You are always tired; the science explains why

You feel tired all the time. It’s frustrating, and you never have the energy to do your work. Sleeping more, coffee or energy drinks seem not working for you. Don’t worry; everyone can experience what you are going through. Different elements cause fatigue. Not drinking enough water is a simple reason that most of us ignore it.

Tahoe Springs Water explains some of the common reasons for fatigue which help you to have more energy during the day.

Not drinking enough water

Many of the biochemical processes in your body consume water that must get replaced. You don’t drink enough water; your body can not work properly. The studies show that dehydration can decrease your energy levels and reduce your ability to concentrate on tasks.

In a case study, scientists examined performance during work out. The men who worked out on Treadmill and lost 1% of body mass in fluid reported more tiredness than well-hydrated men.

The scientist examined women, and the results were the same.

How dehydration makes you tired?

Water takes blood to your inner organs. You are dehydrated, your blood pressure drops. It leads to reduced blood flow to your brain and poor circulation. Your heart needs to work harder to pump out blood along with oxygen and fluid to all parts of the body. The higher you are dehydrated, the harder your heart has to work, which leads to more fatigue.

According to Andrew Carlton and his team study, dehydration could affect your mood and performance. While your body is trying to deliver the proper amount of fluid and nutrients to organs and cells, you could develop cramps and muscle weakness. Your muscles aren’t receiving what they need. So you could feel tired to move around or work.

Dehydration and sleep

You can not sleep well; you will face fatigue. Researchers have found connections between dehydration and poor sleep. Dehydration could lead to muscle spasms which tend to mess up your natural sleep pattern.

Snoring is another result of dehydration. It dries out your nasal passages, which is a cause of snoring and decreases your sleep quality.

The bad point is that “people are moving around with mild dehydration without knowing.” Susan Kleiner, the dietician and author of “The Good Mood Diet” and “The New Power Eating,” says. She says, “even the mild level of dehydration makes you feel lethargic and tired.”

If you want to know how to avoid hydration during sleep, read our article.

How much water should you drink?

The answer depends on a few elements. How much water you need a day is different for each one. The amount of water you need per day depends on your:

• Age
• Gender
• Job
• Season
• Height
• Humidity
• Physical activity

Children need less water than adults, and athletes need to drink more water than ordinary people. However, the U.S. National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine says that men need 15.5 cups of fluid. In comparison, women need 11.5 cups of fluid per day.

The amount can increase or decrease by the mentioned factor. But if you know the signs of dehydration, you can drink more liquids to prevent the situation.

Signs and symptoms of dehydration

The signs include but are not limited to:

Infants and children

• Dry tongue or mouth
• No wet diapers for long hours
• Sunken cheeks or eyes
• Restlessness or irritability
• No tears when crying

Adults

• Confusion
• Thirst
• Dry mouth, lips, tongue, or eyes
• Feeling dizzy
• Fewer visits to the bathroom
• Dry skin

Drink enough water every day so as not to feel thirsty. You’d better make drinking water a habit to ensure well hydration and healthy life. Bear in mind that you need to drink water at work as well. Not drinking water at work leads to dehydration at home.

There is no point in drinking lots of water at home at night. You need water during the day. Take constructive habits to drink enough water at work and avoid dehydration.

You could also drink different types of water, like alkaline water or Spring Mountain Water, which provide further hydration.

Not having a good night’s sleep

Not getting enough sleep or poor sleep is one of the causes of fatigue. You and I try to do more by staying up late. Yet, it might have a reverse effect as fatigue.

According to the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NIH), “your body is doing what it has to do to keep your physical health and support healthy brain function when you sleep.” You might stay up late to do more work, but it’s one of the causes of fatigue during the week.

The NIG indicates that “sleep plays an essential role in your health in all stages of life. You get enough good sleep at the right time; you can protect your:

• Quality of life
• Physical health
• Mental health
• Safety

If you want to know about drinking water before bedtime, read our article.

How much should you sleep?

How much sleep you need is up to your age. According to Sleep Foundation, adults (26-64 years) need 7-9 hours of sleep per night. Yet, you might need to sleep more or less, or you can sleep less and still feel fine with it.

You might go to bed by 10 pm, yet still feel tired. Why? You don’t get a good quality night’s sleep. Your sleep is interrupted and is not what you need. For instance, people might not have a regular sleep pattern. They tend to stay up late and wake up early but sleep in on the weekend. Experts recommend having a regular sleep routine which helps to prevent tiredness.

In a 2015 study, people who had a regular sleep routine during weekdays and weekends had less fatigue. They fell asleep better than others as well.

Napping culture

Many big companies have embraced the napping culture at work as it increases productivity. According to National Sleep Foundation (NSF), the following companies let employees take a nap at work:

• Google
• Cisco
• Huffington Post
• Facebook
• Uber
• Zappos

You may not work on Google or Facebook, but instead of checking social media, you could take a tiny, tiny nap. The benefits of a nap include:

• More productivity
• Fewer absences at work
• Reduce errors
• Less health care costs
• Decrease the possibility of workplace accidents and injuries

Sleep apnoea

When your throat closes or narrows during sleep and interrupts your breathing, sleep apnoea happens. It could last a few seconds to a few minutes. You will snore, and your blood’s oxygen levels decrease. You can not breathe well, which leads to waking up at night and interrupts your sleep pattern. The result is tiredness the following day.

Aside from the snoring, the other symptoms of sleep apnoea are as follows:

• Depression
• Irritability
• Poor concentration
• Memory problems
• Morning headaches

If you suffer from sleep apnoea, visit healthcare to treat it. Apart from preventing good sleep, you could get heart disease, stroke, or even sudden death.

Sleep apnoea is common among overweight middle-aged men. Alcohol consumption and smoking make it worse as well.

You are suffering from stress

Stress is not a bad thing. You can find it in everybody’s human, and we need it to survive. Yet chronic or constant stress is bad for you. It can cause several health problems, including fatigue. The studies of Masaaki Tanaka, Torbjörn Akerstedt, and Johanna M Doerr teams indicate the connection between stress and fatigue.

Not also the stress, your response might make you tired as well. In a study, the students who tried to avoid coping with stress faced higher levels of fatigue.

When stress strikes you, you might not be able to do much. A better way is to prevent it; “prevention is better than cure.”

American Psychological Association (APA) reports that 2020 was a stressful year for Americans due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This is while the previous reasons are still problematic and present.

The APA indicates that “the U.S. is facing a national health crisis which could cause severe social and health consequences for years to come.”

Sleep deprivation is another effect of stress which could lead to more fatigue. It’s like the Compound Effect explained by Darren Hardy or a chain; every part is related.

According to the ANS, 43% of the 13-64 people suffering from stress said they had awakened at least one night in the past month.

How to prevent stress?

As explained, preventing stress is better than dealing with it, which could cause more fatigue. How to avoid it? Through smart and effective strategies proved by science:

• Write down your tasks to get rid of Zeigarnik Effect.
• Limit visiting social media to prevent Attention Residue.
• Have healthy, nutritious food and snacks at work
• Have proper night sleep; “Why We Sleep” by Matthew Walker helps a lot.
• Reduce eye strain at work by 20-20 and 20-20-20 rule.
• Do anti-Arthritis moves at work if you have a desk job; stretches are also helpful.
• Work smarter, not harder; learn how to concentrate on your tasks. Scientific findings like “Deep Work” are your map.
• Determine the source of the stress and try to prevent or eliminate it.
• Drink enough water
• Limit drinking and smoking.
• Avoid procrastinating and try to get tasks done.
• Learn how to learn; Limitless Mind by Jo Boaler can be a good start.
• Science tells you to be positive; switch from Fixed Mindset to Growth Mindset; “Mindset” by Carol Dwek teaches you how to do it.
• Work out
• Learn about time and time management; “When” by Daniel Pink can be a useful guide.

Your diet causes fatigue

You eat healthy food, your body will work well, but your diet could become problematic. What gives me energy might make you tired. For instance, carbs can make you feel tired, according to Healthline.

There are two types of carbs;

Simple carbs

They get digested quickly, raise the blood sugar quickly, increase appetite and lead to overweight, such as:

• Fruits
• Sweets and cookies
• Bread and pasta made with white flour
• Alcoholic and sugary drinks
• Brown and raw sugar

Complex carbs

They take longer to get digested, raise the blood sugar slowly, and improve metabolism such as:

• Seeds and beans
• Pasta and bread made with non-white flour
• Nuts

When you consume complex carbs, it causes raises your blood sugar, as explained. But your body has to produce a large amount of insulin to eliminate the sugar. It makes you more tired.

Samantha L Nabb’s studies, So Yoon Park, Jennifer M Sacheck, and their teams indicate that reducing sugar and processed carbs leads to higher energy levels. Rich fiber food like vegetables and legumes makes you have more energy.

Your lunch might make you tired

If the afternoon slump is a challenge for you, your lunch might be the problem. If you take complex carbs at lunch, try to replace them with fiber and protein. Things get worse if you skip breakfast or a healthy snack and eat a lot at lunch. Your body has to work harder to digest the large taken food.

Bear in mind that alcoholic drinks tend to make you more tired. So try to skip or limit them during meals.

Bottom line

You work, study or do exercise and get tired, but constant feeling tired might have a reason you need to find out. The article explained that what you eat, not getting enough sleep, and stress makes you tired without knowing. There are other reasons for your fatigue. For instance, a sedentary lifestyle, allergies, not eating enough, energy drinks also make you tired. We explained the most common lifestyle causes.

As the article explained, one of the very first causes of tiredness is dehydration. If you don’t drink enough water, you will get tired. You may not have a good night’s sleep as well.

If you don’t like the taste of tap water like Las Vegas, try a reliable water company. Tahoe Springs Water has been providing water services in Las Vegas since 1994.

We offer the best alkaline water, Spring Mountain Water, and purified water in the valley. Give us a call at +702-903-1433 to order high-quality water now. Delivery comes free right in front of your house.

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