9 Strange Reasons You’re Tired All The Time

You’re here because you want to know why you feel tired all the time.

There are a ton of reasons that could contribute to you feeling exhausted and fatigued – covering pretty much every angle under the sun.

There are medical reasons (think anemia), there are lifestyle reasons (think staying up late to binge watch a tvshow), and then there are strange reasons that you might not even expect.

There are other articles on this site that cover medical reasons you might be feeling fatigue – so in this article I’m going to give you some of the stranger reasons you might be feeling worn out and exhausted.

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

The Most Common Strange Reasons You’re Tired All The Time

Many of the weirdest reasons that you feel exhausted and fatigued are things you wouldn’t even think would be related – until you find yourself worn out and tired in the middle of the day. Reasons like dehydration, vitamin B12, heart disease, lack of exercise, infections – even your diet can contribute to feeling not at your best and too tired to finish what you need to get done. If your symptoms don’t abate even after changing your habits, talk to a doctor about your fatigue.

Let’s go in depth for each of these strange reasons.

1. You’re Not Getting Enough Exercise

You might think that exercise makes you more exhausted, and you’d be right – in the short term.

But in the long term, getting the right amount of exercise is crucial to feeling better and more alert.

Exercising boosts your metabolism, it trains your body to be fitter and stronger, and it increases the amount of energy you have available every day. (1)

What should you do?

If you’re not getting any exercise at all – start small. Going from being totally sedentary to getting at least some exercise is a huge step that your body will thank you for.

Try to get at least 20 minutes of exercise, 3 times per week if you don’t get any at all.

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

If you do exercise but you’ve been letting it fall by the wayside recently, try it out and see if it helps.

2. You’re Getting Too Much Exercise

I know it seems strange coming on the heels of the previous reason – but too much exercise can cause fatigue and exhaustion the same as too little exercise can.

When you don’t get enough exercise, your fitness level tanks and your body simply doesn’t perform at its best, causing you to feel tired, sluggish, and exhausted.

When you get too much exercise, you’re pushing your body beyond its limits and not giving it enough time to recover. Since your body can’t recover, it’s playing a game of catch up that it can’t win – causing exhaustion and tiredness. (2)

What Should You Do?

If you’re doing some sort of workout or training 7 days a week, it could be time to pump the brakes and give your body some time to recover.

That’s doubly true if you’re getting a ton of exercise and you’re feeling tired when normally you’d be feeling fine.

Subtract a couple of workouts from your routine and see if your energy levels return to normal.

more: The Biggest Reasons You Feel Tired During Your Workouts

3. You Could Have Heart Disease

Heart disease is one of the most deadly causes of fatigue and exhaustion – especially if it came on gradually and you’re not sure why it’s happening.

When you have undiagnosed heart disease, simple things like climbing the stairs or taking a short walk leave you winded and exhausted.

That’s because your arteries could be clogged, making it difficult for your heart to pump blood through your body and get oxygenated red blood cells to the places where they need to be. (3)

What Should You Do?

If you suspect you might have undiagnosed heart disease, talk to your doctor immediately.

They will be able to perform tests and diagnose whether you’re suffering from heart disease, and what actions you should take immediately.

This isn’t something to wait on – if you’ve been experiencing chest pain or exhaustion from simple tasks, this is something to go see the doctor about right away.

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

4. You’re Not Getting Enough Vitamin B12

Vitamin B12 is a crucial nutrient to your body.

It’s critical to the production of red blood cells in your body, and also to proper neurological function.

If your body isn’t getting enough B12, your blood will be low on red blood cells, which will starve parts of your body of the oxygen they need to function correctly. (4)

What happens then? You feel exhausted – way more fatigued than you normally would from doing the same tasks.

more: The Top 15 Reasons You’re Always Tired

What Should You Do?

Look for symptoms like confusion, poor memory, or even tingling in your extremities to figure out whether B12 is causing your fatigue.

If you suspect you do have a vitamin B12 deficit, talk to your doctor. They can direct you to a vitamin B12 supplement that could solve your problems.

In addition, you could add more sources of vitamin B12 to your diet to see if that helps you feel better.

5. You’re Not Drinking Enough Water

This is one of the simplest causes of fatigue and exhaustion – and one of the simplest to fix.

If you’re not getting enough water, you’re dehydrating your body, which impairs its function.

Dehydration will actually cause your blood to thicken – resulting in your heart having to work harder to pump blood throughout your body to get oxygen to where it needs to go. (5)

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

When that happens, you’ll get much more tired from doing the same things than you would have otherwise.

What Should You Do?

It’s simple – drink more water.

If you drink lots of sugary drinks like juice or soda during the day, or even diet versions of those drinks, try replacing them with water for a few days, and see how you feel.

more: What Causes Fatigue During Exercise?

Chances are, if you’re dehydrated adding that water to your routine will make you feel way better all around.

And if plain water is too boring for you, try adding a slice of lemon to a pitcher and keeping the water in your fridge to make it more interesting.

6. You Don’t Have Enough Iron In Your Diet

Iron is a very important nutrient to have in your diet – without it your body won’t function normally, and you could run into serious complications.

Lack of iron leads to anemia – which is when your body doesn’t have enough red blood cells. When you don’t have enough red blood cells, your body can’t distribute the oxygen to all your muscles. (6)

What happens then? Your muscles don’t work at their peak – leaving you feeling weak, worn out, and fatigued.

What Should You Do?

Try adding more iron to your diet. If you eat vegetarian or vegan, you’re even more at risk for not getting enough iron.

Iron supplements are one way to bring up the iron content of your diet – another is by finding foods rich in iron. But since high amounts of iron are also not good for you, talk to your doctor before you decide to begin taking them.

7. You Have An Infection

When your body has an infection, it spends a huge amount of energy and resources fighting it.

That makes sense – your body has to fight off infections to survive. But fighting one off can leave you feeling drained and exhausted.

Plus, there are several kinds of infections that can appear without symptoms – leaving you wondering why you feel so fatigued.

Urinary tract infections and some infections of the gum line can present without symptoms – and if your body is spending all its energy fighting them off, you’re going to feel tired out in the interim. (7)

more: What Causes Diabetes Fatigue And Can Diabetes Make You Tired?

What Should You Do?

Talk to your doctor if you think you might have a uti or another infection.

You can fight off infections much more easily with the help of antibiotics – and your doctor can prescribe you the right antibiotic to get you feeling better again.

8. You’re Really Stressed Out

If you’re under an unusually large amount of stress – say things aren’t going well at work or you’re having financial problems – it could be a huge contributor to your fatigue and exhaustion.

Cortisol – also known as the stress hormone – is a hormone that’s closely tied to how alert you feel throughout the day.

If you’re feeling really stressed out all day, your cortisol is through the roof – which can make you sleep even worse during the night, leading you to feel more exhausted the next day. (8)

What Should You Do?

Consider taking some steps to manage your stress. Although avoiding the cause of the stress is sometimes not an option – like when the stress comes from work – you can add things to your routine that help combat it.

Try not to look at a screen for at least an hour before bed time. That helps you sleep better – plus you’re less likely to see an email that makes you feel stressed out right before bed.

In addition, try adding calming activities to your routine – like yoga. The stretching and breathing exercises during yoga can help you feel less stressed, and in turn, less fatigued.

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

9. You’re Skipping Breakfast

When you skip breakfast, you’re really putting yourself behind the eight ball for the entire rest of the day.

It might not feel like a big deal right at the moment, but by skipping breakfast you’re putting yourself in a nutritional hole that will dog you all day.

Breakfast gives your body the fuel it needs to get going again after a night’s sleep – and without it you could find yourself feeling irritable, exhausted, and cranky from the mid-morning on.

Plus, if you don’t eat breakfast, you’re more likely to overeat or make poor nutritional choices during lunch – making you feel bloated and sleepy.

What Should You Do?

Try to eat breakfast every morning – you could notice a huge difference in how you feel the rest of the day.

Adding complex carbs to your breakfast will help you feel better – oats, all bran cereal, and oatmeal are all great choices.

Protein is another great choice to fill you up, keep you feeling full, and give you the energy you need to get through your day.