Are you suffering from chronic tiredness? I know how you feel. I have fibromyalgia. For years, I felt lethargic and heavy, like moving through water. At first, I thought that was just how it was going to be for me. I was young and believed that was just my luck. I was never going to be good at sports or athletic activities. But, as I got older, I doubted. I researched and asked a lot of questions. Through my persistence, I discovered that it wasn’t just fate that I suffered chronic tiredness. After seeing a chiropractor and a functional medicine doctor, I learned that I had several underlying problems.
Once I addressed these causes, I had energy for the first time. Maybe you have some underlying causes for your chronic tiredness that you can address easily. Others, you will need to work with a doctor to uncover. Here are the possibilities I uncovered.
10 Surprising Causes of Chronic Tiredness
Allergies
Believe it or not, allergies caused a lot of chronic tiredness for me and it is a primary cause of a lot of health issues. Feeling run down, like you are always battling a cold, is a hallmark of food and environmental allergies. Allergies put your immune system on high alert all.the.time. That means your body thinks it has to send its resources to fight off invaders instead of providing you with the energy you need to get through the day. To find out if this is what’s causing your symptoms, try an elimination diet. In my Botany Momma Tribe, you can get greater details about how to do it and even get some meal plans!
Sleep issues
This one is super obvious. Of course, if you’re not getting a good night’s sleep, you’re going to feel awful the next day. However, a lot folks don’t place enough importance on sleep. We often push through, doing laundry at midnight and getting up with the toddler at 6am the next morning. Doing this too much causes you to develop a sleep deficit and can actually shorten your life!
However, there are some people who exercise good sleep hygiene and still have issues. There are a number of reasons for this, including sleep apnea, snoring, sleep disturbances like nightmares or sleepwalking, nutritional imbalances, and other possibilities. If you struggle with sleep, you may appreciate this video. You may also consider looking at the nutritional imbalances below and/or seeing a sleep specialist. Or, if you prefer to learn more about natural support and supplements, the Botany Momma Tribe includes those, too.
Nutritional imbalances
Even though you may feel you eat a good diet, you may still have nutritional deficiencies. Some people have chronic tiredness because they don’t eat enough protein and load up on carbs or they have trouble digesting fats. Others feel tired because they eat the right things, but their gut doesn’t absorb them. That was the case with me. Remember I said I found out I have several allergies? Well, those allergies meant that I had intestinal permeability, or leaky gut. A leaky gut not only means that you probably develop allergies, but it also means that you aren’t absorbing nutrients. Some of the nutrients in which you may be deficient include: biotin, copper, folic acid, phosphorus, selenium, and B vitamins, especially B12 and iron. Iron has long been associated with fatigue. And, some of these are also implicated in sleep issues.
Toxic overload and chronic tiredness
Exposure to household toxins can also leave you feeling chronically tired. They certainly affected me and still do. Any time I smell chemicals, I almost instantly feel lethargic. Maybe your home is full of cleaning products, fumes from a gas stove, off gassing paint and carpet, or insecticides. If you often feel better when you’re not at home, this might be the culprit.
Mitochondrial issues
All the energy your body needs and uses is made in the energy powerhouses of the cell called mitochondria. If nutrition, stress, or toxic exposure damages your mitochondria, your energy levels go down. Another way your mitochondria are affected is when there aren’t enough antioxidants in your body to detox the free radicals produced as you create energy. These free radicals cause damage to your cells and your mitochondria. If this is the reason for your chronic tiredness, the first thing you need to do is get rid of the toxins. Then, you need to nourish your body. Seeing a functional medicine doctor is strongly suggested!
Thyroid issues
If you are experiencing chronic tiredness, depression, sleep issues, coldness, and weight gain, you may have hypothyroidism, or even Hashimoto’s. Seeing your doctor is an important step in ruling out this possibility. The thyroid controls metabolism and sends signals to other parts of your body. If your thyroid isn’t functioning properly, then your body isn’t receiving the right signals and may burn energy too slowly or too quickly. It can also throw off your homeostasis and affect blood sugar levels.
Adrenal fatigue and chronic tiredness
First, I have to say that not everyone recognizes adrenal fatigue as a real condition. Addison’s disease is a real condition, though. Addison’s disease is a rare condition in which your body doesn’t make enough cortisol and aldosterone. If left untreated, it can be life-threatening. But, when most people talk about adrenal fatigue, they aren’t talking about Addison’s. They are talking about exhausted adrenal glands that have been overworked and overstimulated by too much stress.
However, it is likely more related to overstimulation of the HPA axis (hypothalamus-pituitary gland-adrenal glands), which is involved in the flight or fight response. A chronically stimulated HPA axis teaches the nervous system to always be “on,” which then chronically stimulates other organs, creating the “adrenal fatigue.” Whatever you call it, if you are always stressed out, it’s time to turn on the vagus nerve and use some relaxing essential oils or relaxing coloring activities. And, one of the triggers for fibromyalgia is stress. That was the trigger for me. My body simply could no longer handle all the toxins, nutritional imbalances, and added stressors and it shoved all that stuff into my muscles, because that’s what the body does to protect the vital organs.
EMF exposure
A study on the effects of electromagnetic fields (EMFs) on human cells published in 2017 concluded that exposure to EMFs causes oxidative stress in many human body tissues. This means that EMFs affect your mitochondria, causing damage. Remember what I said above about what happens when you don’t have enough antioxidants? Well, what if you not only have the normal free radicals from energy production, but also free radicals created by EMF exposure? Then, you get fatigue, headache, cognitive impairment, and learning problems, according to the study.
Hormonal imbalance
Hormonal imbalances are usually caused by one of the other factors listed above. The usual culprits are nutrition and thyroid issues. But, stress and genetics play a role, too. If you have other hormonal issues, such as headaches, cramping, tender breasts, mood swings, hot flashes, or brain fog, then hormonal imbalance may also be affecting your chronic tiredness. Addressing nutritional issues and having your thyroid checked will help you address hormones, too. Inside the Botany Momma Tribe, we discuss hormones and teach you about natural support.
Serious, life-threatening illness, such as cancer
I really hate saying this, but chronic tiredness can be a symptom of something really bad, especially if you are older. If you are losing weight, bruise easily, wounds don’t heal, you’re catching every illness going around, have unexplained soreness in your abdomen, new cysts or other masses, and other symptoms, please see a doctor. Get the appropriate tests and rule out anything life-threatening. Your children and your spouse would really appreciate that!
Are nasty household toxins making you dead tired?
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