Everyone feels tired sometimes. Whether it’s lack of sleep, a busy schedule, stress… all of those can take their toll and leave you feeling exhausted.
But feeling exhausted for long periods of time – even when you’re getting enough sleep – is cause for more concern.
Talk to your doctor if you’ve been feeling fatigue or exhaustion that just won’t go away, no matter how much rest and recuperation you get.
more:The 9 Biggest Reasons You’re Tired All The Time
Here are some of the biggest medical reasons behind chronic fatigue that doesn’t go away:
The Biggest Medical Reasons For Feeling Tired
1. Chronic Fatigue Syndrome
Chronic fatigue syndrome is a condition that’s not very well understood yet that causes chronic exhaustion that lasts for at least 6 months.
There’s no known cause at this point, but it usually presents with symptoms like muscle and joint pain, headache, and sore throat.
In order to diagnose you with chronic fatigue syndrome, your doctor will need to rule out many other conditions that could be causing your fatigue, as there is no test yet that can diagnose chronic fatigue syndrome.
more: How Can I Regain My Energy Article
2. Depression
Depression can take its toll on people in many different ways – and leaving them feeling exhausted and without energy is definitely one of them.
Depression can sap your energy and ruin your sleep cycle. It can make you want to sleep until 5pm and then not be able to fall asleep at night – and it can ruin the sleep that you do get.
If you suspect you might have depression, talk to your doctor or a mental health professional about diagnosis and getting treatment.
more: Can Diabetes Make You Tired Article
3. Hypothyroidism
Also known as an underactive thyroid, this condition means that your hormones are out of balance in your body – leading you to feel tired and exhausted even after getting enough sleep.
Other symptoms include muscle aches and weight gain – and women are more likely to get hypothyroidism than men.
Talk to your doctor – there is a simple blood test that can confirm or rule out hypothyroidism as the cause of exhaustion.
more: Major Causes Of Fatigue During Exercise
4. Anemia
Anemia is a condition that’s caused by a lack of iron in your diet. It’s extremely common – especially in women and vegetarians.
An iron deficiency causes symptoms like exhaustion and tiredness even after seemingly not a lot of exertion, and feeling like your muscles and limbs are way heavier than they should be.
more: Reasons You’re Always Tired
5. Sleep Apnea
If you have sleep apnea, your airway narrows or closes while you sleep – messing up your breathing pattern and jerking you awake, up to dozens and dozens of times per night.
Most people with sleep apnea don’t know that they have it – since when you wake up because of it you almost instantly fall back asleep. If you’re feeling exhausted even after full nights of sleep, it could be because of sleep apnea.
Sleep apnea is most common in people who snore loudly during the night, so talk to your doctor if you suspect you’re suffering from sleep apnea.
more: Weird Reasons You’re Tired All The Time
6. Undiagnosed uti
When your body is fighting off an infection, it takes an enormous amount of energy to kill off the bacteria causing the infection and get you healthy again.
All that energy has to come from somewhere – which can lead people to feel abnormally drained or exhausted. If you’re experiencing pain during urination, talk to your doctor about whether you might have a uti.
more: Diabetes Fatigue Might Be Why You’re Tired All The Time Article
7. Cardiovascular Disease
Heart disease can absolutely cause symptoms of exhaustion and tiredness. If your cardiovascular system is in trouble, it’s harder for your heart to pump the oxygenated blood to the places your body needs it.
That means that you’ll feel fatigued way more easily – even from things that you used to be able to do normally without exhaustion. Cardiovascular disease is very serious, so talk to your doctor if you suspect you might be suffering from it.
more:
Possible Reasons Why You’re Feeling So Sluggish During Your Workouts
8. Diabetes
Diabetes is a condition that can cause extreme fatigue and tiredness. One of the main symptoms of diabetes is fatigue – along with frequent urination, weight loss, and abnormal thirst.
You can check for diabetes with a blood test, so talk to your doctor if you suspect you might be suffering from diabetes.
more: Why You Feel So Tired Even After A Good Sleep
9. Celiac Disease
Celiac disease is where your body is unable to tolerate gluten – which is found in all sorts of starchy products like cereals and bread.
When you have celiac disease, your body really doesn’t like gluten – and it can cause symptoms like exhaustion and fatigue if you eat it.
Most people who have celiac disease don’t know it – so talk to your doctor about being tested for having celiac disease, especially if you’re suffering from other symptoms like weight loss, diarrhea, and anemia.
more: How Tired Is Too Tired?
10. Anxiety
Anxiety negatively affects your body the same way that stress does. It’s something everyone experiences – but some people suffer from anxiety disorders where they experience far more frequent and intense anxiety than normal.
more: 7 Hidden Causes For Your Fatigue
Those frequent and intense feelings of anxiety can wreak havoc on a body – leaving you feeling exhausted, fatigued, and run down.
11. Mononucleosis
Mononucleosis is caused by the Epstein-Barr virus. Its symptoms include sore throat, swollen glands, fever, and fatigue.
more: 10 Medical Reasons Why You Might Be Tired
While the physical symptoms of mononucleosis fade within 4 to 6 weeks, the fatigue can last longer, even for months.
12. Restless Leg Syndrome
Many people suffer from restless leg syndrome – which leads to jittering, uncomfortable sensations running up and down your legs during the night when you’re trying to fall asleep.
more: Medical Reasons For Feeling Tired All The Time
Those symptoms often prevent people from falling asleep, leading to poor sleep and fatigue during the day. Talk to your doctor if you suspect you’re suffering from restless leg syndrome.
In summary…
The Top Medical Reasons For Feeling Tired
- Chronic fatigue syndrome
- Depression
- Hypothyroidism
- Anemia
- Sleep apnea
- Undiagnosed uti
- Cardiovascular disease
- Diabetes
- Celiac disease
- Anxiety
- Mononucleosis
- Restless leg syndrome
Related posts:
The 9 Biggest Reasons You’re Tired All The Time
How To Tell If You’re Too Tired: Signs Of Chronic Fatigue
9 Strange Reasons You’re Tired All The Time
The Top 15 Reasons You’re Always Tired
What Causes Diabetes Fatigue And Can Diabetes Make You Tired?
Diabetes Fatigue Might Be Why You’re Tired All The Time
my sister is suffering from depression. she always feel sad and hopeless. we already consulted a mental health specialist about it and hoping for best treatment results.
depression and anxiety can lead to many sleepless nights. better to be aware of any of these conditions before it gets out of hand.
i am diabetic and yeah, it really leaves me feeling washed out. it is really stressful and upsetting but i know i can get through it.
i didn’t know there could be more to it. thanks for this post, i think i might have just found the answer to my health issues.
i was diagnosed with Hypothyroidism and it is really a struggle. my doctor told me that my condition will respond well to replacement thyroid hormones but i am scared of the side effects.
anxiety and depression are 2 leading factors for feeling tired. when you suffer from these kinds of condition, you just can’t get enough rest and sleep. your mind just seem to keep going and going no matter how hard you fight it.
i will try to sleep more and trim my social schedule. if nothing improves and i still feel tired after i changed my lifestyle, i will see my doctor for a professional help.
this is a great article. it will help people a lot especially those who are suffering from an exhaustion that would not go away. please continue to share some amazing articles like this.
i suffer from sleep apnea and i was told that smoking and drinking alcohol could worsen it so i’ve made a decision to stop with these unhealthy habits gradually.
i always feel tired, weak and fatigued and i hate it so much!i bet my body is telling me to relax and have a good diet.
I have celiac disease that is why i always make sure to buy and eat only gluten free foods.
i wouldn’t want any of these medical conditions. but 1 thing for sure is…i am overly stressed and i can only hope it won’t turn out to any of these mentioned here.
Oh my! So i was experiencing restless leg syndrome reason why i always feel tired! This post is an eye-opener. Will see my doctor now.
different people experience fatigue in different ways. it is nice knowing what are the possible causes of feeling tired so we would know when it is time to see a doctor.
having celiac disease makes me become closer to my food. why? because i always eat whole foods and get rid of processed foods. for me that is an incentive. just saying.
i am suffering from a sore throat, swollen glands, fatigue and fever. it might be Mononucleosis,,i dunno.. gotta check with my doctor now before it gets worse.
i feel tired without effort most of the time. i wonder if there is a medical reason for it or i just need to take vitamin B12.
fatigue or tiredness can seriously affect our quality of life reason why knowing the reasons behind it and how to combat it is necessary. i am so glad you shared this post to us.
i always suffer from muscle aches and notice that i am gaining weight. i suspect that it is because of hypothyroidism. i better get my blood tested to confirm.
i am vegetarian and yes, i am also anemic. this is the reason why i always feel tired and i hate it.
thank you. you gave us so much information about medical reasons why we feel tired. your blogs really are a great help to many.
my friend always post that she is feeling tired, physically and emotionally, on social media. i think she is suffering from depression. that is not good. i better check on her.
oh no.. fatigue can be a sign of cardiovascular disease. that is bad news for me…
if you want more energy, drink lots of water and don’t skip meals. our body will function inefficiently if dehydrated.
i no longer feel tired ever since i started to eat a healthy diet, avoid smoking and minimize caffeine. it really takes determination to do a thing that you wanted to achieve because a change of lifestyle is not simple.
oh my, i am not aware that fatigue can be a symptom of other underlying conditions that require medical treatment. good thing i came across this post.
i always found myself struggling to get through the week without feeling exhausted. it is nice reading this blog. i discovered what could be the reason why i am feeling tired and what can i do about it.
fatigue is very difficult to manage, especially emotional fatigue. i have a friend dealing with depression and i can see how it is affecting her daily life.
i do not get enough sleep and i am thinking that it might be the reason why i am feeling tired but i also realized that it is important to be certain that there is not an underlying physical illness that is the root cause so it is better to see my doctor.
so these are the top reasons why i am feeling tired all the time. Good to know. appreciate you sharing.