Combatting Fatigue: Understanding, Causes, and Solutions for Feeling Tired Despite Adequate Sleep

2024-02-25 22:20:04

Despite following the recommended hours of sleep per night, many people wake up feeling tired. And studies conducted around the world confirm the existence of unexplained fatigue among adults, with a notable prevalence among women. This problem persists even in those who lead a healthy lifestyle. According to a meta-analysis last year that examined 91 studies across three continents, one in five adults worldwide experienced general fatigue for up to six months, despite having no underlying illness.

The challenge of defining and understanding fatigue complicates the search for solutions. Although drowsiness and fatigue are often confused, experts differentiate them in that fatigue encompasses physical, cognitive and emotional aspects.

“Physical, cognitive and emotional energies are intertwined. Each area tends to depend on the others. For example, low physical and biochemical energy production can trigger both “brain fog” and the suppression of a key switch in the brain called the hypothalamus. This switch not only controls sleep, but also hormonal function. Its function can decrease both following acute stress and following continued severe stress. This is one of the reasons why stress can trigger both insomnia and irritability when you are hungry,” Jacob Teitelbaum, integrative physician, researcher and author of “From Fatigued to Fantastic!”, explained to Metro.

He added: “Research has shown that severe fatigue states, such as fibromyalgia and long COVID, are associated with dysfunction of the hypothalamic pituitary-adrenal axis. This translates clinically to “adrenal fatigue” in which people become irritable when hungry. This emotional lability often wreaks havoc on relationships. So the three things are intimately intertwined.”

The importance of quality of sleep over quantity is a key factor in combating fatigue. According to experts, the “always-on” expectations of modern life largely contribute to both poor sleep quality and insufficient sleep quantity among adults, which in turn leads to ongoing fatigue.

“It is common for people with busy schedules to sacrifice sleep to manage their other responsibilities. Creating the habit of only sleeping 5-6 hours a night can be difficult to break, as it requires people to deprioritize other activities in favor of sleep, and this is not always feasible when those other commitments are important obligations. Furthermore, dependence on digital devices aggravates the situation,” says Carlos da Silva, an attending physician in an American general medicine practice.

And he concludes: “My first piece of advice is to make sure you get enough and good sleep every night. If you don’t have a bedtime routine, work on adopting one and include at least an hour of screen-free time before falling asleep.” Most adults need between 7 and 9 hours of sleep per night to perform at their best, so if you don’t get this amount regularly, adjust your schedule to achieve it. If you are getting enough sleep on a regular basis and still feel fatigued, my next advice is to examine other lifestyle habits, such as your diet, exercise routine, and consumption of caffeine, alcohol, and other substances. In most cases, making adjustments in these areas will alleviate fatigue once better habits are established.”

Metro spoke with Jacob Teitelbaum to learn more.

1 out of 5

Adults around the world experience general fatigue lasting up to six months, according to a recent study.

INTERVIEW

Jacob Teitelbaum, integrative physician, researcher, and author of “From Fatigued to Fantastic!”

Q: Why do so many people feel tired all the time, even following having a good night’s sleep?

– We are witnessing the perfect storm for a human energy crisis. And it’s getting worse. Key contributing factors are lack of sleep, hormonal deficiencies, infections, nutritional deficiencies, and increased stress. The average night’s sleep has dropped from nine hours before light bulbs were invented to six and three-quarters hours. An energy cut of 30% for our body.

Meanwhile, numerous chemicals act as endocrine disruptors, causing widespread hormonal deficiencies despite normal testing. Infections like COVID-19 are causing fatigue, and food processing has led to a 50% loss of vitamins and minerals in our diet. Now add the increased stress, speed and division of modern life, and it’s no wonder people are exhausted.

Q: So feeling tired all the time is normal?

– Humans have developed mitochondrial energy systems that can create abundant energy. As well as a nervous system that facilitates the balance between activity and rest. Feeling tired or even chronic exhaustion is not a normal thing in the human body. It is simply a “normal” thing in modern times.

Q: How important are diet and nutrition in controlling fatigue and improving energy levels?

– The old adage that “we are what we eat” is still very true. And the modern diet has been devoid of most nutrients except calories. It is the first time in human history that we see obese and malnourished people at the same time. It has become very difficult to obtain the amounts of vitamins and minerals necessary for healthy energy from the modern processed diet.

Q: And the dream?

– Allow yourself to sleep without setting the alarm clock for several days to see how long you sleep and how many hours seem optimal to you. This varies considerably from person to person. Then spend that time sleeping. To do this, eliminate the things you don’t like.

If you have trouble falling asleep, create a calming bedtime routine. Do the same thing you would do with your children. Melatonin, valerian, passionflower, the smell of lavender, magnesium (even soaking in a hot bath with two cups of Epsom salts), and many other readily available options can help you fall asleep.

Q: In the context of increasing digitalization, what strategies might be developed to combat digital fatigue and promote digital well-being?

– As Mark Twain once recommended: “Moderation in all things. Including moderation.” Finding a balance between the time we spend with technology and the time we spend in nature. Realize that we can choose which “channels” we pay attention to, just like on an Internet or television screen. So choose what things you pay attention to in the media and in the digital world. Each of us is responsible for our diet. Not just food. But also vital decisions such as the data we enter digitally, on which we base our life experience.

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