Tired all the time?

If you’re someone who feels constantly tired or if you’re perpetually living with a sense of fatigue, you’re not alone. According to a 2023 study published in the journal Frontiers in Public Health, globally one in every five healthy adults, with no underlying medical conditions, experiences general fatigue that could last up to as long as six months. A poll conducted by YouGov in 2022 in the United Kingdom also revealed that one in eight adults was always feeling tired.

In fact, the acronym TATT which stands for ‘tired all the time’ became one of the most common phrases to be used on social media platform TikTok post Covid-19.

Thirty years ago, Monica Geller from the hit TV show Friends would have said, “Welcome to the real world. It sucks, you’re gonna love it!”

But even if a sign of adulthood, feeling tired all day every day is not normal. So why is this epidemic of fatigue all around us?

The usual suspects

Dr Manisha Arora, director of internal medicine at Delhi’s CK Birla Hospital (R), says that a major factor to blame for this excessive tiredness is our lifestyle.

She says, “We have long hours of work, sitting, and unprecedented screen times. But not just that, our diet is now majorly unbalanced because it’s not homemade for many and we consume processed foods. There is a deficiency of vitamin B12 and vitamin D in the population too, which causes fatigue.”

Sleep is the other major factor. Dr Ravi Shekar Jha, director and unit head of pulmonology at Faridabad’s Fortis Hospital, tells FE, “Sleep plays a crucial role in maintaining physiological and cognitive functions. It facilitates cellular repair, immune system regulation, and hormonal balance, including growth hormone secretion and stress hormone modulation.”
Dr Jha adds, “Adequate sleep is integral to overall health. It is essential for neuroplasticity, memory consolidation, and cognitive processing. It also regulates metabolic functions by influencing glucose metabolism and appetite-controlling hormones.”

But why exactly does this happen? Dr Arora explains, “The constant exposure to stress and stressors releases cortisol, which was only made to be released during flight or fight mode. But its oversecretion now makes us tired all the time.”

It doesn’t end there…

What the doctors emphasise is that the ill-effects of these factors don’t just end with tiredness alone. There’s an overall impact on our health too.

For instance, says Dr Jha, “Chronic sleep deprivation increases inflammation, impairs immune defence, and elevates the risk of obesity, diabetes, hypertension, and mental health disorders.”

Dr Sunil Bohra, senior consultant physician at Apollo Hospitals, agrees. He adds that chronic tiredness induced by environmental factors, unrealistic expectations, depression, or anxiety can not only be a symptom but also a precursor to diabetes, obesity, heart diseases, chronic pain syndromes, and mental health issues. Says Dr Bohra, “The general sense of fatigue is a reflection of how modern life demands more from people while offering less time and space for recovery.”

Making things worse

Another factor that often goes unnoticed is the mental health triggers we constantly live with — the job and employment crisis, climate anxiety, poor air quality, and perpetually being exposed to polarising news and war visuals on our social media feeds.

Dr Sameer Malhotra, senior director and head of mental health and behavioural sciences at the Max Super Speciality Hospital in Saket, tells FE that a lot of smaller triggers often lead to unhealthy or inadequate coping mechanisms such as substance dependence, which when combined with a lack of social support could lead to emotional burn out. He adds, “Excessive workload and expectations without any time for relaxation, pursuing any constructive hobbies add on to mental fatigue.”

This mental fatigue also plays a role in sleep deprivation then. Dr Jha says that a lot of young patients working in MNCs and overburdened struggle with poor sleep.

Dr Bohra agrees and says, “Younger  generations are navigating an unprecedented combination of technological advances, global challenges, and evolving societal expectations. These factors, coupled with changing lifestyles and reduced physical activity, amplify fatigue levels.”

What you can do

The good news, though, is that you can do some things to overcome this constant feeling of tiredness.Dr Jha advocates for a regulated sleep routine where you go to bed and wake up at the same time every day to stabilise your circadian rhythm. To ensure good sleep hygiene, he suggests creating a relaxing bedtime routine, limiting screen time, avoiding stimulants like caffeine or nicotine after a certain hour, and avoiding vigorous activities too late in the evening.

Sleep hygiene alone is not enough though. Dr Arora says that anyone feeling tired on a very regular basis should modify their food habits and aim for a balanced diet with less processed foods; and try to consume more green vegetables, fruits, and homemade food. She adds, “Ensure regular physical activity or engage in a sport. Practise mindful hobbies and deep breathing exercises; and take breaks in between your work day to stretch.”

However, while all this will help, the doctors say that focusing on your mental health is a crucial need too. Dr Bohra, for instance, believes that normalising conversations around mental health and providing accessible resources for support can help those who might be struggling with something but have been unable to process it, thus perpetually feeling overburdened.
Agreeing with Dr Bohra, Dr Malhotra, too, offers some bits of advice — take out time for your family, inculcate a sense of gratitude and patience, try to redefine healthier and meaningful life goals for yourself, and avoid excessive dependence on gadgets and overconsumption of negative news to protect your mental health. 

Easier said than done, but definitely worth a try.