Five reasons you cannot stop feeling tired

Many of us feel tired and overwhelmed by our busy lives as we fight to keep on top of work and family duties. But the real reason could be we fail to tune in to what our bodies are telling us, according to Dr Xand Van Tulleken, host of BBC’s ­Operation Ouch! And How To Lose Weight Well.

The good news is, many of the conditions that cause fatigue can be fixed with diet, ­exercise and lifestyle changes. Here are reasons that show you cannot stop getting tired:

Quality is as important as quantity with sleep, yet many of us put no effort into creating the right environment. “Having a quiet, dark room to sleep in sounds blindingly obvious, but most people don’t do it,” says Dr Xand.

“It’s simple stuff like good curtains or an eye shade to combat light pollution, and earplugs if needed. Get a good pillow – we’re a nation of people who still have pillows our grans owned!

“A bedtime routine works for kids, so create your own – get to bed at the same time each night instead of bingeing on box sets.

“If you’re really struggling with poor sleep, try a ‘sleep diet’ for 10 days. Don’t drink anything after 10pm, don’t have caffeine or booze (a culprit for disturbed sleep) after 6pm, get a nice warm light, read a book and turn off devices.”

Obstructive sleep apnoea is a common ­condition where the tongue falls back as you drift off, obstructing the airway and ­interrupting sleep. It also causes loud snoring.

“You tend to get this if you’re overweight and while you might think you’re getting eight hours’ sleep, it actually adds up to a couple of hours because you wake up constantly” says Dr Xand.

“If you have a partner, get them to describe your snoring. If you’re snoring a lot and appear to stop breathing, that’s a red flag. It can be treated with a continuous pressure airway device – a mask that delivers air while you sleep to stop your airway closing – but ­ultimately it comes down to losing weight through diet and exercise.”

This is a common cause of ­tiredness and lack of energy, and often affects menstruating women with heavy periods. “It’s something that’s hard to fix with diet, ­especially if you’re not a meat eater, so really only a supplement will do the trick,” says Dr Xand.

“Along with supplements, include iron-rich food in your diet – dark green leafy veg, fortified cereals, dried ­apricots and meat. If you drink a glass of orange juice after a ­supplement, it’ll help your body to absorb the iron.”

This is where the thyroid gland doesn’t produce enough hormones – and as well as tiredness can cause weight gain and skin and hair changes.

“This typically affects women in their 40s, although anyone can be affected,” says Dr Xand. “If you’re exhausted, sluggish and struggling to move, the thyroid is a ­reasonable place to start looking and the ­condition is diagnosed via a blood test. It’s very treatable with a daily hormone tablet to raise thyroxine levels.”

Many of us aren’t drinking enough, especially if we’re stuck at a desk all day. Dr Xand says: “As we get older, we tend to feel less thirsty and we can get used to running pretty dehydrated – if we’re busy we can go for hours without drinking. When I worked in A&E I wouldn’t pee sometimes for 12 hours!

“There are loads of myths about how much water you should drink, such as the ‘eight glasses of water a day’ stuff. That figure came from a study on how much water a kidney needs to function. The truth is, you also get fluid from foods such as lettuce and cucumber, as well as from cups of coffee, soup and so on.

“Salt consumption is an important factor – if you’re eating ready meals and fast food twice a day, you’ll need to drink a lot more. To stay hydrated and boost energy, reduce sodium intake by eating better, treat yourself like a five-year-old and never leave home without a water bottle, stay active to keep fluid moving around your body and make sure you’re peeing clear and regularly.”

Having high levels of the stress hormone cortisol is an energy zapper and can make you ill, says Dr Xand.

“What we know about stress is that if you feel in control over your destiny, your stress levels are lower. In a work situation that can be hard to achieve, but it’s important to find one source of meaningful joy in your life. Food is a joy for me, but that’s not meaningful, so doesn’t count!

“We don’t think of fulfilling relationships and hobbies as medical interventions, but they’re vital to wellbeing. Mindfulness techniques like mediation work well for some people and volunteering can be immensely rewarding. If you feel useful and have a source of meaning in your life, it’ll reduce your stress levels.”