Why Am I Tired All The Time? The Top 10 Things Keeping You Up At Night and How To Fix Them

When you’re tired, the world seems different. It looks out of focus. You don’t get as much joy from experiences that usually make you smile. You’re more easily annoyed and irritable. It feels like your body and your mind refuse to cooperate. 

Everyone suffers through a sleepless night occasionally. The problem is when you’re tired all the time. Around one-third of American adults get less than the doctor-recommended seven hours of sleep a day. A near equal percentage report having insomnia. Chronic fatigue syndrome affects over three million Americans. That number is rapidly rising.

Whether it’s connected to workplace stress, diet, or other causes, sleep needs to be a priority. If you or a loved one feel like you are always tired, here are ten reasons why along with some simple solutions. Because everyone deserves a good night’s sleep.  

What’s So Important About Sleep?

Sleep is restorative and necessary. Inadequate sleep has enormous consequences. Without sleep, our muscles aren’t able to repair themselves, lengthening recovery time for athletes. Sleep also strengthens our immune system. The body needs sleep for consolidation of memory. Short term memory is negatively affected by extreme fatigue. If you’re feeling tired, your judgment may not be as sound. 

Drowsy driving increases your risk of an accident. If you’re exhausted all the time, you have a higher risk of developing heart disease, dementia, type 2 diabetes, and some cancers. Consistent lack of sleep also increases your obesity risk – partly because the hunger hormone ghrelin is triggered when you don’t have enough sleep. This hormone not only increases appetite but also cravings for processed, sugary or salty foods. If you’re tired, your body will also produce more leptin. This hormone is responsible for the feeling of fullness and satisfaction you get after a meal. That means you will not only have a hormone telling you to eat, the one that should be telling you to stop will be inactive.

Feeling tired all the time may seem like a minor physical issue. Considering the myriad problems caused by chronic insomnia there’s no question that it should be treated as a serious problem. Making sleep a priority is vital — the old saw about getting enough sleep when you’re dead is ironic. Because an early death is more likely if you are fatigued.

1. Stress and Anxiety

Stress is easily one of the main reasons people have trouble sleeping at night. Often it’s a vicious cycle because just as stress can trigger insomnia, extreme fatigue can increase stress. 

As Dr. Annise Wilson, a sleep expert and Baylor College of Medicine assistant professor of neurology, explains, “High levels of stress impair sleep by prolonging how long it takes to fall asleep and fragmenting sleep. Sleep loss triggers our body’s stress response system, leading to an elevation in stress hormones, namely cortisol, which further disrupts sleep. Research has shown that sleep plays an important role in learning and memory. Chronic sleep deprivation also has been associated with decreased metabolism and endocrine dysfunction.”

In surveys, stress is the main reason respondents report having trouble sleeping. And if you’re feeling unusually stressed lately, you’re not alone. In the American Psychiatric Association’s annual mental health poll, around 43% of U.S. adults say they feel more anxious now than they did last year. This rate has consistently increased year-over-year rising more than 10 points since 2022. 

If concerns over money or the future create a near-constant stream of worry, the first step may be to disconnect. Dedicate an hour or more before bedtime to restful activities. Read a printed book. Do some needlepoint. Scrapbook. Accept that many of the things we worry about are out of our control. If you can change things, do so earlier in the day – not right before bedtime. Instead, keep a list of any concerns and address them after a good night’s sleep.

2. Overstimulation and Electronic Devices

There’s some controversy over whether or not blue-light emitting screens like the ones in tablets and phones actually disrupt sleep while contributing to fatigue. The connection is that most of the light coming from the sun is blue light. This blue light is a primary driver of our sleep-wake cycle by inducing production of the sleep-inducing hormone melatonin. This hormone’s natural production may be reduced by the use of blue-light emitting devices.  

While there’s disagreement about whether it’s just blue light or also yellow light which disrupts sleep, what’s almost certain is that the mentally stimulating effect of scrolling through your feed trolling for “likes” or watching the news can be disruptive. Like most complex machines, your brain needs time to shut down. That’s why experts recommend that the bedroom be kept “screen free.” 

Keep in mind that excessive screen time during the day can still affect the sleep cycle hours later. So if you’re having trouble sleeping, being more conscientious about your use of electronic devices could really help. While you may need to be online for your job, try to reduce your screen time during non-work hours.

3. Coffee and Energy Drinks

People battling chronic fatigue overcompensate. After a bad night’s sleep, people often drink more coffee or tea. They may even turn to energy drinks. These drinks do more than just disrupt sleep when they are consumed before bedtime. They also disrupt cortisol production – suppressing the usual morning spike of cortisol that’s needed to fully wake up. 

Coffee and tea have many beneficial qualities. They contain antioxidants which may reduce heart attack, cancer, and dementia risk among those who consume them. Unfortunately, excessive caffeine consumption can also keep you from enjoying a full night’s sleep. So taper off the caffeine in the late afternoon. The goal is to abstain from any caffeinated beverages three-to-five hours before bedtime.

With their long lists of ingredients (and often added sugar), energy drinks are a bad idea for anyone dealing with sleep issues. In fact, a recent study reported that people who drank energy drinks slept less and had more sleep disturbances than those who did not. Many energy drink consumers said they felt tired all the time. As the study concluded, “The frequency of energy drink consumption was inversely associated with sleep duration and sleep efficiency, while a direct association was observed with the frequency of energy drink consumption and sleep patterns such as sleep onset latency and wake after sleep onset across sexes. The strongest association was found between daily energy drink consumption and short sleep duration…” Even having two or three per month was linked to poor sleep quality. 

Often energy drink consumption masks a deficiency. If you are exhausted all the time, it could be because of a serious health problem. Instead of treating the symptoms, treat the cause. The first step should be a simple at-home health test. Kyla’s tests include up to 14 different biomarkers. With just a few drops of blood you’ll learn about your sugar and hormone levels, including cortisol and thyroid, along with heart, kidney,  and liver health. You’ll also discover your risk of future health issues like hypertension or stroke. These tests often cost hundreds of dollars. Kyla’s primary care and hormone panels are just $99. They may even be covered by insurance. 

Start by completing a brief online health quiz. Then select the best test for your needs. A few days after ordering, your test kit will arrive at your home. Just follow the easy instructions for sample collection and return your sample to Kyla. You’ll soon receive valuable insights into your body’s internal workings along with guidance for improvement. That means you can enhance your well-being, optimize performance, and maintain health as you age. Best of all, you’ll have the opportunity to speak with a doctor about the results. If you feel tired all the time, getting an easy, at-home test should be your first step. 

4. Not Drinking Enough Water

While coffee and energy drink consumption can negatively affect sleep, water has the opposite effect. It might seem like everyone is carrying a giant water bottle these days but many of us neglect hydration. Being well hydrated is better for your skin and helps with digestion. It also improves sleep quality. 

For one thing, water lowers your body’s core temperature, which helps with sleep. Plus, going seven hours without drinking water (as you do when you sleep) can be dehydrating. While your body secretes the water-retaining hormone vasopressin during slumber, its work is undone if you’ve consumed salty foods, caffeine, or alcohol prior to sleep. If you wake up with a dry mouth or experience muscle cramps, drinking more water throughout the day can help. Aim for around half-a-gallon or two liters daily. However, limit water intake before bedtime to small sips so that you aren’t awakened by a need to urinate.

5. Your Body Mass Index is Over 25

Statistically, heavier people have a harder time falling asleep. They also struggle to stay asleep throughout the night. For one thing, people with a body mass index (BMI) over 25 have a heightened risk of obstructive sleep apnea. This is partly because excess fat puts pressure on your neck when you lie down. If you find yourself awakening because you’ve stopped breathing and you feel exhausted all the time, sleep apnea may be the reason. 

Along with reducing your risk for heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes, and numerous cancers, losing weight can improve your sleep cycle. It will also improve your energy during the day – which has a direct affect on how well you sleep. Generally speaking, overweight people are more likely to report sleep issues than those at a healthy body weight.

6. You Don’t Exercise Regularly  

Often going hand-in-hand with being always tired and overweight is a lack of exercise. Because it releases energizing endorphins and elevates your core body temperature, you may want to limit physical activity in the hours before bedtime. Still, the good news is that moderately aerobic activity like a light jog or swim can have immediate benefits. People often find that their sleep begins to improve the day they begin exercising. Because this type of activity increases the quantity of slow-wave sleep – which is the deepest sleep possible – exercise plays a key role in the restorative process your mind and body enjoy during slumber. It will also help improve your mood and metabolism during the day. 

The key is to start slowly – not only to avoid injuries but also to avoid soreness that might affect sleep. What’s interesting is researchers still haven’t discovered the exact link between exercise, better sleep, and reduced fatigue during the day. “We have solid evidence that exercise does, in fact, help you fall asleep more quickly and improves sleep quality,” Charlene Gamaldo, MD, medical director of Johns Hopkins Center for Sleep at Howard County General Hospital explains. “We may never be able to pinpoint the mechanism that explains how the two are related.”  


7. A Diet High In Sugar, Salt, and Processed Foods

Diets high in processed sugar in particular have been linked to sleep disruption and feeling tired all the time. Also, ultra processed food often lacks the unique mix of nutrients found in whole foods. When your body doesn’t get enough of what it needs like protein, for example, it will begin to use muscle and fat for energy. This can cause sleep disruptions. High sugar consumption can lead to elevated blood sugar levels which can affect sleep, energy, and fatigue. 

Watch out for food labels that list dextrose, sucrose, glucose, and fructose (especially high fructose corn syrup) as their first or second ingredients. These are all sugars. While they each affect your body differently, none of them are considered healthy. They are also not ideal for anyone who is tired all the time.

If you feel exhausted all the time, start reducing your reliance on processed foods. Instead, cook meals that are focused on green leafy vegetables, fruits, whole grain fiber and lean protein like that found in fish, poultry, and beans.

8. Vitamin Deficiency 

It’s possible to eat plenty of food and still not get enough vitamins or minerals. These nutrient deficiencies can cause you to feel tired all the time. Often the culprit is a diet overly reliant on ultra processed food which is heavy in added salt and sugar but frequently light on nutritional value. It’s possible to consistently get more than the recommended seven hours of sleep per night and still feel fatigue during the day.

Iron deficiency is one of the more common deficiencies that can lead to either inadequate sleep or feeling tired no matter how much sleep you get. This deficiencyis a common concern among many vegans and vegetarians It’s important to find plant-based sources of iron or even supplements if you aren’t consuming animal protein. Spinach, tofu, lentils, fortified cereals, and beans are good sources of iron.

The B complex of B2 (riboflavin), B3 (niacin), B5 (pantothenic acid), B6 (pyridoxine) B9 (folate) and B12 should also ideally be found in food like milk, cheese, eggs, and some meats. Magnesium can be found in green leafy vegetables, spinach, legumes, nuts, seeds and whole grains while citrus products including oranges and grapefruits are loaded with vitamin C. Vitamin D is often added to dairy products and fortified cereals. This is one of the most common deficiencies in the U.S.. Brief exposure to midday sunlight can help boost production of the vitamin. Just be careful not to overdo it to avoid an elevated risk of skin cancer. Fifteen minutes is all you need to boost Vitamin D production. 

If you suspect a vitamin deficiency is the cause of your extreme fatigue, it’s important to get the right information. Fortunately, Kyla’s at-home testing examines markers for a number of common deficiencies. Just download the app, fill out the health quiz, and order the right test for you. 

For just $99 you’ll discover a range of biomarkers that will help you discover exactly why you feel tired all the time. Even better, you’ll have an opportunity to discuss the results with a Kyla doctor. You’ll learn how to take action and improve your health over the long term through supplements, lifestyle changes, and tracking your progress online.

9. Dealing With Depression 

Mental health plays an outsized role in fatigue. Extreme fatigue causes depression and depression can fuel insomnia – leading to fatigue. When healthy men and women had their sleep interrupted, they reported nearly a one-third reduction in positive moods the next day according to a Johns Hopkins study. People battling insomnia are ten times more likely to develop depression than those who are well-rested. Three-quarters of people diagnosed with depression have trouble falling asleep. 

Although chronic fatigue syndrome often has physical symptoms like recurring sore throat, irregular heart beat, allergies, and night sweats, some of the other symptoms like extreme exhaustion and muscle weakness are similar to depression symptoms. Unfortunately, time-pressed primary care doctors sometimes overlook the ways depression and fatigue are linked. If you’ve been feeling depressed lately (or a larger share of your friends have worried about your depression), take steps. See a therapist or counselor. You can even speak to a spiritual counselor at your church, temple, or mosque. If you are unsure of whether or not depression is playing a role in how tired you are, then there’s a good chance that it is playing a part. Cognitive talk therapy for insomnia has been shown to also reduce depression along with sleep issues. 

10. Shift Work and Constant Availability

Shift workers who labor outside of the traditional 8-5 schedule often deal with feeling tired all the time. That’s because our body’s circadian rhythms follow the same schedule as the sun – awakening us when the sun rises and making us tired when the sun sets. Triggered by light and dark, this natural cycle is disrupted when people work overnight shifts or stay up long past sunset. 

Although one out of five U.S. workers has a non-traditional schedule, many more do their jobs outside of normal business hours. The need for employees to be available during their “down time” accelerated with the pandemic. Today many continue to respond to work emails or otherwise do their jobs long after sunset. Although the flexibility of non-traditional hours can be very appealing, if you are exhausted all the time that may be your body telling you to reduce the late night hours. 

To cope with shift work, staying on the same schedule even during off days can help. Eating right, drinking plenty of water and exercising daily can help overcome the downsides of non traditional hours. However, if you aren’t a shift worker but you are always tired because you’re doing work in the wee hours of the night, you may want to speak with your employer. Put up some guardrails and schedule time that’s just for you. After all, it’s hard to do the best job you can while fighting fatigue. 

While there are many solutions to sleep issues, taking a holistic, all body approach is important. At Kyla, you’ll be able to discover how your lifestyle affects your body by tracking vital health indicators like primary care and hormone levels. You can monitor your data conveniently on the Kyla app which allows you to visualize your progress through graphs for better insights. Using Kyla’s health assessment, you can also identify the way your sleep is being affected and create a tailored plan designed to improve your slumber. Great sleep is just one click away!

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