Beating Tiredness!

Well...I found this when I was trying to find something that can make me 'fresh'..

Published by BUPA's Health Information Team
May 2004

At any given time, 1 in 10 people are suffering from persistent tiredness, with women more likely to be affected than men. Severe tiredness is a common reason for people visiting their GP.

With our stressful, busy lives, most people experience tiredness sometimes. Following some rest and relaxation and a good night's sleep, tiredness generally disappears, leaving us refreshed and ready to face our usual activities. For some people, however, tiredness becomes a chronic problem which severely affects their quality of life and their day-to-day functioning.

Causes of tiredness

There are many possible reasons for chronic tiredness. Usually, tiredness is due to a combination of causes. Tiredness can have physical triggers, such as a recent illness, pregnancy or breastfeeding. It can also be triggered by stressful situations, for example a recent bereavement, moving house, family or work problems.

As well as well-defined triggers, there are many factors that can increase your tiredness, or stop you from regaining your energy when you are tired and run down.

Physical causes

Being tired can lead you to avoid physical activity. However, as you become more unfit, you will be even more tired when you try to do something. When you are chronically tired, this can become a vicious circle.

Being too fat or too thin can cause tiredness. If you are overweight, your body has to work harder than normal to do everyday activities. If you are very underweight, you have less muscle strength and may tire more quickly.

Many types of illness can leave you feeling very tired, especially anaemia, an underactive thyroid and heart failure.

Sleep problems such as insomnia and sleep apnoea (abnormal breathing while asleep) can also stop you getting a good night's sleep, while pregnancy is another common reason for severe tiredness.

Emotional causes

Stress and worry are tiring emotions. Facing a stressful situation can be draining, especially when you cannot see a solution to your problems. Feeling that you have no control over a situation may lead to frustration, irritability and tiredness.

Mental health problems such as depression or anxiety can make you feel more tired and can prevent you from sleeping properly.

Lifestyle causes

People with unusual or disturbed sleep patterns such as shift workers, nurses, doctors and nursing mothers can find it difficult to get refreshing sleep.

Looking after small children is a particularly draining activity, especially if children do not sleep through the night.

Sleeping in the day can prevent you from sleeping at night. Drinking too many caffeinated or alcoholic drinks can also make it difficult to get a good night�s sleep, especially if you drink them close to bedtime.