Do you keep asking yourself, "why am I so tired all the time?" You're not alone. Sleep is the obvious place to start, but low nutrient levels, stress, the season and even how much water you drink can all leave you dragging. Here are the most common reasons for constant tiredness and what you can do about each one.
How much sleep do you actually need?
Sleep experts recommend that adults get 7 or more hours a night on a regular basis. Regularly falling short is linked with weight gain, mood swings, trouble focusing, weaker immunity, high blood pressure and a higher risk of type 2 diabetes. If you're consistently under 7 hours, that's the first thing to fix. Read more about what sleep deprivation does to your body.
Why am I so tired all the time?
1. Poor sleep habits
Even if you're in bed long enough, the quality of your sleep matters. Common culprits include:
- Caffeine too late in the day. In a controlled study, caffeine taken even 6 hours before bed disrupted sleep and cut total sleep time.
- Screens before bed. Reading on a light-emitting device in the evening delayed sleep, suppressed melatonin and left people less alert the next morning compared with reading a printed book.
- An irregular schedule. Going to bed and getting up at different times keeps your body clock guessing.
- Too little activity in the day, or a hard workout right before bed.
2. Low vitamin D
Shorter, darker winter days mean less time in the sun and, for many people, lower vitamin D. In a randomized trial of otherwise healthy young adults who were tired and low in vitamin D, a single high dose of vitamin D3 improved fatigue scores significantly more than placebo.
3. Low iron or vitamin B12
Iron carries oxygen around your body, and low stores are a classic cause of tiredness, especially for people who menstruate. In women with unexplained fatigue and low ferritin but no anemia, iron supplements reduced fatigue more than placebo. Vitamin B12 is needed to make red blood cells, and deficiency can cause tiredness and weakness. It's a particular concern for vegans, older adults and people with some digestive conditions or medications. A simple blood test can check both, so ask your doctor before supplementing iron.
4. Seasonal changes in mood
For some people, the darker months bring low mood, low energy and oversleeping, a pattern known as seasonal affective disorder (SAD). Bright light therapy is one of the best-studied approaches: a meta-analysis of randomized trials found it improved depression ratings compared with placebo. If your mood dips every winter, talk to your doctor.
5. Stress
Stress and poor sleep feed each other. In a study of medical students, those reporting stress were significantly more likely to have poor sleep quality. Deadlines, money worries and a full calendar can all keep your mind racing when you'd rather be asleep.
How can you get rid of constant tiredness?
Clean up your sleep routine
- Have your last caffeine at least 6 hours before bed.
- Keep your bedroom dark, quiet and on the cool side.
- Put screens away before bed, or at least turn the brightness down.
- Go to bed and wake up at the same time every day, even on weekends.
Check your vitamin D, iron and B12
If a blood test shows you're low, supplementing can help. Our Plant-based Vitamin D is 2,000 IU of vegan vitamin D3 from lichen in one small tablet, and our Vitamin B12 Chewables deliver 1,500 mcg of bioactive methylcobalamin. Take vitamin D with a meal that contains some fat to help absorption.
Get outside
Daylight helps set your body clock, and time in green spaces may help with stress. A meta-analysis of forest-bathing studies found lower cortisol levels in people who spent time in forests than in urban settings. A daily walk outside, especially in the morning, is a good place to start.
Drink enough water
Even mild dehydration can drag you down. When healthy young women lost just over 1% of their body weight in fluid, they reported more fatigue, worse mood and harder concentration. Keep a reusable bottle with you and sip through the day.
Consider an adaptogen
Ashwagandha is an adaptogen with growing research behind it. A meta-analysis of five trials found ashwagandha extract had a small but significant benefit for overall sleep, and in an earlier randomized trial it lowered stress scores and cortisol levels compared with placebo. Our Stress Support combines Sensoril ashwagandha with Affron saffron and other clinically studied extracts to help manage stress, without drowsiness. Ashwagandha isn't for everyone: skip it if you're pregnant, and check with your doctor if you have a thyroid condition or take medication.
Keep moving
When you're exhausted, exercise is the last thing you want to do, but it often helps. A meta-analysis found that regular exercise increased feelings of energy and reduced fatigue on average, though the effect was smaller in the most tightly controlled studies. Even a short daily walk counts. For more ideas, read how to have more energy, naturally.
When should you see a doctor about tiredness?
If you've tried these changes for a few weeks and still feel exhausted, or if your tiredness comes with unexplained weight change, shortness of breath, low mood, loud snoring or waking up gasping, see your doctor. Persistent fatigue can be a sign of anemia, thyroid problems, sleep apnea, depression or other conditions that are worth ruling out, and many of them are very treatable.
