Feeling tired is a normal part of being human. We all have days when we feel more fatigued than usual, particularly after a busy day, a poor night's sleep or a period of increased stress.
But there is a difference between feeling tired and experiencing ongoing fatigue that starts to interfere with your everyday life.
If you're feeling exhausted from the moment you wake up until the moment you go to bed, struggling to get through work or social activities, relying heavily on coffee to function, or finding that sleep doesn't actually leave you feeling refreshed, it's worth looking into.
So, how do you know when fatigue isn't just “normal”?
Try checking in with yourself:
Do you regularly wake up feeling unrefreshed?
Do you rely on coffee or other stimulants throughout the day to keep going?
Do you feel like you could nap at almost any point during the day?
Is your fatigue affecting your work, relationships, exercise or social life?
Do you feel like you're constantly pushing through the day rather than actually having energy?
If you're answering yes to several of these, it may be worth investigating what's contributing to your fatigue rather than simply accepting it as something you have to live with.
“Everything looks normal.”
This is something I hear often.
You go to your GP because you're exhausted. You have some blood tests. You're told that everything looks normal — but you still don't feel well.
While standard blood tests can be incredibly useful, your symptoms don't exist in isolation.
Fatigue can have many possible contributing factors, and sometimes it's about looking at the bigger picture rather than focusing on one result.
This can include your sleep, diet, menstrual cycle, stress levels, digestion, lifestyle, medications, nutrient intake and other symptoms you're experiencing alongside your fatigue.
Some common contributors to fatigue
Iron deficiency
Iron deficiency is particularly important to consider in menstruating women, especially when menstrual bleeding is heavy.
Iron plays an important role in oxygen transport and energy production, so low iron stores can contribute to tiredness, weakness and reduced exercise tolerance.
Thyroid function
Your thyroid is involved in regulating metabolism and energy production. Thyroid dysfunction can be associated with fatigue alongside other symptoms such as changes in weight, mood, temperature tolerance, bowel habits or menstrual cycles.
Poor or disrupted sleep
You can spend enough hours in bed and still not be getting restorative sleep.
Your sleep quality, sleep schedule, stress levels, environment and potential sleep disorders can all influence how you feel during the day.
Blood glucose regulation
Fluctuations in blood glucose and conditions such as diabetes can contribute to fatigue. Other symptoms and your individual health history can help determine whether this is something worth investigating.
Recent or ongoing illness
Viral infections and other illnesses can leave you feeling fatigued, sometimes for weeks or longer after the initial illness has passed.
But sometimes the bigger picture matters
There are also less obvious factors that may contribute to ongoing fatigue.
Your menstrual cycle
Heavy menstrual bleeding can contribute to iron loss, while hormonal changes throughout the menstrual cycle can also influence energy, sleep and mood.
Your digestive health
Digestive symptoms such as ongoing diarrhoea, constipation, bloating or abdominal discomfort shouldn't necessarily be looked at as completely separate from the rest of your health.
Conditions affecting digestion can sometimes influence nutrient intake or absorption, while your diet and digestive health can also affect how well you're meeting your nutritional needs.
Your diet
Not eating enough, having a highly restrictive diet, or consistently missing key nutrients can leave you feeling depleted.
This doesn't mean that a particular diet is inherently “bad” — including vegan or vegetarian diets. Rather, restrictive or poorly planned diets may increase the risk of certain nutrient deficiencies if nutritional needs aren't being adequately met.
Stress and burnout
Living in a prolonged state of stress can have a significant impact on sleep, appetite, digestion, mood and energy.
Rather than thinking of this as “adrenal fatigue”, it's more useful to look at the broader picture of chronic stress, sleep, recovery and the body's response to prolonged demands.
So what can you actually do?
The answer isn't always another coffee, another supplement or simply being told to “get more sleep”.
If your fatigue is persistent, the first step is understanding why it's happening.
This may involve discussing your symptoms and health history with your GP and considering whether further medical investigation is appropriate.
From a naturopathic perspective, I also look at the bigger picture — your diet, lifestyle, menstrual cycle, digestion, sleep, stress, symptoms and overall health — to identify areas that may be contributing to how you're feeling.
The goal isn't to give you a huge list of things to “fix”.
It's to understand what your body may be telling you and create a realistic plan that fits into your actual life.
You don't have to accept feeling exhausted as your normal.
If you're constantly tired, relying on coffee to get through the day, or waking up feeling like you haven't slept at all, it's worth asking why.
Your fatigue is a symptom — and understanding what's contributing to it is the first step towards feeling better.
Want to look deeper into your own symptoms?
Book a consultation with me to discuss your health, symptoms and goals and explore where we can start.