Why So Tired? 5 ways to quickly bounce back from persistent fatigue.

Why So Tired?

It’s normal to be tired all the time, right?

The answer is ‘maybe’. Have you been up all-night binge watching a new series on Netflix? Then yes, it is perfectly normal to have your eyes propped open with your pointer fingers and be slumping into your sandwich at lunch; you may consider rethinking your approach though!

But what about the average Joe or Joanna, like me? It is ok to fluctuate through the day from energy highs to crashing fatigue in the space of minutes?

Not so much.

As an average lass who most definitely finds herself hampered by fatigue I decided to crawl out of my bed and investigate. My goals were twofold:

1 – To uncover the most likely suspects causing long term fatigue, &

2 – Discover the best quick fixes for recurrent exhaustion.

 A note for the record, I am in no way a medical professional. All research conducted, and ideas presented are for information and interest only.

So…. Why so Tired?

Medical professionals and self-proclaimed health gurus alike tend to agree on the basic causes of fatigue; namely:

•         Poor sleep.
•         Psychological disorders, including stress and anxiety.
•         Dietary Imbalances
•        Medical Conditions, such as Hypothyroidism, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, recovery from some treatments for Cancer, chronic insomnia and the list goes on. *

*An important first step towards improving energy levels, where you feel they are outside of the normal range, is to consult a General Practitioner to test for any underlying medical issues.

So far 'so much we have all already heard' (and in my case done… hello Hypothyroidism my annoying friend), but what can be done about it? For those us determined to make through at least one day a week without napping, lets explore the contents of our FFT (Fatigue Fighters Toolkit).

 Hello World! Quick Fixes to Banish Fatigue

Sometimes we just don't want to play the long game, we want results now. Occasionally, when things get really bad we need a quick energy fix to even face the long game!

Some of the more obvious 'go to' pick me ups can have rather inconvenient side effects (I'm looking at you chocolate and coffee). A quick pick me up can lead to even deeper exhaustion when the initial buzz wears off.

The first items in the tool kit therefore need to be rebound free, fast energy boosters, I have found five guaranteed to give you a lift.

1. Just Breathe - Breathing exercises are designed to regulate the flow of oxygen to your blood and I have found them to be one of the best and most reliable ways to climb out of my pits of exhaustion. If you want to give it a go, a quick google search will reveal a myriad of options. This morning I tried this simple one minute routine from Gaiam which led to an immediate improvement in mental clarity and a reduction in the measurement on my 'yawnometer' of around 50% ;). In fact my mental clarity was so improved I was able to come up with the (patent pending) measurement device the 'Yawnometer'.

The best thing about breathing for energy is it requires no equipment and it can be done literally anywhere you can breathe (which hopefully covers your current location!).

2. Choose water, not coffee - Tiredness can be one of the first signs of mild dehydration so having a drink break can have the double benefit of waking you up and stopping you drying out like an Egyptian mummy. It is CRUCIAL however that this drink is not caffeine based. In addition to the rebound slump effect that is common with caffeinated beverages, they are also a diuretic, i.e. they make you lose water.... which is kind of beside the point.

Drink water people, it is the best at re-hydrating and if you drink it really really cold the shock factor will wake you up even faster!

3. Laugh - Years ago I did a laughing in the mirror experiment to see if fake laughing could crack me out of a bad mood. I'm not sure how well that worked but I sure was awake at the end of it! Similar to breathing exercises, laughing increases blood flow and oxygenation and a good giggle session will leave you feeling more alert and vibrant. 

Go ahead, duck into the office toilet and laugh into the mirror... or if you are too chicken (or sensible for that matter, whatever) chat with your most hilarious friend or find the funniest memes to chuckle over. 

It doesn't really matter what tickles your funny bone so long as the tickling happens! Speaking of which.....

4. Let there be light - Science has shown us that the (not so) humble eye has got some pretty magnificent things going on. Apart from the biggy, uh, cough, seeing, our eyes also absorb light and process it in a way that tells our bodies it is time to 'wake up'.

As wonderful as this is, it is also a double edged sword. If we spend too much time in artificial or low light environments it can make us think it is time to be sleepy (or in the case of Seasonal Affective Disorder trigger depression in grey weather months) causing our bodies to start preparing for rest.

Happily, you can reboot your circadian rhythms simply by stepping outside into the sunshine. A quick stroll in natural light can help wake us up and return our minds to a high level of alertness.

If you suffer from a low light, or artificial light work environment you might consider swapping out the fittings to better resemble natural light.

If you are interested in reading more on the topic of 'How Light Wakes Us Up' check out this great article of the same name at phenomena.nationalgeographic.com .

5. Take a Walk - This tip might also seem to fall in the 'obvious' basket and it is true, we are often told to stand up and take a walk when we are feeling tired. Cliches are made for a reason people, because (often) they work. Even more powerful than a cliche, the 'take a walk' strategy can form the basis of a deliberate fatigue fighting action plan. 

Sometimes when I am really suffering with fatigue I can, with very little effort, 'fatigue spiral'. 

Spiralling into greater exhaustion is chillingly easy to do; having coffee at the wrong time to wake up, thinking a nap will fix the problem and then passing out for hours, eating sweet foods to cause a spike in the blood sugar (then crashing) are all easy and defensible choices to make. Problem is, at the bottom of the spiral is more tiredness, a sense of failure and lots of jobs not finished.

Not good people. 

My new plan is to have a fatigue plan, when exhaustion hits out of the blue I will -

- Talk a walk.

- Absorb that natural light!

- Drink some water.

- Do the breathing exercises &

- Lord help me (and my poor long suffering neighbour) laugh in the mirror.

If all else fails, maybe a nap is in order?