugar when you’re feeling tired but sugar is the actual worst thing. I’m by no means a hard core sugar quitter (I eat fruit like it’s going out of fashion and you can pry my sweet chilli sauce from my cold dead hands thank you very much) but anything that comes in a packet should always be considered a sometimes food. Most of the time packaged food = shit tonne of sugar and/or saturated fat. Go with veggie sticks, fruit, a home made smoothie or some nuts and leave the chocolate biscuits and sugary drinks for special occasions.
You drink too much alcohol
If you’re wondering if you drink too much, just have a squiz at the Australian drinking guidelines that suggest women should never have more than 2 drinks on any given day and definitely no more than 4 drinks in a day ever. Isn’t it thoroughly depressing? Believe me, I’m not sitting here on my high horse like a teetotal princess. I do honestly have about 5 alcohol free days every week but I can easily drink 4 glasses of wine the remaining 2 nights a week without even thinking about it. If you’re feeling a bit gluggy, you might want to back off on the booze a bit.
Note: if you’re consistently feeling tired and you lack energy, you need to see your GP and have some tests done. It’s normal to have little bouts of tiredness here and there, but it’s not normal to be walking around like zombie for months on end.
How do you feel most days? Bouncing and full of energy? Or a bit sleepy?
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