Fatigue is usually caused by stress, anxiety, depression, viruses — such as the flu or COVID-19 — or sleep problems. Some medications may also cause you to feel fatigued. Sometimes fatigue is a symptom of a physical condition such as: anaemia — not having enough iron in your blood.
Common causes of tiredness and fatigue include: not getting enough sleep or finding it hard to get to sleep (insomnia) an unhealthy lifestyle (such as having an unhealthy diet and not getting much exercise) stress, depression and dealing with life challenges, such as bereavement or looking after a new baby.
The inability to get out of bed is a common symptom of someone suffering from a mental health disorder or substance use disorder. Often people who struggle with depression, anxiety, or any type of substance abuse may find it challenging to face the day each morning by getting out of bed.
Think about what you need or want to do today.
Think of something you're looking forward to that day. Run those images through your mind. It will excite you and you'll be ready to get the day started. If you have something that will take several steps to do, you can start running through the steps.
Medical causes– unrelenting exhaustion may be a sign of an underlying illness or condition (such as flu, glandular fever, chronic fatigue syndrome, thyroid disorders, heart disease or diabetes). Lifestyle-related causes – alcohol or drugs or lack of regular exercise can lead to feelings of fatigue.
The most common causes of excessive sleepiness are sleep deprivation and disorders like sleep apnea and insomnia. Depression and other mental health conditions, certain medications, and medical conditions affecting the brain and body can cause daytime drowsiness as well.
Get out of bed as soon as your alarm sounds
The first step to waking up early is creating a habitual routine around your alarm that causes you to get out of bed straight away. When your alarm sounds, force yourself to push down the covers and step out into your bedroom.
Sitting or lying down for too long increases your risk of chronic health problems, such as heart disease, diabetes and some cancers. Too much sitting can also be bad for your mental health. Being active is not as hard as you think. There are lots of simple ways to include some physical activity in your day.
If you are struggling to wake up in the morning, it's important to rule out medical conditions such as sleep apnea, narcolepsy, and chronic fatigue syndrome. However, if you have been diagnosed with one of these conditions, your inability to get out of bed may be related to your diagnosis.
There are numerous medical and non-medical causes of fatigue, including personal dietary and lifestyle habits. The following factors can contribute to fatigue, either alone or in combination: Psychological and psychosocial – stress, anxiety, and depression. Physical – anemia, diabetes, glandular fever, and cancer.
Some fatigue that persists for over two to four weeks and is new to you, can be associated with a medical problem. Fatigue is a very vague and non-specific symptom that accompanies many diseases. It is, for example, expected in cancer treatment and after major surgery.
Mental states – anxiety can keep a person awake at night, which makes them prone to sleepiness during the day. Depression saps energy. Medications – such as alcohol, caffeinated drinks, tranquillisers, sleeping pills and antihistamines can disrupt sleeping patterns.
One day inside probably won't hugely affect your health—but it's not great to constantly stay cooped up from morning until dark. The biggest issue is that entering hibernation mode means you don't get any exposure to natural light.
When you sleep too much, you're throwing off that biological clock, and it starts telling the cells a different story than what they're actually experiencing, inducing a sense of fatigue. You might be crawling out of bed at 11am, but your cells started using their energy cycle at seven.
So when you're getting eight hours and still feeling tired the next day, it's frustrating. There are four likely culprits behind your low energy: your sleep need is more than eight hours, you're getting less sleep than you think, you've got sleep debt to pay back, or you're out of sync with your circadian rhythm.
Try to go to bed and wake up at the same time every day, which helps synchronize your sleep-wake cycle. Limit awake-time in bed. If you don't get back to sleep within 20 minutes after waking up in the middle of the night, get out of bed and do something relaxing until you feel sleepy again.
Extreme fatigue in women can be caused by high sleep debt, being out of sync with your circadian rhythm, your menstrual cycle and period, pregnancy, menopause, hormonal contraceptives, poor diet, lack of exercise, stress and anxiety, medication side effects, and medical conditions like thyroid issues or anemia.
If you frequently wake up feeling exhausted after sleeping soundly through the night, have difficulty completing simple tasks, or unintentionally fall asleep throughout the day regularly, it is highly likely that you are experiencing an abnormal amount of fatigue, for which you should speak to a doctor about treatment.
Fatigue is more persistent, constant and lingering compared to feeling tired. Feeling fatigue usually interrupts your day-to-day activities and isn't always relieved by sleeping more. “Sometimes the differences between fatigue and being tired can be difficult for people to differentiate.
Signs that your fatigue could be a symptom of something more include: Lack of physical or mental energy. Inability to stay awake and alert or initiate activity. Unintentionally falling asleep or falling asleep at inappropriate times.
Sleep disturbances can lead to a 'sleep debt' and fatigue. Night workers are particularly at risk of fatigue because their day sleep is often lighter, shorter and more easily disturbed because of daytime noise and a natural reluctance to sleep during daylight.