Tired At All Time? The Reasons Could Be More Than Just Lack Of Sleep

We all wanted to feel energetic and fully charged throughout the day to perform our daily work efficiently and enthusiastically. Yet, most of the time, the signs of tiredness affected us physically and also psychologically. 

Tiredness or sleepiness is normal after physical or mental efforts, which usually feel better after a nap or a proper rest. On the other hand, fatigue is persistent tiredness and weakness of physical and/or mental that is not relieved by rest. In such conditions, you feel a lack of energy to carry on with your day-to-day activities. Often, we blame insufficient sleeping time or not being able to sleep soundly at night as the cause of fatigue. Although insomnia may be one of the reasons which cause fatigue, other factors can play a part too. The list below is three main factors that are likely to contribute to your tiredness or fatigue.

1. Emotional

The feelings of grief, loss and sadness, as well as anxiety and depression, are associated with fatigue. A study involving 2,848 adults found that fatigue is presented more frequently in participants with depression and with higher consumption of antidepressant medication.¹ Besides, people who are frequently under anticipatory anxiety and chronically suppress their feelings feel exhausted easily.

2. Physical

Tiredness or fatigue may be a sign of underlying illnesses. For instance, people having anaemia, a condition where the body is lacking red blood cells to carry oxygen to the body’s tissues, are often tired and weak.¹ Similarly, having the flu or virus infection (such as COVID-19) will develop signs of extreme tiredness. The study also reported that fatigue or tiredness is likely to persist even after recovery from the COVID-19 infection.² Other medical conditions, such as high blood pressure, diabetes, heart disease, arthritis and cancers, will also cause patients to feel tired, partly due to the long-term use of medications.

3. Lifestyles

Most of the time, your lifestyle pattern play a big part in causing tiredness or lack of energy. People who are physically inactive or seldom exercise are likely to feel tired compared to those who are active, as suggested in several studies.^3,4 In terms of dietary patterns, those who skip breakfast and taking meals at irregular hours are often tired and having poor concentration throughout the day.^5,6 Other reasons such as overweight, smoking, stressful lifestyles due to overloaded works and lack of restorative sleep may be the reasons which causing exhaustion.

Supplements To Combat Tiredness

Acetyl L-Carnitine (ALC)

L-carnitine is an amino acid found abundantly in our muscle tissue. This molecule is involved in energy production by transporting fatty acids into the cell’s powerhouse, known as mitochondria. It burns the fat to generate energy.

A study that evaluated the impact of ALC supplementation has shown that ALC reduced the prolonged fatigue after exercise by 50%, sleep disorders by 28%, and overall declined the physical and mental fatigue in the elderly.⁷ If being physically inactive or having a sedentary lifestyle is what causes your tiredness, pairing your exercise regimen with ALC supplementation is a wise option. ALC will boost your energy level to improve overall physical performance and help to manage your body weight due to its fat-burning effect.

Coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10)

CoQ10 is present in our body tissues in varying amounts. It generates energy in our body cells and also acts as an antioxidant to help reduce oxidative damages.⁸

The studies of CoQ10 on relieving fatigue is promising. A research review found that CoQ10 supplementation is effective in reducing fatigue among healthy individuals, patients with heart-health issues, and other disease-related fatigue.⁹ CoQ10 supplementation can also reduce exercise-induced exhaustion in both healthy untrained and trained individuals.¹⁰ For individuals with fatigue due to heavy workload, oral intake of CoQ10 had improved subjective fatigue sensation and physical performance.¹¹

Green Coffee Extract

Unlike the commonly consumed black coffee, green coffee bean is the unroasted raw coffee bean that is rich in chlorogenic acid. As the main constituent found in the green coffee bean, chlorogenic acid is known for reducing body weight and body fat as well as lowering blood pressure.^12,13

In 2018, a study found that healthy daytime workers, who experienced fatigue during the weekdays, had improvement after daily consumption of beverages containing chlorogenic acid extracted from the green coffee bean. The study suggested that chlorogenic acid can suppress the effects of psychological stress, thereby improving sleep quality and promoting recovery from fatigue via sleep.¹⁴

Ginseng Extract

The use of ginseng for boosting energy levels and fight fatigue is common, especially among the Asian population. Ginseng contains active constituents found in the root of the ginseng plant, known as ginsenosides. It acts on the central nervous system and possesses antioxidative and anti-inflammatory effects.¹⁵

Ginseng supplementation has reduced the fatigue symptoms in individuals with chronic fatigue that lasts at least 6 consecutive months. It was believed that the ginseng improved the subjects’ mental fatigue related to mood, concentration and memory. Besides, as a known antioxidant, ginseng can reduce the main oxidative stressors, such as reactive oxygen species (ROS) that are often found to be high in people with chronic fatigue.¹⁶

So, Which One To Choose?

Choosing the right supplements is a viable option when lifestyle changes are not enough to make you feel less tired.

Green Coffee Extract is suitable for individuals who feel tired mainly due to heavy workload or those who undergoing psychological stress. Alternatively, Ginseng Extract is another option to relieve mental fatigue as it alleviates mood and improve concentration. Individuals with fatigue or tiredness related to diseases, especially heart health issues, will find improvement with CoQ10 supplementation. For an impactful effect in fighting low energy levels or tiredness, engaging exercises is a good way. Both CoQ10 and Acetyl L-Carnitine can enhance the body’s energy for better physical performance and reduce exhaustion due to strenuous exercises.

Last but not least, take your energy-boosting supplements at the beginning of the day to avoid affecting your sleep at night. Remember to stay hydrated by drinking at least 8 glasses of water a day.

Grab your Nourishment now and feel the energy again!