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Topics: Health
Mia Williams
An expert has revealed the oddly specific reasons behind why you could be tired all the time.
It's not unusual to get home from work after a long day feeling like there's nothing you want to do more than crawl straight into bed.
In fact, it probably happens more evenings than we care to admit.
And while not getting enough sleep, having a stressful day, and not fuelling your body with the right food can all have an impact on how much energy you have, an expert has revealed other causes that you might not have heard about before.
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Signs of fatigue present themselves differently in everyone, for one person it could be mood swings and brain fog, or for another it could be dizziness and blurred vision.
So here is everything you should avoid doing in the day, in an attempt to feel more energised...
While too much physical activity can obviously feel draining, it's not commonly known that too little exercise can actually cause fatigue too.
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Dr Ross Perry GP and medical director of Cosmedics skin clinics, told the Sun: "This is because when we don’t exercise our muscles, it can cause de-conditioning of the body’s musculoskeletal and cardiovascular system, which in turn can make us feel low and depressed."
Slouching is something we're definitely all guilty of, but what we're not clued up about is how it can affect your blood flow.
It reduces the amount of oxygen that is delivered around the body, which makes us feel exhausted.
The doctor added: "This is because there is a link between spine pain and fatigue due to the underlying muscles in the back."
These are the oddly specific ones that we're talking about, but apparently carbs are not the way to go if you want to feel less tired.
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According to experts, despite carbs being the ‘energy’ food, we do actually need a healthy balance of all three macronutrients – protein, fat and carbohydrates - to help avoid fatigue.
There's nothing better than a great night's sleep to help you wake up feeling refreshed, but a lack of sexual intimacy goes hand in hand with fatigue.
Matt Durkin, health and nutrition expert at SCI-MX, told the Sun: "Hormones, such as prolactin and oxytocin, are released during sex, and these help to encourage restful sleep."
If you have a job that requires a lot of time sitting at a desk, this could be leaving you feeling pretty tired.
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Durkin said: "This is because sitting for a long period of time can impact your posture, and metabolism and lead to blood flow problems."
Fizzy drinks, sweets, bread, and cakes might help to give you that boost of much-needed energy in the moment - but that energy doesn’t last long.
After this, there is a sharp drop in blood sugar, causing you to feel more tired than usual.
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Andy Daly, a nutritionist at Dr David Jack, said: "This perpetuates a cycle of energy spikes and crashes, ultimately leading to exhaustion."
There's nothing that prepares us better for the day than a coffee in the morning, but experts say that regular coffee drinkers could be in a bit of trouble.
It acts as a temporary energy boost, but similar to fizzy drinks, this can cause adrenal fatigue in the process, contributing to exhaustion.
Daly said: "Coffee stimulates adrenaline release, leading to temporary energy boosts.
“Over time this can cause adrenal fatigue, contributing to exhaustion."
Fruit and veg is what you need to take care of your gut, after all, people call it your second brain!
The body needs a varied amount of different nutrients in order to stay energised.
Ruth Jamieson, a hormone and welfare expert at ARVRA told the Sun: "Imbalances in gut flora, intestinal permeability or digestive disorders can impair nutrient absorption and contribute to fatigue as the body isn't getting the nutrients it needs to produce energy."