Why am I always tired?
As our worlds become busier, our bodies and minds give into constant fatigue and poor health. Long commuting hours, 9-to-9 jobs, continuous use of social media and a demanding life, in general, have made a sizable percentage of the population experience constant tiredness.
So, how to stop feeling tired all the time?
Before looking at the reasons for tiredness and ways to overcome tiredness, let us look at another pertinent question.
What happens to you when you are feeling weak
When you are tired, you are low on prana, the life force. It is prana that nourishes our minds and keeps our bodies alive. Without prana, the body perishes. Low prana leads to poor mental health and a weak physical body. Food, breath, meditation, and sleep are the four sources of prana.
The three types of tiredness
A weak prana affects the three realms of existence: the body, mind, and emotions. So, you could be experiencing physical, mental and emotional tiredness. Any of these could make you feel tired all the time.
Physical tiredness: You can overcome physical exhaustion with rest.
Mental tiredness: This happens by overthinking, which wears you out. Our mind is tired with desires, do’s and don'ts. There are some things you can do while some that you can’t. You get miserable when you think about things that you can’t do. Surrender these to the Divine, and give him a chance to make it alright. You can overcome mental tiredness with pranayama, yoga and meditation.
Emotional tiredness: This includes heartburn, fear and anxiety, which can be overcome by listening to chants.
Why do you feel tired all the time
The reasons why you feel tired all the time are the same reasons that suck your prana or energy. What are some of the reasons for tiredness?
Inadequate and irregular sleep
You must have often wondered, “Why do I feel sleepy all the time”?
One of the reasons for feeling tired all the time can be due to lack of sleep. More than 55% of Indians are getting less than six hours of sleep, which is an alarming figure. Inadequate sleep is the most common cause of tiredness and is linked to several health conditions like heart disease, kidney disease, high blood pressure, depression, obesity, diabetes, and stroke. Are you working long hours? Do you watch late-night movies often? If yes, then you are probably sleeping at odd hours, and need to change gears to get quality sleep.
Vitamin deficiencies
Inadequate nutrition and vitamin deficiencies like that of Vitamin D and Vitamin B12 are common reasons for tiredness. Poor dietary choices like frequent intake of fast food, a sugar-rich diet, and an imbalanced diet contribute to vitamin deficiencies. Insufficient exposure to sunlight causes Vitamin D deficiency. A blood test can reveal the deficiencies that you are going through.
3. Stress
“Too much to do, too little time, and no energy, that is called stress.”
~ Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar
Stress is one of the main culprits. It makes you feel tired all the time. Stress could be due to work pressures, health concerns, performance issues, family responsibilities, or simply lack of time. Any of these could easily sap your energy levels, making you tired all the time.
4. Health history
Covid-19, thyroid problems, weight issues, blood pressure fluctuations, and iron deficiency are some common ailments that pull down your energy reserves. Ayurveda, pranayama, and Sudarshan Kriya can help you manage your health better. These are side-effect-free tools with long-term health benefits.
Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankar has stated that good health is not just an absence of disease. It also includes a quiver-free breath, stress-free mind, inhibition-free intellect, obsession-free memory, ego that includes all, and a sorrow-free soul.
5. Poor mental health
Depression, anxiety, eating disorders, and substance abuse deteriorate one’s mental health and consequently drain energy levels. You are likely to feel more exhausted because of these conditions.
Now that we have identified what causes your fatigue, the next logical question is, what can you do about it?
How to stop feeling tired all the time
Here are a few suggestions.
Four things can pump your source of energy: food, sleep, breath, and a happy mind, which can be your perfect answer to how to stop feeling tired all the time. Let us see how we can tap all four of these.
Check your diet
Certain foods have the quality to raise your energy levels, while some can pull your energy down. Some facts about the impact of food on your energy levels:
- Freshly cooked food items are more energizing than processed and refrigerated food items.
- Overeating and eating late affect one’s metabolism and energy levels adversely.
- Fresh juices and smoothies rank much higher than caffeinated drinks on the food energy spectrum.
- Dehydration pulls down your energy levels while staying hydrated keeps you fresh and keeps your metabolism healthy.
Sleep better
A few guidelines that can help you experience eight hours of quality sleep.
- Turn off the blue light one hour before you go to bed. Blue light affects your circadian rhythm, adversely affecting your sleep pattern.
- Keep a gap of three hours between dinner and sleep to allow better digestion.
- Practice Sudarshan Kriya. It has been proven to deepen the restful stages of sleep by three times.
- Follow more basic sleep hygiene tips to improve your sleep quality.
Practice breathing exercises
Breathing exercises are excellent techniques if you want to stop feeling tired all the time. Pranayama is a group of yogic breathing exercises that raise your prana. Every pranayama has unique benefits. We recommend the following pranayama to boost your energy levels.
- Bhastrika pranayama: Bhastrika refers to the vigorous filling and emptying (inhaling and exhaling) of the lungs and abdomen during this exercise. Bhastrika instantly energizes. Practice this pranayama anytime you feel tired, but make sure you are on an empty stomach.
- Nadi Shodhan pranayama: Nadi Shodhan or Alternate nostril breathing exercise is a balancing and calming pranayama that you can practice for five to ten minutes every morning. It helps to control anxiety and stress.
Bonus Prana boosting activity: Sukshma Yoga or desktop yoga exercises also help in the movement of prana and help you relax in a short time, getting rid of your visible and invisible weariness.
Take charge of your mind
When you are happy, your energy levels are naturally pumped up. That is why it is essential to take care of your mind. A few self-care tips that can go a long way in helping you stop feeling tired all the time.
- Meditate: Meditation helps remove negative thoughts and emotions. A calm and peaceful mind is a natural source of energy. Meditating for 20 minutes a day is a good start.
- Practice Sudarshan Kriya: A breathing technique that helps remove stress and anxiety and improve your overall mental well-being.
- Cultivate a habit to stay happy: According to Patanjali Yoga Sutras, practicing contentment gives one incomparable happiness. Focus on things that you are grateful for. Nurture a habit of staying happy.
Learn how to stop feeling tired all the time at our Online Meditation and Breath Workshop.
Based on inputs by Amol Wagle, Faculty, The Art of Living
Related Links
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FAQ's to get rid of tiredness
There are several ways to stop feeling tired. Discipline in what you eat, time you sleep, and making sure that quality of food and drink is good helps. Avoiding overworking and staying away from electronic devices also helps prevent energy drain. Exercising daily and taking a break also helps prevent energy drain.
Meditation and breathing exercises are the best sources of getting energy back. Combining them with proper rest, proper diet, a bit of yoga/workout will give you enough energy to last the entire day easily.
The five best vitamins for energy and relieving tiredness are Thiamin (B1), Riboflavin (B2), Niacin (B3), Pantothenic Acid (B5), and Pyridoxine (B6)
Stress, bad diet, lack of exercise, lack of proper sleep, drug habits, and underlying illnesses are some of the major reasons behind people feeling weak a lot of the time.
Lack of energy and motivation, negative thoughts caused by stress, and lack of proper diet fill the mind and body with lethargy. This leads to a lack of desire, lack of energy, and a feeling of perpetual laziness.
Covid-19 patients experience their respiratory prowess and body energy sapped out of them. Combined with heavy medications, several patients have complained that they end up sleeping a lot.
Sleeping inadequately and irregularly can make one feel sleepy because the body and mind hasn't had proper rest. If there is stress in the mind then it becomes difficult for it to switch on and feel energetic. Eating bad food or bad dietary habits can also cause restlessness sometimes and extreme laziness other times.
There is a difference in the quality and quantity of sleep. The body does need a certain hours of REM sleep where the mind and eyes need to shut down. However, the quality of that sleep is determined by diet, previous sleeping patterns, stress, and if there are any underlying diseases and overall immunity.
Yes, if there is physical proximity between the covid carrier and you then you are bound to get covid as well. The best way to not contract covid is by quarantining the patient and not touching them directly or doing so with gloves and wearing protective masks around them.
Covid-19 impacts the body's general immunity and respiratory system. Post covid, doing meditation and learning breathing exercises repair the respiratory system and optimise the quality of oxygen that we are inhaling. This helps us regain energy faster post-covid.
