Reasons Why You May Be Always Tired

Do you feel like you are tired all the time? Do you wonder if it is normal to be always tired? For many of us (especially parents of young kids) being tired might seem like a normal way of life. But tiredness can also be caused by a number of medical conditions. No one wants to be tired all the time. If you are feeling tired, take a look at some of these possible causes to see if you can break the tiredness cycle.

Before having my first child (a beautiful daughter) I didn't give much thought to being tired. I led a very active lifestyle...playing tennis and volleyball, scuba diving, bicycling, and whole host of other activities, even golf. Of course, once the little one came along there wasn't much time for other activities. I'm sure all the parents reading this are nodding in agreement! The other side effect of having a little one is the lack of sleep. So I thought it was normal to feel tired all the time. But after awhile, I started wondering if there was something more to it. Perhaps my tiredness wasn't simply due to being a parent. The fact is, many of us simply resign ourselves to the fact that life itself just makes us tired. Or we think to ourselves, "I guess I'm just getting old, and old people get tired." Well, before you simply give in to these type of thoughts consider these possible conditions that can cause tiredness.

Diabetes

Did you know that diabetes now affects about 24 million people in the United States? That is a huge number! In fact, it is estimated that a large portion of those people who have diabetes don't even know it. Type 1 diabetes is generally diagnosed when the person is a child or young adult. In this case, the body is unable to produce insulin. The more common type 2 diabetes can develop over time. In this case, the body is able to produce insulin, but loses its ability to use the hormone. This is called "insulin resistance." In both types of diabetes, fatigue is common and key symptom. The good news is that type 2 diabetes can be controlled with diet and exercise. And you can detect diabetes with a simple blood test. Some estimates indicate that almost a quarter of the people in the United States are either diabetic or will become diabetic. So get a checkup if you exhibit any of the symptoms. Besides chronic fatigue, other symptoms include increased appetite along with weight gain, thirst, blurred vision, and frequent urination.

Anemia

Most often, anemia is caused by a lack of iron in your system. It is estimated that about 20% of women and 3% of men suffer from anemia. Basically, anemia is a condition where you have a lower level of red blood cells. Since your body uses red blood cells to carry oxygen and carbon dioxide between the lungs and the rest of your body, having a reduced number of red blood cells reduces the amount of oxygen getting delivered to your muscles and tissues. The in turn leads to feeling tired. Anemia can also be detected with a simple blood test. Anemia caused by an iron deficiency can be helped by taking iron supplements. However, you can be anemic due to some form of bleeding. If so, it is important to find out the source of the bleeding.

Sleep Disorders

Sleep disorders are probably more common than people realize. One of the more common sleep disorders is sleep apnea. These days, most people have probably heard of sleep apnea. It is caused by an obstruction of the airway during sleep, like a tongue that is proportionately too large for the size of the mouth. People with sleep apnea will wake up several times (even dozens of times) during the night, with obvious effects on them during waking hours. And because the lack of sleep causes difficulty in concentration, children who have sleep apnea are sometime incorrectly diagnosed as having attention deficit disorder.

Another (more common than people realize) sleep disorder is restless legs syndrome. People with restless legs syndrome feel discomfort in their legs or even have jerking motions that cause them to awaken frequently. The condition is generally thought to be hereditary and affects about 10% of adults.

As mentioned, sleep disorders tend to be underdiagnosed. So asking your doctor is the first step. Typically, an overnight sleep study can be performed and the best course of action determined from the results.