The Top 15 Reasons You’re Always Tired

You’re here because you want to know the reasons why you’re always tired.

There are tons of different reasons why you might be feeling tired – and not all of them are medical.

In fact, there’s a good mix of medical reasons and lifestyle reasons why you might be feeling more and more tired all the time.

If you’ve noticed that you’re feeling increasingly fatigued and exhausted during the day, without taking on any new responsibilities, you might want to talk to your doctor to get to the bottom of your fatigue.

But for now, if you want to figure out reasons why you’re always tired – we’ve got you covered.

more: The 9 Biggest Reasons You’re Tired All The Time

These Are The Top Reasons You’re Always Tired

If you’re always feeling tired, you should rule out these lifestyle changes before you start really worrying about something medically being wrong. Lack of exercise, dehydration, poor diet, alcohol, being too work focused, having bad sleep hygiene, not getting restful sleep, too much coffee, and messed up sleep schedules are all reasons why you might be feeling exhausted. Try addressing any of those issues in your life and see if you feel better afterwards, or talk to a doctor about solutions for chronic fatigue.

1. Too Much Coffee

Yes – coffee is a great tool for waking yourself up and feeling more alert.

And yes, in moderation, coffee is a great way to get through your day with energy.

But too much of a good thing usually turns bad – and if you’re not drinking coffee in moderation it could be messing up your sleep and making you feel tired. (1)

Drinking coffee too late in the day can mess up your sleep that night, so if you drink coffee, try to limit it to the mornings, and try to keep intake under 3 cups a day to feel at your best.

more: 9 Strange Reasons You’re Tired All The Time

2. Your Environment Is Tiring You Out

Most people don’t realize the profound effect their environment has on how they feel during the day.

That’s because it becomes unconscious – your environment just becomes something else in the background while you’re doing what you need to do.

But if your background environment is chaotic, messy, and all over the place, it will negatively affect how you feel and make you feel worse. (2)

If you work at a desk and always feel tired, try cleaning and organizing it, and see if it makes a difference. Oftentimes, an organized and de-cluttered workspace can make a big difference in how you feel.

3. Poor Diet Choices

I say it a lot, but it bears repeating – your diet is maybe the single biggest factor that determines how you feel during the day.

Or, in simpler terms: garbage in, garbage out.

If you’re eating lots of processed foods and high-sugar snacks, it’s going to send your blood sugar spiking and crashing like crazy – leading to feelings of fatigue and exhaustion. (3)

Focus on eating whole foods with lots of fiber – it will help you feel better and more alert during the day.

4. You Have Some Alcohol To Unwind Before Bed

No one can blame you for being confused about whether alcohol is actually good for you or not – it seems like there’s a new study every few weeks that comes to the opposite conclusion.

One thing that is generally agreed on is that alcohol negatively affects your sleep patterns and leads to worse sleep. (4)

So if you’ve been drinking a few beers or some wine before bed to unwind, try skipping that over the next week and see if you feel more refreshed and alert during the day.

5. Your Sleep Schedule Shifts All Over The Place

It’s totally normal to want to party on the weekend – after all, it’s much harder to party during the week.

But if you normally go to bed around 10:00pm and wake up at 7:00am, and on the weekends all of a sudden you’re going to bed at 2:00am and waking up at 11:00am, it’s going to really mess up your sleep cycle and negatively impact the sleep that you do get – even into the week. (5)

more: Why You Feel So Tired Even After 8 Hours Of Sleep

So if you’re always feeling tired, try going to bed and waking up at the same time each day and see if it helps you feel better.

6. You’re Dehydrated

Dehydration is one of the most major causes of fatigue and sluggishness that there is – and one of the most easily correctable.

When you’re dehydrated, your circulation suffers and your body has to work harder to pump blood and oxygen.

The result is a fatigued, sluggish feeling that can really stick with you. (6)

To avoid it, drink more water and you might see your energy levels improve.

7. You’re Under A Ton Of Stress

Stress can be something that takes a huge toll on your energy levels and general feeling of wellbeing.

If you’re under tons of pressure to perform, whether it’s for work, school, or something else, it negatively impacts all parts of your life – including your sleep and your energy levels. (7)

more: How To Tell If You’re Too Tired: Signs Of Chronic Fatigue

It’s difficult to manage stress, especially when the source of it is outside of your control – but if you can reduce stress in any way (like with breathing exercises), it could make a huge difference in how you feel and how tired you are.

8. You’re Not Eating Breakfast

Your body needs fuel to get through the day – that’s something everyone learns as a small child.

But if you’re skipping breakfast, then you’re skipping 1/3 of the meals that your body needs to keep going.

Skipping breakfast can have a cascading effect through the rest of the day, leading you to feel more tired in the afternoon even after eating lunch – especially if you overeat due to missing breakfast. (8)

Try to eat breakfast every day and watch how it affects your energy levels.

9. You’re Not Working Out

While it’s true that working out and exercising will make you more tired in the short term (since you’re exerting yourself), in the long term it will actually help you feel better and more alert.

Working out helps boost your metabolism and make you fitter and healthier, which in turn makes you feel fitter and healthier. (9)

more: The Biggest Reasons You Feel Tired During Your Workouts

Sluggishness and fatigue can be due to being in poor shape just like any other factor. Try adding exercise to your routine and you’ll see a major difference in how you feel day to day.

10. You’re Getting Burned Out

Everyone needs a break now and then from the responsibilities and rigors of life.

If it’s been forever since your last vacation, and you’ve been working your butt off for too long to remember – that could be a major factor contributing to your fatigue.

You might need time to recharge and revitalize yourself – without the stress of daily life weighing down on you.

If you can, schedule a vacation – or even find a way to fit some “me time” into your schedule. You could see a huge difference in how you feel.

11. There’s Not Enough Iron In Your Diet

Having too little iron in your body is a condition called anemia – and one of the main symptoms is fatigue.

That’s because when you have anemia, your body doesn’t produce enough red blood cells, which are vital to carrying oxygen to all the different parts of your body.

So if you’re feeling extensive fatigue, talk to your doctor if you suspect you might have anemia. The solution is simply adding more iron to your diet.

more: Diabetes Fatigue Might Be Why You’re Tired All The Time

12. You Have Poor Sleep Hygiene

No, I don’t mean that your bed is dirty.

Poor sleep hygiene in this case refers to keeping your bed and your bedroom routine focused around sleep – not anything else.

If you’re spending a lot of time looking at a screen (checking emails for instance) right before you go to bed, it negatively impacts the quality of sleep you get.

Try to make the hour before you go to bed a “no screen time” hour. It will improve your sleep quality and help you feel more awake and alert.

13. Your Posture Could Use Work

The relationship between your body and how you feel is incredibly strong – to the point where unconscious bad habits with your body language and posture will sabotage how you’re feeling.

Bad posture has been shown to lead to decreased energy and feeling drained and fatigued.

Try to correct your posture and keep your back and neck aligned throughout the day – you could see a huge increase in energy levels and a huge improvement in how you feel.

14. You’re Not Getting Enough Sun

Your body is controlled by something called a circadian rhythm – it’s essentially your body’s internal clock.

It decides when it’s time to go to sleep and wake up, and underwrites a lot of the unconscious processes your body is always running.

So when you don’t get enough sunlight, it can really throw off your circadian rhythm – and leave you feeling drained and exhausted even if it’s the middle of the day.

Get some fresh air and sunlight if you’re feeling tired – it could do wonders.

more: 30 Scientifically Proven Ways To Boost Your Energy And Combat Fatigue

15. There’s Not Enough Vitamin B12 In Your Diet

Vitamin B12 is a crucial nutrient that directly affects how you feel and how well your brain functions.

If you don’t get enough, you can feel fatigued, exhausted, or even get the dreaded “brain fog” where you feel confused and drained.

Fixing your tiredness could be as simple as taking a multivitamin or adding more vitamin B12 to your diet – it can really make a difference in how you feel!