Many of us are walking around just existing. We’re exhausted all the time. It is so common, that many people feel it is normal to be tired and exhausted all the time. It is true that we all experience fatigue at different times that we feel has no explanation.

Sometimes the cause is obvious but other times it becomes apparent that we are dealing with circumstances that need to be remedied for our health and peace of mind. It is not normal to feel tired all the time.

Nine common culprits that may be contributing to your fatigue are listed below, as well as some ideas on how to deal with them. It is important to note that most of these issues that wear us out can be remedied and we all owe that to ourselves.

Here are 9 Reasons Why You Feel Exhausted All the Time

1. Sleep Deprivation

One of the most difficult aspects of successful living in a fast paced world is to structure our days and nights to provide sufficient sound sleep. Whether our sleep loss is due to to many responsibilities and hours away from home, or a more challenging issue of night shift work or insomnia, one must work diligently to provide his body with sufficient rest.

Most people need more sleep than they realize – at least 7 – 9 hours with 7 being the absolute minimum. Further, your sleep should be consecutive. Sleeping for only 5 hours per night and taking a 2 hour nap in the middle of the day, is not sufficient.

In addition to getting plenty of sleep, relaxation and meditation each day is a powerful tool to reduce physiological stresses allowing 2 things to happen: 1. You will be more likely to fall into a restful sound sleep after doing 20 minutes of relaxation each evening. and 2. If your schedule is so horrendous that you don’t have time on a given day for the recommended 7-9 hours of sleep, a 20 minute meditation can restore your stamina to a more healthy level.

2. Thyroid Imbalance

A low thyroid can leave one feeling depleted, lacking the vibrancy and energy to carry on with the day’s activity, and the morning coffee won’t kick you into gear either. If you haven’t had your thyroid levels checked, you may want to have your physician order it to be done to see whether this is common condition is causing your fatigue.

3. A Nutritional Deficiency

Specifically we refer to Vitamins B and D or any combination. Vitamin B12 is found in generous amounts for our daily needs in fish and poultry as well as meat and eggs, but vegan sources can be found as well, and B12 is essential for the management and prevention of megaloblastic anemia the most serious kind of anemia.

Vitamin B6 is also a major player in the Vitamin be family. If one lacks a folate rich diet which should include beef, liver, and starchy vegetables, one may simply wish to supplement with an very inexpensive Folic acid tablet where vitamins are sold.

Vitamin D is another crucial nutrient needed to feel energized.  If you are regularly fatigued, have both your Vitamin D and B levels checked to see if you are optimal.

4. Adrenal Fatigue

See our recent article 10 Signs You Have Adrenal Fatigue for more details about adrenal fatigue. Adrenal fatigue, like it’s milder counterpart of adrenal insufficiency, is often accompanied by other symptoms, such as weight gain around the middle, specific food cravings among the salty or sweet snacks, difficulty rising in the morning and a brain fog during the day.

There are helpful dietary changes that can be done and improving the offending environment to be more peaceful and give you some calm. For the nutritional support needed a great resource is: The Adrenal Reset Diet: Strategically Cycle Carbs and Proteins to Lose Weight, Balance Hormones, and Move from Stressed to Thriving.

5. A Cluttered Environment Can Drain Your Energy

When we get exhausted in the evenings, we may feel that to crash early and leave a messy environment to be done the following day is more beneficial than straightening the house that evening, but to wake up to that clutter each day sends a fatiguing message to your brain.

Likewise, living with too much “stuff” can be equally draining of your energy. Your own thinking may be as cluttered as your environment. When your environment is clean and well ordered, you will think more clearly. See The Joy of Less, A Minimalist Living Guide: How to Declutter, Organize, and Simplify Your Life.

6. Autoimmune Disorder

The very depleting state of fatigue in autoimmune disorders is typically caused by your body turning against itself. If you live in a state of fatigue, have a physician run tests to see if you have an autoimmune condition. Autoimmune conditions can often be difficult to diagnose, so be sure to see a doctor that specializes in autoimmunity. Two great resources on autoimmune disease are:

• The Autoimmune Epidemic
• The Autoimmune Solution

7. You Are Under Regular Stress

This is so common that we often fail to realize living under constant stress is not a condition we must simply accept. A serious look at what we can do to reduce stress is essential in every home. It may not simply require a reduction of activity.

In some instances it may be resolved by structuring happy family time into every evening involving games and/or laughter or outdoor physical activity when the whether permits. Making time for relaxation and meditation each day can also begin to reduce the stress you actually experience in the day’s events.

8. You Have Depression

Clinical Depression, more than a discouraged mood that may last a few days is a condition of mental gloom or hopelessness leaving one unable to envision any brightness in their future, or even any sense of future at all. The condition may be triggered by a specific event but may simply be without external cause. In either case, in must be treated with careful medical expertise.

9. You Have Too Many Toxic Relationships

Everyone in your household goes out into the world each day facing many stressors of their own and will respond in their own unique way. If the tension brought into the home fosters great levels of tension among the family members then great efforts should be exerted to foster emotional wellness, support and respect for everyone.  Likewise, if you are interacting with toxic people regularly, regardless of whether they live in your home, this can drain your energy quickly.