"Why Am I Always Tired?" - Free Resource For Ending Tiredness

 

            The classic Thanksgiving conundrum:  Everyone’s had their fill of turkey, gravy, and stuffing, and during the time in which everyone is supposed to be conversing and playing games… you all get drowsy.  And not just a little drowsy, the “let’s head home early and turn in for the night” type of tired.

 

            Tiredness after eating can happen anywhere really, and it doesn’t really matter WHAT food you’re eating (for example, many people blame turkey as the culprit in a Thanksgiving spread when this really isn’t the case) but it’s more what’s IN the food.  In this article I’m going to give you a little background on why some foods makes you sleepy, and also give some suggestions for yummy alternatives that won’t leave you feeling like you need to grab a nap at the nearest opportunity.

 

            Many foods, like the gravy and stuffing in my above example, contain a very high fat content.  Fat in and of itself isn’t all bad, we need various fats to function properly, but in excess the types of fats found in most foods can really be detrimental to your energy level…

 

And here’s why:  In the brain, fats help accelerate the rate of release for a chemical you may have heard of called serotonin.  While serotonin is released naturally at night, fats help release this chemical at random intervals during the day.  The chemical is meant to indicate to your body that it needs to recharge, and therefore make you sleepy. 

 

Also, yet another factor of tiredness after eating is the rate at which foods are metabolized once we eat them.  A lot of high sugar and high fat foods burn up very quickly in the body (1.5-3 hours) when most other foods such as fruits, vegetables, and some grains average 3-5 hours before the fuel they provide is completely burnt up.

All in all, there are more factors that go into tiredness than you could count on all of your fingers and toes, so it's a good idea to get some assistance when looking for a way to eliminate tiredness.  I highly recommend checking out my review of the 'End Tiredness Program' located on my homepage.  You owe it to yourself to spend a few minutes reading through : )

Tiredness plagues most of us on a daily basis.  By the time you roll past 4 o’clock, most of us want nothing more than to get to the nearest comfy bed and conk out for a few hours.  However, what many of us that find ourselves tired of being tired don’t realize (I certainly didn’t catch on for a while) was that there really are some drop-dead easy changes that can be adding extra hours of energy to each and every day.  So here’s the deal, I’m going to go through 3 of my most favorite right now, and explain why each one is effective.  Enjoy!

 

#1) De-stress… No really.   We live in hectic, high stress surroundings, and our bodies are naturally resilient to it… but not necessarily in a way that helps us out.  What I mean is that our bodies are designed to release more serotonin (a chemical that makes us sleepy) when high-stress/overwhelming situations arise in an attempt to get us to avoid a potentially dangerous situation.  Unfortunately, this also makes us tired and we soon get that burnt-out feeling.

 

Try letting the little things go (cliché, I know!) and writing out and frustrations that might be building up so that you can deal with them in a systematic and calm manner.

 

#2)  Eat your breakfast!  You’ve heard that it’s the most important meal of your life for years now, but maybe you never really bought in.  News flash:  The time to start is NOW!  A healthy and filling breakfast is key in getting you going in the morning.  Our body uses calories to get energy and unless you can eat while you’re sleeping (I haven’t been able to pull it off yet) then you’re going to be running on empty when you wake up.  In order to hold you over until lunch-time, you should make sure you stalk up on grains and fruit at breakfast, don’t just grab a granola bar and call it good as you run out the door!

 

#3)  Snack early, snack often.   Maintaining a steady flow of energy is key in boosting your energy level and (more importantly) keeping it elevated.  Make sure that you have something to eat every 3 hours (usually you’ll want this boost between lunch and dinner where the gap can be 5 hours or more).  Cheese and crackers and carrots with ranch dip are my favorites for afternoon snacking!

All in all, there are more factors that go into tiredness than you could count on all of your fingers and toes, so it's a good idea to get some assistance when looking for a way to eliminate tiredness.  I highly recommend checking out my review of the 'End Tiredness Program' located on my homepage.  You owe it to yourself to spend a few minutes reading through : )

           Feeling tired and uninspired?  While many might jump at the opportunity to connect feelings of tiredness and boredom with clinical depression, I know better.  Alright, alright, I’m not claiming to be a healthcare professional, but as someone who has personally experienced and then had to overcome extreme tiredness and fatigue, I’ve learned a few things. 

 
First of all, what’s actually making us tired is usually much different than the traditional factors.  What’s the first cause of tiredness that comes to mind for you?  If it’s sleep, you’re not alone.  This is far and away the factors most commonly associated with your level of tiredness. While sleep habits ARE important, there are a lot of other factors that many people don’t consider.  In this write up I’m going to explain a couple of the most important ones you’ll want to be aware if you want to have any chance of understanding and then ridding yourself of tiredness.

 
Eating habits:  An no, I’m not just going to tell you to steer clear of fatty and sugary foods.  In fact, more important than what you eat is when you eat. 


To put it in perspective…  The body metabolizes most food in about 3 hours.  That means that after 3 hours you are getting to that “running on empty” level.  In our modern 3-meals-a-day eating regimen we often go more than 3 hours between meals.  There’ve been days that I eat my right around noon and don’t get home and eat dinner until almost 7 o’clock.  THOSE are the types of days where you feel yourself start to crash as the afternoon rolls in.
 

To remedy this, eat the same amount of calories in a day but go with a more even time spread.  For example, I like to have a snack to eat every 3 hours, such as cheese and crackers, an apple, or carrots and ranch dip.  Then I downsize my main meals just a little bit (I’m a little bit vain I suppose, but I’m not going to sacrifice my body image for energy).

 

Physical activity:  Another staple of avoiding the “tired and uninspired” feeling.  Exercise is generally something that many of us who have lead (or currently do lead) sedentary lifestyles dread.  It seems like something that will just take up time, and ultimately make us more tired that before.


In actuality, exercise is very important to maintaining your energy level.  A quick workout of even 10-15 minutes of cardio will release endorphins in the brain, which stimulate your nerves and suppress serotonin (one of the chemicals in the brain that makes you sleepy).  TEN minutes… that’s so easy!  Also, your body budgets for your typical day.  This means that if your body is used to a lazy life or even a busy one that involves very little physical exercise, it won’t budget much energy.  However, if you stay active your body will try and budget enough energy to keep you rolling through each day.

All in all, there are more factors that go into tiredness than you could count on all of your fingers and toes, so it's a good idea to get some assistance when looking for a way to eliminate tiredness.  I highly recommend checking out my review of the 'End Tiredness Program' located on my homepage.  You owe it to yourself to spend a few minutes reading through : )

 

            It’s no secret that tiredness is a major factor of most anyone’s life.  We live in such a busy and hectic world that it’s hard NOT to feel like crashing for a 4pm nap by the time the afternoon rolls around.  There are many, many things that the average person does each day that likely contribute to their tiredness, but today I want to go over 3 of the most common mistakes that are made and also how you can correct them to have more energy in your life!

 

1)  A good breakfast (always).  You’ve heard it since you were a kid, and yet having a busy life with a job often presents you from eating a healthy breakfast each day.  Sorry folks, this is one of the biggest no-no’s of energy building.  If you find that you don’t have enough time in the morning you’ve got two options.  The obvious one; get up earlier… OR the one that makes more sense, plan it out the night before.  Have a couple things ready to pop in the microwave, or know what you want to eat beforehand.

 

Also, when you go to eat your breakfast make sure that you have a well-rounded spread of the food groups.  Different types of food metabolize in the body after different amounts of time, so eating many different types ensures that you have a steady stream of fuel that isn’t all burning off at the same time.

 

2) Sleep smarter (and wake up people!).  There is no substitute for a good sleeping regimen when it comes to getting more energy.  However, the biggest problem is that most people know nothing about how sleep and recharging actually work.  If you want to energize yourself you need to acknowledge that sleep is not a “lump sum” deal, your body actually sleeps in 90 minute cycles.

           

            This means that sleeping for commonly recommended amounts like 8 or 10 hours is counterproductive, because these amounts are not evenly divisible by 1.5, meaning you’ll be waking up in the middle of a sleep cycle.  Many people think that the difference between waking up fully energized and ready to go versus waking up groggy and sleepy is random… it’s not.  The difference is in whether your are waking up in the middle of your sleep cycle or not.  Wake up in the middle of a cycle, and your body will be begging you to go back to sleep and complete that cycle all day long.  For example, sleeping 6, 7.5 or 9 hours is perfect because you are getting full sleep cycles.  Try it, you’ll notice a difference after just a few nights if you give it a good effort.

        Easy changes like this can become something you focus on for just a few minutes per day, but end up saving your countless hours.  Tiredness is an issue that can be resolved, and I personally found success in the End Tiredness Program (which you can find review HERE on my homepage).  Don't leave without checking it out!

                                                                                                                                       - Angela Daniels

If you’re reading this article it’s a pretty good guess that you know what it’s like to suffer from tiredness and fatigue.  It’s annoying as hell (excuse my French), to be “too tired” to do the things you like with your friends and family.  But ultimately, it’s your fault.  Tiredness is a result of many life factors and taking control of them is the only way to start living a life where you can actually sleep less and feel more awake and energized throughout your day.  In this article I’m going to throw out 5 things you’re likely doing that are contributing to your sleepiness.

1)       There’s a lot to be said for breakfast.  Face it, many of us just out the door each morning with a piece of toast in our hand and a skimpy lunch packed.  How in the world are you thinking you’ll get through your day on THAT?  Breakfast is indeed, as you’ve probably been told your entire life, the most important meal of the day.  Getting in a high amount of calories (make sure some of this is coming from fruit as well!) is a good way to help you make it to lunch.

 

 

2)      Power down early:  The bright light of computer and TV screens is an interesting addition to the causes of tiredness.  While I love my screen time, using a computer or watching TV late into the evening can actually confuse the part of the brain that releases melatonin, a chemical released by the brain that tells you it’s time to sleep.  Because this chemical release is usually triggered by your surroundings getting darker, artificial light can hinder your ability to fall asleep quickly.

 

 

3)      Snack early, snack often.   There’s a lot to be said for the benefits of snacking.  We worry so much about weight and other aspects of health, that we disregard one of the fundamental rules of our body:  We burn through food in 3-4 hours.  Why not eat smaller meals every 3 hours or so, so that you are taking in the same amount of calories in a day, but have a more consistent distribution.  Most people go several hours between lunch and dinner and end up running on empty.

 

 

4)      Work it!  No need to break out the 80’s Jazzercise equipment, but getting your heart rate is an amazing addition to each day because you will encourage the release of endorphins and other chemicals in the brain that help you stay awake.  This is something that shouldn’t be overdone, the key is to exercise enough to get a boost of energy, but not so much it makes you feel MORE tired than before.

 

 

5)      Just let it go.  Holding grudges and accumulating stress, sadness, and other negative mental emotions was one of the top contributors to tiredness in a University of San Francisco study.  Let go of any pent up hatred and try and move through life with a happy, easy-going confidence, you’ll feel the difference!

          Easy changes like this can become something you focus on for just a few minutes per day, but end up saving your countless hours.  Tiredness is an issue that can be resolved, and I personally found success in the End Tiredness Program (which you can find review HERE on my homepage).  Don't leave without checking it out!

                                                                                                                                       - Angela Daniels

Personally, I’m a huge fan of technology.  I listen to my iPod every single day when I run.  I run a website and therefore spend quite a fair amount of time in front of my computer screen editing and posting new articles each day.  However, there are several ways in which using technology can contribute to constant fatigue and tiredness.  Now I’m not telling you not to use technology, but if you’re looking to get more energy into your life and avoid tiredness, these are some good tips to live by.
 

Tip #1)  Power down early (just a bit!).  This first tip pertains to using screens, like your computer, TV, or ebook reader, late in the evening.  You may or may not know this, but the level of darkness in a room actually contribute to how easy or hard it is to fall asleep on a chemical level.  When the light around us begins to fade into evening, our brain releases melatonin, a chemical that makes us drowsy and signals that its time to lay down. 
 

However, staring at bright screens of artificial light can throw the brain off and it will have trouble knowing when to secret the melatonin.  When you turn off the lights, you’ll find that there isn’t much of the chemical circulating yet and your mind will likely still be racing with thoughts.  Many people have trouble falling asleep after evening screen time.
 

Tip #2)  Face that alarm clock the other way!   I thought that this one was a bit odd when I started it, but it actually makes a lot of sense now.  When you get ready to go to bed, set your alarm and then face your clock the other direction.  Not only does the alarm clock emit light, but it can induce anxiety laying awake and watching the minutes tick away.  It can be much more calming to let yourself slip off to sleep naturally than to worry about the timing.  Just try this one, trust me.
 

Tip #3)  De-stress, people!  Stress is a major factor in most peoples’ tiredness level.  While technology IS a vehicle of convenience, it can be exasperating obsessing over when an email is coming, or checking a bank account, or trying to fit in enough time for reading every article, website, and blog that you want to.  Try choosing just a few of your most important online tasks each day, and tune the others out to give you less to worry about.

 

If you want to take steps towards eliminating tiredness from your life and getting more energy then don’t forget to grab my free ecourse before you take off.  It’s got a ton of great information and compliments the End Tiredness Program (you can find my full review of it HERE) very well.

            People, it’s time to quell the outbreaks of bad advice I’m hearing on a day to day basis.  I answer tiredness related questions on Yahoo Answers (trust me, the “why am I tired?” question gets asked all the time), I read popular health blogs, and I even run my own website… and I’ve got to say I’m a little disappointed with the people spreading misinformation to those desperately in need of tiredness help throughout the internet.  A lot of times they don’t even mean to do it, they’re just passing on what they heard (which, unfortunately, was wrong in the first place!). 


It stops here.


I’m going to bust open the truth right here and now, by the most common myth spread about the internet in regards to tiredness.  Ready to learn?  Let’s go! : )
 

The Myth: “You need to get more sleep!”
 

            Now in all honesty, this one DOES make intuitive sense.  One would think that sleeping more would be the obvious solution to tiredness.  However, usually sleeping 8 hours in a night won’t leave you feeling much better than sleeping 6.  By the same token, a lazy person who sits at home and sleeps the majority of the day should be all charged up for anything right?  Nope, lethargic people have the least energy of anyone around, and they get much more sleep.  Why?  It’s all in the sleep cycles.
 

            Sleeping cycles are the 90 minute chunks in which our body groups the 5 stages of sleep.  Every 1.5 hours, we progress through all 5 of these stages, and allow ourselves to recharge/regenerate.  However, many of the recommended sleep amounts don’t correspond with our sleep cycles at all!
 

            Sleeping 8 or even 10 hours is a mistake because these numbers are not divisible by 1.5.  This means that sleeping these amounts you will wake up in the middle of a sleep cycle.  Your body will then purposely make you feel drowsy as the day progress in an attempt to get you to lay down and complete that cycle.
 

            Another reason those who oversleep will feel tired is because they have built their body into the habit of sedentary life.  In other words, your body budgets for energy based on your needs; if you never exert yourself or maintain an active lifestyle, your body doesn’t think it needs to budget much energy for you and you’ll end up feeling tired all the time.


             If you want to take steps towards eliminating tiredness from your life and getting more energy then don’t forget to grab my free ecourse before you take off.  It’s got a ton of great information and compliments the End Tiredness Program (you can find my full review of it HERE) very well.

Ok so you finally got to bed early one evening.  Better yet, you actually got to sleep in too!  You’re anticipating a nice, restful night and to build some energy for tomorrow.  And yet, you wake up tired?  In fact, getting out of bed is just as hard as usual and by the mid afternoon your body is begging you to lay down and catch some shut-eye.

 
Why does this happen?  If you haven’t experienced or realized this anomaly, you probably know someone who has.  To tell you the truth, this whole aspect of the human sleep cycle is a pain in the butt… but I’m here to tell you that I can shed a little light on why this occurs and (better yet!) what you can do about it.  So let’s learn about waking up tired and why it happens.

 
Sleep cycles:  Learn ‘em, live ‘em, love ‘em.  You may or may not know this already, but our sleep is made up of 5 distinct stages.  Ranging from barely dozing off to R.E.M. (rapid eye movement) sleep, the one in which most bodily reparations and energy building occurs, these 5 cycles are ALL necessary in recharging your body.

 
Now, when humans beings were evolving (or were created, if you prefer), the world was a much more treacherous place.  It would be difficult for say, a cavemen, to lie down and be undisturbed for 9 hours at a time, with all of the wild animals and flimsy shelters that characterized early human development.  Instead, our bodies evolved to cram these 5 sleep stages in 90 minute cycles.  These cycles allow us to rebuild energy in smaller chunks.  Think about it, we wouldn’t last very long if you couldn’t get rest unless you staid perfectly asleep for an entire night.  In fact, most parents would die within the first year of having a child (what with all the nighttime crying) if this were the case, because they’d never get a solid night to recharge.

 
Enough of the history lesson…  Why does MORE sleep make us feel tired?

 
It isn’t more sleep per se that makes us tired, but the fact that sleeping for numbers not divisible by 1.5 hours result in “broken” sleep cycles.  For example, many people sleep 8 hours per night.  At 7 and a half hours of sleep you would have just completed your 5th sleep cycle, but at 8 hours you are in the middle of another cycle.  Waking up in the middle of your sleep cycle is a big no-no because your body will be trying to get you to go to sleep and complete that cycle the entire day.


            If you want to take steps towards eliminating tiredness from your life and getting more energy then don’t forget to grab my free ecourse before you take off.  It’s got a ton of great information and compliments the End Tiredness Program (you can find my full review of it HERE) very well.

 

                                                                                                                                        - Angela Daniels

Tired of being tired?  Alrighty then, the ball is about to be in your court.  Tiredness affects billions every single day and we take it as a given.  That is, we accept tiredness for what it is and no matter how tired of being tired we become, most of us don’t realize that there’s something we can do about it.


            When was the last time you were actually able to wake up, jump into action, and keep going throughout the entire day?  I bet it’s been a while.  And even if it hasn’t, it’s sure as heck hard to have more than one of those glorious days in a row!  However, as someone who learned to completely dispel tiredness from her life, I’m going to let you know that there are a whole lot of things you can do to help boost your energy level AND chip away at the feelings of tiredness that plague you throughout the day.


            First of all, you need to identify which factors are affecting you most.  The next step is to get yourself some resources and information regarding those factors, and put them into action.  This article is going to focus on diet and eating habits, while future articles will cover other factors.


           

            Your diet.  You may not know it but what you eat (not to mention when and how much you eat) has a huge impact on your energy level.  For example, sugary, fatty foods are metabolized quite quickly, and you usually aren’t getting any benefit from them after about 2 hours.  However, if you can stalk up on some high-protein foods, you will have energy slowly released for a longer period of time for 3-4 hours.  This can be the difference of making it to your next meal bright-eyed and ready to go vs needing a nap just to get through the afternoon.


            Also, our societies in the modern day for some reason preach this whole “three square meals a day” regimen that ultimately contradicts our body’s natural digestion system and energy needs.  Eating smaller meals/snacks every 3-4 hours is much more beneficial than trying to cram in giant meals.  Think of the energy in your body like a small cup or container that funnels out the bottom.  Eating just the right amount of food will leave you full and energy will funnel through at an even rate for several hours.  However, stuffing yourself with a lot of food will overflow the funnel and some of the energy gain will be wasted as it overlaps with other food from that meal.

 
          To learn more about tiredness (and some nifty resources for getting more energy) make sure you read through all of the useful content on my homepage.  Also, make sure you grab my FREE ecourse on getting more energy (I'm very proud of it!) before you go, you'll find that in the sidebar to the right.

                                                                                                                   - Angela Daniels
 

Every felt like day-after-day you would start to lose steam as you entered the afternoon?  Maybe you didn’t even make it that far and wished you could get back to bed as soon as you has taken your morning shower.  While for most people these “I am always tired!” feelings of fatigue and weariness are a normal, everyday occurrence… and that sucks.

 
            My name is Angela Daniels and a while back I decided to put my foot down and start working actively to get tiredness out of my life.  While there was effort involved, I emerged miles ahead of wear I was before, and I’ve now compiled some simple steps from my own journey that contribute to the way I can now wake up and face each day with alertness and confidence (and stay that way throughout the WHOLE day).

 
            So let’s get down to business.  As per the title of this article, I want to help identify what areas of your life might be causing your tiredness.  This is an important first step (and one I talk about early on in my own homepage) because different people are tired for different reasons.


            I Am Always Tired – The Evaluation


Factor number one, let’s look at your sleep habits.  The average human has a sleep cycle of about 90 minutes, meaning that in 90 minute chunks our bodies progress through all 5 stages of sleep and recharge.  The problem is we’ve been force-fed these silly notions of sleeping 8 or even 10 hours; neither of these are divisible by 1.5 hours, meaning you are interrupting a sleep cycle when you sleep for 8 or 10 hours.  Waking up in the middle of a cycle is a big no-no (though most people do it every day) because your body is going to make you feel drowsy the entire rest of the day in an attempt to get you to lie and down and complete it.


            Next, you need to take a good, hard look at your meal and eating habits.  Another misconception running rampant in our society, is that we should eat just 3 meals per day.  In fact, our body metabolizes many foods in 3-4 hours… but there are usually 5, 6, or even more hours between lunch and dinner.  We begin to build up an energy deficit after those initial 3-4 hours and we run out of energy.  Eating smaller meals every 3-4 hours is good way to avoid this problem (try it!).  Also, make sure that your meals consist of protein rich foods, as stockpiling on fatty, sugary foods (which expend their energy potential after 1-2 hours) don’t do a very good job of keeping you energized.

 
          Other factors of tiredness that could be weighing you down can be found HERE on my homepage.  After you're done reading through that, be sure to check out my review of the "End Tiredness Program" (about halfway down the page) for an innovative approach to tackling tiredness that I personally used.