Constantly tired? How to identify the causes and stop feeling tired

First of all, you shouldn’t worry if you’re often tired. The factors that cause fatigue are usually harmless, but they’re not often easy to identify. They are often habits or conditions that you have established over a period of time and are now causing you to feel tired almost all the time.

Constant sleep pressure is often caused by the following harmless factors:

• A sleep schedule that is contrary to your biorhythm (e.g. due to shift work)

• Sleep deprivation

• Unsuitable sleep environment

• Lack of exercise

• Strenuous physical labour

• Too little oxygen/too much carbon dioxide

• Nutrient deficiency/lack of energy

• Excessively large meals

• Low fluid intake

• Increased body weight

• Changes in weather/long periods of heat

To identify the causes of your tiredness, it’s important to remember that everyone has different sleep needs. While some people can sleep in a daylit environment and only require six hours of sleep to feel rested, you may have completely different needs.

To get rid of your constant need for sleep, you first need to determine what type of sleeper you are. Only then can you develop healthy sleep hygiene with a regular sleep-wake cycle that suits your needs. Our five tips can help you counteract harmless causes of tiredness!

People who sit at a desk all day often aren’t getting enough oxygen. Closed windows and lots of plants increase the amount of carbon dioxide in the room and therefore make you feel more tired. As well as airing out the room regularly, you can also use your lunch break to take a short walk. The exercise and oxygen will give you an energy boost to keep you going until the evening.

A 10- to 30-minute power nap is a great way to relax and recharge your batteries. Especially in the warmer months, you can use your lunch break as a kind of siesta, as is common in southern European countries.

Keep your nap as short as possible. This will prevent you from falling into a deep sleep, which could have the opposite effect and make you even more tired.

If you often feel sluggish on winter afternoons as well as during the summer, this is probably due to your metabolism. The metabolism really gets going after lunch and demands a lot of energy from your body. To support your metabolism, you should take your afternoon nap right after eating.

Although large meals can make you tired, you certainly shouldn’t go without food either. You need to get plenty of nutrients and vitamins to make sure your body has enough energy to keep you going throughout the day. To combat constant tiredness, we recommend eating several small meals and snacks. You should also make sure you drink enough fluids. Two litres of water a day is the minimum we need to keep our circulation healthy.

For many people, coffee is definitely the number-one option when it comes to combating tiredness during the day. Two or three cups of coffee or black or green tea a day is perfectly fine for a healthy adult. These stimulants can help you tackle your afternoon with more focus and clarity.

However, people who are always tired tend to drink a lot of coffee, or even caffeinated, sugary drinks such as cola. Especially if you’re chronically tired, you shouldn’t overdo your caffeine and tea consumption. Too many stimulants not only increase your blood pressure, but can also make it more difficult to fall asleep in the evening, resulting in you feeling more tired the next day.

In addition to a regular bedtime and wake-up time, your sleep environment also affects your sleep quality, which has a significant impact on your energy levels the next day. A high-quality mattress, a comfortable pillow, breathable sleepwear and a season-appropriate duvet all contribute to an optimal sleep environment.

To stimulate the sleep hormone melatonin, you should sleep in a quiet, dark room without lots of distractions. In the evenings, you can prepare for bedtime and boost your melatonin production by dimming the lights and avoiding screens for a while before going to bed.

Once you listen to your body and take a closer look at your habits, you should quickly identify the causes of your tiredness. Unfortunately, however, the causes of a constant need for sleep are not always harmless. In addition to acute illnesses such as infections and colds, chronic illnesses or deficiencies can also cause constant tiredness.

Constant tiredness is an accompanying symptom of some chronic illnesses. These include, for example:

• Sleep disorders (e.g. sleep apnoea)

• Neurological disorders (e.g. migraines, dementia, Parkinson’s disease, narcolepsy, MS)

• Mental illnesses (e.g. depression, burnout)

• Cardiovascular diseases (e.g. high or low blood pressure)

• Metabolic disorders (e.g. diabetes, hyperthyroidism)

• Long COVID

• Allergies

• Cancer

Tiredness is rarely the only symptom of these diseases, so it should not be used as the sole indicator. In order to get a diagnosis and begin the appropriate treatment, you should consult a trained doctor.

In addition to chronic illnesses, a lack of certain minerals and nutrients can also lead to constant fatigue. Iron and folic acid in particular, but also vitamin B12 and magnesium, are known for this. You can take a blood test to find out about any deficiencies, which you can then compensate for by changing your diet or taking supplements.

Taking medication on a regular basis can also lead to long-term tiredness and fatigue. Cancer treatments, but also painkillers and medications for migraines, high blood pressure and allergies are known for their fatiguing effects. Check the package leaflet for information about any side effects. Your doctor can then advise you on a possible change to your medication.

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